How To... Meal Prep For Busy Moms

Once or twice a week, I take 2 hours to cook meals for 3-5 days at a time.TIME is my biggest asset so I try to manage it well.  Being organized helps me do this. I start with planning my meals and my family’s dinner for the week.  I am married with 3 children and I work full-time from home.  I have a pretty full life and planning is NOT my strongest trait. I used to be pretty organized but once we had children, our days can change in the spur of the moment.

My mealplan is in line with my fitness goals. I typically plan for Mon- Fri. The weekends are a time when we may eat a special breakfast, dinner or try new recipe. I recommend finding a time that works for you. I work better when everyone is in bed, so I can prep quickly and in peace.

I may begin prepping at 11 pm sometimes.

To make a mealplan, I generally look through the meal guides that come with my fitness programs. Once I have a plan. I look over my pantry, fridge and freezer to see what I need to add to my grocery list in order to make the meals on the meal plan.  And once the grocery list is made, I head to the grocery store. If its early, I get to shop and prep on the same day.  That way, everything is ready to go, once it hits the fridge or freezer.

Groceries

Before prepping my kitchen is pretty clean. My countertops are clear because I will need to use all the space I have. I use both the stovetop and the oven at the same time. This is a BIG TIP- USE BOTH THE STOVE AND OVEN. First, I preheat my oven to 400-425. Then, I put on the grains because QUINOA  and BROWN RICE usually take about an hour to cook.  While the grains are on a low simmer and covered, I wrap a few sweet potatoes in foil and put them in the oven. They need about 45 mins to cook. The foil keeps them contained.

sweet potatoes

Quinoa and Brown Rice beginning to boil

Next, I move on to the meats. Chicken breast, Ground Turkey, Steak and Shrimp are easily prepped for the week and are usually easy to make a variety of FAMILY MEALS from.  I take 2-3 chicken breasts, remove fat and rinse them. For one, I may do a taco-like seasoning. The others may be something simpler like pink salt and pepper.  I put them in baking pans, cover them and put them right in the oven.  Steak follows the same method. I season and cover it and put in oven.  Now my oven work is done.

Seasoned Chicken Cutlets

A few seasonings that I normally use

Moving back to stovetop, I cook and brown 1-2 pounds of ground turkey seasoned with pink salt and pepper.  The shrimp is precooked, so I season it well usually with something spicy, wrap it in foil and put it in the oven later to bake the seasonings in.  At this time, 10-12 eggs are put in a pot of cold water and on the burner to boil.

Ground turkey browning, while brown rice, quinoa,  and boiled eggs are on stove.

Spicy Shrimp

Another type of chicken cooking on the stovetop while eggs and grains are cooking.

I move to my table to wash and chop my veggies. I like to do medleys. Medleys are just a little more fun. So I chop, pair together and season my veggies- Broccoli and Cauliflower, Carrots and Zucchini, Colored Peppers and Asparagus. Then,  I and either steam or sauté them on the Stovetop.

Lastly, I chop any fruit that needs chopping and by this time everything is fully cooked and ready for the next step.

Peppers and Asparagus Medley

Fresh Pineapple  

Now the FUN PART…..

The ASSEMBLY LINE!   Here is where I line up all my containers and storage bags.

I do measure my meats using a food scale that cost me about $7 or I use my 21 Day Fix containers for portion control.  In this example, I am using the colored portion containers.  

Breakfast this week will be fruit and yogurt with All Bran cereal. I measure out all fruit and cereal and put in a baggie or container. Making it easy to grab without thinking in morning.  Lunch for me is simple- SHAKEOLOGY. I usually blend with a low calorie almond milk or water and then add my favorite extracts, almond or caramel.

Mixed fruit in 21 Day Fix Purple Container

Snacks- 10 baby carrots/2 boiled eggs/almonds/fruit – Measured out and put in bags.   I put a different meat in each dinner container and then add veggies and a grain/potato of choice to each.  For added flavor, I toss in a lemon wedge, spray Braggs liquid amino acids, or squirt hot sauce on top. My dinners are complete.

My Meals Are DONE!!

Meals prepped for the week.

 And now for what I call the "Mama's Touch." 

This is done to make sure 

NO ONE TOUCHES MY FOOD.   

My children and husband all eat pretty healthy and if its fresh, it doesn't last long in our fridge. So in order to protect what's mine, I have to do a little extra. I bag my Breakfasts, Snacks and Lunches in larger Storage Bags and store all my food on the top shelf of the refrigerator, heehee. Since my freezer is at the bottom, the top shelf is normally ignored. '

Bagged Breakfasts, AM and PM Snacks

My meals on the top shelf of the refrigerator

(Here are some meals that can be prepared for a Family using the foods I prepped earlier in the week.)

And For My FAMILY MEALS-

 Ground Turkey, Brown Rice, Peppers and Asparagus= Tacos with Rice and Veggies

Chicken Breast and Carrots/Zucchini= Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Veggies

Steak, Quinoa and Broccoli and Cauliflower= Steak!!! They love Steak

Shrimp and Broccoli and Cauliflower= Shrimp Alfredo with Veggies      

Chicken/Steak, Quinoa and Peppers and Asparagus=  Chicken or Turkey Wraps with Quinoa Pilaf

***Keep in mind that I do wash my hands frequently during prep to prevent any contamination.  I actually think I keep water running the whole time.  And my kitchen may NOT look so pretty during the process. But, I love the way it looks when everything is on and cooking simultaneously because I know that my load during the week will be much lighter. I do freeze some meats after cooking, if it will be consumed later in the week and veggies are cooked only slightly to 

preserve a little crunch.***

I hope this helps you to see how easy it is to prep. 

If I can do it, I'm sure you can. 

Once you do it a couple times, it will be a breeze.