If you’re a busy mama in the midst of raising little ones and find yourself struggling with healthy meal prep ideas, this guide on how to meal prep for the week is for you! 

Mastering meal prep for the week is a life saver when you’re a busy mama with minimal time to getting a healthy weeknight dinner on the table!

Interested in learning more about meal prep but unsure where to start? Think you’re too busy to do healthy meal prep for the week? Well I’m bringing you tips, tricks and meal prep friendly recipes that’ll ensure meal prep success and make your hectic weeknights a breeze! Also, this guide on how to meal prep for the week is going to be your new best friend for all things healthy meal prep!

With two littles under the age of 4, weeknight dinners don’t come easy. And I definitely don’t have the energy to spend hours cooking, eating and cleaning up dinner.

My ideal weeknight dinner involves…

• a slow cooker or my Instant Pot

• a sheet pan

• easy clean up

• minimal ingredients

• ready in under 30 minutes

How to meal prep?

1. Make a meal plan (weeknight meal planner tool)

   • Keep it simple – a good start is 1-2 new recipes, 1-2 family recipes and leftovers

2. Create grocery list

   • Comb through each recipe and create a grocery list with things you’ll need for the week

3. Carve out prep time

   • Your shopping and prepping don’t have to be done on the same day – carve out time by setting a reminder in your phone for each task

4. Prep the basics

   • Roast veggies, wash & chop produce, cook meats & grains and store prepped food in airtight container until needed

5. Assemble meals

   • Casseroles: if you’re prepping a casserole dish with multiple ingredients, assemble all ingredients in casserole dish and store in refrigerator until use

   • Sides & meats: if you’re prepping a deconstructed meal such as a veggie, grain and meat, prep all separately and assemble each food into an airtight container. Another option is to store each food in it’s own container and assemble on a plate as you need them for meals.

What food is good to meal prep?

• Breakfast

  • overnight oats

  • eggs

  • deconstructed smoothies 

  • muffins

• Lunch

  • chicken salad

  • deconstructed salad

  • bowls 

• Dinner

  • casseroles

  • instant Pot meals

  • slow cooker meals 

• Sides

  • veggies

  • grains

These mini bell pepper nachos are great for meal prep! The meat mixture can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready for assembly. Another prep tip for this recipe is to wash and cut mini bell peppers in half. 

How long do meal preps last?

Meal preps stored in the refrigerator are generally safe to eat for up to 7 days. If you choose to freeze your meal prep, be sure to do so in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn and they’ll be safe to eat for up to 4 months! Simply thaw, reheat and enjoy.

Can I freeze meal prep?

Absolutely! If for some reason you make more than you need or have leftovers that are about to go bad in the refrigerator, transfer them to the freezer to keep them fresh for up to 4 months.

Healthy Meal Prep Essentials

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B072FRJCH3′ text=’Casserole Baking Dish’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d649a8b2-6cd7-4ad0-a413-f3ceff01ac2c’]

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B075QZHDTF’ text=’Large Wooden Cutting Board’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9df94285-73a3-4366-8287-5a22ec23c987′]

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B073X81NZL’ text=’Stacking Glass Mixing Bowls’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’db617ee4-09a9-4464-9027-3bb4ec4e5ddc’]

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B019F07AHQ’ text=’Oxo Leakproof Glass Storage Containers’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d6509aff-81cd-42ab-8677-6ee1de035130′]

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B008H2JLP8′ text=’Wooden Cooking Spoons’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b9144024-07c4-4363-b900-e4b4feba95b6′]

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B008BUKO6G’ text=’Rimmed Baking Sheet’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f1debc9b-a426-4ac0-80c6-c5e97225b9f4′]

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B00FLYWNYQ’ text=’Instant Pot’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’35de7ee0-7162-44ab-aeec-320d06b5eabf’]

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B004P2NG0K’ text=’Slow Cooker’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’643c09bc-535c-4476-b113-973b39fd9a71′]

Healthy Meal Prep Tips

• Weeknight Meal Planner Guide (join our email list and we will send you a copy!)

• kitchen organization

• keep a binder with your family favorite recipes

• reliable kitchen appliances

• stock your staples

• keep it simple

Looking for more healthy meal prep recipes & resources?

• Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice

• Ham Spinach Egg Cups

• Best Green Smoothie Recipe

• How to Roast Veggies 101

• Sheet Pan Breakfast Bowls 

• 10 Ways To Use Shredded Chicken for Easy Weeknight Meal 

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