Last weekend was back to normal with meal planning and prep…sort of. Remember how we went to Whole Foods and it was crazy? Well, after that we went to Fresh Market to get things we couldn’t find at WF and then couldn’t imagine going to a third grocery store, so we tried to get all our groceries in those stores (plus Walgreens). So I purposely didn’t get some things on my list because they were way more expensive than in our usual grocery store. Therefore, I had to adjust my plan for the week a bit. Then to make things even more complicated, we didn’t remember that it was lent/ash Wednesday until Wednesday night. We happened to be eating fish that night anyway but I totally had meat at breakfast and lunch without realizing it. I also ended up picking up salmon later in the week for Friday.
Meal Plan 2/15-2/21:
Sunday: Chicken fajitas using this recipe
Monday: Salmon, roasted baby potatoes, asparagus
Tuesday: Butternut squash roast with chicken, bacon, and green beans
Wednesday: Tilapia, broccoli, baked potatoes
Thursday: Burgers, sweet potato fries, mixed veggies
Friday: salmon, quinoa, spinach
Saturday: Pasta, turkey meatballs, salad
Breakfasts: Smoothies, egg frittatas, grain-free pancakes
Lunches: Salads with roasted veggies and grilled chicken, leftovers
Snacks/Dessert: Apples, berries, baby carrots, almond butter, chocolate chip banana bread squares
I started my prep by cutting and roasting broccoli and sweet potatoes. Then I did the rest of the cutting/rinsing/storing while they were in the oven. After that all I had left was the frittata and banana bread! I planned to make other snacks this week, but couldn’t find coconut milk in the store, which was needed for the recipes I was planning to make.
Here is the prep I did last weekend:
-roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes
-cleaned/cut/stored cucumbers, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and asparagus
-Rob grilled chicken on indoor grill
-made frittata
-baked banana bread
It sounds so easy when I write it all out, but it still took over an hour!
-Do you have any tricks that make food prep easier?
-Do you always shop at the same grocery store or change it up sometimes?
I’ll be joining Mommy Run Fast and Jill Conyers on Sunday for their meal planning link-up!
Wow you are so organised! I like to put on calming music when I chop up veggies for the week cos for some reason I always want to rush through and do something else. I also love to cook a big meal in the slow cooker that I can eat throughout the week 🙂
Great ideas! Sometimes I play music but usually I just have the TV on in the background.
I try to do all or most of my shopping at Trader Joe’s but I fill in with sale items from stores like Shop Rite, Fairway and the produce market (and Whole Foods)…I am trying to limit how many trips I make in a week but it’s so annoying for me when a store is out of something I need and then have to go to another store!
I also hate that…like last weekend I felt like I would have spent the whole day grocery shopping if we had actually gotten everything we needed and gone everywhere we wanted to go.
I think an hour is still pretty good for a bunch of food prep! I usually go to the same store that carries most of what I need for good prices, then go to one other for a few select things. Not really going to Whole Foods anymore as I’ve said! I wish TJs was closer since people really seem to like it, but it’s about 25 minutes away.
I like to keep the food prep under 2 hours, including the clean up. Anything more than that and I start to go crazy! I also hear such good things about TJs but its just not convenient for me to go to. There will be one closer to where I am moving but still kind of out of the way, so I’ll have to see if its worth making the trip there:)
I love the idea, but I don’t do much food prep. I like to cook some chicken and veggies on Sunday night for lunches, but that’s all. We’re getting better about planning meals for the week, though, and picking up everything on the weekend. My husband is obsessed with his slow cooker, so he usually makes something that lasts for at least two meals. I love to cook, but not every night!
I used to shop at three grocery stores to get everything I wanted, but I’ve gotten lazy and just shop at my neighborhood store now (with the occasional Whole Foods trip). Whole Foods drives me crazy, but I think that Trader Joe’s is even worse in terms of crowds, so I try to stay far away! In Vermont we have all of these great independently owned food coops, and I really miss that in Utah. Whole Foods isn’t really a ‘health food’ store in the same sense.
I wish my husband liked the slow cooker! Whenever he sees that I am using it he cringes…not sure what the problem is because I think everything we use it for comes out good!
Interesting that you say TJs is worse than WFs with the crowds…I really couldn’t imagine anything worse than WFs last weekend but maybe the snow was what made it so bad! I never go to TJs so I’m not sure how it is around here. I also wish we had some better options for health food.
An hour to make all of that food sounds fast to me!
I always shop at the same grocery store. I have a Fresh Market within 2 minutes walking distance from me now, but I still drive over to my favorite store!
An hour wasn’t bad at all! I think the baking is what really takes up alot of time. I love Fresh Market! I would spend way too much money there if we had one closer to where we live:)
I usually try to do my food prep all at once as well. I usually do it on Sunday night, and then again on Wednesday night. It just makes the midweek meals go so much smoother! The grain free pancakes recipe sounds really good! I’ll have to give that one a try. 🙂
The pancakes are really good and easy- I hope you like them!
I only shop at the same two stores for groceries. I love it in summer when the farmer’s market is open and I can add some variety to where I shop! Fridays in Lent always throw me off and I need to make sure we have fish or something planned, otherwise we just eat a big hash without meat.
I am hoping to find a good farmer’s market this summer! And yes, Friday’s in Lent are tough because we usually eat meatballs with either pasta or spaghetti squash on Fridays! We’ll be rearranging things and bit and probably just eat fish on Fridays during Lent.
Meal prep takes a lot of time but really pays off. I love that you make it a priority each weekend!
It definitely pays off! Either you put in some work over the weekend, or put more work in during the week- that’s how I think of it at least!
Yup, roasting veggies is definitely my favorite thing to do for meal prepping. Mmm, banana bread sounds excellent right now. I think I am not going to have to make some for this week! Thankfully I got a ton of bananas at the store (we are “snowed” in of course- can’t run out of bananas! 😉 ). I typically go to the same places because options are limited out here. When I lived in Portland, OR and San Diego though- I would LOVE to grocery store hop haha. So many great places!
I think it would be fun to have a lot of grocery store options, but maybe also a little stressful?
I have a few ripe bananas left and I’m thinking about baking something else with them this weekend…
Great meal plan. It all sounds so yummy!! I always cut up fruit and veggies and bake on Sundays to make the week go smoother.
It really helps to have some healthy foods ready to eat throughout the week!
You are so good with your food prep, me not so much lately (or sliding it to Mondays at a 50% effort). I have a TJs across the street from me and a Whole Foods a few blocks south. I go to TJs usually out of convenience, but I find the produce to be better at WF.
Now that I am in the habit of doing meal prep it has just become part of my weekend! I wish I had a TJs closer to where I live.