If you are looking for a way to make planning, prep, and meals easier and faster you may want to begin by prepping in advance as soon as you bring home your groceries. Spend a couple hours on Saturday or Sunday to do food prep and you will be amazed at how much time you can save and stress you can avoid throughout your busy week.
The first part of good food prep is meal planning. If you sit down and work out at least a week's worth of meals in advance on paper, it serves several purposes in making everything run smoother.
You save money grocery shopping if you have a plan.
You won’t be wondering what’s for dinner at dinner time.
You can make healthier choices and set yourself up for success.
Meal and snack time options will be more plentiful.
Meal Plan & Shop
So sit down, make a list of dinners, lunches, breakfast ideas, plus your family's favorite snacks then make a grocery list. Grab the list, your coupons, and your wallet. Next head to the grocery store and load up on everything you need. Bring it home and set it all on the counter. Most times before I do a big grocery run I also like to scrub and empty out the fridge so it's ready to be loaded up for the week.
Once you've done your shopping for the week (or maybe even the month) and brought home bags overflowing with fresh vegetables, canned goods, pasta, meat, dairy, etc... Now what do you do with it? How do you prep it all for the week ahead so that you are not stressed with coming up with dinner every night at 5:00? I'm going to share with you my favorite tips, methods, and tricks for making weekly food prep work for you. We're going to prep for all 3 meals including bag lunches, and snacks.
If you need some inspiration, this book is a good resource with meal and snack plan ideas.
Gather Your Tools
Make sure you include these items on your shopping list if you are not already stocked up: Mason jars, freezer bags, sandwich bags, and plastic lidded containers in various sizes. These are key tools to meal prep success so I suggest designating a shelf or basket for storing these items handily. Reusable containers like this or like this are perfect for prepping lunches.
Bring home your groceries and set them out on the counter. You can go ahead and put away things like milk, butter, etc.. into your clean fridge. The idea behind meal prep is to get as much done in advance when you have time so that during the week you are just doing minimal work to get dinner on the table and lunches packed. Now you are ready to get started on The meal prep….
Fruits and Veggies
Wash them well to remove wax, dirt, and pesticides that may be on them. Place them in strainers or on paper towels to drain. Check your weekly menu and pre-prep your veggies for meals. Slice, dice, shred, etc.. I have a mandolinand I absolutely love it for food prep, makes it quick and easy. I just rinse between different items and move on to the next one. Once I've finished the slicing and dicing, I divide them up into bags and smaller plastic storage containers. Don’t forget to designate some for healthy snacks and put them in special containers. Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, apple wedges, grapes, cherries, etc… If salad is on your menu for lunches or dinners make those up as well. Mason jars are great for this.
Prep and cook meat
Again, looking at your meal plan, you can pre-cook a lot of your meat and freeze it for quick reheating and adding to your meals. Chili on your list? Brown and drain 1 pound of meat. Hamburgers? Go ahead with seasoning and flattening them. Place them in freezer bags divided by sheets of wax paper. If you buy meat in larger bulk packs to save money, but don’t want to cook it yet you can still divide it up into smaller portions before refreezing it.
Divide up snacks in individual packs
I tend to not buy many things already individually packaged because it costs a lot more. It's cheaper to buy a large bag of chips and divide it up yourself and really, it only takes a couple minutes to do. This is great for snack time or for packing lunches, you can just grab one or two items and toss them in the lunchbox.
Prep Lunches
If you have kids, my favorite trick is to turn an entire loaf of bread into peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. If you have the freezer space, make them all ahead and place in freezer bags, stack in the freezer then simply pull one out and pop in the lunches and it will be thawed and ready by lunch. You could do this with lunch meat and cheeses as well.
Make slow cooker meals
Make up your favorite slow cooker or Instant Pot meals in advance. Place meat, starches, veggies, and seasonings in big freezer bags. Freeze, and pull them out in the morning, dump into slow cooker and come home to a hot meal ready to go. Or pull it out and cook it quickly in your Instant Pot. If you don’t already own a slow cooker or Instant Pot you should definitely get one...or two. 🙂
Now, you're pretty much done and this gives you a fabulous start to your week with just a couple hours of preparation! Now grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up, you deserve it!
I do the bulk of my food prep in one day but during the rest of the week you should think ahead. If you make pancakes for breakfast then make a double batch and freeze extras in baggies for popping in the toaster on busy school mornings. Having soup for dinner? Freeze the leftovers in small plastic lidded containers for lunches.
I'd love to know how you prepare for the upcoming week. Let me know in the comments below!
Summer is in the air and your local farmers markets are open and ready to provide you with super fresh and flavorful produce. Wandering the market makes for a perfect morning or afternoon and supporting local farmers is a great bonus. Here are 5 fantastic reasons to get out there and buy local produce.
