One of the best ways to save both time and money is to do one round of meal planning each week, then do your meal prep on the weekend. For planning, you need a grocery list, recipe ideas, coupons, and the ability to watch for unexpected bargains. To successfully meal prep, you need to know what you are making before you pull out the cutting board. Below I have written about the different types of containers for meal-prepping which will make the process easier for you.
Also, enjoy a few recipes that I have mentioned below.
First Step for Meal-Prepping
Before you start, get organized. You are going to have a lot of things going at once, so make sure your counters are clear and everything you need to cook is both located and clean. When possible, wash as you go for items you need to re-use, or rinse and load the dishwasher for the quickest cleanup.
Crockpot
As you start washing and chopping veggies, you can load your crockpot with the fixings for a simple vegetable soup. Keep it simple by using zucchini, summer squash, carrots, celery, and onions.
Chunk everything up into bite-sized or slightly smaller pieces and drizzle in a little olive oil. Turn the crockpot on low to let your veggies sweat a bit to get the full flavor out, then add water or stock to cover. If you use water, add garlic bouillon cubes or a veggie stock reduction. Cook on low until the carrots have softened, then let the soup cool so you can split it out and refrigerate or freeze it.
Final crockpot tip: Dried beans are much more flavorful than canned beans. They are also less expensive and easier to store. If you want to cook with beans on Sunday, rinse well and cook overnight from Friday night to Sunday morning so you can drain, rinse and cook with them on Sunday.
Casserole Dish
Keep your skillet handy so that you can prep the basics for your favorite casseroles. From tuna casserole to tater tot hot dish, keeping an unbaked casserole in the refrigerator to prepare during the week will come in handy. Many meal-preppers do their work on Sunday, so make sure you bake it by Wednesday for the best flavor.
Salad Bowl for Meal-Prepping
For good health and great flavor, take the time to fill your salad bowl. Consider preparing a three-bean salad or a pasta salad loaded with chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, finely diced celery, some black olives, and a tri-color rotini. As the week goes on, you may want to use the pre-bagged salads that have saved many a cook, but preparing a chopped salad on Sundays that you can enjoy until Tuesday. Also, it will save stops at the grocery store in the middle of the week. By having fresh salad bowls available you are also able to make healthy choices more easily since the bowls are premade and ready to go.
Plastic/Foil/Plastic Combination
A simple prep ahead treats features scrambled eggs and veggies on a tortilla. You can also add sausage and bacon to your scramble; just be sure to break up the meat into small pieces for the best texture after freezing. Once you have your scramble fully cooked, use whole wheat tortillas to create your own custom breakfast burritos. Put the eggs in the center of the tortillas and sprinkle them with grated cheese before rolling up your burrito.
Wrap the burrito in plastic wrap and seal it tight, then wrap the plastic roll in aluminum foil. Finally, place all the aluminum rolls in a large Ziploc bag. It’s critical that you keep these airtight so the fat in the eggs, meat, and cheese don’t soak up refrigerator odors.
Single Serving Containers
Meal-prepping will not save you much if you can not quickly get to single-serving containers on the busiest days. Rinse your fruits and split them into one cup plastic sandwich bags. Rinse and dry baby carrots and celery sticks and put them in stainless steel food containers for lunch. If your family loves sandwiches, wrap them in a large paper napkin to keep the sandwich in good shape before snapping it into a reusable plastic container.
Meal prepping is a habit that is actually easy to start and can be fun for all ages. Older children can learn to handle a knife and cutting board while younger children can learn hand-washing protocol and practice counting baby carrots. Keep a running tally as you get containers back through the week. You do not want to find out on Saturday that there are empty containers in an office desk drawer or a school locker. Make sure everyone has a serviceable lunch container so you get containers back.
Do let us know in the comments how you manage meal-prepping during busy weekdays. Looking forward to your valuable inputs.
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