Is meal Prepping for you?

Have you ever just stood in your kitchen after a long day at work being a Boss Babe and wondered what where you going to cook for supper? Well, let me tell you, I did that for ages. I would go to the grocery store with a plan in mind, buy what I thought I needed, and when it came time for supper, I would just stand there with this look of defeat across my face.

Well, during my slew of researching just how to make my life easier and have more time with my family I finally looked up meal prepping and let me tell you, I was in slight shock that it could be easy. So, I sat down on a saturday, pen and paper in hand and decided what I was going to do. I made a meal plan. My kids and man-child thought I was crazy for doing extra work on my day off, but in the long run of things [weeks later actually] they noticed that I had more time for them during the week, so it was worth it for me.

Cook once, eat twice was a moto I read during all my research, although, I didn’t want to cook like that. I wanted to cook once, eat seven times if possible, so I started to plan ahead. I would sit down at my kitchen table and scoure the internet for crock pot meals that I could start ahead and freeze, to canning meals, anything that would benefit myself and my family.

So here, are some tips for a busy mom.

1. Plan ahead. It’s important to take the time to plan meals and snacks ahead of time and create a shopping list if you need it. First off though, I would try to use what you have available in your pantry.
2. Be a list maker! If you are anything like my man-child then you hate putting things down in writing, but this is something that you just can’t skip. Being as busy as we are, we sometimes forget things so making a list in a necessity. First start by planning your meals; then make sure you list everything you’ll need for each meal and if you’re anything like me, hit up those sale papers and coupons.
3. Buy in Bulk. Coming from a rather large family [I’m the youngest of eight] growing up and having a medium sized one myself I learned to buy in bulk at a rather young age I guess you could say. But, not only is it usually cheaper to buy in larger quantities, but it means that you will be running out less frequently for your favorite staples.
4. Remember to Keep it Simple. Fresh fruits and veggies are ideal for a healthy snack and thei’re not difficult to prepare. I LOVE MY CROCKPOT! This is considered essential for busy families, and one-pot meals can be both extremely easy and delicious. Make sure to have plenty of recipes that only require a few ingredients.
5. Always Keep Your Calendar in Mind. Make sure to look at your calendar when planning means so you’ll know which nights you’ll be busier than usual. Save the meals that have longer prep times for days you won’t be as busy.
6. Figure Out Meal Prep. Healthy meal prep not only means cutting and slicing before cooking, but preparing many items ahead of time. You want to make sure that your time spent cooking a meal is as quick and painless as possible.
7. Overlap Ingredients. Using the same ingredients for a variety of meals is a great way to save both time and money. For example, preparing severl hard boiled eggs to store in the fridge means you have part of a breakfast, a healthy snack, and ingredients for a delicious egg salad already prepared.
8. Put In Theme Nights. This is one sure fire way to get your kids all excited about dinner time. The all-famous “Taco Tuesday” or “Meatball Monday”
9. Laft-over Nights. This has to be one favorite of mine becuase all I have to do is “re-heat”.

Following these simple tips can go a long way to helping you save time and money while still providing your family with fantastic meals.