5 Reasons to Buy Local Produce
Flavor & Freshness.
Buying fresh fruits and vegetables at the peak of their season provide you with the best flavors and are perfect for your favorite recipes. Vendors usually put the best of their crop up front, so get there early.
Support Farmers.
Smaller family farms rely on their yearly crops and benefit from us buying directly from them each season. You can also stimulate your local economy by shopping at your grocery store when you look for locally grown produce.
Sense of community.
By supporting local farmers and buying their produce, you can feel a sense of community while shopping at the farmer’s markets. It’s a chance to get to know who’s growing fresh fruits and vegetables in your surrounding area as well as ask questions about how they are grown.
Healthy eating.
When buying local, the fruits and vegetables you buy and cook with are ready to eat. They are filled with their natural nutrients and provide a healthier option on your dinner table.
Environmentally friendly.
By visiting your local farmer’s markets and buying fresh produce, you’re helping to protect the environment by cutting down on the travel expense of transporting from province to province or even country to country. Overall air pollution is lessened and truck fuel is saved.
For the best experience, go early and enjoy visiting all of the vendors at your own pace. Some vendors will offer samples so that you can taste what you are buying. Many times you end up finding fruit and vegetable varieties that you may never have heard of before. Enjoy the fruits of their labors all season long!
Do you find it hard to prepare tasty and filling meals when you're in between pay days? Cooking hearty meals on a tight budget can be a challenge, but the truth is, it's totally possible! You can enjoy a tasty, healthy, and filling meal for less when you give these frugal meal ideas a try. Bonus: You can whip them up in no time!
1. Loaded Tomato Soup and Cheese Sandwiches
Prepare a pot of tomato soup and toss in some filling extras such as rice, cheese, or pasta. Prepare with a side of grilled cheese sandwiches and some cucumber slices.
2. Baked Italian Chicken Legs and Rice
Chicken legs are one of the cheapest cuts of chicken. Bake chicken that has been marinated with Italian dressing in the oven. Prepare with a side of rice and a small side salad if budget allows.
3. Baked Potato Bar
Prepare baked potatoes along with a buffet of toppings. Enjoy them with sour cream, chives, cheese, bacon, ham, or other tasty toppings that turn them into a meal. Side with soup if the budget allows.
4. Ham and Cheese Croissant Pockets.
Take canned croissants and stuff them with ham and cheese before rolling. Prepare as usual. The end result is a hot and tasty treat that is best when served with inexpensive soup, steamed vegetables or salad.
5. Brinner!
Brinner is when you enjoy breakfast for dinner! Eggs, pancakes, and fruit can all make for an inexpensive but hearty dinner. If budget allows, prepare some sausage links or bacon.
6. Hamburger Casserole.
Cook a pound of hamburger and drain. Add in a packet of brown gravy mix. Add in a cup of frozen corn as well as a cup of frozen peas. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, top with shredded cheese, and finish off with frozen tater tots. Bake until golden and enjoy. It's cheap and easy.
7. Meatless Taco Bar.
Create a meatless taco bar with shells, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, beans, avocado, lettuce and tomatoes. With so many fresh toppings, you won’t even miss the meat.
If you need to prepare a hearty meal on a budget, give these ideas a try! You're sure to create something tasty in no time flat.
What are your go-to frugal meal ideas for when the grocery budget is running dry?
Preparing meals ahead of time can be a big time and money saver. You're doing all of your cooking on one day, and will be saving money because you're only buying the ingredients you know you need.
While cooking all your breakfasts, lunches and dinners for a week, in one day, may seem daunting, but with these tips you'll be able to meal prep for a week and not have to wonder, "What's for dinner?" anymore!
Find your recipes.
Before even starting the process, you should print out the recipes you will be using for the week. This means printing or writing down recipes for all meals for 7 days. If you will be making snacks, like homemade granola bars or protein bars, print those recipes as well. Now you have a master list of all the ingredients you will need.
Divide up your grocery store list.
Go through each recipe and categorize each item. Your grocery list should have sections broken down into protein, carbs, vegetables, fruits, spices, and other. Doing this will make it much easier (and quicker) to find the things you need when you're at the grocery store.
Buy the right containers.
If this is something you will be doing on a regular basis, you want to make sure you have durable containers that are made to last. Don't skimp out on this. I really like these reusable containers.
Cut your vegetables and fruits.
Once you're back from the grocery store, start by chopping up your vegetables and fruits. Organize them by whether you're using them as a snack or will be using them as ingredients in a meal.
Use the oven.
