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Home » How to Meal Prep for the Week | Busy Moms Guide

How to Meal Prep for the Week | Busy Moms Guide

By Kristina LaRue, RDN 10 Comments

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! 

how to meal prep for the week, pictures of easy meal prep recipesMastering 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

roasted veggies on sheet pan

roasted butternut squash on sheet pan

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.

stuffed pepper deconstructed for meal prep for the week

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

mini stuffed peppers with avocado sauce

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.

overhead shot of healthy meal prep for the family

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′]

overhead shot of healthy meal prep with casserole, bars, eggs, chicken salad

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 

Kristina LaRue, RDN

Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.

Did you make one of my recipes?? Leave a review in the comments and tag @loveandzest #loveandzest on Instagram!

If you’re a modern mama– I’d love for you to join my Facebook group A Modern Motherhood Collective!

www.loveandzest.com

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Filed Under: dinner, Round Ups Tagged With: meal prep

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Comments

  1. Natalie says

    February 8, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    This is one amazing guide. I’m such a huge fan of meal prepping. It’s a life saver really. Can’t wait to try some of these lovely recipes.

    Reply
  2. Katie says

    February 8, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    I love all of these healthy options- and this will make my week so much easier!!

    Reply
  3. Valentina says

    February 8, 2019 at 3:10 pm

    This is such an incredibly useful and helpful post. Not to mention delicious. I too am a busy mama — of teens, not little ones, which only means they eat EVEN MORE! 😉 Thank you!

    Reply
  4. krissy says

    February 8, 2019 at 3:01 pm

    oh my gosh im so excited to have found this blog. im such a busy mom. its wonderful to have these yummy healthy and easy meal prep options to make my life and week easier.

    Reply
  5. Jen says

    February 8, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    Thank you for breaking this whole process down! I’ve been wanting to start taking on prepping but it always feels so overwhelming to start.

    Reply

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Thanks for stopping by Love & Zest. I’m Kristina LaRue, RDN (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. Here on L&Z, I share healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I'm a fan of adding veggies to everything and recipes that make mom life easier.
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