Easy Meal Prep for Busy Moms
Today I am sharing my easy meal prep for busy moms.
I’ve been a longtime fan of meal prep, but never more than during this season of life with three young kids and a full-time career. With the role of meal planner, grocery list maker, shopper, and chef on my plate, I need to be organized. I don’t like to spend hours in the kitchen, but if I make it a priority to prepare a few things each week, it makes feeding my family (and myself!) healthy meals so much easier.
From breakfast basics, to grab-and-go lunch options, to easy to throw together dinners, a little meal planning can go a long way.
If you are new to meal prep (and honestly aren't quite on board yet), check out my simple tips for how to meal prep even when you don't want to and how to get started with meal prep.
Here is my meal prep routine for busy moms. (And be sure to check out my free printable weekly meal planning sheet!)
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What are the benefits of meal prep?
There are so many. Here are my top three benefits of meal prep.
#1: It's saves you time. When you have prepared food ready to go, you can get meals on the table easier and quicker during the week.
#2: It will save you money. When you have meal and snack options ready to go, you are less likely to buy food or order takeout when you are short on time. You will also have less food waste, which is good for the planet and your wallet.
#3: It's a great healthy habit. Having healthy options that are easy to grab or heat up ensures that you can make healthy choices all week long.
Easy Meal Prep for Busy Moms
Here is the routine that works for me.
STEP 1: On Friday nights, I do a quick once-over of the fridge and cupboards, making a list of things we need. I start to think about meals for the next week and I make a grocery list. I plan meals from Sunday to Wednesday, with the hopes of leftovers or a simple on-hand meal like pasta or something from the freezer for Thursday and Friday. On Saturdays we eat out. This might seem like a drag for a Friday night, but I find that it gives me a sense of organization going into the weekend.
STEP 2: Saturday mornings I grocery shop first thing. I like to have what I need on hand so when I have a block of time to meal prep I can jump right on it. When I get home I put everything away and usually wash and cut my fruits and veggies that so they are ready to go.
STEP 3: On Sunday morning, I make some basics. I change it up a bit each week. My goal is to have a few proteins, a breakfast option, and all of my fruits and veggies washed, cut, and ready to go.
My Go-To's for Healthy Eating All Week
Here are the foods on my meal prep rotation. These are easy to make and versatile.
Breakfast Options
Hard boiled eggs - made in the Instant Pot for breakfast, to throw on a salad, or for egg salad.
Scrambled egg cups - eggs baked in a cupcake tin for an easy to heat up breakfast protein.
Protein pancakes - I make these almost every Saturday morning and just save the rest for the week or pop them in the freezer.
Overnight oats or chia seed pudding - filling and so easy to throw together in pre-portioned containers.
Lunch & Dinner Options
Homemade Mac and cheese - made in the Instant Pot with just pasta, cheese, milk and butter. So much better than boxed!
Chicken - cooked in the air fryer or on the grill, and perfect for salads, sandwiches, bowls or just on it's own. (Sometimes I just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it!)
One additional protein - usually turkey burgers, taco meat, or meatballs - all kid-favorites.
Rice - made in my Instant Pot on the rice setting, making it super quick and easy. I use this for taco bowls, Greek bowls, or 'cheesy rice' for my kids (just rice mixed with some shredded cheddar cheese).
Big chopped salad - split into glass containers for lunches.
Fruits and veggies - washed and cut for the week, and I will sometimes roast a tray of veggies in the oven.
This may seem like a lot, and sometimes it feels like it, too. Do what you can and what fits your families needs.
I will say, there is nothing like the feeling of a full fridge of healthy food on Sundays and the options to make breakfasts, lunches, and dinners a little easier. On Fridays we clean out the fridge - everyone eats what they want!
What are some basic meal prep tips to help save time?
Some other tips that could be helpful if you are looking to get into meal prep:
#1: Double it. Double the meal you make on Sunday, plan for leftovers for another night that week, or for lunches.
#2: Use your freezer. Make a soup or stew (we love chili) and freeze one portion for another time.
#3: Have some simple pantry dinners in the rotation. This can be as simple as pasta with a jar of sauce, scrambled eggs, frozen pizza. Things that you can always keep on hand and quickly make into a meal - an easy form of meal prep!
What are the best containers for meal prep?
Glass containers are my favorite for meal prep. They are sturdy and they are free from chemicals that can often be found in plastic. This helps to keep your food safe and uncontaminated.
I like to have a variety of sizes of glass containers with lids for meal prep. This is a great starter set.
I also love this set with snap-on lids.
If you have any tried and true meal prep hacks, please share them below, your comments mean a lot to me!
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