Meal Prep Tips for Busy Moms

Our family recently moved across the country. For the past 2 months, most of our belongings have been in storage which has made cooking healthy meals a little more challenging. Now that we're finally in our new home, I'm ready to make healthy living a priority.

I'm going to start working out regularly again and I plan to start meal planning and prepping again. Meal prep can save you a lot of time and money, but sometimes it seems like an annoyance that drains your entire weekend. That's why I want to share these Meal Prep Tips for busy people like you and me!

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Meal prep used to be my least favorite thing…and I'll admit, it's not glamorous. And while it's still not my favorite thing, having healthy meals that don't cost an arm and a leg and don't take hours to prepare is one of my favorite things. I hope these tips will help you have happier, healthier meals!

Meal Prep Tips for Busy Moms

Pick one day a week to meal prep.

It’s easier if you pick a day ahead of time and plan for it. And while I recommend one day for meal prep, it's OK to shop the day before. 🙂 Many people prefer to do their meal prep on the weekend, so they’ll have enough food already prepped for the entire week ahead. Others pick a Monday or another day to do it. Find the day that works best for you and your family.

Once you’ve picked a day, make sure you set aside enough time to get it all done. You may need several hours to a whole day depending on the amount of food you need to prepare or the size of your family.

Get a lot of small containers.

If you’re prepping lunches to take to school or work, small containers can be a lifesaver. You can use glass containers, plastic containers, or stainless steel containers. The key is to be able to fit all of the food for one person’s meal into one container. Make one for each member of the family who will be taking one of those meals. Consider using color coded lids or labels to make it easier to sort them.

Freeze fruit and veggies for smoothies and juices.

One thing that people struggle with in the mornings is making their own smoothies and juices. It’s healthier to make your own juices and smoothies, rather than buying processed and sugar laden versions from the store. However, it’s hard to find the time each morning to cut up all the vegetables and fruits before blending them. Freezing these items ahead of time will save you a lot of time in the morning. You can chop up veggies and fruits and freeze them by type or add all the fruits and veggies you want for each day to a Ziploc bag or container, so you can easily dump it into the blender on busy mornings.

Freeze soups and sauces.

Did you know that you can freeze most soups and sauces after making them? It's seriously one of my favorite meal prep tips! Make extra batches of soups and sauces and let them cool on the counter. Then freeze them, so later you can just thaw, heat, and eat.

Bonus tip: We freeze soups and sauces in freezer bags. You can freeze them flat and then stack them to save space. Also, if you don't have these Storage Bag Holders, you need them. They're a total game changer for meal prep!

Cook your meat ahead of time.

A few years ago, I started buying ground beef in large quantities at Costco and I started cooking it all at once in my Ninja. I then freeze it in 1 pound increments. I quickly realized how much time it saved when I was putting together a recipe. Then I started cooking chicken in the crockpot, shredding it, and freezing it and again, it made a huge difference. Now I can just grab a bag of meat out of the freezer, add it to whatever I'm cooking and voila…dinner is served!

Chop and cut everything in advance.

If you hate making salads but love eating them, this tip is for you! You can cut many vegetables ahead of time and store them in the fridge. You can even store spiralized vegetables in the fridge to turn them into pasta later. Zucchini is a popular option. {This is the veggie spiralizer I use and I love it.}

Create separate containers for each vegetable, so they don’t wilt or affect each other. Use clear containers or label them with what’s in them and the date.

Use mason jars creatively.

Mason jars have become a fun meal prep trick. You can use mason jars to layer salads or make casseroles. You can also use them to make oatmeal layers for morning breakfasts.

One popular way is to use them as jarred salads. Put the heaviest items, such as meat or beans, on the bottom of the jar. Then, add the layers of cheese or thicker vegetables. The lettuce should go on top because it’s delicate. Add sauce or dressing in a different jar, so it doesn’t get messy.