CALLING ALL PREPPERS!!!

I'm very busy (like we all are!) but I find my grab and go foods usually include raw vegetables portioned out into ziploc bags, hard boiled eggs, yogurt., fresh fruit, tuna in the pouch, sandwich thins (really thin rolls with around 100 cals for the whole roll). Good luck!

Phew, for a minute there I thought this was a how-to post for building underground bunkers for the zombie apocalypse.
Although I work at home, I am a prepper by necessity. I have a home daycare with toddlers and preschoolers, first ones arriving at 5:30 am, last ones leaving at 4:45pm, so if I don't do some preparation ahead, I don't really have time during the day to prepare my own meals.
My biggest thing is just knowing what I'm going to have each meal so I just pencil in on a weekly meal planner each meal for the week, not the details but the protein and veg, that way I can make sure I have the meat/fish thawed out and ready to cook. I buy bulk chicken breast/meat and weigh out my portions and freeze individually and I clean veggies and fruit when I get them home. I usually cook enough for two meals ie 2 baked chicken portions tonight, 1 for dinner tonight and the other for tomorrows lunch, I always cook extra potatoes or rice and always have bags of frozen veg on hand to scoop out a measured portion quickly. When making my sons school lunch, I get it all ready the evening before except for his sandwich (he says it gets soggy overnight) and just have to grab it and pack it in the morning.

When the week ahead is going to be busy I have healthy meals planned in advance and make sure leftovers are plentiful; I always try to have at least 4 plants on the table: one veg in main dish, one hot veg side dish, one raw veg, and one fruit. This helps enormously with keeping calories lower.

More importantly, I am sure to have snacks ready to go; I dole out almonds in snack bags (on the food scale), I have kids count out animal crackers into snack bags, I shop for apples like a fanatic! I make it really convenient for myself to make the right choices!

Hey,
I would suggest cooking 3-4 days worth of foods that take longer to cook. This has helped me tremendously with losing weight and gaining muscle. A crockpot is also a staple for me, there are tons of recipes online (pinterest for example). I clean, then soak dried beans overnight and cook them in the morning in vegetable stock. They cook so much faster, especially lentils. I also cook a few days worth of brown rice. I bought higher quality glass Tupperware to store my food in the fridge. You can also roast a few potatoes: cut two into small pieces, add your favorite spices such as oregano and thyme, very lightly coat them in oil (I only buy organic), then place them in a round pan and cover with foil. I add a little water to the bottom of the pan to create steam. They are so good! If you always have sides ready to heat up, it takes very little time to cook lean chicken or any meat of your choice. I am vegetarian, so the sides are my whole meal. Good luck!

I typically make a week's worth of lunches on Sundays...I'll do a meat or fish on the grill, and I'll make some veggies. Easy!

For me it's all about pre-measuring. I bought a bunch of those tiny tupperware containers from Target, and will pre portion all of my snacks for the week in them. That way in the morning, i can just grab a few and put them in my bag for the day, and all of my measurements are accurate even when I'm rushed.

I also cook a big pot of brown rice for the week, and will use it in different meals throughout.

I'm not a prepper for meals... or the end of the world. But, I do find it helpful to always keep homemade pre-cooked bean burgers and veg soups in the freezer for super-quick meals. Also, I always make extra sauces (pesto, teriyaki, etc) so I can make quick meals when I need to.

I second the crockpot nod! I use my crockpot to make steel cut oats overnight on Sundays, eat Monday's helping, then portion out the week's worth into microwave-safe containers to grab as fast breakfast. I use the larger crockpot to make beans, either overnight or while I'm at work. They become the basis of meals for the rest of the week, either as the bulk for a salad, soup additions, refried beans.... Having this ingredient ready, though, makes the rest of the week's cooking go well.

Right now, we're on summer vacation, but during the school year I hard boil a dozen eggs on Sunday so my kids can grab them quickly and keeping fruit on hand keeps me from bad snacking choices.