Tutorial Tuesday: Weekly Meal Planning/Preparation- Breakfast & Lunch

This week's Tutorial is so simple to do and oh so helpful for busy mornings when running out the door! Meal Prep for Breakfast and Lunch meals is key!

There are are several benefits to Meal Prep:
1) It helps cut down on daily expense buying meals ($5+ a day adds up!)
2) You tend to eat healthier when you pack your meals
3) You tend to eat LESS/better portions when you pack your meals
4) You know exactly what you're consuming (no hidden ingredients that add on calories/fat)
5) You save time in the long run
6) Less stress daily trying to figure out what you will eat
7) You are less likely to skip a meal- which is no good for your energy level at work and your metabolism!
8) Budget Friendly- you budget grocery expenses in a week vs. higher cost on restaurant/fast food

Below is what the McElroy fridge looks like when I open it up on Monday morning

All I have to do it grab and pack our lunch boxes (which are already laid out on the counter)! I even go as far as setting out our coffee mugs for the morning, our shaker bottles, and my water bottle for work! OCD a little? Maybe, but this leaves NO room for forgetful momma moments during a hurried morning. When packing for 3, planning ahead and 'night before prep' is a MUST or I would definitely walk out the door without something essential, which would then result in a tragic mental meltdown that 'super-momma' let one of my boys down! (No, I'm NOT perfect and my boys don't expect me to be...but I sure do try!) 

Here are my Meal Prep Tips for Breakfast and Lunch:

1) I start by meal planning for the entire month (Blog post on numbers 1-3 to come soon!)

2) When I monthly meal plan, I also create 'Grocery List' for each week of the month

3) On my Grocery List, I have a column for Breakfast Prep and Lunch Prep for both Michael and myself (Camp's meals are easy right now ;)) 

4) I do my grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon- using my Grocery List to stay organized and efficient with my time/budget

5) After shopping, I prepare and cook our Breakfast and Lunch meals for the entire week. (Meal Ideas/Recipes in another post soon!)

6) After all the cooking is complete, I set out all of our containers on the countertop. I use Glad tupperware and Ziploc bags to portion/pack our meals. This is what works best for us since I can wash and reuse tupperware weekly. This also prevents having extra tupperware taking up space in our cabinets.

7) I portion out for 5 days/week (Mon-Fri) meals. I cook breakfast at home on Sat and Sun.

8) In the fridge, Michael and I have our own individual larger sized tupperware that neatly stores our ziploc bags of meat for each day (notice on the right side of picture above).

It's as simple as that! This does take a couple of hours overall from start to finish, but it is SO worth it! Each night of the week you won't have to prepare the next day's meals because it's already done! Grab & go each day and we're off to clean/efficient/budget-friendly eating!

If you have any questions, I'd love to hear! Comment below!

Have a terrific Tuesday and go home and plan/prep some meals!

reagan