Did you see my article a few months back about all the food prep I did prior to having our third baby?
Since this month I have been talking with you about meal planning (getting organized and strategies to be successful) I thought I would pop back in and show you how I operationalized a little bit of planning and turned that prep into five weeks worth of meals.
This was my original plan prior to the baby.
What I made to store in the freezer:
- Falafel
- Lamb meatballs (will share recipe on these at some point)
- Beef hamburgers with added veggies (no real recipe used)
- Mung beans and rice (I add sautéed bok choy when I serve, and usually a little yogurt)
- Lemon chicken chickpea soup (I added swiss chard and use bone broth)
- Ribs (husband made)
Quick options to consider / prepare in the slow cooker:
- Whole chicken
- Fajitas
- Indian chicken
- Roast
- Beef and broccoli
Sides
- Frozen veggies
- Frozen Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
- Gluten free cheddar biscuits (made ahead and froze)
- Cauliflower corn muffins (made ahead and froze)
- Rice (I always have these made and froze in individual portions)
- Fries (store bought)
- Millet tots (store bought)
- Hopeful to have bagged salad, fresh veggies and fruit just purchased
Here is how I turned my prep into 5 weeks of meal plans with the help of some pantry staples (and I didn’t even end up using it all).
Week 1 Meal Plan
- Parents made chili (day baby was born)
- Chipotle at the hospital
- (Home) Mom made a whole slow cooker chicken, salad, asparagus and sweet potatoes (pantry staple)
- Ribs (freezer), brussel sprouts, fries (freezer)
- Lamb kabobs (freezer), raw veggies and cheddar biscuits (freezer)
- Hot dog muffins (freezer), salad, apples
- Falafel (freezer), broccoli (freezer), shasito peppers, boxed rice (pantry staple)
Week 2 Meal Plan
- Hamburgers (freezer) topped with arugula, red onion (pantry staple), avocado, millet tots (freezer)
- Takeout
- Ground chicken (freezer) teriyaki with mushrooms, peas (freezer) and rice (freezer)
- Egg (fridge staple) casserole with avocado, salad, sweet potatoes (pantry staple)
- Canned salmon (pantry staple) with crackers (pantry staple) and dill cucumber salad
- Meatballs (freezer), asian green beans (freezer) and corn muffins (freezer)
- Taco salad (freezer meat with fresh toppings)
Week 3 Meal Plan
- Salmon (freezer), broccoli (freezer), gnocchi (freezer)
- Chipotle
- Homemade pizza (freezer crust with fresh toppings) and salad
- Lemon chicken rice casserole (freezer)
- Sausage (freezer), sweet potato (pantry staple) and veggie hash
- Shrimp (freezer), spinach pasta (pantry staple)
- Chicken (freezer) salad with nuts, apples and salad
Week 4 Meal Plan
- Leftovers
- Kale fried rice with cauliflower rice (all freezer with some fresh veggies and sauce added)
- Pork tenderloin (freezer), asparagus, cheddar biscuits (freezer)
- Crock pot chicken (freezer) fajitas
- Salmon (freezer) tostada with arugula, red onion (pantry staple), capers
- Avocado toast with egg (fridge staple) and spinach
- Mung bean and rice with bok choy (freezer)
Week 5 Meal Plan
- Ramen (pantry staple) wth mushrooms, chard, and chicken (freezer)
- Slow cooker corn beef and cabbage
- Marinated meat (freezer) with rainbow chard and crispy potatoes (pantry staple)
- Family brought us dinner
- Falafel (freezer), sprouts, rice (pantry staple)
- Nachos with beans (freezer) and fresh veggies
- Leftovers
I hope this provides you some additional ideas to keep the meal planning momentum going.