How to Meal Prep for Busy Moms: A Step-by-Step Guide

In this post, I’m talking all about meal prep for busy moms. You’ll learn what it is, how it can help save you time and stress less during a busy week, and a step-by-step guide on how to get started.

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Sunday night meal prep – groan! Just another thing to fit into an already crazy busy week.

That’s what I used to think before I finally meal prepped for the first time like 7 years ago. But believe me when I tell you that it is literally life-changing, especially as a busy mom juggling a never-ending to do list!

Before I started meal prepping, I used to get takeout or eat a bunch of boxed/frozen dinners most days of the week. As you can imagine, it got pretty expensive (and unhealthy) pretty fast!

I think I started meal prepping around 2017 after my first year of residency. Not going to lie, it was hard at first but like with most things in life, the more you do it the better you get. You also don’t need a lot of time or money to make meal prep work. All you really need is a few ingredients, a couple hours, and some smart strategies.

This beginner-friendly guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get started with meal prep as a busy mom. Whether you’re prepping for toddlers, picky eaters, or just trying to get dinner on the table on busy weeknights, you’ll find some tips and tricks to help you out here!

What Is Meal Prep?

I know that phrase gets thrown around a lot, but what exactly is it? There’s actually no one absolute answer to this question since meal prep can look different for everyone.

Simply put, it’s the process of preparing food ahead of time to make mealtimes quicker and easier during the week.

Meal prep for busy moms can look like:

• Chopping a bunch of veggies to use in meals during the week
• Cooking proteins to use in lunches and dinners
• Making lunchboxes for kids
• Prepping snack bags for kids’ after-school activities
• Assembling and freezing grab-and-go breakfast for the next 2 weeks

Not saying that you have to do all of these things, but these are just a few examples. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! There’s endless ways you can fit meal prepping and planning to your schedule.

How Meal Prep Can Help Busy Moms

Over the years, I’ve discovered so many benefits to meal prep and planning. There’s a reason why it’s become such a big fad over the past few years, especially as life becomes busier!

Here are some ways that meal prep has been a game changer for me:

• Saving time – In the long run, meal prep ends up saving time. Instead of spending 1-2 hours cooking every day, I spend maybe 2-3 hours total each week to plan, shop, and cook meals that will last me the whole week (or more!)
  
  
• Saving money – I usually make a grocery list based on what I’ll be cooking that week, which ends up saving me money. Plus, if I’m using up what’s in my fridge, that’s more money saved from not accidentally buying duplicates of what I already have.
  
  
• Reducing stress – It’s nice to have pre-chopped ingredients or a whole meal ready to go after a busy day at work!
  
  
• Eating healthy – Cooking at home is much healthier than constantly getting takeout or eating TV dinners. Plus, you’re more likely to eat more balanced meals if you plan ahead.
  
  
• Cutting down waste – This has been a huge win for me! Planning my meals ahead of time lets me use what’s up in the fridge so I’m not wasting perishable items or pantry food that’s about to expire.

Two Ways to Approach Meal Prep

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Generally speaking, there’s two broad approaches when it comes to meal prep. One is ingredient prepping and the other is batch cooking. I usually end up doing the latter, but which one you choose depends on what works best for your schedule and needs. You could also do both if that works best for you!

Ingredient Prep

Just like the name says, this pretty much involves chopping and prepping your ingredients in advance to use in meals/recipes throughout the week.

With this method, you’re just prepping the ingredients ahead of time but you will need to cook or assemble the meal the day of.

Here are some examples of how you can incorporate ingredient prep as part of meal planning as a busy mom:

• Dicing bell peppers and onions for making breakfast burritos and fajita dinners during the week
  
  
• Cooking chicken strips or tofu to be used in lunch or dinner recipes for the week
  
  
• Roasting a tray of sweet potatoes to use on salad lunches during the week
  
  
• Cutting watermelon to store for afternoon snack during the week
  
  
• Cooking a box of rice or pasta to use as a base for dinner recipes
  
  

A good trick to save money is making recipes that use the same ingredients in different ways. You can mix and match these ingredients for recipes like breakfast burritos, bento box lunches, pasta bowls, or grain salads. I’ve included some examples in the box below to help you get started.

This is where meal planning ahead of time can come in handy. If you plan what’s on the menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that week, you can then buy & prep ingredients you’ll need ahead of time.

Here are some ways you can mix and match ingredients to create various recipes during the week. The sky is really the limit when it comes to this. Get creative and have fun!

Batch Cooking

Personally, I’m a bigger fan of batch cooking. I think this method works very well for moms who want to cook once and eat multiple times, especially during busy weekdays when there’s not enough time or energy for cooking.

It’s also great for freezing leftovers, packing grab-and-go lunches, or making sure your picky toddler always has their favorite meal ready!

Batch cooking involves prepping full meals with multiple portions ahead of time, freezing them, and reheating individual portions throughout the week. You can do this with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snack recipes!

Unlike ingredient prep, which involves chopping or cooking individual ingredients, batch cooking gives you complete ready-to-go meals you can then portion out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks.

Here are some examples of what batch cooking may look like as part of meal prep for busy moms. These recipes are great for making a big batch in one sitting, then portioning them out into individual servings to reheat throughout the week.

