Healthy Meal Prep Ideas: Save Time and Eat Well All Week

If you have been around me for more than five minutes, you will know how passionate I am about planning and preparing food. I love cooking and cooking for my family is something I genuinely enjoy (though I'd be lying if I said I never wanted a day off). For many of us though, cooking every night can seem exhausting, draining or simply unrealistic. By planning and preparing a week's worth of meals in just a couple of hours we can make sure we are eating a varied and balanced diet without the stress of trying to figure out what we are going to cook every single night. Often what turns us off meal planning and preparation is the time and mental energy it can take to be consistent.  

As busy mums, we are already juggling so many things, like work, kids, and household responsibilities, that finding time to cook nutritious meals every day can feel impossible. Meal prepping has been a game-changer in my home and has allowed me to save time, reduce stress, and ensure my family eats healthy all week long and it can do the same for your family too. In this article, we will talk about the benefits of meal prep, how to get started, some great ideas that work well for meal prep some challenges that you may face and how to combat those challenges. This article shows you how you can apply the principles of meal prep to simplify healthy eating in your house without taking up hours of your time or leaving you mentally exhausted.

note: I will use the word "meal prep" interchangeably with "batch cooking" within this article. Meal prep mostly focuses on cooking individual meals for a single person whereas batch cooking is simply cooking larger meals or single ingredients designed to be eaten over multiple meals throughout a given period. The ideas and principles discussed apply to both styles of cooking and preparing meals.

Why Meal Prep is Essential for Busy Moms

Before we go too far, I want to clarify what I mean by meal prep. Meal prep is the idea of preparing multiple meals in a short time frame to be eaten over several meals or days. How long that timeframe is or how many meals you want to cook is up to you. Some parents want to prepare for the whole week whereas some only feel it necessary to prepare for the busiest days of the week. I prep on Friday afternoons so I can have meals for the whole weekend. By doing this, I don't need to cook again until Tuesday or even Wednesday! I aim to have five meals prepared for my family within about one and a half to two hours. Meal prep is an efficient tool for maintaining a balanced diet without the daily hassle of cooking from scratch. Here are some great reasons to consider starting meal-prepping if you haven't already

• Saves Time: Spend a couple of hours on the weekend prepping meals to free up your weekdays. This will help you to start the weekend off organised and prepared for the week ahead. Now instead of rushing through the drivethru on the way home from football practice, you can relax, knowing there is dinner ready in the fridge that you can have on the table in a matter of minutes.

• Reduces Stress: End the daily “what’s for dinner” insanity. How many times have you opened the fridge trying to figure out what the heck you are going to feed these kids? Meal prep helps us get balanced healthy meals on the table quickly and easily. Because you have invested the time on the weekend (or whenever works for you), you can now sit back and relax, knowing dinner is taken care of.

• Promotes Healthy Eating: Having ready-to-eat meals helps avoid unhealthy takeout options as well as getting a better overview of the meals we are eating and the variety of foods we are consuming within a given week. Often when hunger strikes and we need to make ourselves something to eat, we choose less healthy options because they are the easier option. When we have nutritious meals and snacks ready to go, we are much more likely to eat them.

Getting Started with Meal Prep: Simple Strategies

We often hold off on learning how to meal prep because we become intimidated by what we see others doing. Online meal prep pictures can often make preparing meals ahead of time seem extremely overwhelming but it doesn't have to be as difficult as it seems. Here is my simple four-step process that allows me to prepare balanced and healthy

1. Check Your Inventory: go through your cupboards, fridge and freezer and check what you already have specifically your proteins and grains. Make a note of these items and use this to create your weekly meal plan. Prioritise items that are nearing their expiration dates or maybe not looking so fresh anymore.

2. Plan Your Meals: Begin by planning meals for the week. You can plan all meals or just the dinners. I personally don't plan breakfasts as I have 3-4 default meals that I use in the mornings. Many people prefer to plan all meals including breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks but this is up to you. Focus on balanced meals with a variety of proteins, whole grains, and vegetables. Choosing meals that use similar ingredients not only simplifies the cooking process but also saves money and prevents food wastage. I will typically cook a double batch of rice and pasta each week which we can use for a variety of meals throughout the week.

3. Make a Shopping List: Write a list of all the ingredients you’ll need. This helps prevent last-minute store runs and reduces grocery costs. Some flexibility can be helpful here when it comes to sales and discounts but make sure that adjustments do not end up costing you more money by creating waste in other areas.

