Thank you for all the likes and comments on my food prep post! Y’all are going to help me stay focused and motivated! I hope this blog answer’s all your questions! :)

Sunday is my official “Meal Prep Madness” day, I started full out weekly meal prep only 5 weeks ago. Before that I would do my grocery shopping on Sunday, and then prep some snacks, and cut up veggies for breakfast, make hard boiled eggs, etc. Then I decided that I wanted to try doing a full out meal prep for the week, and I can honestly say, I’m HOOKED!

“But I don’t have time!” – I feel ya!! I’m a full time, single, working mom with two kiddos ages 3 & 6, so I’m VERY busy. Life is crazy hectic, but I’m making the time for it, and I schedule it in my calendar as an appointment. And then, it SAVES ME TIME during the week - in the evening I just have to heat up our dinner and not spend an hour plus in the kitchen cooking and cleaning and then I have more time for family, the gym, and other daily activities. Since the food is already prepared, you’re not tempted to “pick something up on the way home.” Mine and my kiddos health is important to me, so making time to prepare healthy, fresh meals is a priority and doing it all on one day has been great! I also love to cook, it my hobby, so I really enjoy being in my kitchen. Meal prep does take me about 5 hours. It could be done more simply and save time if you make only one or two meals for the whole week, but I like variety and so do my kids. :)

This Week’s Menu

 Dinner/Lunches:

  • Curry Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, and Asparagus
  • Ground Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers and Brussel Sprouts
  • Gingery Broccoli Beef and Quinoa
  • Crockpot Dish – Corned Beef, Cabbage & Carrots (I like to include one crockpot dish every week so I can throw it on in the morning and then not have to worry about it until it’s done. This saves time!)

 Snacks:

  • Sliced Banana or Apple with Almond Butter
  • Fresh or Dried Blue Berries and Jerky (I buy Paleo jerky from Steve’s Paleo Goods and Trader Joe’s Turkey Jerky)
  • Almonds with Dried Apricots
  • Deli Turkey and Sliced Veggies (Orange Bell Pepper and Cucumber)

Breakfast (I make my breakfast fresh every morning –unless I make egg omelet muffins – but I still do what prepping that I can):

  • Spinach Sauté with Eggs (3 days) – I cut up all my veggies that I will need and place in a glass container. They stay fresh for the week. This weeks prepped veggies include red bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, and green onion.
  • Green Smoothie (2 days) – Peel/slice the fruit you’ll need and freeze so it will be ready to toss into the blender.

When I make a meal, I typically make enough for dinner for four with lunch leftovers for two. Typically, one meal a week makes a little more that will be used for an additional lunch or dinner.

 BENTO BOXES! I found my bento boxes at www.amazon.com. I have bowls, two compartment containers, and three compartment containers. The ones I purchased are BPA free, microwave/dishwasher safe, and have air tight lids.

 Here is a link to the three compartment containers: http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Container-Compartment-Microwave-Dishwasher/dp/B00REQIPBY/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1426526914&sr=8-15&keywords=three+compartment+bento+boxes

Since I prep food on Sunday, it stays fresh for the five day work week and I store the food in the refrigerator and do not freeze. Some meals are freezer friendly. I have not tried freezing these containers. When I prep fruit for smoothies, I store the fruit in freezer zip locks.

I hope this helps, and I’d be happy to answer any other questions you might have. Have a fabulous week!

~Mel