Family Meal Prep Tips For Busy Mums
Since becoming a mum, I have found that I don’t have as much free time. I learned quickly that a little bit of forward planning can help a LOT!
I’ve previously talked about how to get started with meal prep to save time and help make sure you get the energy you need each day.
Here are some tips that I’ve prepared, with the help of my team of certified nutritionists, to help any busy mums stay on track with meal prep.
How to make family meal prep easy
Start small
You can start by preparing healthy snacks to have on hand, and build out your meal prep from there.
Chopped veggies, hummus and fresh fruit all make convenient snacks. If your healthy snacks are pre-prepared easy to grab-and-go, then it can be a lot easier for the family to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Great on-the-go snacks include whole fruit like apples, trail mix, nuts or bliss balls.
Once you get used to planning snacks, start planning lunches, too!
Make water yummy
Keep a jug of fruit-infused water in the fridge! This is yummy to drink and so much healthier than cordial or soft drinks.
Try making different combinations and find your family’s favourite!
Prepare breakfast
Many mums end up skipping breakfast because the mornings are just too busy! But you can still make sure you get a healthy breakfast by preparing breakfast to go.
For the working mums, these quick breakfasts for the office are a great way to start the day right. Next to snacks, breakfast can be the easiest meal to prepare ahead for the whole family!
Some easy options are:
Make double
The simplest way to meal prep for your family can be to make double the amount of food! You can eat the extra meals the next day or store the prepared meals in the freezer.
As a mum, you know that things won’t always go to plan, but if you have a go-to meal ready in the freezer, you won’t need to resort to ordering take-out. This is healthier AND saves money!
Don’t throw anything away
When you have leftovers, make them into something else! This will use the ingredients you’ve already prepared, as well as saving money.
Cook a bit extra
Don’t forget that some ingredients you cook can be incorporated into other meals, too! When you are going to the effort of cooking something that can be kept in the fridge, it can pay to cook extra.
If I’m cooking brown rice for a meal, I’ll usually make more to use in lunches over the next couple of days.
Have plenty of reusable containers
You will need containers to store the food you prepare, and to take the prepared meals with you when you are on the go. Glass or ceramic containers are best, especially if you need to reheat the meals.
It helps to have smaller containers for salad dressings! Keeping the dressing separate from the salad helps keep the salad fresher for longer.
Keep it interesting
If you always meal prep the same thing every day, it’s easy to get bored with the meals, and you’ll be less likely to stick with doing meal prep.
One example is this Quinoa Salad. You can prepare the sweet potato and quinoa ahead of time and just assemble the salad on the day. Extra chopped sweet potato can be used for another easy meal, like this One Pan Chicken Meal.
Benefits of doing meal prep
Meal preparation may seem like a chore, but it has been proven to have so many benefits! People who meal prep generally:
- Eat a wider variety of foods, including more fruit and veg
- Eat less highly-processed fast food
- Spend less money on food
Now you can see how making time for a bit of planning and preparation can help improve your life in more than one way— so why not give it a go!
I hope these tips help you with meal prep for your family!
Between family, work, life and trying to keep healthy, being a mum comes with many challenges. I hope that some of these tips can help you to plan ahead and successfully make healthy food choices!
My blog has lots of healthy lunch ideas and other nutritious recipes that you can meal prep for the whole family!
Do you have a meal prep hack that works for you and your family? Share it in the comments below!
* Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. Sweat assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article.
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