Hi Mama,
Do you wish that dinner would just cook itself? Me too. Unfortunately we don’t live in the era of The Jetsons so we have to actually put time and thought into meal planning and prepping. But what if I told you there is a way to make food magically appear on the table all week and the only thing you need to sacrifice is 4-5 hours on a weekend afternoon? Yes, it’s totally possible! So I’m here to share my weekly meal planning hacks with you!
Five years ago, my husband and I dedicated Sundays to be our meal prep day. When we first started meal prepping, it was less about not having enough time to cook and more about not having a ton of money to be spending on groceries. (You can read about our early financial struggles here) We also really enjoy cooking together.
There was one Sunday that went down in history as “the day we made 13 different dishes in one day”. What did we make? I don’t even remember! But we have never been THAT ambitious again since we were exhausted after (and also ran out of room in the fridge!).
Over the years as our finances improved we didn’t stop meal prepping simply because we liked how easy it made our life during the week. With two people working full-time, there really isn’t time to be cooking meals after work. That’s why planning ahead and meal prepping on the weekends for the week ahead is so important.
Today I’ll share our meal planning hacks for meal planning like a boss when you have no time. If you can, it’s always best plan ahead you can get a week’s worth of food prepared in one afternoon. And bonus: since you’re planning ahead you can also save money. It’s a win-win situation!
But before we get into the hacks, if you really don’t have tons of time to meal prep, there are tons of great meal delivery services out there! In fact, our friends at Consumer’s Advocate have created an extensive guide on the Best Meal Delivery Services Based on In-Depth Reviews. They breakdown each service based on convenience, shipping and delivery, cost, quality of ingredients and variety. I hope you find this guide helpful! Now, on to the tips for mamas who want to prep everything themselves!
10 Essential Meal Planning Hacks for Moms Who Have No Time
Decide what you’re going to eat for the entire week
This is probably the most essential meal planning hack of them all since you will need to be very detailed when thinking about meals. This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks every day! The last thing you want is for meal time to roll around and not have a clue what’s on the menu. I use the Google Keep app on my phone to write down the meal plan so I can always have access to it.
I will usually plan the dinners to be very specific, ex: salmon with cherry tomatoes and basil, mashed potatoes and green beans. This helps with planning the grocery list as well since you will be writing out all the components you will need for the meal.
For breakfast and lunch it can be a little more general. I like to keep breakfast “staples” on hand such as pancake mix, frozen fruits, cereal and bread for toast. Peanut butter and jelly are also good to have for a quick lunch when you don’t know what to make or you’re getting tired of your bulk lunch.
When we plan for the whole week, we are sure to think about if there is anything going on during the week (a late night doctor’s appointment, work event, etc). However, don’t be afraid to be flexible. If something comes up, simply freeze the food you didn’t get a chance to eat to make sure it won’t spoil.
Plan “double meals” that can be reheated
A double meal is something where you can cook once and eat for two nights. Since my family is small, it’s easy to do this. Curries, soups, spaghetti sauce, chili, ribs, and roasts are all good options. They are easy to make in large quantities, don’t taste weird when you reheat them and can be frozen if needed as well.
Make extra dinner for lunch tomorrow
If you’re going to be making a meal, you might as well make enough to eat for lunch the next day. This may mean just adding an extra chicken thigh to the sheet pan meal you’re cooking the night before. The reason I love this so much is because I personally cannot eat the same thing day in and day out for lunch. I’ve tried. And I’ve ended up at Panera by Wednesday lunch every time. Kudos to the people out there who can eat the same thing every day. Your life must be so easy!
Have a collection of “quick weeknight meals” that can be made in a snap
My collection of quick and easy weeknight meals include recipes with only a handful of ingredients which are typically on hand already. I’ve created a short list of ideas below if you need some inspiration.
