Many of us aspire to lead healthier lifestyles for ourselves and our family. We want nutritious, homemade meals on the table every night and we want to be sure that our little one’s are getting all the nutrients they need every day. This is why meal prep is so important. I am a firm believer that having your lunches and dinners prepped and stored away can make life so much easier, and healthier!
In my Batch Cooking E-Book I have made sure to include lots of tasty recipes that are easy to batch cook and freeze, so that you can save time in the kitchen, especially on busy weekdays! Here, I want to share with you some of the reasons why I choose to meal prep, and show you how beneficial it can be in your home!
Healthier eating for the whole family
While setting goals to eat healthier may be easy, staying consistent and following through with these goals is the tricky part. This is where meal prep can really help you and your family in leading healthier lifestyles. The best part about planning out your meals in advance is that you become more mindful of what you are feeding yourself and your family throughout the week. Those who do this are able to commit to eating cleaner and avoid scrambling in the evening to find something last minute. This eliminates the risk of being exposed to unhealthy options such as takeaways or ready-made meals that tend to be high in sugar and salt, both of which are unsuitable for your weaning baby.
Time saver
Although you will need to invest some time upfront towards batch cooking, this is minor compared to the amount of time you will end up saving throughout the week. When your meals are prepared ahead of time, all you need to do is take them out of the fridge and heat them up, saying goodbye to the “what’s for dinner” daily stress. Once you get into this routine, you’ll quickly find that every day you have less dishes to clear, more time to spend with the kids and even extra time to relax in the evenings!
Don’t worry about having to make your plan from scratch, as we’ve already sorted that for you! Our Mummy Cooks Weekly Meal Planner is currently available to download for free once you sign up to our Mummy Cooks Club. Within the plan, we have included a range of batch cooking, 20-minute and fakeaway recipes to fill your week with a variety of delicious, family-friendly meals.
Save money and prevent food waste
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive, as long as you plan in advance. Having a clearly listed plan of all the meals you are going to make for the week is a great way to save money and prevent unnecessary food waste. By knowing exactly what and how much you need for the week, you’ll get the most out of the ingredients you buy and find you no longer have to make those daily runs to the store in an attempt to rustle up something quick for dinner. Use the pots provided in my Ultimate Batch Cooking Set to help portion out your food so nothing goes to waste!
In the case where there are leftovers, make sure to store or freeze them in our portion pots rather than throwing them out. This will not only save money, but will be great as a flask filler for lunch the next day! Our food flasks are perfect for keeping your food lovely and warm for when you’re out and about.
At Mummy Cooks, we have a wealth of advise on feeding the family .We cover everything from meal prep and slow cooker recipes to moving baby on to family foods and preparing food safely. So whether you're looking for quick and easy meal ideas or want to learn about healthy eating, we've got you covered - Feeding the Family Advise page