The daily grind of busy lives can leave hardly any time for planning and preparing meals. Juggling between work and household chores, meal prepping can often seem like a hassle, especially during those busy weekdays. It is challenging to deal with the never-ending question of what to eat for the next meal. But there are a number of practical and time-saving meal prep ideas that can help whip up quick and easy meals everyday.
Weekday meal prep ideas
Cheesy chicken and broccoli orzo
This is a broccoli and rice casserole that can be filed under quick dinner ideas. Make it in two batches and freeze it up to have later in the week. It is also easy to make with basic ingredients like uncooked orzo pasta, frozen broccoli, cheese sauce, butter, boneless and skinless chicken, onion, salt and pepper. Just cook the orzo, broccoli, and chicken separately on a skillet, and then throw in everything together and combine.
Freezer-friendly breakfast taquitos
Meal prep for busy people does not mean only lunch and dinner. Breakfast planning and prep can be a lot of hassle too during busy weekdays. In such situations, this breakfast taquitos recipe can be quite useful. Plus, since it is freezer-friendly, it can be had multiple times over the week. To make this, cook some breakfast sausages, sauté veggies like sweet potato, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, green onions, red onions, and bell peppers. Scrabble the eggs and assemble everything over corn tortillas. Bake it and serve.
Muffin-tin lasagna
For easy lunch meal prep, this muffin-tin lasagna is not only fun but also full of flavors. It can be made by whipping together Italian cheese blend, egg, and ricotta cheese. Then fill up a few well-greased muffin cups with a tablespoon of the ricotta cheese mix and one and half tablespoon of pasta sauce. Make sure the muffin cups are lined with wonton wrappers. Place a second wonton paper layer on top of the pasta sauce and repeat the cheese and sauce layer. Bake these in an oven preheated to about 375°F.
Sheet-pan tilapia and vegetable medley
This recipe can be made in a single sheet pan pretty much in about 15 minutes. This means less time in cooking as well as fewer dishes to take care of later. To make this, mix together potatoes cut in wedges, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced radishes, chopped sugar snap peas, and sliced carrots. All of these can be bought precut or frozen. Add melted butter, pepper, and garlic salt to the bowl. Place the veggies on a baking pan lined with a greased foil. Bake it in an oven preheated to about 450°F. Remove the pan from the oven and preheat the broiler. Move the veggies to one side and add to the pan fish fillets marinated in tarragon, salt, and butter. Broil this for about 5 minutes and serve.
Meal prep hacks for busy schedules
Plan for the week ahead with menus and grocery lists
This is the first step to easy meal planning for weekdays. It might take some practice initially with some significant time going into it. But over time, it will become an easy habit that can be done effortlessly over the weekend. Simply take an hour of one morning during the weekend for planning the menus for the week. Then make the grocery list while going through the menu. Getting this done before the week starts will help save a lot of time as well as money as it will prevent impulsive purchases.
Make efficient use of kitchen appliances and tools
It may seem like a difficult task when thinking about how to meal prep in 15 minutes. But this is quite possible if one has all the necessary tools and appliances in the kitchen to make their work easier. Instead of letting dust collect on the innumerable appliances, it can be useful to incorporate them efficiently when trying out fast meal prep recipes. Start by planning to use them to quicken the prepping and cooking process without sacrificing any time or energy. Slow cookers and multi air fryers are quite popular for whipping up quick prep meals for working moms.
Learn to use leftovers to make another meal
The key to acing 15-minute meal prep is to know how to best use any leftovers. While not all foods make good leftovers, there are some that are quite versatile in terms of flavor compatibility with other foods. Using these leftovers can save a lot of time and effort while thinking about quick recipes for busy weekdays or even simple meal ideas for busy weeknights. For this, one needs to think about which foods would be turned into useful leftovers or can be repurposed well. This must be done while working out the weekly menu over the weekend.
Add convenience foods to grocery lists
For a quick meal prep, working professionals can purchase convenience foods at the grocery store. They help to prep less while getting meals ready quicker. Convenience foods may seem a bit expensive, but they are often worth the time saved in prepping or extra cooking. Most top grocery stores usually have tons of frozen and convenience options of different foods. While making the weekly grocery list, figure out which items involve quick cooking and prepping.
Make extra meals and freeze them for later
Some meals like casserole recipes freeze well for a longer time. These can be easily made in double batches and frozen to have later in the week or even the month. Just make sure to store them in a durable and air-tight container and seal it well.