That brisket that eventually became taco bowls could also easily be sandwiches or wraps or turned into burritos. The idea behind meal prep planning is to take those core meals that we use as the foundation of the week and find ways to switch them up a bit and make them feel new and interesting. No matter how much we love a meal, we will eventually get bored eating the same food over and over. I think one of the biggest meal prep trappings people can make is falling into a similar redundant cycle. I also did the same this week with a brisket and meatballs-so, I had a solid protein foundation for every meal. This works for dinners in various capacities. I am a big fan of making a roast chicken or turkey breast in the air fryer on the weekend, and then using that for various meals throughout the week. One key benefit of meal prep is that ideally, you can continue to use all the ingredients in various ways. For example, the avocado and beans from my salad prep also got involved in my taco bowl, as did a lot of the veggies in that turkey stir fry. These could be mixed into a salad of choice each day, but also repurposed in other ways. I had made containers of lettuce, beans, and various veggies. As protein, I will include turkey breast I made for dinner over the weekend and portion that out, as well. Salads are by far the easiest to prepare because you can make a whole lot of them at once and they'll be ready to grab and take to work all week. I buy greens one day a week, and prep out salad ingredients for that week in Tupperware. My lunches tend to be salad-focused, but I can't believe it when my friends tell me they spend over $10 a day on takeout salads at local spots. I also have a few favorite cereal options on standby. I keep bananas on standby as well as some plant-based yogurt cups in the fridge. Overall, this was simple in that it is inherently ready to grab and go. Also, having delicious dried fruit options like blueberries or cranberries are excellent to throw in yogurt, cereal, or even salads at lunch when you don't have time to run to the grocery store for the fresh variety. My average morning is a yogurt cup and banana, or a bowl or cereal and some fresh fruit. Here is how my three squares for the week generally played out: Breakfast They are excellent for a quick dinner on their own or added to sandwiches as a special lunch treat. (Don't ever sleep on leftover brisket-it always tastes even better the next day!) I paired these leftovers with some of the beans I had prepped for salad, and turned that into brisket taco bowls another night for dinner.Īlways a crowd-favorite, those meatballs also store and freeze so well. The brisket was a delicious dinner, as well. But the leftovers made for a delicious veggie and turkey stir fry the next day. I used that turkey breast for dinner that night-it felt like a mini-Thanksgiving, all roasted and juicy and crispy. Also, I was avoiding food waste because I was making exactly what I would be eating as the week progressed. While this may have all translated to quite a large grocery haul and a lot of cooking on one weekend day, it also meant that just about all my cooking for the next week was about to be handled. Over the weekend, I started out with the intent to make three dishes:Īdditionally, I bought a giant family-sized container of mixed greens and broke those into various containers. You don't want to start out making meatballs and then discover you have no eggs or breadcrumbs and derail that whole plan.Īlso, I look for foods that could be prepped easily, but also enjoyed and repurposed in various ways so that each meal felt fresh and interesting. I just do this in the notes app on my phone, but I plan ahead for what I will be making each week and what I need to make it. Remember, the goal here is eliminating food and money waste, not adding to it.įrom there, I create and keep maintaining a pretty intricate shopping list. What does my week look like? Do I have dinner plans? Am I traveling? You want to prep all the food you will eat, but not more than you will eat. I always begin by looking at my calendar. RELATED: 21 Healthy Dinner Ideas for Every Weeknight in January 2023 My Meal Prep Game Plan Courtesy of Aly Walansky
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