The Best Tools & Storage Solutions for Meal Prep

The good news is that you don’t need fancy gear to succeed at meal prepping as a busy mom! The biggest thing you’ll need to invest in are some good storage containers which you can get for great prices on Amazon or Costco.

Storage Containers

Plastic Containers with Lids

These are great for storing individual portions of meals! They are freezer-friendly, durable, and microwave-safe. I prefer these for taking lunches to work and also for storing individual servings of dinner.

Glass Containers with Lids

Glass storage containers are my favorite for storing chopped ingredients or larger quantities of food. They are also good for storing leftovers. Many come in sets with various sizes to make it convenient for both ingredient prep and batch cooking.

Other Meal Prep Containers

Cooking Staples for Easy Meal Prep

Step-by-Step: How to Meal Prep for Busy Moms

Step 1: Pick Your Prep, Plan, and Shopping Days

Everyone may do this step a little differently, but I like to pick one day for planning + grocery shopping and then one day for cooking. You can definitely do all 3 in one day if that’s what works best for you.

When choosing a day for actual cooking, make sure to pick a day where you have 1-2 hours to spare. Sunday afternoons usually work the best for most families, but go with whatever works the best for your family and schedule!

Next, pick a day for meal planning and grocery shopping. I usually do this 1-2 days before I cook the food but you could also do this on the same day that you’re cooking.

Step 2: Meal Planning for the Week Ahead

On your meal planning day, sit down in a quiet space with your tablet, computer, or a notebook. Research and write down recipes you want to make for the week – you can look at cookbooks, see what you have in your fridge, or browse my recipe box for inspiration!

I like to plan out every single meal for the upcoming week during this time. It can help to have a guided meal planner or a calendar as a visual guide to make this step easier.

Meal planning is very important to help you map out which days of the week you’ll need to cook vs. which days of the week you’re eating out. This saves time, energy, and money in the long run! It’s also a good way to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet.

Here’s a realistic meal plan that I created for next week:

• Breakfast
  • Monday – Friday: Egg muffins
  • Saturday: Pancakes with fruit
  • Sunday: Go out to First Watch for brunch
    
    
• Lunch
  • Monday – Friday: Turkey and cheese pinwheels with fresh fruit
  • Saturday: Chicken caesar pasta salad
  • Sunday: Go out to First Watch for brunch; leftovers if still hungry
    
    
• Dinner
  • Monday – Friday: Pasta with veggie sauce and meatballs
  • Saturday: Leftovers or dinner out with friends/family
  • Sunday: Chicken caesar pasta salad

In this example, from Monday-Friday I will be eating egg muffins for breakfast, turkey & cheese pinwheels for lunch, and pasta with veggie sauce + meatballs for dinner. Since I work on these days, I will batch cook all 3 recipes on Sunday, freeze them, and then reheat individual portions during the week.

On the weekends, I’m off and have time to cook. As you can see, on weekends I also tend to either get takeout, go out to eat, or eat any leftovers I may have in the freezer. Therefore, I don’t need to meal prep anything for the weekends – just only for the weekdays.

Some people get tired of eating the same thing everyday, which is totally understandable! That’s the best part about meal prep – you can adjust and tailor it to your needs. You can plan on batch cooking 2 lunch and 2 dinner recipes for the week. Or you can ingredient prep to have ingredients on hand to make different meals for each day of the week.

Step 3: Grocery Shopping

Once you’ve meal planned and decided on what you need to cook for the week ahead, it’s time to make a grocery list!

Make sure to check your fridge or freezer to see if you already have some of the ingredients on hand. You can also check grocery store flyers to see if there are any good deals going on. Write down all of the ingredients you’ll need for each of the dish you’re planning to make for the week ahead.

I usually go grocery shopping 1-2 days before I meal prep. Try not to go too far in advance especially if you’re getting perishable items.

Step 4: Cooking Time!

On the day you’re actually cooking the food, make sure you set aside at least 1-2 hours to just, well, cook! I like to sometimes put on a TV show or listen to music while cooking.

You can do either ingredient prep or batch cooking – whatever works best for your schedule. Some people even do a combination of the two and that’s fine too!

Try to combine tasks when possible. Here are some examples:

• Chop everything at one time
• Use large sheet pans to roast veggies and proteins at the same time
• Use muffin tins to bake multiple meals/snacks at once
• Pre-portion snacks into containers or bags
  
  

Step 5: Store + Label

Congrats – you survived meal prep! Now it’s time to store your creations and label them for easy finding.

I like to use Pyrex glassware containers to store large quantities of food or full meals. If you’re dividing your dish up into individual portions, I recommend using plastic meal prep containers with lids. If you’re making a freezer-friendly dish you could use Ziploc bags to portion them out.

Label your containers with contents and dates. Keep a section of the fridge for prepped food so it’s easy to find.

Notes & Suggestions for First-Time Meal Preppers

• Start small: Try prepping just breakfast or snacks first.
  
  
• Double up: If you’re already making muffins or pasta, make twice as much and freeze half.
  
  
• Use what you have: Pantry staples like oats, canned beans, frozen veggies, and eggs go a long way.
  
  
• Get the kids involved: Toddlers can help wash produce or dump ingredients into bowls! Meal prepping with the whole family is so much fun and a great bonding experience.

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I hope you found this post on meal prep for busy moms helpful! I know it can be a little overwhelming at the beginning, but practicing truly does make perfect.