It’s been a while since I shared a meal planning and prep post. I probably won’t get back to doing these regularly, but considering that meal prepping is one of my 2016 goals I thought this would be a good time to share what I did during the first week of the year. Maybe there are others out there who need some inspiration as well!
Meal Plan Week of 1/2-1/8:
Saturday: Crock Pot Turkey Veggies Lasagna (this made several servings of leftovers for lunches and to freeze)
Sunday: Stuffed Bell Peppers (also had some leftovers from this meal)
Monday: Stir-fry with steak and veggies
Tuesday: Crispy chicken with baked potatoes and roasted broccoli
Wednesday: Burgers topped with avocado and sweet potato fries
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: Pasta, salad, meatballs
Most of my meal prep took place on Saturday, including preparing the lasagna for that night. Here is what I got done:
-made bacon and sweet potato frittatas to have for breakfast during the week
-made the lasagna (pictured is the leftovers)
-cut up veggies: carrots and mushrooms for the stuffed peppers, cucumber and green pepper for lunches
-cut up steak into cubes for stir fry
-cut up chicken (Rob grilled some of this for lunches during the week)
-made these muffins to bring to work as a snack
-made paleo fudge so we could have a sweet treat during the week
-as you can see there is a prepare package of stir-fry veggies in the picture. It made more sense to buy this than to buy all the veggies separately!
I like to plan more complicated meals for the weekend/earlier in the week so I can prep for them as much as possible, and then leave easier meals for later in the week when I am tired and don’t feel like cooking. Rob would eat tacos every day if I let him so I try to plan for them every few weeks, and they are simple so it works out well for me too!
- What was the best meal you have eaten this week?
- How often do you meal plan and/or prep?
You may also like:
Fruits And Veggies And Weird Eating Habits
Weekend Update and Last Week’s Workouts
Gearing Up for a Spring 5k
Month in Review: May 2017
I try to plan the stuff that takes longer for earlier in the week too or on a Sunday as well. Even though I work from home, it’s nice to have things set up and half way there so I don’t have to overthink things before my son arrives home from school starving. And yeah, he would eat tacos every night too lol
I think I would still meal prep even if I worked from home. There is something about doing things ahead of time that just makes the process easier I think!
I prep my lunches, which has lately been throwing 5 chicken breasts into a tupperware container to take to work along with a bag of frozen broccoli. I used to divide it up into 5 different containers, but it took up too much room in the fridge. Now I dump it all together and just keep a bowl at work to warm up the portion I eat that day.
I didn’t meal plan this week and found I spent more on groceries! And we ate the same two meals most of the weeks because I just didn’t want to put thought into what to make.
I have a feeling I would be at the grocery store every day if I didn’t meal plan!
This is so great, Lisa; thank you for the examples and recipes! I need to do more on the weekend, it just feels like so much work; it really does pay off during the week, though, because it seems that as the week goes on, I get lazier and lazier in the kitchen – ha! Hope you have a great weekend!
It does feel like alot do to on the weekend, but its definitely nice to have it all done! I tell myself I would rather do a big kitchen clean up once a week rather than every single day.
I don’t do much prepping outside of planning meals, but if I have fruits or veggies that need to be prepped, I’ll do that right after getting back from the store. That way there’s no putting it off.
That’s a great strategy!
I didn’t even make a resolution to meal plan (even though it would help) because I just know I fall off and don’t do it! Maybe for next year. And cookie dough fudge, yay! My daughter asked me yesterday what my favorite paleo dessert recipe was and I said probably that one! Frittatas are such a good one too – just did a new egg muffin recipe for next week.
Ooh looking forward to your egg muffin recipe! And your fudge is one of my favorites too:)
I made a really yummy chicken, quinoa and avocado soup this week, and last night made some spaghetti squash pasta to last us for the next few days. I love making bigger meals that I can use for leftovers! I usually just shop either Saturday or Sunday and meal prep those days, but I could be better about chopping stuff up ahead of time to save time in the long run.
I always think that doing some meal prep is better than none! Some weeks I am super productive and others I do the bare minimum. Your meals this week sound great!
I too use my crock pot on the weekends, unfortunately every 4 hours I spend prepping on the weekend only translates to about a day and a half of meals in my family. But I am undeterred, it’s the best way to get healthy food into our lives. I’ll definitely try the stuffed peppers and lasagna – are those no-boil noodles?
I use no-boil noodles from Trader Joes!
I try to plan my meals out for 3 days ahead. I am not good at prepping things in advance. I cook everyday and love it but sometimes I need to get a feeling about what I want to make.
3 days ahead is really good! That’s what I usually end up doing anyway and then we eat easy meals at the end of the week. I never know what I feel like eating, so planning meals at the beginning of the week avoids difficult decisions at dinner time each night:)
I definitely try to meal prep on Sundays. I’ve been trying to plan 2 weeks worth of meals and shop for that too. I like to have a crockpot meal for Mondays so that I can get it all together on Sunday and come home to an easy dinner as well. Paleo Fudge for a sweet treat is a great idea!
That is very impressive that you can plan for 2 weeks at a time! I have a hard enough time thinking of 6-7 meals at once:)
I don’t pre-prep but I do weekly meal planning. And I try to plan a few things that will give me leftovers for lunch. That’s a win, right? This week I think my favorite meal was the broccoli quiche I made on Thursday. I do love anything with eggs!
That is totally a win! That’s definitely my strategy when meal planning, because if I make something with leftovers then I don’t have to plan lunches.