Hi Family Fresh Meals fam! I’m Sophie and I am so excited that Corey has asked me to do a guest post here for you.
I’m married and a Mom of two boys. I’ve been working hard at losing weight and getting healthy in the last year, and I’ve learned a few tips & tricks that I want to share with you. I’m a home cook with two picky eaters in the family, so it’s a constant “experiment” to find healthy foods and meals that everyone will enjoy.
We’ve been loving the summer life at the moment! The schedule gets more flexible, the grill gets plenty of use, and we are active doing so many fun things. I checked my email this morning and had 5 messages from my kids schools with so much information I was like… wait, it can’t be time for school yet! Thoughts of packing lunches, squeezing weeknight meals in between activities, and grabbing snacks on the go while taxiing the kids flooded my mind.
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It may feel overwhelming to plan an entire week of meals, snacks, and then prepare most of it in advance. So I suggest starting small, see how you feel and when you’re ready then you can add a couple more days or meals. The key is finding what works for you, there are no specific “rules” to follow. During the busy times of the school year, I will usually meal prep twice a week because it’s more manageable for me in my small kitchen; and it works with our family schedule.
Figuring out what to eat during the week really revolves around what everyone has going on. Map out the week with events – practices – meetings – appointments – etc… and figure out what meals you’ll need (i.e. make note of events serving lunch, snacks at practice, dining out, etc…). Then you can put together a meal plan using some of your favorite recipes, and researching new ones online or in books.
Prepping meals in advance doesn’t have to be boring, and you don’t need to be a chef. You just need to set aside a couple of hours to focus on it, and then you’re done! I always feel like it makes my week go so much smoother when I know that the snacks are ready to grab, and meals are planned and prepared. Put some music on, get your kitchen tools out, and have a little fun!
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There are lots of things that I like to prepare, and I’m constantly trying to come up with creative ideas for healthy meals/snacks. Here are some foods that are consistent in my weekly rotation:
As soon as I get home from grocery shopping, I’ll wash – dry – chop – store the produce right away. I suggest storing mixed greens/lettuce with a paper towel in the bag, and use air-tight containers to store chopped veggies and washed fruit. Basically, moisture is not your friend; gently press the air out of bags, or use air-tight jars & containers (I like ones that stack well in the fridge). I’ve found that if I’ve got everything prepped and easily accessible, then we are more likely to go for something healthy when feeling “snacky” rather than hovering around the pantry.
Next, I like to boil a whole pot of eggs. Hard boiled eggs make a great snack, I also love using them on salads and alongside meals for extra protein. If you don’t have time or just don’t want to boil & peel, you can buy bags of hard boiled eggs at the store. So convenient!
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For dry snacks like nuts, popcorn, crackers, etc… I will weigh and portion them. This really helps with portion control! Otherwise, I risk getting carried away with an open box of crackers and be left wondering what happened once I get to the bottom (oops!). It’s also really handy to have them ready to throw in the kids lunch boxes, or sports bags to take to practice.
Preparing chicken for the week is a staple in our household. I go back and forth between the grill and the crockpot. It’s so versatile! I serve it with a few sides, or I will use it for things like tacos, stuffed potatoes, curry, omelets, soups, salads, pasta, and sandwiches. It’s so easy to prepare!
*protip: limit the seasonings so you have more uses for the chicken. I usually will only add garlic, and minced onion. You can always add different seasonings to it for whatever meal you end up using it for (curry powder for Indian, taco seasoning for Mexican night, oregano/basil for Italian, etc…).
Easy Make Ahead Breakfasts (baby And Kid Friendly)
Some of my favorite kitchen tools are my non-stick pans, waffle maker, sharp knives, and muffin tins! Those tins have seen so many recipe experiments (some good, some flops!). But something that I always go back to is my “egg muffins”. They are individual frittatas, and they are great for make-ahead breakfasts! Eat within 3 days, you can just heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds and serve with fruit, greens, and top with hot sauce if you want to live on the spicy side.
You can change it up by slicing them to make a breakfast sandwich. I’ve experimented with a few different versions of these and they are all good. You can really use whatever veggies you have on hand, and skip the meat if you want. I don’t have cheese in this particular recipe, but you can add shredded cheese if you like.
Any seasoning you like, to taste… I used: 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp minced onion, 1 tsp chili powder
Easy Meal Prep Ideas To Make The Best Kids Lunches
1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare non-stick muffin tin by lining each cup with 2 half-strips of bacon in a “+” shape, place in oven for a minute to soften the pre-cooked bacon so it lays flat in the bottom of the cups
2. Heat cauli & spinach on med-high heat in a non-stick pan to draw out the moisture. Sauté with herbs/spices, stirring frequently
5. Add 3 tbsp egg mixture to each muffin cup. Use the end of a kebab stick or toothpick to gently stir the egg & veggie filling to combine.
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7. Remove* from tin immediately and place on cooling rack to serve. Serve warm right away. Once cooled, store in air-tight container in fridge for up to 3 days.
*protip: I use the end of a kebab stick or toothpick to release the edges of the frittatas from tin to easily remove.
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This Busy Mom Food Prep guide shows you how easy it is to prep some meals and snacks the whole family will love. Yes, even those picky eaters!
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.will give you a ton of ideas on what healthy foods you can prep for your kids on the weekend to prepare for the busy week ahead. Great for breakfasts, school lunches or quick after-school snacks!
I wasn’t that big into meal prepping a couple of months ago in the summer when it felt like I had all the time in the world to make a delicious breakfast for my kids. But when my kids started back to school this fall at two different schools that both have very early bell times, I quickly realized that eating a leisurely breakfast or making school lunches in them morning was no longer an option for me if I wanted to keep my sanity.
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I was struggling with being able to make my kids healthy breakfasts and lunches, and to be honest I was just struggling with life in general.
Well, not really meal prepping as I wasn’t prepping food items to make into a meal but rather food prepping for the week.
I was prepping healthy foods on the weekend that I could make into different breakfasts, school lunches or after-school snacks for my girls.
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I usually do my food prep on Sunday with either a cup of coffee or glass of wine (depending on the tim 😉 and it takes me less then 2 hours from start to finish. These are the 6 foods I always make –
With over 40 food prep ideas below, you will have a ton of ideas and recipes to get you started on food prepping for the busy week ahead.
Hard boiled eggs are a great pre-made food to have on hand for breakfasts on-the-go, lunches or quick protein filled snacks. I make a dozen of hard boiled eggs every week for our family.
Cooking With Kids
I usually make my hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot using the 5-5-5 technique (5 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes of natural release, 5 minutes in an ice bath). You can also use the stove top method, oven method or this fancy hard boiled egg maker.
I have found that
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