If I could promise you that by using just one or two of these easy meal prep tips below you could save hours over the course of the week, would you try them?
Amy wanted to start cooking more homemade meals for her family but she was overwhelmed and didn’t consider herself a “good cook”. The second she got intimidated by a recipe’s ingredients or got a funny look from her daughter after taking a bite of her new creation, she’d throw the entire idea out the window and go back to ordering out or buying the premade meals at her local store.
Now, after working with Amy I’m proud to report that she cooks regularly for her family and has been able to find simple, healthy recipes that everyone enjoys and can be made quickly.
"Prior to working with Jen I barely knew my way around the kitchen. I lacked confidence and know-how when it came to cooking for my family. Just a few months later I feel comfortable and confident in the kitchen and understand what foods make us feel healthy and energetic!" ~Amy
These easy meal prep tips will not only save you time, but will help you build the confidence you need to keep it up over the long run. Be open-minded. Even if you’ve heard or read some of these tips before, try to apply it to your life and see how easy and fast it is to meal prep and cook healthy homemade dishes. Below, I will also share a few recipes to get the ball rolling in your favor.
But first, let’s dive in...
11 Easy Meal Prep Tips to get a healthy dinner on the table in half the time!
1) Batch Cook
Perhaps you’ve heard of batch cooking but might not know what it means exactly. It’s simple, whenever making something that your family already likes, double or triple the recipe and save or freeze the leftovers for a quick meal later on. In other words, you are “batching” items that are already big hits.
In my house this usually looks like, tripling the pancake recipe and freezing the leftovers for a quick breakfast throughout the week. Grilling an extra package of chicken breast or making a huge batch of brown rice to use for lunches and dinners for the next few days. Another idea...doubling a muffin recipe for a healthy alternative to an on-the-go snack.
The idea is since you are already taking the time to make “X”, why not double or triple the recipe. It will take only minutes more and you will have plenty of leftovers to last all week. Huge time-saver!
2) Use 15 Minutes Windows
These small windows of opportunity can change everything when it comes to eating healthier and saving time and money.
Use your time-saving appliances. Blenders, food processors, rice cookers, Instant Pot, Crockpot, etc. If it’s been a while, dust them off and try a couple of new recipes and watch your saved time add up. Se bags for the week, etc. If you use this idea every week See day that’s over an hour and a half of meal prep by the end of the week!
3) Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
When time is truly an obstacle, utilize the premade or precut items in your store. Things like premade rice or quinoa. Vegetables and fruits that have already been cut like zucchini, onions, mangoes or watermelon. Diced spices and herbs like cilantro, garlic or ginger. These short cuts add up to a lot of saved time in the kitchen and even though they may cost a little more, time is money. Especially when you are wanting to make the healthier choice.
4) Fresh is not Always Best
Take advantage of your frozen fruit and veggie section. Contrary to popular belief, frozen fruits and veggies are often fresher and contain more nutrients then their fresh counterparts. They are picked at the peak of ripeness where as most of your fresh produce was picked well before and had to ripen during travel from the farm to the store.
The frozen versions are also already washed, cut and trimmed for your favorite stir fry or soup, so much less time wasted on prep.
5) Subscribe and Save
Nowadays we are not lacking options when it comes to food delivery services (thank you Covid). Options like Misfits Market, ButcherBox, …. Are all great ways to save time and have your groceries delivered to your door at the frequency of your choice. Amazon also has a Grocery and Gourmet section in which you can get some of those harder-to-find items shipped directly to your door.
6) Use What You Got
Use your time-saving appliances. Blenders, food processors, rice cookers, Instant Pot, Crockpot, etc. If it’s been a while, dust them off and try a couple of new recipes and watch your saved time add up. See the recipes at the bottom of the post for some ideas.
7) Stop Wondering What’s For Dinner
Create a Family’s Favorite Chart (click to download pdf). This helps organize everyone’s favorites on one convenient piece of paper and will help with future meals, lunches, or snacks. Tried a new dish that went over well? Found a vegetable that your kids will actually eat? Add it to the chart!
Leave it in plain sight like the side of your fridge or on the inside of a cabinet. So when you need some inspiration or a reminder of what to grab from the store, you’re list is right there.
8) Try a Grazing Platter
To eliminate constant snacking, and the constant interruption of your time and focus (hello, stay at home or work from home mamas!) try making a Grazing Platter. Chop up fresh fruits, veggies and other healthy finger foods and put them on a large platter in the center of the kitchen. Having it in plain sight will encourage healthier snacking and also reduce your time going back and forth to grab something for you or the kids (Hint: make sure there are things that they like and also a couple new things for them to try).
9) Use the Re-order Option
Do you like using helpful apps like Instacart, or order your groceries through the Order and Pickup with stores like Sams Club, Walmart or Target? Well first, if you’re not...you should! It’s a huge time-saver and since you are picking it up you save on the delivery tip.
What makes this an even bigger time-saver is how simple they make it to “reorder” some of your most popular shopping items. When I hop on, it takes me just minutes because I have the majority of the items I need right there from my last order...eggs, check, almond milk, check, avocados, spinach, ground turkey...you get the idea.
Schedule a time that works in your schedule and they will personally deliver it right to your car door...heck, they even pack your car at most stores. I’m here for it.
10) The Spice Bible
One major stumbling block for moms is the confusion and overwhelm when it comes to spices and what to add to what. I get it, I was just as confused. That’s why I created the Spice Bible to help myself and now you navigate this crazy world of spices and simplify what goes best with what. Here I'll share the part about flavors around the globe and what best pairs with what. This alone will save you tons of time scrolling for ideas.
11) Jumpstart the Habit
Sometimes the overwhelm of starting is the hardest part of eating and cooking cleaner. Try hiring a nutritionist or health coach to create a customized meal plan or a sign-up for a subscription like HelloFresh or BlueApron for you to get the ball rolling.
So are you ready to shave off tons of time cooking and meal prepping for the family? What are you waiting for...try one of these tips today.
And as promised here are a few of my family's favorites that I like to batch cook every time!
Amazing Pork Carnitas in Your Crock Pot
Gooey Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (Gluten and Dairy Free)
Easy Flaxseed Muffins that are Packed With Fiber
Happy cooking!
xo
Jen