4. Batch Cooking: Cook large quantities of staples like rice, pasta, grilled chicken, or roasted vegetables. These can be mixed and matched throughout the week. You can even cook larger batches of sauces and soups. Cutting up larger amounts of fruits and veggies such as cucumbers, capsicums, apples, oranges, washed berries and grapes. This can also simplify putting together snacks throughout the week.

5. Store food appropriately: Keep your food in sealed containers and make sure you use them within the appropriate time. Most meal-prepped ingredients will last for 4-5 days in the fridge. If you do not think you can consume your meals within this time, consider freezing them quickly after you cook them. Not all foods can be frozen but many can.

Check out this video from fellow nutritionist Meghan Livingstone if you are more of a visual learner. Meghan also has some great additional tips in this video

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas for the Week

Here are some delicious and nutritious meal prep ideas to inspire your week:

1. Grilled Chicken and Quinoa Bowls

• Preparation: Cook quinoa and grill chicken breasts (season with salt, pepper and garlic or your preferred seasoning). Divide into containers with a mix of roasted vegetables like bell peppers and broccoli. Add a dollop of hummus, your favourite sauce or salad dressing for flavour.

1. Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu

• Preparation: Sauté your choice of vegetables such as bell peppers, snap peas, and carrots with tofu. Season with soy sauce, honey, garlic, and black pepper. Serve over brown rice or whole-grain noodles.

1. Mason Jar Salads

• Preparation: Layer ingredients in mason jars starting with dressing at the bottom, followed by beans, tofu or proteins (if using), hearty veggies like cucumbers and carrots, and top with your greens.

1. Breakfast Egg Muffins

• Preparation: Whisk eggs with spinach, tomatoes, and cheese. Pour into muffin tins and bake. These can be refrigerated and reheated for a quick breakfast.

1. Chia Seed Pudding

• Preparation: Mix chia seeds with almond milk and a sweetener of your choice. Refrigerate overnight and top with fruits for a healthy breakfast or snack.

Tips for Successful Meal Prep

• Start Small: Begin with prepping just a few meals to get into the habit.

• Stay Organized: Keep your fridge and pantry organized to easily find ingredients.

• Involve the Family: Encourage kids to help with meal prep, making it a fun family activity.

Overcoming Common Meal Prep Challenges

• Boredom with Meals: Keep things interesting by varying ingredients and trying new recipes regularly. I would suggest a maximum of one new meal a week and treat them as a trial run. If they go well, then add it to your master list, if not then leave it off. Cooking new meals can be great fun but they often take more time and mental energy. Setting a limit to one new meal helps to prevent overwhelm when it comes to your meal prep session.

• Mental Overwhelm: choosing multiple meals every week often feels daunting but by creating a meal master list, you can reduce the stress and keep things interesting. Write down 30 meals you know you and your family enjoy and choose your weekly meals from this list. Swap out meals periodically so that you don't become bored of them.

• Storage Issues: Optimize space by stacking containers neatly and using stackable options. I use the snaplock boxes in a variety of sizes because they are easy to get, reasonably priced and stack well with minimal wasted space. You can get proper meal prep containers if you prefer but they are not necessary. You likely have suitable containers in your cupboard.

• Time Management: Set aside specific times for meal prepping and cooking to make it part of your routine. This may be when the kids are at school or other activities when they have their screen time or once they are (hopefully) in bed for the night. Minimise distractions and clean as you go to maximise efficiency. If setting aside 2-3 hours is not possible for you, try cooking up a double batch of meals and freezing half or breaking down the meal prep into several smaller sessions.

Starting meal prepping may seem like an overwhelming task but starting off simple and maximising efficiency will help to ensure success. We often become overwhelmed and intimidated by meal prep when we try to replicate what we see online. Choosing simple and familiar recipes, especially when getting started, makes meal prep more manageable.

Conclusion: Embrace the Benefits of Meal Prep

Meal prepping is a powerful tool for busy moms who want to eat well and save time but we often avoid it because it seems complex, time-consuming or intimidating. By simplifying the process, setting aside time for meal prep and focusing on taking small realistic steps, we can make meal planning and prep work to make our lives easier, no matter how busy we are. Instead of focusing on what you can't do and comparing yourself to what others do, focus on the small steps you can take so you can enjoy nutritious meals without the stress of daily cooking. Meal planning and prep is a powerful tool that can turn around your family's nutrition by helping you add more variety and become more aware of your eating habits. Filling your fridge with nutritious meals and snacks you want to eat will help you save money and keep you out of the drive-thru and away from the cookie jar!