Schools Starting! Try Some Quick Savvy Food Prep

With school starting, our already hectic schedules go in overdrive.  When this happens, our home made meals end up being a quick stop through a drive through (and you really wish they served real food!) Don’t let the busyness of school put a hitch in you trying to keep your family healthy.  Instead, use it as a teaching tool to keep everyone on board.  Here are a few tips on how to do just that!

Invest in your health, and pay your weekly “health bill.”   DSC_0968

We all create time to do necessary household activities, like paying bills or cleaning. Think of food prep as part of your weekly must-do tasks. You’ll quickly see that you’re more successful (read: healthy!) when you invest up-front time to plan meals and prepare food. Plus, you’ll probably save time and money, as you’re eliminating the hours and dollars spent on fast food.

(My neighbor and I prepping next weeks meals)

Follow these three steps:

  1. Select meals and snacks for the following week. 
  • First, consider the next week’s activities while you’re outlining meals. If Thursday is packed, make it a leftover or easy salad night. You’ll reduce your stress if you think ahead.
  • Second, consider your “tired” nights. Lots of people are drained by Friday night. Plan accordingly! Make it a soup, salad, or slow-cooker night or perhaps another leftover night!  I love leftover night!
  • Now, look through your cookbooks and/or online resources. If you’re stuck, check out the recipes listed on my website SimplyWholebyDevi.
  • Write out the meals and shopping list. For convenience, you can write the meals on a decorative board, calendar, or in an app. For those with kids, you might favor an actual board, so everyone can see and know the week’s food plan at a glance.
  1. Go food shopping.
  • Pick a consistent time and date that works for you. Friday afternoon, Saturday morning … just plan enough time to shop and prepare the food when you return home.
  1. Fix snacks and do basic food prep—right away.
  • Follow this third step, and you’ll find the week’s meals are faster, easier, and healthier. As soon as you get home, get started.
  • Prepare snacks, like cutting up fresh fruit and veggies and placing them in air-tight glass containers. (I love Snapware. Costco carries them for a great deal.) Place the containers at eye level in the fridge so everyone can see and grab them for quick and healthy snacks.
  • Do basic food prep. For example, if you’re making stir-fry that week, cut the veggies and place them in air-tight glass containers. You’re now ready to just grab and cook!  rainbow

To make these proactive steps even faster, involve a family member or even a neighbor with the same problem of food prepping (makes it funner!). If you have kids, get them involved in shopping and/or preparing food. They’ll learn valuable skills for creating tasty healthy meals.

Want more practical tips for avoiding food frustration? Call for a consultation with Devi today.