One thing I always mean to do but don’t is to take half of the berries I bought over the weekend and wash them, hull them and freeze them in small silicone bags to use for smoothies. I often end up throwing out some of the berries because we don’t eat them fast enough.

I roast a big sheet pan or two of veggies (cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, brussels sprouts), make couscous or another grain, roast seasoned chick peas until crispy, and make salad dressing. I put these in a container with arugula and some parm to take to work. I wouldn't do it on a Sunday for Friday but if I make it Monday night I'll include the veggies in Monday's salad and take salads on Tuesday and Wednesday into work.

Instead of banana bread, I make it as muffins as the kids will grab one our the door but won't actually cut a slice. I cut the sugar by 25% and use golden wheat flour instead of white. But I also add choc chiips. I do lots of other muffin recipes too -- I find you can pretty much always cut the sugar by 25% (3/4 or 2/3 cup sugar is fine for 12 muffins), and can often swap in more healthy flours. When I make berry muffins, I use 1/3 almond flour, 1/3 AP flour ,and 1/3 golden wheat. The almond flour balances out the tendency of whole wheat flour to be dry. You can also use greek yogurt in them to up the protein. Pumpkin muffins are also great becuase pumpkin is so nutrient dense -- lots of Vit A and fiber.

When I successfully meal prep, I often make a big batch of farro or barley with better than bullion -- it reheats really well to put stuff on, or eat cold as grain salad.

Doing something like a pork roast in the crock pot works really well too -- yo ucan shred it and keep it in the liquid (so it doens't dry out). Then have one night shredded with BBQ sauce on rolls with side veggies, and another night fry in pan with some garlic and onion and cumin for cheater carnitas on tortillas with beans and tomato and avocado.

I don't like the precut veggies and fruit -- they go bad so much faster. So I personally wouldn't pre-prep those on Sunday.

It is hard to meal prep with teens, as they will eat half of hte stuff you made for the meal and then you end up with randoms bits.

I'll also boil some eggs, make chicken salad if we have leftover chicken from a meal, bake some banana bread if we have bananas that are ready, etc

On the weekends I'll do things like pulled pork, beanies and weenies, soups, salads, sausage gravy, SOS--they get eaten all through the weeks for lunches.
Don't judge, I have a kid who loves beanies and weenies!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find breakfast for kids pretty easy (bagel and lox, english muffin with pb and jelly, sunny side up egg on left over rice) and we just do yogurt and fruit so don't focus there but need food in fridge for nights we both work late.

Big batch of kale and chorizo soup (cook with onion, carrot, celery and beans).

Chili (we eat beef but turkey fine if you don't want red meat).

Roast a full chicken for sandwiches and a dinner.

Roast huge tray of veg .. broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, mushrooms. Add to two different meals.

Slow cooked red cabbage is great for winter and lasts all week.

Have a big batch of rice ready to go with chicken or chili.

Corn bread for with soups or for breakfast.

Seafood is the only thing we eat lots of and I really prefer not to cook ahead (except for a ginger coconut milk shrimp stew).

These are all great but now I'm (unreasonably?) afraid of leftover rice.

Rice freezes well.

And leftover rice has a lower glycemic index.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't feed your kids oatmeal for breakfast. They need protein and carbs.

Make some egg burritos or egg bites or egg sandwiches instead. Easy to premake and heat up in the morning in the microwave. All of these can be made healthy and can be frozen as well.

You know oatmeal is a carb? And it has 6 grams of protein. And if it's made with milk, it adds more protein.

I want to know how the PP you are responding to categorizes oatmeal!

DCUM will always have food idiots. As if eating oatmeal can be unhealthy. Or grapes. FFS.

Shouldn't eat grapes alone - for blood glucose spikes. should have with a protein. So grapes AND cheese, for example.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't feed your kids oatmeal for breakfast. They need protein and carbs.

Make some egg burritos or egg bites or egg sandwiches instead. Easy to premake and heat up in the morning in the microwave. All of these can be made healthy and can be frozen as well.

Oatmeal is healthy. Very healthy.

In addition to providing protein and carbs, you're not serving frozen leftover eggs reheated in a microwave.