The oven is great for baking meats, potatoes, vegetables and more. Make a list of every item that needs to go in the oven and put it all in. If your oven is going to be on, you might as well cook everything at once!
Use your slow cooker.
Many people who meal prep like to make freezer meals. This can be preparing something, like meatballs, and freezing them to cook at a later date, or preparing an entire meal which will then be thawed and cooked. If you have a slow cooker, doing this is especially easy. Take a look at my posts, 9 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals or The Ultimate Before Baby Freezer Cooking Listfor some ideas. You could search Pinterest for slow cooker freezer meals to find recipes as well. Even if you don't want to freeze your meals, you can still prepare all of the ingredients you'll need and use your slow cooker to cook the meal. It will save you time all week!
Use different seasonings.
One can only eat so much plain chicken. When you go grocery shopping, make sure to pick up different seasonings for each meal. Get creative with how you season or marinate your protein options.
Make one huge dish.
If you don't want to prepare 5 different dinner options, you can make enough of one recipe that will last you a few days. Find one you really like and cook it in bulk. If you have meals or items that will last longer than 3 days, put the leftovers in the freezer and cook it when you're ready. Our family really likes these Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells. It makes two dishes so I will cook one right away and freeze the other one for another day.
Make grab and go meals.
The last step is to just divide everything up into your containers. Take each meal and put it in a container so it is ready to go for each day of the week.
Meal prep can be a great way to save time throughout the week. Although it may take a full day on the weekend, once you know what meals you're making and what ingredients you'll need, you'll become more efficient at it. No more worrying about what's for lunch or dinner!
Do you do any sort of meal prep at your home? What does your current system look like?
If your household is a fan of Italian dressing, this Italian Seasoning Mix is going to save you a lot of money over time! It's perfect if you're on a budget and you keep finding yourself buying the expensive bottles at the grocery store.
While this recipe is meant to be mixed up as a liquid dressing, I'm sure sprinkling the spice mix over veggies or meat would be just as wonderful. We like to use Italian dressing as salad dressing (of course) and even as a marinade for chicken! Hint: throw some chicken breast into a freezer bag, pour this Italian dressing over top, then seal the bag and toss it into the freezer for a really quick freezer meal! It cooks up well in the slow cooker.
Here are 6 tips you’ll love on how to stock your pantry on a budget.
Having a well-stocked pantry can help make or break your grocery budget each month. The thing is, initially stocking a pantry with all the necessities to create great meals can be quite costly. It also takes time, unless you want to pay a fortune!
Here are some quick tips on how to stock your pantry on a budget:
Watch for Sales
The first way to save big money when it comes to stocking your pantry is to watch for sales on the products you know you will use in a timely matter. Be sure to stock up as much as your budget and storage space will allow!
Buy Ahead
Don’t wait until you run out of an item to buy it. This is a great way to ensure you’ll be paying top dollar! By buying ahead, you can purchase the pantry items you need when they’re on sale or on markdown, allowing you to purchase twice (or triple?) the amount than if it weren’t on sale.
Know what your family likes
Don’t stock up on things your family would rather not eat. Say you come across an amazing deal on kidney beans, but you know most of your family members hate eating them, it’s not worth the cost to stock your pantry with kidney beans that won’t ever be used, even if they were a great price.
Use coupons
There are always plenty of couponsout there that come in handy for stocking up on cereal, canned goods, bread and more. Bulk Barn also has a great coupon or two each month if you prefer to purchase some items that way. Coupons are also great for stocking your “household” pantry. I’m never without a nice supply of toothpaste, shampoo or razors!
Buy in Bulk
The unit price of rice, beans, or spices often goes down as the package size goes up. So purchasing items in bulk can be a great deal! I like to buy rice, flour and sugar in big bags because I know we’ll use it up before it goes bad. This is much cheaper for us then buying small packages each time we run out. On the other hand, buying small quantities of spices we don’t use often at the bulk food store, also saves us money.
Another thought – If you find a great deal on something when you buy it in bulk, but you don’t have the storage space, consider splitting your purchase with friends.
Think outside the “can”
Rather than always buying canned goods, (beans, vegetables), consider purchasing a bag of dried beans or a bag of frozen corn instead. Often, your money can stretch further if you go this route.
Armed with these tips, you should be well on your way to a stocked pantry on a budget! What tips and suggestions do you have for stocking a pantry on a budget?
If you need some inspiration, this book is a good resource with meal and snack plan ideas.
Bring home your groceries and set them out on the counter. You can go ahead and put away things like milk, butter, etc.. into your clean fridge. The idea behind meal prep is to get as much done in advance when you have time so that during the week you are just doing minimal work to get dinner on the table and lunches packed. Now you are ready to get started on The meal prep….
