Raise your hand if you are tired of figuring out what to eat every day. It happens to the best of us! It is so much easier to be successful if you plan ahead. As you are racing headfirst into the "back to school" season, consider some of these meal prep tips to keep your family healthy and happy!
First, It helps if you set aside sometime on the weekend (or whatever your best day is) to plan and prep.
Decide ahead of time what you want to eat for the week, and head to the store with a breakdown of all of those ingredients written out. When you have your food, prep it all at once. You already pulled out the cutting board, knives, mixing bowls, pans, etc. Wash them once and move on! Use containers or plastic bags to separate your ingredients and mark them.
Breakfasts can be tricky, especially when you have a busy schedule!
Make-ahead breakfasts are a great way to have a healthy, quick start to the day. Protein bites and egg muffins are a couple of favorites; see the following recipe. You can make them ahead on your meal-prep day and just grab and go in the morning. If you didn't get around to prepping, avocado on some whole-grain toast or a yogurt (high protein, low sugar) with fresh fruit are some easy, healthy options as well.
Want healthy options for the kids' lunches, but sick of the ice packs not making it home?
There are plenty of foods that will be ok out of the refrigerator until lunchtime without having to revert to packaged foods. If your school allows nut butter, chopped-up veggies with a scoop of peanut butter is a great snack. For a healthier PB&J, you can do a wrap with peanut butter and chopped strawberries, grapes, or bananas. Veggie sticks and single-serve hummus containers are a great nut-free alternative. Dried fruits, bananas, oranges, snap pea crisps are all easy and safe things to throw in a lunchbox.
Dinners are where that meal prepping can really come in handy
When you get home at the end of a long day, chances are you don't feel like thinking about what to make, let alone spending a bunch of time on it. If you have the prep work done ahead of time, it is easy to throw food on the grill, oven, or stovetop.
There are tons of fantastic recipes out there, looking for clean and few ingredient meals are the key.
Adding meal prepping to your routine will quickly become second nature, and it will feel so good to not be constantly scrambling to feed your family. Let us know if you find a great recipe that you're willing to share. It's easier to stick with meal prepping if you know someone else is in the same place. Enjoy!
NEED SOME QUICK IDEAS FOR A HEALTHY BREAKFAST?
Egg Cups: Chop up your favorite veggies (and/or meats). Throw them in some sprayed muffin tins. Add egg whites to the top, bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Store in the fridge.
Protein Bites: 1 cup dry oatmeal, 2/3 cup coconut flakes, 1/2 cup ground flax, 1/2 cup PB, 1/3 cup honey or agave, 1/2 cup any toppings (chopped nuts, dark chocolate, raisins, etc.), 1 tsp vanilla. Mix together and roll into balls. Store in the fridge.
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