NP - Oatmeal IS healthy, but it's also OK for people for people to freeze breakfast sandwiches with eggs. No need for your snark.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find breakfast for kids pretty easy (bagel and lox, english muffin with pb and jelly, sunny side up egg on left over rice) and we just do yogurt and fruit so don't focus there but need food in fridge for nights we both work late.

Big batch of kale and chorizo soup (cook with onion, carrot, celery and beans).

Chili (we eat beef but turkey fine if you don't want red meat).

Roast a full chicken for sandwiches and a dinner.

Roast huge tray of veg .. broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, mushrooms. Add to two different meals.

Slow cooked red cabbage is great for winter and lasts all week.

Have a big batch of rice ready to go with chicken or chili.

Corn bread for with soups or for breakfast.

Seafood is the only thing we eat lots of and I really prefer not to cook ahead (except for a ginger coconut milk shrimp stew).

These are all great but now I'm (unreasonably?) afraid of leftover rice.

Rice freezes well.

Leftover rice is wonderful for fried rice. Fry up with ginger, garlic, onion, soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil, frozen veggies, and an egg scrambled in at the very end. You can get those cubes of frozen ginger and frozen garlic at TJs to make this super easy.

You can buy egg bites at Costco. Unless there is some other filling you want, the homemade ones are not noticeably better so just buy them.

For rice, we buy the box of individual microwave sticky rice at HMart or Costco. It’s not meal prep but at Korean markets you can buy marinated beef or pork and quickly make Bulgogi in a wok. We buy the Costco frozen broccoli in steam bags.

I've been prepping overnight oatmeal in mason jars - Once Upon a Chef has some good flavor variations. https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/overnight-oats.html

Her basic frittata recipe is excellent and very customizable.https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/how-to-make-any-frittata.html

I also love the egg bites recipe from NY Times. Don't be put off by the cottage cheese - it's undetectable in the finished product. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026338-cottage-cheese-egg-bites?unlocked_article_code=1.CFA.0-9f.raoCpY_QE8Q8&smid=share-url

Anonymous wrote:Please don't feed your kids oatmeal for breakfast. They need protein and carbs.

Make some egg burritos or egg bites or egg sandwiches instead. Easy to premake and heat up in the morning in the microwave. All of these can be made healthy and can be frozen as well.

Oatmeal is healthy. Very healthy.

In addition to providing protein and carbs, you're not serving frozen leftover eggs reheated in a microwave.

I wish I could be better about meal prepping on Sundays.

This week I managed some tuna salad and some cucumber salad and that's it. Oh, along with the blueberry lemon cake I have no business eating all week, lol.

I’d suggest having some small Tupperware containers with chopped veggies or ham etc to add to eggs or salad etc. To add to scrambled eggs, salads, wraps etc. While scrambled eggs aren’t make ahead, they are so fast. I use the technique where you melt butter in a really hot pan, add eggs stirring vigorously for 30 seconds and then turn heat to low stirring, add a small amount of heavy cream once cords form and while stirring, serve. It takes maybe 3 minutes and people can throw in whatever add ins they want.

Quiche is another great option. Caramelizing onions over the weekend is great. They are great in quiches but also great on burgers and other recipes so make extra and use throughout the week.

Banana bread if they like this is a good breakfast option.

Potatoes heat up well too. I do hash one grating them, throw in caramelized onions and chopped green and red peppers.

Dinner
1. Bolognese sauce , doubling the recipe , is a good option for dinners. Use over pasta, save the rest for another dinner or freeze or use it in lasagna.
2.Chili is good. Eat alone, over spaghetti with shredded cheese or on grilled hotdogs.
3. Mexican shredded beef or chicken. I use the instapot with chicken, a can of chipotle chilis, salsa, chicken stock etc. If you want beef use pot roast, season more anchovies or chipotle chili powder, salt and pepper. Serve in tortillas, over rice with melted cheese , on nachos etc. My kids like the frozen Spanish rice at Trader Joe’s .
4. Shredded corn beef in a slow cooker. Can be used for sandwiches, on grilled cheese or with breakfast potatoes.