If you’re a busy human, it’s likely that you have thought about meal prep and what you can do ahead of time to make eating healthier easier throughout the week. Here I have compiled a list of the ways that I meal prep as a busy mom of four children aged 6 and under. I set aside some time at the beginning of the week, which for us is Sunday. Typically, I don’t have all of these things to meal prep. I only have to prep a couple each week.
Related: How to make a budget
Tips
Do not necessarily meal prep, but instead ingredient prep. So instead of making a specific meal like stir-fry with raw meat, instead I precook all of my meat and add it cooked to recipes near the end. For instance I will make curry and near the end I will add in my cooked shredded chicken. If I need my meat to be flavored, I sometimes will put some of my cooked meat in a marinade in the fridge, giving it great flavor.
- Decide which ingredients you use regularly and what state they need to be in to be used quickly and effectively.
- Freeze all items (that need to be frozen) flat or in a portioned container.
- If you’re on a tight budget, buy dry beans and rice and prep them at the beginning of the week, they freeze great and are very affordable.
- Start prepping with items that take a long time.
- Label all containers, especially frozen items- it’s not fun to defrost refried beans instead of pumpkin.
- Make sure hot items are cooled before they go in the freezer or fridge.
Meat
We buy our meat in bulk, cook, and then freeze it to save money and time. When meat has been previously frozen, defrosted, and cooked, it can then be frozen again just fine.
- Cook ground beef
- Shred chicken
- Make pulled pork
Vegetables
These are vegetables that we purchase fresh and prepare based off of which meals we are eating that week.
- Chop Carrots
- Shred Carrots
- Shred zucchini
- Chop Onions (we usually chop a lot of these and then freeze them)
- Chop Celery
Other Prep
- Shred cheese
- Cut cheese
- Hard boil eggs
- Cook noodles
- Make snacks
Frozen foods we buy to save time & money
- Tater tots
- Chicken nuggets
- Wontons
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Peas
- Corn
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
Convenience foods we buy to save time & money
We could save money by not buying these convenience foods, but for my sanity, we spend a bit more for this ease.
- Jarred, pre peeled, and minced garlic
- Pureed ginger
- Canned beans
- Pasta (some people may not consider this a convenience food, but we could make our own for much less money)
- Cereal (its great for quick lazy breakfasts on busy mornings)
