Meal prepping can take planning and time on the weekends which can seem like a daunting task to make time for. However, I have a few hacks and tips that you can use to make your meal prep go faster.
In a perfect world, I would have my proteins and fresh vegetables all prepped and planned out every week. But let’s be real, there are weeks that it doesn’t happen. For busy weekends where I know I won’t have much time to prep for the week, I plan ahead and buy items for the week that are quick to “throw together” for well-balanced, delicious lunches.
Here are some tricks I use to ensure healthy, well-balanced lunches all week long.
Frozen Vegetables
In the perfect world that I was talking about above, I’d have fresh vegetables cooked and ready to go. But this hack is perfect for those busy weeks. We have to be prepared for times of being rushed, and having some type of vegetable is better than none at all. My favorite choices for meal prep are green beans, California mix, stir fry mix, and broccoli.
Fully-cooked Protein Options
Again, I would like to prep chicken for the week every week. But when I know I will not have time on certain weekends when we have plans. On these weeks, I buy fully cooked protein options. Some of those include grilled chicken strips, chicken sausage, and turkey sausage. Look in the frozen section or meat section at the grocery store for these fully cooked options. These will save you time since they only need to be warmed up instead of fully cooked and they are ready to eat.
Quick Whole Grain Options
When it comes to cooking brown rice or quinoa, it isn’t too time consuming. However, when I have only 10-15 minutes to put meals together, 90 second grain options come in handy. I have found great varieties of brown rice and quinoa in the microwave packets at all different grocery stores in the area.
Putting It All Together
Now that you have your quick options, here is an example of how to “throw it together”.
My favorite combination is jalapeno turkey sausage, brown rice, and a California vegetable mix. Simply heat up each item and place them in containers. You can portion these out equally or put it all in one big container and portion it out later. After it is all cooked, season and put toppings on as you wish. Some of my favorite add-ons are shredded cheese, everything bagel seasoning, onions, and fresh grape tomatoes. Now, you can have lunches prepared for the week and do it all in 15 minutes!