Look ahead
Before you go to the grocery store, look at the next week in your life. Are you home early on Tuesday, but working late three other nights? Do you have a couple of hours totally free on Saturday? Take those things into account! If you have a good block of free time, plan to use that to do some meal prep for the busier times in your week (see the next two tips). If you know you won’t get home until late on a particular night, plan to make it a night for leftovers or food you prep during your free time. You might even want to pack a meal for yourself (or a loved one) sometime.
Make a plan
Once you know what the week looks like, you have some extra flexibility. There might be some days when you have extra time and can start cooking a meal from the beginning. Awesome! But there might also be some days when you’ll be busy and want something (delicious) you can just reheat or throw together. For those days, pick a few things you want to make and eat that you can make ahead of time. These include both “building blocks” for quick meals and more involved meals.
Some examples of building blocks might be:
- Roasted vegetables
- Roasted potatoes
- Batches of plain grains (rice, barley, etc.)
- Simply-seasoned proteins (chicken, beef, tofu, etc.)
- Hard-boiled eggs
Some meal ideas:
- Frittatas or quiches
- Chilis or soups
- Baked oatmeal
- Lasagna or other baked pasta
- Casseroles
Make a grocery list based on the things you want to make and the things you already have. Don’t forget about any snack-y things you might want. Aside from my “meal prep” list, I always get apples, bananas, another fruit or two, cheese, yogurt, eggs, and snacking veggies. And aside from that I always have nuts, nut butters, cereal, bread, and oatmeal on hand. Obviously, get what you (and your family) will eat. ?
Now head to the store!
At the store
This is totally based on personal preference, but I’m going to throw in my two cents. Sometimes, convenience is worth a bit of a price difference. (Also, everything at my grocery store here is fairly overpriced and there’s honestly a very small price difference between the “convenient” versions and the ones that aren’t quite so nice. I’ve done the math.) If I’m already pressed for cooking time and I want vegetables on hand to steam, I’m probably just going to go for the microwave steam bag, especially since I don’t have a steamer. They make great pre-cut roasting veggies, too! If I want individual servings of fish, I often get a bag of fresh-frozen vacuum-sealed salmon fillets so I can buy a bunch at once and not worry about wrapping and freezing them myself. It’s just something to think about.
Prep ahead
You knew this was coming, but I had to say it. The only way you’ll have that homemade food that’s ready to eat right when you want it is to make it ahead of time. So, do some meal prep. Find (or make) a chunk of time when you can put on some music or a good podcast and prep away! For me, right now, that’s what Saturday morning/early afternoon right when I come home from the grocery store look like. It’s actually really relaxing.
This week, I made black bean soup, this delicious quiche, steamed some wild rice, cooked some sausages, and roasted a spaghetti squash.
Is it a lot? Not tons, but there’s only one of me. I also have a bunch of sweet potatoes I can bake or roast as I want, some steam-in-the-bag veggies, and a lot of fish in the freezer.
Put what you prep in air-tight containers. Depending on what items you have, individually portioning them might be convenient, but that’s a matter of personal preference. Either way, refrigerate and reheat throughout your busy week. Congrats – you just meal-prepped!
A final note…
If you still end up eating out or eating cereal for dinner, that is totally okay. Cooking at home is awesome. We’ve established that. But sometimes, you really don’t have time, you really need food, or you just really want to order pizza. Those are all totally valid excuses, and these are just some tips to make that whole home-cooking thing work a little better with your busy life – if you want it to.
Do you meal prep?
What’s your go-to meal?
I meal prep by always having my favorite foods on hand. A lot of times I have made big batches of things only to be tired of them by day 2. There are a few things I know I will be happy to eat everyday (PB&J, Mac and cheese, broccoli, chickpeas, any sandwich) so I make sure to have that stuff, which is largely self stable or freezes well in my pantry. I also make sure to have oats, minute rice or cereal for snacking on. Also, making juice concentrate is a life send for a quick drink in a pinch.
I do struggle with getting tired of the same recipes over and over! I try to make sure I can freeze whatever I make extras of, just in case. Sounds like you have a great plan that works for you! 🙂
No matter how much I try to teach her….my mom….she just won’t get it. I don’t know how she eats when I’m not here!
Hahaha not so “like mother, like daughter”, eh? 😉
I need this post haha!! I don’t cook often and use the excuse of being too busy even though I could easily make time
Haha and there’s nothing wrong with that at all! This is just a strategy if it’s something you really want to do 🙂
I meal prepped when I first moved. I love this post because you really dont have to go all out if you dont have time, just a few things help so much!
http://www.repressingthecrazy.com
Exactly! It’s all about making it work for you! Thanks, Taylor 🙂
My sibs and I wash/chop many of the veggies we buy ahead of time after we get home from the grocery store. It’s been a life-saver time and time again, and urns making a dinner into much less do a deal. I am always experiementing with new meals, so I’m not sure what my go-to would be…but I do love the Caeser salad and chili recipes that I make and they are on the menu quite often!
Just a little prep does make life SO much easier! Chili is always yummy 🙂
great tips!
just found your blog – i started college at U of C 🙂 hope you are enjoying it there!!
Thanks! I am! Did you transfer elsewhere?
your quiche looks fantastic! And sweet potatoes are one of my favorite “building blocks” of meals because they’re so easy to roast or even just bake and make up a big, filling part of the meal!
Gotta love sweet potatoes!
This is awesome! Prep is SO important! Thanks for all the healthy tips!! 🙂
Thanks for reading, Cailee!
Great post with great tips! I think many, like me, get intimidated by the thought of prepping because of the time it would take (especially if already tired). But everytime I do I am reminded that it does not need to be anything fancy! You can prep a few things that are all super easy and fast and still have a number of meals that will be ready to go in the future. I have to prep atleast a few things on my Sundays for I have zero time through the week. I love it!
Thank you! Exactly – it doesn’t have to be a lot, but a little definitely helps!
Hi, Ellen! your post is really helpful tome because I am also super busy especially on monday. You give me what I need: how to look ahead, make a plan. Thanks for your sharing!
I’m glad I could help!