12 Easy Secrets to Meal Prep as a Busy Mom

We are living in an era where everything is fast-paced. There is so much to do in a day’s time and we are faced with many challenges throughout the day. If you’re like me you love to take care of and cook for your family. But some days are so full that by the time it’s time to cook dinner you know it’s going to throw you way off schedule. Cooking is a whole job. It is a lot of work and here’s the big one. Time-consuming! Unless… you just pop in a pizza for the night. And then you deal with the guilt of serving your family processed junk because it’s simply easier.

I have been meal-prepping for six years and throughout these six years, I have also been through several diets. I have tried it all and I have finally developed a system that I know works and it’s simple and easy to understand. Some think meal prepping is complicated and some believe it to be rather easy but, way too expensive. I think it depends on who you are as a person and where you are in your life. That’s why it’s important to evaluate where you are in life and make your decision based on your lifestyle.

Meal prep isn’t for everyone besides there are meal prep services that do the work for you and you pay a pretty penny for it too. I believe meal prep is best by doing it yourself because you can tailor the meals exactly how you want instead of choosing options that are already chosen for you. You can also season your food the way you want. Meal prep services often struggle in that department and I am a firm believer that you don’t have to eat bland food to lose weight or maintain your weight. It’s also something you can pause if you need to without risking losing money. I know people who forgot to cancel their subscription when they were leaving for a trip and they had two weeks’ worth of meal prep at their front door with no one there to put it in the freezer for them. They lost out on hundreds of dollars and were not happy about it. So now that I’ve given you reasons to decide if the meal prep life is good for you. Take a look at my go-to rules for a successful meal prep experience.

1. Buy your meal prep containers first. What you don’t want to happen is you start cooking food and have to stop in the middle of sauteing your chopped peppers because you don’t have a container to put it in. there are also different sizes and shapes of meal prep containers. Some have dividers some don’t I like using the ones without dividers because sometimes I want to make a taco bowl and the divider does not work well with bowl meal prep.  Just make sure you get them and get enough. You would need to figure out what meals of the day you make. Is it just lunch and dinner or all 3 breakfast through dinner? This will determine how many containers you need. Meal prep containers usually come in 15-20 a pack You may need to buy two packs or three if you are cooking for your family. If you plan to meal prep 3 times a day 7 days a week definitely get 20 packs. I meal prep 2 times a day 6 days a week. Head over to my post about my detailed explanation of how I meal prep.

2. Invest in tools that will help you become efficient and fast when cooking prep. Meal prep can be time-consuming if not prepared. Having the right tools will decrease your prep and cooking time which is what you want. Otherwise not being prepared can deter you from the whole experience altogether.

I like to use the instant pot for grains like rice or quinoa. I can set the timer and do something else while it’s cooking. It also ensures that you’ll cook it perfectly each time. The beloved air fryer is your best friend. You can cook meat fast and with less fuss. I remember the days when I cooked all my meat on the stove. Feels like to stone age when I think back to those days hahaha. I love the air fryer because it’s less messy and it’s faster. If you really want to be a pro get more than one and make sure it’s a decent size. If you get one of those small air fryers it defeats the purpose of you saving time because you won’t be able to fit much in there causing your cook time to be longer.

Air fryer sizes 0-3Qt typically cook for 2 people. Sizes 5-8qt serve 4 people and size 8qt serve 6 people. So keep this in mind when you’re prepping.

The air fryer is also amazing for veggies too. But make sure it’s the veggies that are actually good to cook in the fryer.

3. Prep your food. Yes! There is a prep before the prep. It sucks to have to cut your veggies and season your food at the exact time you are cooking everything. It will be a much smoother process to prepare your food the day before. Season your food, cut get your snack bags and things together. That way the next day when it’s time to cook that’s all you have to do…you contain everything and you’re done.
4. Clean out your fridge. There is nothing like having to clean out your fridge to make more room for your meal prep while you’re meal prepping. It’s much better to just be able to put your container in the fridge without out having to make room or wash dishes. It just adds more work to the process and it may deter you from wanting to prep again. It’s understandable if you are not able to do this every time it’s u understandable just try because it will help a lot
5. You don’t have to prep for 7 days or five days out of the week. Do what works best for you. Especially if you have protein involved. Remember certain meats can stay in the fridge but for so long. So if you play for 3 or 4 days. That will make a difference. If you want to prep for just the week and avoid the weekends that works too. Tailor the preps to your lifestyle and what works best for you.
6. Don’t feel pressure to make new recipes. Start with that you know. I mean hey if you’re up for the challenge by all means go ahead. But I suggest you start out making meals you are familiar with during the prep process. Save the new recipes you found on Pinterest for the weekend.
7. Lean protein – Grain – Veggie. I lost 50 lbs and my husband lost 60lbs by using this system. When I finally let go of trying to make Instagram-worthy dishes for prep I finally freed myself from the stress and pressure I put on myself. Trust you will be good and hungry by the time you eat your meal for the day and you care if it’s chef Ramsey’s approval. As long as it tastes good and it’s fresh. You will be happy.
8. Repurpose one to two food items across meals. For example, you may make a batch of brown rice and use it for stir fry and then as a side to go along with your salmon for dinner. This will not only save money but it will save time.
9. Try to avoid shopping the same day as you cook. The more you separate the steps I believe the better. Especially if you have a family of 4 or more. I don’t know about you but when I grocery shop I am exhausted. After walking up and down the aisle and then putting the item up when I get home I’m exhausted. So I suggest grocery shop the day or night before. Or try going early in the am of the day of your prep. That will give you enough time to recuperate and get to work.
10. iPhone users. The notes app is great for writing your shopping list there is a tab where you can put a bubble next to the item and check it off as you go. You can also share the list with another iPhone user and make changes to the list in real time and it will update for the person you sent it to and  you
11. Make it fun! Put on some music or watch a movie on Netflix or Hulu. There’s something about cooking and music that just go together.
12. Switch up what you eat weekly. Or one half of the week eat the same and then change the 2nd part of the week. Some folks will tell you to make sure you keep up with new recipes so you don’t get bored. And remember I suggest avoiding stressing yourself out with recipes and ruse the meat-grain-veggie method. However, you can switch up weekly, and trust me the more you do this you will come up with your own system to follow. The ultimate rule is to do what works best for you but you won’t find what works if your start by being all over the place. Or doing too much to the point where you’re discouraged and give up together. Start simple and work your way up!

If you’re a wife and mom then you are busy. I don’t even need to ask your TTD list is long and never-ending. So I will always suggest meal prep. It is a game changer and you are so relieved when you see that it’s time for dinner and all you have to do is pop open the fridge warm it up and serve. It also keeps you and your family eating yummy cooked whole foods instead of quick boxed food that is most likely not good for your body. You got his mama! Happy Meal Prepping!