I am a big meal prep fan. There is something so satisfying about getting lunches/snacks prepped and ready to go for the week. Not only does it help avoid mindless grazing but it also helps take the pressure off of having to figure lunch out on a day I have meetings or just a busy day. I know that meal prepping can be daunting so I am sharing some meal prepping tips and ideas.

How: We usually try to use the outline above when getting lunch ideas together. We generally have an idea of what we want to have but if we get bored with lunches we will skim through Pinterest to get ideas. One other thing we will try to do is stick to a “theme” for the week, i.e. Mexican inspired, Greek or Italian. Then, we will build our dishes using that theme.

When: Every Sunday. Sunday’s are our day when we sit down and prep for the week. We will make our grocery list and access what we need to get at the store for our lunches. After we get all the supplies we will take the time to go ahead and cook all of our meals also. Yes, I know it’s not the funnest thing but it goes by so quick and again, I don’t then have to worry about it during the week.

Convenience Tips: I am all about convenience so here are some of my tips to make meal prepping much easier

• Frozen section – nowadays the freezer section is stocked with just about everything you can imagine. I love getting veggies that can be steamed in the bag (hello no dirty dishes), rice that can be cooked in the bag in 3 minutes and protein that can be roasted in the oven. This aisle is a convenience lifesaver for meal prepping.
• Crockpot – this little guy is your friend. When you are needing to make a big batch of something (i.e. chicken for taco bowls or Beef Barbacoa) this is the perfect tool. Usually, if George and I are going to be having the same protein for the week I will throw it in the crockpot in the morning and pull it all together in the afternoon.
• Keep it simple – meal prepping does not have to be complicated or fancy! It only needs to be functional. George and I usually will either make the same thing for every day that week or use 1-2 recipes for lunch. Don’t think you have to make a different thing for everyday of the week.

Storing: Now days there are so many options when it comes to storing your meals. We love these meal prep containers but any kind of Tupperware will do.

Meal Ideas:

• Ground Turkey, Rice and Veggies: This is our go-to and my absolute favorite. It is so easy to make and it literally checks all the boxes of convenience and nutrition. Brown some lean turkey with any type of seasoning that you prefer (I love Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning), cook some brown or white rice (see convenience tips above) and for the veggies I will mix this up depending on the week. I usually will roast some veggies or get a bag of steamed veggies from the freezer section – again, super convenient.

• George’s Mexi-Bowl: This is Jared’s go to – it is so tasty and easy. All it takes is some cooked protein (ground turkey, beef or chicken), tomatoes, corn and black beans (to keep things easy he will use canned corn and beans). He also makes this yummy chipotle aioli dressing by combining sour cream and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It is good warmed up in the microwave or straight from the fridge.

What are some of your favorite meal prep ideas? Do you meal prep your lunches?

XO, Ashton