How to Save Time, Money, and Stress By Meal Prepping

Parents who work often struggle to find time to eat healthy or make healthy food for their families throughout the week. Picking their children up from school, taking them to jiu jitsu classes, and then taking them home to shower while dinner is being prepared. It all takes up a significant amount of time and energy. However, there is good news… there’s a way to use a lot of that time for something you’d prefer throughout the week, and everyone still eats nutritious meals.  

Finding comfort in our daily routine is something many of us do because it gives us the strength to get through it. This does not mean it is the best way or that we are actually being good stewards with what we have. Learning something new may take a little bit of time to learn and prepare for, but the time return on investment far outweighs the time and energy invested. 

With meal prepping once or twice per week, as opposed to cooking daily, we not only save a significant amount of time throughout the rest of the week, but also time and energy which makes for far less stress. Additionally, better planning means less waste of food, driving around, and that means you save money.

Meal Prepping:

●       Saves time, money, and stress

●       Helps active and working parents

●       In this post, we’ll explain why meal prepping is important, explain how to meal prep, and provide 3 suggestions if you’re new to meal prepping.

What is Meal Prepping and Why Does it Matter?

Meal prepping, also known as meal preparation, is preparing food in bulk for the week as opposed to cooking daily.

Meal prepping saves time the same way as when you have to go to two stores that are right next to each other. If you would have taken the time to go to the first store and gone back home, just to go another day to the second store, you’d have lost maybe an additional hour of your day; as opposed to the 10 or 15 minutes it takes to go to the second store on the same day as the first. 

Meal prepping saves money in that it has less waste because the meals for the week are better planned. There is less driving, overall less cooking time, and less electricity or gas used to cook. Meal prepping also saves money because it allows us to streamline meals ahead of the week without giving ourselves the excuses to eat out as often. Of course, buying and cooking in bulk also has significant cost savings. 

Meal prepping saves stress because there is less time crunch throughout the week as the meals are ready to be heated and eaten, with less clean-up required. Rushing home to cook, feed the family, and clean all add stress. With meal prepping this is significantly reduced. 

How to Meal Prep

First, we must have the recipes ready in order to ensure our ingredients. 

Second, we make a list of what we need from the store in order to meal prep for the week. When we have everything, and are back home, we can begin our meal preparation.

Third, we start with cooking meat(s) in the oven as we prepare our vegetables to be cooked. Most meats take longer to cook than most vegetables.

Fourth, after everything is cooked, we begin putting things away into appropriate containers. Whether those be for individual meals, or keeping things together to be divvied up for dinners that week, we need to put everything away in food storage containers to maintain their freshness. 

Fifth, we clean up. 

For more tips on How to Meal Prep, Check out Meal Prep 101: Meal Prep for Beginners

3 Recipes for Meal Prepping

If you’re new to meal prepping and want some ideas of meals to try, here are three, easy-to-make, favorites for you to try: 

1. Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa
2. Cauliflower Tabouli and Salmon
3. Korean BBQ Chicken Thighs

Learning something new can take a little bit of time to learn, but with some patience and intention you will start saving more time, money, and stress with meal prepping. Once you get it down, it becomes almost second nature and a normal part of your family’s improved lifestyle. With saving money, time, and stress, doing what you would have done in a more efficient way, what’s not to love?

We know there is more to learn when it comes to meal prepping, and sometimes that requires more hand holding and guidance. Here at Meal Prep on Fleek, we provide you with tons of amazing recipes, guides and strategies, and more great tips saving time, money, and stress with meal prepping. By subscribing to our Premium Account, Meal Prep on Fleek will do all of that planning for you by providing the recipe lists, preparation instructions, a community of other meal preppers from beginner to expert, and helping you find the nutrition plan that fits your goals.