Quick sausage pasta
Chicken Picatta
Pasta Fazool
Spaghetti Carbonara
Stir-fry with rice and veggies
Sheet pan meals
Buy meat in bulk and freeze
I personally love this meal planning hack because it will allow you to save money and also be able to plan meals for more than 1 week. Some of the meats that I like to buy in bulk are pork shoulder, chicken thighs, sausages, and bacon. I buy the family pack and then pack them in baggies labeled with the date. Then when I’m ready to start planning the meals for the week, I check the freezer first and see what we already have on hand. This cuts down the grocery bill since some weeks you might only need to buy protein for 2 out of the 7 days.
Cook and enjoy your complicated recipes on Saturday
Just because you want to be efficient with your weekly meal prep doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy an excellent meal on the weekend. You could always go out to eat or you could stay in and make a new recipe that you have been dying to try.Since you will be doing your meal prep on Sunday, I like to save Saturday for those complicated dishes. You don’t want to be tried from prepping everything else before you even get a chance to enjoy your dish.
Plan to cook fresh seafood on Sunday nights
Seafood is something that I don’t really LOVE but I try to eat once a week for nutrition. Since seafood should be eaten fresh, I like to buy salmon during my Sunday grocery trip and cook it the same night. It tastes better fresh and then you don’t get to “push it off” to another night. Seafood Sundays needs to be a thing. #brainpower
Follow cooking YouTube channels for inspiration
As a YouTuber myself, I find that video content is the easiest way to get inspired when it comes to cooking. Here are a few of my all-time favorites that you have to check out if you don’t know them already!
Foodwishes:
Chef John is the mastermind behind his YouTube channel and blog. He is a former Chef Instructor at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco who now teaches people to cook online. My husband and I have learned so many useful cooking techniques from him, and his videos are extremely entertaining and easy to follow.
Some of our favorite recipes from Foodwishes are:
Chicken Riggies
Sweet Hot Mustard Chicken Thighs
Caramel Pork Belly
Duck Leg Adobo (can be made with chicken)
Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
Laura in the Kitchen:
Laura Vitale is an Italian American cook located in New Jersey. She started her blog and YouTube channel to share her love for food with the world, inspired heavily by her Nonna. Her recipes are easy to follow and always delicious!
Some of our favorite recipes from Laura are:
Chili
Spaghetti Carbonara
Holiday Biscotti
Matty Matheson:
This guy is CRAZY! Matty is a Canadian chef and internet personality. His video series on YouTube called “Keep It Canada” is entertaining and delicious. I really don’t know what to say to do him justice so you just have to go and check him out. Here is the only video you need to learn about Matty (and please, make this garlic bread ASAP):
It’s Supertime! Spaghetti and Meatballs
Keep a running archive of your meals
The last thing you want to do it spend so much time planning meals for the week, only to delete them off your sticky note when you plan meals for the next week. I have two notes on my phone, “meals this week” and “meal ideas”. After each week I add any new meals from the “meals this week” to the “meal ideas” note so that way if I’m ever stuck, I already have an extensive list of what we ate in the past and can pull from there.
Want to be next level? Create a weekly menu for 8 weeks and simply rotate. You can plan them in two week increments in order to ensure that you’re getting the most of tip number 5. Then instead of having to plan each specific week, you only need to choose which weekly meal plan sounds the best and go with it. I have some of these stored away but since I like to switch things up often I find myself searching for new recipes regularly.
Make it a team effort
While I like to think I have my shit together most of the time, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to meal prep everything in the most efficient way if it were just me doing it alone. My husband Huy is a pro at chopping ingredients and cutting meat. I am good at stirring the pot and taste-testing the food. 😀 Just kidding, I do more to help than that, but I’m super slow in the kitchen so having my hubby by my side to help with the meal prepping is really key. Try to get your partner involved. It will cut down on time in the kitchen and will allow you to prepare more.
Now go forth and use the meal planning hacks start meal planning like the boss babe that you are! When you get the hang of it, your friends will start asking you how the hell you have time and energy to be making and eating such wonderful/healthy meals all week long. You can send them to this post so they can be boss meal planners as well. 🙂
Of course I’m always looking for more ways to be efficient. If you have any additional tips, please leave them in the comments for myself and other mamas out there. Let me know if you’ve tried any of these tips. If you try any of my recipes, please feel free to share them with me on Instagram! Enjoy the rest of your week!