Save Time, Money and Sanity with Meal Prep!

MEAL PREPPING

Meal prep is a great way to save money, cut calories and save time!  Sunday is the perfect day to take some time to prepare your meals, and this can include all meals:  breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.

One of the first steps is to make sure you purchase quality food storage containers so you can store leftovers and meal prep for the week.  Make sure you buy decent quality because otherwise you will lose money trying to save money (food will be wasted).  You can also get portion control food containers to better plan your meals for your diet!  I also recommend Steam Bags from Ziploc–life savers!!

Here are some ideas for easy meals to prep (adjust as necessary for your specific dietary needs):

• Fresh Chicken Avocado Salad

  • Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumbers, Carrots, Shredded Cheese, Avocado and baked/grilled/steamed chicken.  Pack dressing separately.

• Chicken Salad Sandwich

  

  • There are a lot of great recipes out there, so just search for one that suits you.  I recommend putting the salad into separate containers from the bread so it keeps throughout the week.

• Chicken Fajita Bowls

  • While on the topic of chicken, save some from the above and make a yummy fajita bowl!  Super easy, quick and fairly healthy. Mix red onion, green bell peppers, corn and cooked rice with a vinaigrette (you can make or buy), then add the chicken.   

• Black Bean Corn & Tomato Quinoa Salad (add Kale as a base if you wish)

  • A very healthy option for a meal, side or snack!  Make extra to enjoy throughout the week.

• Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits (one of my favorites!)

  • Add your preferred fruit to yogurt and voila!  Ready to go! You can also add granola, chocolate chips and a combination of other goodies to it.  My preference is to use vanilla flavored yogurt which I buy in a large container, then make a couple of individual helpings at a time (holds up for 2-3 days).

• Fresh Fruit & Veggies

  • Buy fruit and veggies in bulk (you can freeze a lot of fruits and veggies for future use) and separate them into snack bowls to have a quick and healthy treat at your fingertips all week long.

• On-the-go Smoothies

  • If you have a blender, smoothies are excellent meal replacements and as healthy as you want them to be!  Whether you prep the ingredients in a mason jar or bag, you can prepare a ton of these for the future because they freeze so well.  Yogurt, apple juice, almond milk and coconut milk make a great combination with fruit smoothies!

    

• Crockpot Meals

  • Get a large food storage bag, combine a combination of meats, vegetables and seasonings, then freeze. There are so many recipes online, so take a few minutes and find some that you like. If you use a pressure cooker (like an Insta-pot), there is no need to thaw.  If you are using a traditional slow cooker, you will most likely need to thaw out the meat ahead of time (just take it out a day before).  This is a great way to come home to a delicious dinner already made, and it’s also a fantastic way to make extras for future lunches.
    

• Mixed Oats

  • Excellent breakfast or snack choice and so many mix-ins you can experiment with adding to your oats.  Basic recipe: 1 part rolled oats to 1 part cold liquid. Depending on your preferred consistency, add more liquid for thinner. If you add yogurt, start with a 1:1:1 ratio of oats to cold liquid to yogurt.  Add in fruit, nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, protein powders, peanut butter, etc, mix up, put the mixture in a container (such as jar) and set it overnight in the fridge. (Depending on the ingredients, this can stay good for 2-4 days in the fridge.)

• Mason Jar Salads

  • Speaking of jars, have you tried a mason jar salad?  It’s a salad stored in a mason jar, add dressing, shake up and eat!  You can either add dressing to the bottom of the jar or at the time you plan to eat it (so the salad doesn’t get soggy while waiting to be eaten).  After dressing, add protein, nuts, fruits, cheeses and finish it off with the greens. Eat from the jar or put on a plate, whatever is easiest!

• Kabobs

  • Prepare these ahead of time and make extras.  Grill chicken, shrimp, steak or another protein, add veggies and enjoy!   

• Burgers

  • Meat or veggie burgers are easy to prepare and easy to freeze (raw or cooked) for later use.  No bread necessary, especially if you are eating low-carb.

• Baked Egg Muffins

  • Using a muffin tin and basic ingredients, you can make dozens of easy, quick, healthy and tasty breakfast or snack muffins to take on the go after a quick warm up. Basically you’re baking eggs with tasty ingredients like tomatoes, ham, cheese, peppers, onions, spinach leaves, mushrooms and so on.  There are lots of recipes to choose from with a quick search. Yum!

• On-the-go Peanut Butter Snack

  • Easy:  use an empty container, put a bunch of peanut butter in it, throw in some celery, peanut butter or apple in the container, seal the container and go on your way!  

I hope you found something that you enjoy and will make your life easier while saving money by being proactive and preparing ahead.  The goal here is to stay within your food budget (groceries and eating out) with added health benefits by avoiding fast food.  Share some of your favorite meal prep ideas!