How to Meal Prep: Tips for Busy Parents
Like most parents, meal planning lives rent free in my head. Feeding my family probably consumes my thoughts more than any other topic. And it seems I’m not alone. It’s relentless!
Before I had kids, I was the kind of person who could just grab whatever was in the fridge and never put much thought into it. That obviously doesn’t cut it anymore. As a family with two working parents, weekly meal prep has become an essential part of maintaining our household, and sanity.
Here are some ways to make meal planning more manageable:
Plan your meals for the week: In our family we have a shared list on Apple Notes that includes groceries and the meal plan, both the kids lunches and family dinners. Not having to think about dinner every night takes a huge mental load off your plate. The shared grocery helps ensure that whoever happens to be at the supermarket knows what we need, cutting down the need for extra trips when you “forgot something”.
Divide the Labor: Because I work from home, I take charge of lunches. For dinners, my husband and I rotate who is in charge each night (M/W & T/Th, Friday is dealers choice - leftovers, takeout, or going out). On our assigned nights, it’s entirely up to us. Lots of leftovers in the fridge? No problem. Had a busy day at work? Takeout it is! The point is that on his nights, I don’t think about dinner.
Build your “signature staples” list: I only started cooking when I had kids, so I’m still very much a novice. Whether you're a beginner or a star chef it’s helpful to have your “signature staples” list, either in your head or written out. This is your list of meals that you keep on rotation. No need to reinvent the wheel every week. Whenever I find a recipe I like, I print it out and keep it in a binder in the kitchen. Over time, my meal rotation has gotten larger and the cooking gets easier.
Get Groceries: On weekends, we often like to visit the local farmers market and make a family activity out of it. I’ll take stock of what we have already and make the grocery list and meal plan before we go. Also, don’t feel guilty about relying on delivery services like instacart when you’re in a bind. Look for stores that offer “in store prices” and ask yourself what is your time worth? Was it an especially busy day and you’re feeling overwhelmed? The extra help can make a decision difference.
A Fiscal Fast: My husband is a natural cook and can pull something delicious together with whatever is in the fridge. He often likes to do what he calls a “fiscal fast”. This is when he goes into the fridge and pantry and pulls something together based just off what we already have. It’s a great way to get creative and use up that food that’s about to go bad. Not a natural cook? Throw what you have at ChatGPT - you’ll be amazed at what it comes up with. Lots of veggies about to go off? Roast them and blend with some broth for a delicious and healthy veggie puree.
Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!: On those weekends when I do have the time and energy, I like to meal prep a ton of freezer meals. Everything from pancakes to soups. Here is a list of my favorite freezer meals. I also make sure that my freezer is always stocked with plenty of meats, fish, and other quick meals I can throw together in a bind
Weekly meal prep labelled in mason jars
Meal Prepping Tips:
Once you have the meal plan and the groceries? Now what? Get a head start on the week when you have the time and get as much as you can ready in advance.
Prep your Fruit and Veggies:
Prepping your fruit and veggies ahead of time is the best way to ensure that you will always have healthy snacks on hand.
Clean your Fruits: I run my fruits through a vinegar rinse (half part distilled white vinegar, half water, tablespoon of baking soda) for 15 minutes. Leave the fruits to dry. Then put a paper towel in a glass tupperware to store
Chop your veggies: Chopping carrots, cucumbers and onions ahead of time and storing them in mason jars saves you a ton of time and makes your more likely to use them
Pre-cook veggies: Vegetables like sweet potatoes can be roasted in advance and last for a few days in the fridge. Other veggies like zucchini or broccoli I prefer to chop in advance and roast before dinner, as they taste better fresh and don’t take much time in the oven.
Freeze leftover fruits: Whenever I have fruit and spinach that’s about to go bad, I throw them in the freezer for smoothies. These reusable bags are sturdy, BPA free, dishwasher safe and help reduce waste.
Make as much as you can ahead of time:
Soups, sauces, and other time consuming add ons can be made in advance. Some of my go to-s for meal prepping include:
Slow Cooker Meatballs
Turkey Kale Soup
Sandwiches
Healthy Muffins
Green Banana Pancakes
Overnight Oats
Invest in proper storage:
Being able to freeze individual portions of meals it’s incredibly helpful when you have kids. This way you always have something to give them when hunger strikes and you don’t have to worry about defrosting a full family portion. Some of my favorite products for storing food are:
Silicone Soup Freezer Molds (also great for baking)
Baby food Glass Containers (can be used for sauces or other small portions)
Ice cube trays (I LOVE these for individual portions of veggie sauce)
Haakaa Silicone Pouches (check out my smoothie recipes here)
Dissolvable Labels (name & date your containers with these water dissolvable labels)
Stasher Silicone Storage Bags (also great for on the go and lunch packing)
Veggie Mac & Cheese, half stored in the fridge and the other half frozen on an ice cube tray for individual mac & cheese lunches.
Thaw Your Meat:
No matter how much you plan ahead, if it’s frozen you’re not going to use it. I take out items for 2 days at a time. That way, the food doesn’t go bad if we have last minute changes.
If you are in a bind, you can safely thaw meat in cold water.
Place the meat in a leak-proof plastic bag to prevent bacteria and water contamination.
Submerge the bag in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water.
Change the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold.
Time estimate:
Small cuts (e.g., chicken breasts, steaks): ~1 hour.
Larger items (e.g., whole chicken, roasts): Several hours.
Safety note: Cook the meat immediately after thawing
Don’t forget lunch!
Include your kids' lunches in your meal plan. Which dinner leftovers will be good for lunch the next day? What do you need to make ahead of time?
Check out my blogs on the best lunch boxes for kids, easy toddler lunches and sandwich ideas.
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