One of the best things my mama taught me was how to plan ahead and prep, prep, prep. I can still remember us being on rotation for who would brown the ground beef, or waking up to a Saturday chore list that including making blueberry muffins, fruit cups, and the classic Sunday morning egg caserole. In a house with nine kids, I'm sure it was just the only way to do it but I still apply the same principles today (minus the nine children...) 

Prepping some simple items helps your week go smoother, your sanity stay intact longer, and involves way fewer in the moment decisions. And while I love me a good Chick-Fil-A haul, stocking your fridge with these staples cuts down on the last minute fast food stops too!

Each week I stock our fridge with the following items and recipes. I sneak them in while I'm already cooking a dinner or just take a few moments in the kitchen Saturday afternoon to bust a few out. They do not take much time and the more you make them, the faster it gets to go through the routine!

Without further ado: my favorite weekly meal staples!

Hard Boiled Eggs

Fast protein, inexpensive, and every single person in my family eats them! You can toss in lunches, add to salads, grab on the go, etc. My go-to method is the Instant Pot 6/6/6 Method. 

-Pour 1/2 c. water in the bottom of the IP and insert the metal rack if you have one.

-Place eggs in the instant pot. I do 8-10.

-Hit "manual" and set the time to 6 minutes.

-Allow the IP to come to pressure and then count down to six.

-When its done, allow to naturally release for 6 minutes.

-Force release after that, and open the IP. Place the eggs in an ice bath for 6 more minutes. 

-Store in the fridge and you're done!

 

 

 

Pre-Cooked Protein

Keeping cooked ground beef or chicken in the fridge/freezer is another time saver. I get the 2 pack of Organic Whole from Costco and cook one each weekend. Renee from Raising Generation Nourished has a great post on how to do it. I PROMISE you if I can do it, so can you. (Newsflash: I don't use the chicken feet. Not on that level yet.) I find it so much friendlier on the budget to cook a whole chicken, and I love the chicken broth I can stock my fridge with then too! 

After cooking the chicken, I take it all off the bones and store in the fridge. Easy to pull from for any recipes like soups, casseroles, chicken salad, or a family favorite: warming the chicken in a skillet quickly, adding BBQ sauce, and serving next to rice & peas. My family devours this every time and its nothing fancy! 

 

 

 

The Best Soup Ever

All credit goes to my girl Casey Sabin right here. She served me this soup for lunch one day (actually it was the day I told her we were interviewing for a job in Texas and blubbered my soul onto her table over this soup but minor detail). Maybe that's why I love it so much, who knows. Its full of flavor, good for you, and just so dang delicious! The longer it sits, the better the flavors get. A soup in the fridge makes for easy lunches or a simple dinner when the day got crazy!

Click and make. You're welcome. http://www.paleonewbie.com/paleo-italian-sausage-potato-soup-recipe/

 

Breakfast

We are savory breakfast people in this house! I used to make eggs and bacon every single morning. A good hot filling protein-packed breakfast.... YUM! However, when you're hustling out the door or just don't want to wash a frying pan every morning, an egg casserole or egg cups is where its at! 

Egg Casserole / Egg Cups

-Sprinkle protein of choice in a 9x13 (or muffin tins) - bacon, ground sausage, canadian bacon, etc.

-Layer in chopped veggies - bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, you name it!

-Beat a dozen eggs with around 1/4 c. milk

-Pour over protein and veggies.

-Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded cheese on top

-Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (9x13 pan) or 20 minutes (eggs cups) or until the toothpick test comes out clean!

Let cool, then store in the fridge. Warm up and enjoy! I like to use these up within a week.

 

 Fruit & Veggie Packs

Its basic knowledge that washing your produce immediately and cutting it up leads to eating it more, right? (Shoutout to our fave produce soak here!) I've noticed taking it a step further and portioning it out leads to even more ease. I soak, cut, and portion into snack bags, then store in a specific drawer of our fridge. Mix and match veggie packs with carrots, snap peas, and sliced bell peppers. Blueberries, strawberries, and grapes are fan favorites on the fruit side. I can grab from there when making lunches, and my 4 year old also knows that she can choose one baggie after her quiet time. Five thousand cheers for solving at least one of the snack requests each day! (PS next on my list: finding reusable baggies I like! I'd love to hear it if you've found some!)

 

 

 

Baby Faves

In this season, prepping some baby foods is helpful too! My son is not a pouch fan and wants to eat all the big people food. These two are staples on repeat and I threw them right in the rotation for easy upkeep!

Zucchini Bites: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/baked-cheesy-zucchini-bites/

Sidenote: amazing for littles but I find them delish too!

Sweet Potatos:

-peel and slice potatos 

-toss in olive oil with a dash of sea salt and cinnamon

-bake at 425 F for 18-20 minutes

I store both of these in the fridge and pull out for meals all week long!

 

Ta-da! A fridge stocked with goods to make meals + snacks simpler than ever. Now we can spend our time on priorities that matter, with good meals on tap! Have your cake, eat it too. (Or at least the Sweet Potato Soup.) 

xo!
Kels