Sundays are always spent in my tiny kitchen. I start with brewing a cup of coffee, enjoyed at my little table while I catch up on the news. Then I begin meal prepping for the week. My workdays are pretty long and busy, so I rarely get to make breakfast or dinner everyday. So, prepping breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week is helpful, and in the long run saves time and money. I get all of my dicing and slicing down at the same time, and don’t have the need to buy food on the go, which often results in poor choices.
I follow a few simple rules to get all of the meals cooking at one time. I use the oven to bake an egg casserole or muffins. I use my InstantPot to slow cook a soup or stew. The top of the stove is used to saute, steam or caramelize. I’ll dice veggies and spices that will be split between all of the dishes.
I’ll admit, dedicating an hour or two to prepping meals for an entire week is not how I want to spend my Sunday. But, having meals ready to go really does set my work week up for success. Not having to worry about getting home in time to cook, or wondering if I’ll have time to run out for lunch cuts down on my daily stress.
Here are my tricks for meal prep:
- Choose recipes (online or from your cookbooks) specifically created for meal prep, or that will hold for a few days in the refrigerator.
- Review recipe ingredients to find overlap, and prep all of the ingredients at the same time. For instance, chop all of your onions and the same time and separate as needed.
- Plan to eat the meals with the shortest refrigeration life first, or freeze it. Also, make extra for freezing – one less meal to prep next week!
- Don’t rush the cooling process – covering egg muffins or baked goods to quickly can make them deflate.
Today I was able to make a hearty lentil soup with spinach, a Greek salad for Monday’s lunch, and slow cooked chicken thighs to use for dinner recipes throughout the week. The broth made from slow cooking the thighs made a nutrient rich stock that I’ll use for other meals, or freeze for later.
A little bit of prep sets me up for a week of success. Not having to think about what I’m going to eat next is a relief!
