It is easy to be overwhelmed by the idea of starting to meal prep. Which is why I suggested in Part 1 to prep only a few meals a week and incorporate meals that do not require a recipe. Now I want to share a sample week meal prep to show how I prep in an easy and efficient manner.
Week Meal Prep
As I stated in Part 1, breakfast is always yogurt or oatmeal. Lunch and Dinner are the meals I prep. I do not prep for the entire week, only Monday through Thursday. I prep every Sunday and here is what I do:
Ingredients for this Week Meal Prep:
- Large box of salad. I like a mix with arugula and spinach, but pick what you like to eat.
- 3-4 sweet potatoes
- Blueberries, strawberries, bananas
- Cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese
- Deli Meat- this week is turkey
- Cheddar Cheese
- Boneless skinless Chicken Breasts (at least a pound)
- Jar of Salsa (large Jar)
- Taco Seasoning
- Taco Shells
What I do with these items.
- Sweet potatoes. I chop into bite size pieces and bake. I cut the sweet potatoes into pieces, toss in oil on a sheet pan and cook at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. These sweet potatoes can be used in so many ways. My kids will eat them for lunch or dinner. And for me, it is the base of my lunch salads.
- Wash and cut veggies and fruit.
- Prep a slow cooker meal for dinner.
That is it. Now let me explain what I do with these items
Lunch
You may have guessed- I prep salads. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked and cooled, I put together my salads. I will make 5-6 salads for me and my husband, depending on the week. This week for example, I know I am going to go out to eat with co-workers, so I need one less salad.
Sweet potatoes and salad are the base. I will cut up cucumbers, tomatoes (only from my garden), cheese, and some deli meat (turkey this week), and I have a great, simple and healthy lunch. I keep a simple olive oil dressing in the fridge at work. Make sure you have protein to stay full.
Dinner
This weeks dinner is super simple. I place the chicken breast in the slow cooker, with a small jar of salsa and 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning. I cook on low for 5 to 6 hours on low and then shred the chicken. I will make rice as a side dish and heat up taco shells. I may have some shredded cabbage to go along with the tacos as a topping. This simple dinner is delicious, doesn’t dirty a pan- and I can make without a recipe. This recipe will make enough chicken for a few days.
Now, this meal is mainly for me and my husband. My kids may pick at the chicken and will eat a taco shell. For dinner though, I plan for my kids to have some of the rice, a frozen protein (either frozen meatballs or chicken nuggets), and some frozen vegetables. I keep their dinners as simple as possible. They are young (1 and 3) and not picky. I noticed though that my kids like some variety- they do not like to eat the same thing three or four days in a row, like I will. So I switch up an element of their meals- in place of the frozen vegetables, I will use some of the sweet potatoes that I roasted for my lunch.
Conclusion of the Sample Week Meal Plan Prep
I said it was easy and quick- and I think this simply post shows how easy you can make meal prepping. The key to keeping this week simple was I did not need any recipes. My salads always have the same base (salad and sweet potatoes) and the slow cooker meal general doesn’t require a recipe.
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