My Top 3 Way to Meal Plan, Prep and Pack
My Top 3 Ways to Meal Plan, Prep and Pack
If you are anything like me, meal times are some of your most favorite parts of your day! But trying to come up with what I am going to eat when I am hangry can be a recipe for toddler-like tantrums and a meltdown! One of my favorite ways to ensure that I am eating nutritious and delicious meals without the hanger episodes is to make sure I have a game plan. My three tips to meal planning, prepping and packing have helped take the angst out of mealtime and have even made cooking enjoyable!
1.) Meal Plan. Not gonna lie, this may be the hardest step of all. But once you find your groove, it gets much easier! I start my meal planning my looking at my schedule and what’s going on in the next 7-10 days and start from there. For nights that we have later commitments (small group, evening classes, practices, etc), I plug-in take out and leftovers and then work backwards. On nights or days that I have a little more availability, I use the days to cook the bigger meals that will then provide leftovers for the other nights. I typically try and do three home cooked dinners and then sprinkle in leftovers, take out and date night in the other days. When I am mapping out my weekly menu, I make sure that I am adding in a variety of different foods with a mixture of both comfort and nutrient dense recipes. After that, I create my grocery list based off the menu and always try to first use what I already have the in the fridge, freezer and pantry first. Again, this can take a bit of time at first but the more you do it the quicker the process!
2.) Meal Prep. Next step is the actual prepping of the meals. Depending on my schedule, I either plan a day (Sundays are typically great days for doing bulk prepping for me) or pockets of time throughout the day to meal prep. That can look like chopping the veggies, thawing the meat, getting the dry ingredients out, preparing the pot or pan I am using, etc. I also will create “stations” ahead of time with the ingredients and cooking instruments I will be using for easy access. It’s crazy how even just the tiniest of preparations can really help save time!
3.) Meal Pack. The last step is the easy peasy one! (Well, other than the actual consumption of the meal!) I pack up the meals or leftovers in glass containers and in correct portion sizes so nothing is wasted. I will either prepare them for lunches, dinner leftovers or even freeze them for future meals. If I am putting multiple containers in the fridge for the same meal, I like to place them all together for easy gathering.
Meal planning, prepping and packing has really been a game changer in making sure my husband and I are eating delicious and nutritious foods and not always dialing pizza take out in times of desperation! And for an added bonus, it has also been great for our grocery budget! Hope you find these equally as helpful!
Have more tips for meal planning? Leave a comment below with yours and help inspire others!
Cheers,
Heather McCreight