With the craziness of summer break, most of us end up eating out more than usual. Between vacations and running the kids here and there with no regular schedule, the days and weeks just seem to fly by.

Now that summer break coming to a close, it’s the perfect time to make a plan to get back on a regular (healthier) schedule.

I believe the number one way of losing weight and creating a healthy lifestyle is cooking at home.

And it’s not just important for adults, if you have kids, you want them to have healthy meals too.

Unfortunately, most of us are rushing out the door with just coffee in the morning, scarfing down fast food (or school cafeteria, yuck!) at lunchtime, and too tired to cook anything when we get home.

Meal prepping before your busy week starts is the biggest tool you can master for setting yourself up for a healthy week ahead.

Here are some do-able meal prep steps to get you started.

meal prep for school1.    Create a meal plan and grocery list
The first step to successful meal prep is planning what you’re going to eat. This doesn’t have to be a timely task. It can take under an hour to make a schedule of your meals for the week ahead. Break down the day into the meals you are going to create and healthy snacks to munch on. Include lean protein, whole grains, healthy fats, filling fiber, and plenty of fruits and veggies.

2.    Shop
Buy all the items on your list. This should include everything you’ll need for the week, from meats to vegetables and everything in between.

3.    Make it
Find a day when you have the time to make some food for the week and block out a few hours to prep and cook. For me, that’s Sunday afternoon. I make lunches for myself and my kids so all we have to do is heat them up. And I chop up some veggies so they’re on hand for snacks and salads.

You can also make a dinner or two ahead (soups and casseroles work well) for nights when you get home late.

If you’re overwhelmed by the task, start small! Try prepping only lunches or even just cutting all the vegetables so that the cooking time for dinner is shortened.

healthy lunch ebook

 

To help you get started with meal prepping and ideas for what to make, download my free ebook Busy Women’s Guide to Healthy Lunch. It’s got meal prepping guidelines, tips, and some of my favorite recipes.

Download it HERE and let me know in the comments below how you like the recipes 🙂