I get it. Meal prepping sounds STRESSFUL! That’s exactly how I felt about it until I started doing it. It took me some time to start feeling comfortable with it, but if you don’t start, you won’t improve! Let’s make this year the year that you make meal prepping a priority!
Why make it a priority?
Because you are a busy mama and sometimes finding the time to eat comes last on your list. I know there have been days in my past where eating my daughters scraps from each meal was how I was feeding myself. NOPE. Not anymore! I am a priority and you should be, too!!
When starting to meal prep, go in with a plan.
I truly believe that failure to plan is a plan to fail. Take some time before you go to the grocery store to make a plan. Sit down and write a menu meal by meal. I, personally, plan out breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. I am a pretty simple person so I choose 2 options to rotate through for each meal throughout the week so I don’t have to prep too much. However, I only meal prep breakfast, lunch, and my two snacks. My dinners I cook fresh each night.
Map out the cooking process.
Once you have figured out what you’re going to cook, write out your plan, and grocery shop, it’s time to map out the cooking process by length of cooking time. I start with cooking the longest things first and then as I find breaks while cooking the longest things, I will start the little things. For example, if I am waiting for rice to cook or something to come out of the oven, I will move to one of the quicker items to do while I’m waiting like cut up fruit for my snack, or chop the veggies. When you start with the longest items, and squeeze in the shorter items as you find breaks, you will be finished with everything around the same time which is such a win!
To make meal prepping easier, lay all your containers out on the table or counter.
I always find it helpful to have everything laid out and ready to be filled up on my kitchen table as I'm cooking. When you see it all out in front of you it’s easier to understand what you’re doing. Not to mention, It feels so good watching everything fill up as you go!
I always feel so proud and so accomplished after I meal prep! I promise you it is SO worth it. It’s so worth having meals ready to go. It’s so worth staying on track and not eating toddler scraps or binging on foods that make you feel like crap. It takes me about 2 hours on a Sunday to prep for the week and that is WORTH IT!