There’s really no such thing as a super Mom. We try our best, and we need help finding different ways to find more time and save more money. But we are all busy Moms and we can use some busy mom meal prep hacks.
Meal prepping is a great place to start, and it’s absolutely doable, too. Imagine feeding your family with cheap, delicious, and healthy upcoming meals straight from your kitchen to the dinner table.
Busy Mom Hacks: How to Meal Prep For The Week
With these 6 Tips to Save Time With Meal Prep, you’ll be set. These tips will have you saving money and time on entire meals with much less effort.
You don’t need a personal chef to serve delectable meals — even for picky kids and people with dietary needs. With these tips, everyone will be a happy camper when it comes to meals, even you! And that’s just one of the benefits of meal prep.
When you know your family, and you’re prepared for each different meal, there’s much less worry and fuss than trying to choose between pizza and tacos with picky eaters.
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However, if you’re a mom with a busy schedule and you’re always on the go, meal planning can be one of the biggest challenges. We can all use a few Mom hacks to get things done quickly, too. If you’re always running from your house to your car and your office, chances are, you often rely on instant food or, worse, fast food choices.
There’s no problem in feeding your family with these foods. But, if you’re consistently serving them, it may not be healthy, especially for your growing kids.
You can still feed your family healthy and nutritious food choices even if you’re a busy mom. All it takes is a little advanced planning, shopping, and prep work. Meal planning can save you time and money.
It can also reduce any food waste. But, don’t start thinking, “I’m already so busy and don’t have much time. How in the world can I add this into my day?”.
Weekly meal prep actually helps you save time gives you more valuable time with your family that you can’t get back if everyone grabs a fast food item and heads to their room.
Believe it or not, you can serve three full meals a day, with snacks included, without overwhelming yourself and sacrificing your schedule with these Mom meal prep hacks:.
Plan Ahead Of Time
It’s important to plan your week’s worth of meals ahead of time. Planning an entire week ahead is a great idea, but if you don’t have enough time, a few days of planning can still make a big difference.
Planning ahead meals and having a meal prep plan will not only help you save time and money but getting a head start also stops you from making a quick call to the nearest pizza joint or ordering a drive-thru if you don’t have anything for dinner.
Prep Ahead
You can save cooking time if you’re preparing all the ingredients beforehand. Small things, when added together, can make a big difference and will save you a lot of time for the rest of the week.
- Once you go on your once a week or once a month grocery shopping trip, wash all the different vegetables and fruits before you put them away in their proper storage such as glass meal prep containers.
- Slice all celery, carrots, and vegetables. These food items can be used as a quick snack for kids or as lunch fillers. Cutting vegetables in small pieces and storing them in zip locks save you time.
- Cook chicken breasts then shred or cube them before putting in freezer bags. These pieces can be used for lunch and dinner food like pastas, quesadillas, nachos, sandwiches, fried dishes, stews, or pizza toppings. You can also use this technique for fish and beef.
- Fry some hamburger then keep it in resealable freezer bags. You can use it in chili’s, spaghetti sauce, soups, or casseroles.
- Buy frozen vegetables. You can use them in cooking stews, stir fry or roasts. You can also steam them and serve them as side dishes.
- Rub marinades or spices on your meat, separate in single meal portions, then store them in freezer bags or reusable containers for food safety. Once you’re ready to cook, just thaw and cook.
Keep A List
A grocery list is your friend when trying to stay organized. You can use your smartphone to make your list, so you never forget it.
Plan your whole meals and write them down by dates for every day of the week. Make a shopping list of everything you need for each meal.
Before heading out to the grocery store, check your pantry and fridge to see what you have and what you need. This will eliminate overspending as you’re only buying what you don’t have and using what you have on hand. That is another great Mom hack.
Make It Simple
Fresh fruit and vegetables with hummus are ideal for snacks, yet they’re not difficult to prepare.
I could not live without a slow cooker or an instant pot. I think I currently have 4 different sized ones. Buy a slow cooker! It’s essential for busy people, especially busy moms.
Preparing one-pot meals are easy and delicious. There are a lot of healthy meal prep ideas and easy recipes that require only a few main ingredients. Just dump them in your slow cooker, go on about your day, and return with a ready meal that you can serve to your family.
Use The Same Key Ingredients
A good rule of thumb is to use the same ingredients for a variety of meals for the whole week, this is a great way to save time and money.
Prepare hard-boiled eggs in batches, store them in airtight containers, then place them in the fridge. You can use them for breakfast, as a healthy snack, or as an additional ingredient for your salads and sandwiches for the following week.
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Prepare In Batches
If you have enough time during the weekends, prepare freezer meals that you can just heat up during the weekdays. You don’t need to devote a full single day to prep these meals — your kids can even reheat them on their own.
- Double all your simple recipes. There are a lot of easy meal prep recipes that you can easily cook in bathes: Soups, chili, spaghetti sauces, lasagnas, and even pies.
- Make an extra serving of waffles, pancakes, cookies, and muffins. Cookie dough can be made into balls and frozen. You can cook them for a later time with the same fresh-from-the-oven taste. Store the extra in the freezer.
- Leftovers are your best friend. During the nights when you have the time and energy to cook, cook in bulk then refrigerate the leftovers.
Following these tips can go a long way! They can help you save time and money while still serving your family members healthy and delicious meals. You’ll be the best meal prep Mom in the neighborhood and that means you’ll have more time for family.
What are your favorite Mom hacks you can share with us?
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