3 Time-Saving Meal Prep Ideas for Busy Moms

February 09, 2021

 3 Time-Saving Meal Prep Ideas for Busy Moms 

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The average American mom spends close to 51 minutes on meal prepping, which may seem quite excessive considering the tight daily schedule of most families. So if you’re a busy mom looking for meal plans and time-saving hacks at mealtimes, take a look at these suggestions below.


  1. Opt for romesco sauce for your meal prepping

This nut-based creamy sauce originally takes its roots from the Spanish community. Full of nutrients, this thick sauce combines pretty well with a variety of foods. For example, you can add it to spaghetti for an intense taste and flavor. Additionally, this spicy sauce goes well with roasted vegetables, chicken wrap, cooked meat, fish, potatoes, or even crusted bread. To prepare it ahead of time, crush your almonds or hazelnuts with salt to taste, and add your ground roasted peppers and onions.


You’ll need olive oil and other spices per your preference or that of your family. However, if young children are on the menu plan, avoid going overboard with the spices, as children usually cannot cope with excessive spices. Additionally, depending on how tangy you want your romesco sauce to taste, a few spoons of vinegar gives a mild or extra bite. The next time you’re prepping your meals, it’ll to have some fresh romesco sauce at hand to save you some cooking time.

                                                  


  1. Roast your chicken or grill your beef in advance

According to NCBI, chicken and beef are the top two animal protein sources most preferred by Americans. On the whole, these two provide 26% of total animal protein consumption and 13% of all dietary protein eaten in the States. Besides their notable contribution to nutrition, chicken and beef are versatile white and red meat foods that you can prep ahead of time.


You can either roast or grill your chicken and beef at home and allow it to cool, then shred the chicken and store it in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer. It’s best to cut your beef into bite sizes and keep them with a bit of its stock. Grilled or roast beef tends to dry out quickly when stored in the refrigerator. This is especially true with lean meats characteristically trimmed of visible fat. That explains the idea behind storing them with a bit of its stock to remain juicy when reheated.


Most importantly, it’s best to eat grilled animal protein sources within seven days of prepping. It prevents the obvious change in taste and aroma associated with long preserved foods. This is why you should prepare foods you and your family will look forward to eating in a short time.


  1. Wash, cut, and preserve your vegetables in advance

The idea of cutting up most vegetables immediately after washing is to avoid them wilting in the fridge. It’s even more beneficial when you’re sure to use them within the week. Indeed, this means a drastic reduction in food waste, especially when you have to throw out wilted veggies. Unfortunately, dealing with refrigerated vegetables can be real headaches, especially when they get limp and soggy in the fridge. Therefore, vegetables such as celery, lettuce, broccoli, mushrooms, etc., must be dealt with differently.


After washing and drying up:

  • cut the celery stalks in small sizes and wrap them in aluminium foil before storing them in the refrigerator. Remember to create an opening in the foil to allow ethylene gas to escape. 

  • If you’re dealing with lettuce, ensure they’re dry after washing. Line up your fridge with paper towels or clean kitchen towels to soak up excess moisture from cold lettuce. This’ll prevent the leaves from going limp. 

  • For mushrooms, please keep them in paper bags and not plastic, in your fridge.


 The sooner you learn how to store different veggies, the longer they’ll last for your meal prepping needs.


Taking the easier and shorter route to cook can prove very helpful for busy moms especially. After all, meal prepping does not reduce the nutritional value of the final food to be consumed. Instead, it saves you time and even money when you stick religiously to this routine.



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2 comments

  1. That all looks yummy - I used to make salads sometimes to take to work and also prepared them the day before :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:45 AM

      That is a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing that!

      Delete

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