Bingo! I just saw a deal for chicken breasts this week at the grocery store, so I’m going to make that my key ingredient for this week’s meals. Just like with lunch, (Let’s Get Prepping), let’s start by putting together a shopping list based on the meals and recipes we want to make.
- Decide what you want to try: I want to try a new recipe or two and something fun and easy for Family Friday. These Oven “Fried” Chicken Fingers with crisp veggies look fun for kids, and these Tostadas with shredded chicken sound delicious. A simple chicken sandwich and stir fry will add some variety throughout the week.
- Put together a list of what you need: (Bonus! Some of these dishes require the same ingredients, allowing you to buy in bulk and potentially save some money!)
3. Head to the store to get your ingredients!
4. Come home and get to cooking:
- Make sure you’ve got enough time set aside to accomplish what you want to prep. Think about which meals you want to prep completely on meal prep day and which ones you want to finish during the week. Bread up your Oven “Fried” Chicken Fingers but then store them in the fridge. When Wednesday night rolls around, finish them off in the oven for fresh, crispy fingers! Know you’re going to be short on time during the week? Cook them up on meal prep day so all you have to do on Wednesday is pop them in the microwave.
- You can decide how you like to work on preparing multiple meals at once. One way to do it is to start with all the cutting, chopping and slicing. With your veggies on one cutting board and your meat on the other, cut them up how you will need them for each recipe.
- For recipes that can be completed ahead of time, start cooking! Things that don’t need your full attention can be set up first so that they can cook while you’re working on other foods like the chicken fingers.
- Once everything is finished, it’s time to put the meals in containers that will make it easy to reheat and serve. Store containers in fridge and you’re all set on dinner for the week! What would have taken you up to six hours during the week only took you only about three on meal prep day.
- Pro tip: label the containers with the date the food was prepped and the date you plan on eating it. This way you can remember later in the week if any meals are for a special occasion like Family Friday!
What was your key ingredient this week?
