Food prep Sundays are a big thing in the blogging/online health world. I actually tend to prep food all weekend long. I don’t like to spend most of my Sunday in the kitchen so I try to spread it out a bit. I thought I’d give you a quick breakdown of how I plan meals + prepare meals for a busy week. I eat gluten-free and usually grain free/sugar free.
First, I go to the farmers’ market
I usually go to the farmers’ market or the nearby indoor market first. I like to get the produce that’s in season and looks the most appetizing. This past weekend I stopped by the neighborhood farmers’ market on Saturday and picked up:
- Lots of tomatoes
- A quart of sweet onions
- Green beans
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- Beets to juice
- Garlic
- Flowers
I figured I’d make a bit batch of tomato basil soup for lunches and know that I always crave sweet potatoes and green beans. I’m a bit sick of zucchini and I regret not getting some white potatoes.
Then I list out what we’ll eat for breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the upcoming week!
I find a scrap piece of paper and a list out Saturday through the following Thursday. I know that by Friday nights, neither of us wants to cook so we usually get takeout. I look at our schedule and decide which nights I’ll have time to spend in the kitchen and the other nights where I might be a bit rushed due to social events or meetings. I also lump in breakfasts and lunches and try to only eat 1-2 varying meals. This week looked like this:
- Breakfasts: Smoothies, bacon and peanut butter/banana crepes
- Lunches: Quesadillas, tomato basil soup, sweet potato hash
- Saturday dinner: Lentil pasta and alfredo sauce
- Sunday dinner: The Domestic Man’s fried chicken + green beans
- Monday dinner: Quinoa bake
- Tuesday dinner: Out with clients
- Wednesday dinner: Honey sriracha chicken + sweet potato
- Thursday dinner: Out for date night
Once my list is complete, I round out what else I need from the grocery
This past weekend I had to grab basil, canned plum tomatoes and bananas. I already had meat + everything else! I try to get all my protein from Whole Foods or the local market/local butcher and then I go to Kroger for almost everything else!
Time to prep!
I try to keep my prep to a minimum. I like fresh food and I don’t like to snack a lot. On Saturday I peeled and shredded two large sweet potatoes and made the tomato basil soup!
I love that I can just grab a container of shredded sweet potatoes and create a quick hash. I love to top with goat cheese, ricotta or bacon. While I did that, I was roasting my tomatoes. The soup takes a bit of time but it’s so delicious.
On Sunday, I made a huge batch of bacon in the oven and made a cup of quinoa in the rice cooker. While it was cooking, I also made about 8-10 crepes/tortillas. I don’t know what to call this but it’s originally a Paleo naan recipe. I always have a frozen batch on hand. I just heat it on a skillet and top with cream cheese/smoked salmon, peanut butter and bananas or straight cheese! I love these because they don’t taste coconut-y at all. Very neutral and delicious. Excuse my poor photo quality on day! Ha! 10pm and on my iPhone.
So that’s how I prepare for a busy week! It prevents us from eating crappy food and spending a ton of money. I leave dinners to be a bit more complex but at any time I can eat a crepe/tortilla, whip up some eggs to go with my bacon, make a sweet potato hash or add quinoa to a salad! Also, that soup is deeeelish.
How to you prepare for the week? Do you tend to make everything day-by-day? Or do you get some of this stuff out of the way before the week starts? Also, link to any great recipes!