Top 5 Meal-Prep Hacks for Moms
In August I wrote a journal entry about setting yourself up for success with your partner and a new child. In this post, I talked about how Tyler and I laid out our values in raising our children. Right from the beginning, one of those values was around making sure our children were fed. Though I try not to get too hung up on exactly how that happens, it is a priority for us to raise children who have a healthy and curious relationship with food.
To be honest, I’m not the best cook, which presented a challenge. When it was just us two in our house Tyler made breakfast and dinners, and lunch was a ‘whatever we can grab’ style of approach. However, adding children into the equation complicated things slightly. I volunteered to take on the foods for Liam and soon Norah, while Tyler held us down. Though I can’t cook I can follow a recipe and I’m a pretty good baker.
So, I headed down the path of food prep for my little ones. I’ve found that a little effort proves to make a big difference in making mealtime, fun, and more importantly easy. Now, here are my mom hacks. I hope they save you some of your precious time, inspire your little one to explore foods, and nurture their bodies.
When meal prepping, I like to take about 4 hours every other week to make food for 2 weeks. Having options on hand I can just thaw out is a huge time saver during our busy weeks.
Step 1
The first thing you need to do is create your menu. I try to get a healthy mix of all the basic food groups (obviously you will have to adjust this by age and allergies.) I always consult with my paediatrician and allergist and have found “The Big Book of Organic Baby Food” by Stephanie Middleberg MS, RD, CDN to be a good resource for what to give your child at what age. Plus, she has some seriously yummy recipes. As Liam moved into toddler foods I created a Pinterest board dedicated to recipes I tried for him. You can check it out here!
Step 2
Making your list for the grocery store. Once you have all of your meals planned out in front of you, you're going to want to create a list of what you need. Once you do this a few times you’ll build your list of staples for your pantry and you won’t have to do large shops each time. Pro tip: double all of the recipes once they’ve been tested and approved by your little one!
Step 3
If you're cooking in bulk you're going to want to make sure of 3 things.
You have plenty of room in your freezer.
You have something to store the food in. Here are some links to my favorite reusable jars and tubs from Sage Spoonfuls. They also have some great recipes!
You have the right equipment. These are my most often used items, though you can get by without them, I’ve found them to be a time saver.
Vitamix or your favorite high powered blender
A food processor. I have one that is okay, but I think I’m going to treat myself to this new one soon!
Baking sheet. I keep it classic and always have at least 2 on hand.
Muffin tin + muffin cups, these reusable ones are the jam.
Scoop anything you make into balls. It’s important that they are all the same size so they cook evenly
Skillet. I just go with this one and it cuts my pancake and fritter time in half!
Step 4
Once you’ve acquired all of your groceries and equipment it’s time to get down to business. Since you’ll already be familiar with your menu I like to do as much of the prep first for each recipe. For example, if 2 of the recipes call for carrots I’ll do all of my peeling or chopping for the carrots in those two recipes and set each portion aside. That way I’m only bringing the ingredient out once. Once I have all my ingredients measured out, the assembly line starts. I try to get everything that goes in the oven in first, that way I can get to my stovetop items while they are baking.
Step 5
Cool & freeze. Important trick: I’ve learned that anything you're putting in storage bags you should freeze individually first. That way they don't stick together and form into one big block. I like to freeze in layers on a baking sheet with parchment paper in between. Once they’re frozen I’ll throw them into a stasher. Everything else goes in glass jars labeled with the date!
There you have it. If you’re interested in seeing some of my recipes, check out my Pinterest board! I would love to hear from you about your food preparation for little ones, as well as any recipes you’ve tried and love!
<3 BJS