Why I meal prep on the weekend.

Meal prep on the weekend is my trick to winning the week.

Kids activities + practices, having to work late one night, or just being drained at the end of the day and now you have to figure out dinner.

Why didn’t anyone say that being a grown-up meant that you had to be the cook every.day.

To save some time during the week, I make sure I spend a couple of hours on the weekend to prep. This will not be a “how to be healthier” post – I’m just trying to maximize my week. {But if you are looking for those kinds of tips, check out my friend Lindsey at Nurtrition Wise}.

Here’s a quick overview of a typical Sunday afternoon at our house.

An hour or less

Meal prep doesn’t have to be time consuming. You will be surprised at how much you can get done in an hour or less. Here are some of my go-to things I prep that I can get done in an hour:

Breakfast bites
Hard-boiled eggs
Cook chicken and/or hamburger

Use the timers on your stove to help keep your various items on track. But it really can be simple!

Breakfast bites

Mornings are busy with getting everyone out the door. Having an easy breakfast I can take with me to work and fuel my day is a win.

These can be customized with whatever veggies you prefer, but are usually the first things to start to prep, because once they are in the oven you can tackle other prep items. These aret the homemake version that Starbucks is offering, but for close to $6 for the whole pan vs. one order.

{Per dozen egg bites}

1 lb cooked breakfast sausage
3 bell peppers {I like red, orange and yellow for pretty color}
3-4 spinach leaves per bite
10 eggs
Splash of milk

Putting these together should take about 10 minutes tops.

Preheat the oven to 375
Cook up the breakfast sausage. While that’s cooking, dice the peppers.
Spray a cupcake pan with some olive oil spray
Layer in the sausage, spinach and peppers
Mix the 10 eggs and splash of milk. Pour slowly over each bite.
Cook for 30-35 minutes. Let cool and store until you’re ready to enjoy!

Hard Boiled Eggs

This is an easy staple in our house. This is an easy meal prep item because snack are important too! They also help bulk up a quick salad with extra protein.

Hard-boiled eggs made simple

Put all eggs in the bottom of a stock pot
Cover with water to just above the eggs. Splash a little vinegar in the pot to help with pealing later!
While the water is heating up, grab a large bowl and fill with ice and water to make the cold bath.
Bring water to a rolling boil. Take off the heat and cover with a lid for 10 minutes. (This is when you can be working on a pound or two of hamberger).
After the 10 minutes, ise tongs to transfer the eggs from the boiling water to the ice bath. Let sit for 10 minutes.
And then enjoy your perfect hard-boiled eggs!

Tip: take a sharpie and write “hard boiled” on the ends of your egg cartons. No more guessing games!

*Did you know that egg yolks are good fats? Just like an avacado is a yummy good fat, the yolks are just as benefical. The yolk has double the protein and contains almost all of the nutrients and vitamins {including Vitamin A which prevents wrinkles}! They get a bad rap but contain healthy benefits.

Bulk meat prep

Caseroles, spaghetti, taco night. Cut a few steps out of your dinner prep by having the meat cooked and ready to go!

Beef

Grab a 5 pound package of hamberger {or turkey if you prefer} and cook this up! Store in a freezer baggie until you need it.

This takes about 5 minutes a pound, and can easily be done in the 30 minutes your breakfast bites are cooking.

I like to cook a pound or two at a time, for easy bagging and even cooking.

Chicken

Do the same concept with chicken, but this is even quicker! Season some chicken breasts and throw them in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

After it’s cooled, you can chop and toss into the freezer bags so it’s ready for your next soup or salad!

Busy weeks are inevitable. Set your self up for success to win the week. Because what you really want to do is relax, isn’t it?