Meal prepping may seem like a lot of work, but trust me it’s soooo worth it. One thing I’ve learned is that the more decisions you have to make, the more brainpower you have to use. Here's the trick- by eliminating the ultimate “what’s for dinner?” question we deal with as moms EVERY. DAY. you’re going to have one less thing to worry about. After week 1, you’re going to realize how much brainpower you’ve freed up & you'll feel like this guy right here:
Not only does meal prepping help me figure out dinner for 5 days straight, it encourages me to make a strategic grocery list, which ultimately cuts waste and saves money. Yes, ladies! No more throwing away food & saving money all at once!
I usually begin on Sunday evenings by writing down the menu for the week. I take into consideration recipes that are healthy, can be easily be reheated for dinner and that can be put both into Eddie’s and my husband's lunch boxes. This step usually takes me about an hour, this includes gathering recipes and putting my grocery list together. I like to use the Notes app in my iPhone. It’s simple and works for me. If you have an android, try using google sheets .
(this is a screen record of what my notes app looks like)
Monday night after work, I head to the grocery store. If I finish my menu early, I order all my groceries online via Amazon Prime Now and get them delivered straight to my house the night before. Then it takes about 3-4 hours for the recipes to come together.
After everything is cooked, Eddie helps me fill up our glass Pyrex containers and then we pop them in our fridge.
Once you’ve done this for 4-6 weeks straight, you’ll wonder why you’ve never done this before. At this point, you’ll also already have your menu and recipes favorites and know which recipes were hits and which were only one-hit wonders.
Here are some links to the recipes that’ve become our family favorites over the months:
Mint-Pistachio Pesto (this can be easily mixed w any pasta)
Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
Let me know how meal planning works with you guys in the comments below!
