Every week I play the same mental game. Will I food prep, or won’t I? I oscillate between convincing myself how helpful it is to have even a couple snacks and meals prepped and ready in the fridge, and throwing caution to the wind to honour my rebellious side by saying, ‘no, I won’t, you can’t make me, I’m not going to prep’.
Most weeks the food prepping does happen, and I do end up spending at least an hour on some form of food preparation for the coming week. I kinda like being in the kitchen with good music blaring and the kids crawling around my feet emptying the tupperware drawer all over the floor. (I don’t like cleaning up said tupperware drawer…but I tell myself, it won’t always be like this.)
Having a few weekly food prep staples is key in me actually completing the task of food prepping. Keeping the overall mental energy low by picking a couple of these go-to recipes week after week makes it so. much. easier. These staples are delicious, nutritious, family favourite options that are super easy to grab and eat on the go as the pace of the week picks up and my general energy level plummets.
Veggie-Packed Muffins
A veggie packed, high in protein muffin is a must for me. It helps me to keep my blood sugar balanced, fills me up, and also satisfies my desire to have a tasty baked good as a snack. Major plus? The kids love them too.
Try this recipe: Flourless Zucchini Blueberry Muffins.
These muffins are at the top of the weekly food prep staple list because they are quick, tasty and a great way to get a protein-packed, veggie and fruit laden item into my children’s (and my) mouths. The recipe is incredibly forgiving. You just need 2 cups of any combination of fruit and/or veggies. You can use what you have or get creative. Our favourite combo is carrot and zucchini with chocolate chips.
The Weekly Veggie Tray
This food prep staple is the gift that keeps on giving. It literally takes less than 10 minutes to wash, chop and load up my big tupperware container, and it goes on the table for meals and snacks with a heaping side of hummus or ranch dip. I try to have at least three different veggies in the tray, and we generally use carrots, celery, cucumber, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and snap peas.
Sometimes I dig into the veggie tray while prepping other meals, or I make myself a quick ‘snack plate’ lunch by pairing the pre-chopped veggies with dip, a brown rice cake and a few slices of deli ham.
Another big win for the veggie tray? I let my four year old choose her own veggies from the tray. This gives her a sense of choice, and she’s more likely to eat the veggies when it was her decision to put them on her plate.
The One Bowl Meal
On the days when I do spend more than a few minutes whipping together a veggie tray or a dozen veggie muffins, I’ll prepare an assembly line of ingredients to make a bunch of one bowl meals. I change up the one bowl meal recipes on the regular as I looooove having variety in what I eat. I don’t know what it is about putting everything into one bowl, but I love adding layers of greens, veggies, proteins and fresh herbs to make a drool-worthy bowl I look forward to eating every single time!
Try this recipe: Protein Power Bowl
And if you want more recipes to craft your own Balanced Bowls, then sign up for my free 10 Day Balanced Bowl Challenge. I’ll walk you through my formula to make healthy and uber-tasty one bowl meals, and it will transform the way you food prep!
Protein Packed Bites
There are so many options when it comes to making protein-packed ‘bites’ as I like to call them. Get your muffin tin out and make mini quiches with egg, peppers, ham and mushrooms. Or make mini meatloaves with ground beef, turkey and veggies.
Or try this recipe: Greek Quinoa Mini Quiches
These mini quiches are my favourite way to pre-cook breakfast the day before, and to have easy post-workout snacks on hand. You can even crumble them into a wrap, or put ’em on top of a green salad for a well-balanced lunch!
I hope these four weekly food prep staples help to assist you in making your food prepping a wee bit easier. Having a general idea of what I’m going to make (bowls, muffins, etc) and then having the freedom to change the recipe based on what I have in the fridge or pantry has made it so much easier for me.
Let me know how you do!
Always cheering you on,
Lana
Don’t forget to sign up for my free 10 Day Balanced Bowl Challenge! I’ll walk you through my formula to make healthy and uber-tasty one bowl meals, and it will transform the way you food prep. Complete with recipes, formulas, and tons of healthy eating strategies.
