10 Meal Prep Tips for Busy Moms

Planning meals can save you time and money, and it can reduce food waste. Planning and preparing three meals a day plus snacks, however, may seem overwhelming. The following are 10 great meal tips for a busy mom.

1. Plan Ahead

It’s important to plan meals and snacks ahead of time. Planning a week ahead is a good idea, but even a few days will make a big difference. Planning ahead will not only save money and time but will keep you from splurging on pizza or stopping at the drive-thru when you realize there’s nothing for dinner.

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2. Be a List Maker

Whether it’s on a piece of paper or on your smartphone, a prepared list is crucial to staying organized. First start by planning your meals; then, make sure you list everything you’ll need for each meal. Before shopping, check through the pantry and fridge to see what you already have.

3. Buy in Bulk

Not only is it usually cheaper to buy in larger quantities, but it means running out less frequently for your favorite staples. Credit.com lists several items it makes sense to buy in bulk. A few include strawberries, meat, onions, spices, canned goods and dry pasta. These are all items that will store for long periods of time or can be frozen.

4. Keep it Simple

Fresh fruit and veggies are ideal for snacks, and they’re not difficult to prepare. Slow cookers are also considered essential for busy families, and one-pot meals can be both easy and delicious. Make sure to have plenty of recipes that only require a few ingredients.

5. Keep Your Calendar in Mind

Make sure to look at your calendar when planning meals so you’ll know which nights you’ll be busier than usual. Save the meals that have longer prep times for the days you won’t be as busy.

6. Figure Out Meal Prep

Healthy meal prep not only means cutting and slicing before cooking, but preparing many items ahead. You want to make sure that your time spent cooking a meal is as quick and painless as possible. The Lean Green Bean advises that before prepping you should look over your meal plan and prepare items ahead that you’ll use often. This often includes hard boiled eggs, beans, chopped veggies and chicken.

7. Overlap Ingredients

Using the same ingredients for a variety of meals is a great way to save both time and money. For example, preparing several hard boiled eggs to store in the fridge means you have part of breakfast, a healthy snack, and ingredients for a delicious egg salad already prepared.

8. Put in Theme Nights

This is a fun way to get the kids excited about meal times. You could come up with “Meatball Monday” or “Taco Tuesday.” Holidays and birthdays can also feature in fun meal planning.

9. Build in Some Left-over Nights

Make large batches of your family’s favorites once a week so you’ll have enough for another meal. This will give you a free night to focus on your family and not have to worry about cooking.

10. Subscribe to a Meal Planning Service

No matter how organized you are, there will be times when you need a little help. A meal planning service can free up time while still providing fantastic meals your family will love. CookUnity is a meal subscription service that can provide you and your family with healthy, delicious meals that are delivered to your door.

Following these 10 tips will go a long way to helping you save time and money, while providing fantastic meals for your family. You can implement all of these great tips in one when you use a meal planning service such as CookUnity.

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