Hey there reader!
The other day, someone asked if I could give them a sneak peek into my meal prep day and share some of my favorite recipes. Of course, I'm all for sharing, so no problem there!
💡I thought it'd be helpful for you also to get a peak into my routine. So, today, I'm excited to share what my weekly meal prep routine actually looks like.
Now, you might assume that because I'm always raving about meal prep and make-ahead recipes, I'm whipping up perfectly planned meals every week.
Nope – not the case at all. I'm all about keeping it easy, and trust me; I need it to be easy, just like everyone else. 😉
One of my secrets to keeping things simple is using a combination of meal prep ideas.
Here's how I make it work:
✅ First things first, I take a look at my upcoming week. I think about what's on my plate and what kind of meals will make my life a whole lot easier.
✅ Once I've got a good sense of what we need, I start planning our meals around it. I usually put together a meal plan on either Thursday or Friday because I like to hit the grocery store on Saturdays. And again, I'm all about simplicity, which means my meal plans are simple, too.
✅ Then comes the meal prep day – Sunday morning. I'm up and at it, getting things ready. I like to get started early so I'm done early and can enjoy the last part of the weekend.
✅ Depending on the recipes I'm making, I'll spend about 3 hours on meal prep. Some weekends a little more and some a little less. But, remember, those few hours give me back over 10 hours or more during the week - and my sanity. So, to me, it's totally worth blocking our time for meal prep.
💡Oh, and here's a pro tip: I make sure all the dishes are cleaned and sorted on Saturday night, so I'm not wasting time searching for containers or doing a big cleanup on Sunday.
💡 Another tip: I make a conscious effort to avoid doing my grocery shopping and meal prep on the same day. Trust me, doing both in one day can be utterly exhausting and eat up more than half of your precious time.
What I do is this:
👉 I put together my meal plan later in the week, usually Thursday or Friday. This is super easy to do with the Reset & Flourish Planner.
👉 Then, I hit the grocery store on Saturday, and I reserve Sunday mornings for my meal prep.
This routine suits me perfectly and keeps things manageable.
So, what do I prep? And how?
Well, that varies depending on what we plan to eat for the week and how much free time I've got on the weekend. But here's a general idea of how I tackle meal prep:
🥗 First things first, I always prep our salads for the week. I create mason jar salads for myself and use rectangular glass containers for Mike's salads. If there's one thing I do every Sunday, it's preparing these salads.
💡Here's a tip: Choose the meal that, when prepped ahead of time, would make the most significant difference in your week and make it a weekly priority.
🍚 Next on my list is brown rice. We're big rice fans here, using it as a side or in various dishes like stir-fries, rice bowls, and one-pot meals. The great thing is that brown rice reheats beautifully and never tastes like leftovers. I use my rice cooker to make a big batch while multitasking with other prep.
🍓I also get my smoothie ingredients organized. Sometimes, I'll assemble smoothie kits and other times, I'll just make sure I have all the necessary ingredients at the ready.
🍗 I also prepare a meat component. Most of the time, this means using my slow cooker to cook up some shredded meat for the week's recipes. For example, having salsa chicken ready makes whipping up quesadillas super easy. When the chicken is prepared, quesadillas come together in 10 minutes. Alternatively, I'll make a batch of crockpot shredded chicken that can be used in various recipes. 😊
If I plan to cook the meat fresh during the week, I'll do some prep work like trimming, slicing, or chopping it according to the recipe's needs. For instance, I might slice it into strips for stir-fry or flatten chicken breasts into cutlets for dishes like chicken parmesan. Sometimes, I'll marinate it. I make sure to store all these prepped raw meats in air-tight glass containers.
🍝 Now, let's talk about slow cooker recipes. I'm a big fan, making at least one slow cooker dish weekly. Instead of scrambling in the morning to get everything together, I prep the recipe on Sunday or the night before. Then, all I have to do in the morning is flip the slow cooker switch.
🥘 For those recipes I'd like to cook fresh for dinner, I'll assemble them in advance. I don't do this every week, but when I want a fresh meal, it's my go-to move. Think of recipes like enchiladas or baked ziti. When dinner time rolls around, all I need to do is pop it in the oven.
🍽️ I also make it a point to cook at least one recipe fully. I often go for casseroles, bakes, and meatloaf because they reheat wonderfully, and I'm totally cool with leftovers. It just makes life so much simpler when you can reheat and eat during the week. Most weeks, I'll prepare something like a rice or pasta bake and keep it in the fridge.
So, there you have it! Of course, not every week is the same. Some weeks, I go all out, while others, I stick to making mason jar salads and smoothie kits.
The key is to create a meal plan that fits your schedule and prioritize the meals that will be the most helpful during the week. Start slow, and as you get more comfortable with the routine, you can add more to your meal prep game.
I hope you found these tips useful. If you have any more meal prep questions or need some advice, just hit me up in a reply – I'm here to help! 😊
Talk to you soon,
Tammy 💕
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