Anyone else feel exhausted of meal prep??

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  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 353 Member
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    brittyn3 wrote: »
    I don't really meal prep to be honest. But I usually eat the same thing every lunch and plan my weekly dinners out on the weekend (still making it each night). Maybe try having the same lunch meal every day will help? Same as meal prep in theory, but not making it in advanced? Work spread out vs. all at once?

    Probably isn't any different - but the thing that bogs me down from cooking, is the planning. Or rather, having not planned what I'm making for dinner. The extra effort to think about it at the end of the day, was impossible for me.

    I agree will the last part you said. I've become such a planner that if I wake up in the morning and forgot to plan my breakfast, I spend more time trying to figure out what I can eat that day at that moment if I would have just pre-planned it the night (or even week) before.
    The only thing I meal-prep for the week is chicken. Everything else (veggies, wraps, oats, eggs etc), I make the night before for the next day. But, it's all planned out in my diary ahead of time so I know exactly what I'm putting together and it takes a LOT of stress off my shoulders.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    Yes, and I don't even have kiddos, so I have the time. However, if I'm lazy and don't meal prep, then I buy something in my company's cafe. I find it's something I have at home and way more expensive and then I feel mad for spending the money. LOL *So I meal prep :wink:
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    With 5 boys how do you not meal plan? If I didn't meal plan and do at least a little prep when my kids were home, we would be eating dinner at 8pm every night. Keep breakfast as simple as possible. I sometimes make plain oatmeal in my timed slow cooker so it is hot and ready in the morning and everyone can add their own extras. My lunch is usually some form of leftover dinner. Dinner is the main meal I really plan. Meal planning has actually saved me quite a bit of money also since I am not wandering the store buying things on a whim.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,247 Member
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    I plan all my meals for two weeks (that is how I get paid so it is easier for me to do all my shopping at once). I only pre prep, cook, and pack my breakfast, lunch, and snack for days I work. Sometimes I will pre pack for dinner too, but that's pretty rare (I did it for tonight since it was easier then to pack the leftovers up separate since I had only 1 serving left of the rice and broccoli anyway). It's super easy and keeps me from buying food at work so saves me money and calories.

    Lets say my schedule looks as follows:
    Monday: Off
    Tuesday-Thursday: Work
    Friday: Off
    Saturday-Sunday: Work

    So on Monday I will go to the grocery. Then I will prep for Tuesday through Thursday. Breakfast may be yogurt cups, oatmeal cups, or egg bake. Lunches would be leftovers, chicken salad, tuna salad, or other simple to make things. Snacks are hardboiled eggs, nuts, veggies and dip, cheese and lunch meat, or other small snacky goodness. Dinners will depend on what my hours are and that is all planned out ahead of time, but I either cook that night or eat leftovers... but I don't prep ahead on purpose. I may chop some vegetables ahead of time, but that's pretty much it.
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
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    How old are your sons? Can they help with some of the meal planning and prep?
    My 7 year old can make sandwiches for lunches, wash and pick grapes, cut veggies for spaghetti, etc. My 10 year old can easily throw a soup together for dinner and make corn muffins for the side. I feel like it's important that they know how to cook healthy foods for themselves. (Full disclaimer: they do much more meal helping on weekends and over the summer than we do during our school year...)

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