Meal Prepping Tips for the Busy Back to School Parent

Hello Moms & Dads,

My name is Kellie. I am an intensive care nurse and holistic nutrition coach with a passion for helping families become healthier through realistic, affordable, and sustainable nutrition.

Back-to-school season is exciting, but it also brings packed schedules, early mornings, sports practices, homework, and the daily question of "What's for dinner?" As a busy intensive care nurse and business owner, I understand how challenging it can be to balance work, family, and healthy eating. Time is one of our most valuable resources.

One of the biggest game changers for my own health has been meal prepping. Spending a little time planning and preparing meals each week can make hectic school mornings easier, reduce the temptation to grab fast food, save money, and help the whole family eat more nutritious meals.

Whether you're packing lunches, trying to get breakfast on the table before the school bus arrives, or looking for quick dinners after practice, a few simple strategies can make healthy eating feel much more manageable.

I hope the tips below help you spend less time stressing about meals and more time enjoying this busy season with your family.

Benefits of Meal Prepping

• Saves you money! When you add up the cost of eating out and compare it to buying your own food to prepare, there is no question you can see how much money you can save yourself and your family. 

• It is healthier because you made it with your health conscious mind as fuel for your body. When ordering out at a pub, grill or restaurant their use of oil, fats, and butter are much higher than what you would be using at home. 

• Consistent portions created by you for your specific goals (weight loss, gaining muscle) 

• Allow for more “you” time to spend doing things you love since you won't have to plan lunch/dinner every day. Just reheat.

How to Save Time Meal Prepping

• Making two meals at once saves you time and gives you extra meals to freeze or rotate so you don’t become bored of eating the same thing during the week.

• Pick two meals that contain similar ingredients. For example:I like making a three bean chili and my sweet potato enchiladas. The veggies and beans I use in the chili are also ones I use for the filling in my enchiladas. I kill two birds with one stone, cutting up everything at one time and splitting it between the chosen meals.

• I use a dicer for cutting up all my fruits and veggies and a shredder on my food processor for grating to save me lots of time. Check Amazon for a Dicer here

• Purchasing pre-cut and peeled veggies while shopping is a huge time saver if financially able. They have washed, diced, and peeled veggies and zoodles in the produce section nowadays. Don't be afraid to also utilize frozen veggies. They can be added to soups, stews, and casseroles for an even more time-saving prep. 

• Using two methods of cooking is a tip I love to utilize. I make one meal in the crockpot so I can throw it in and it's done in a few short hours. No babysitting required! The other meal I make on the stovetop, oven or air fryer. This requires more attention and allows me to focus on just that meal. It's like getting two for the price of one!

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These simple meal prepping tips will have you saving time, money, and energy. 

Looking for more great FREE wellness content and recipes?

Check out my social pages and free resources for you here.

You will even find a 10% off discount on Meal Boosters to get more protein into your kids without the fuss, with flavors they will love for things like cheesy mac n cheese and tacos! See our blog on this as well.

Are you looking to improve your health and reach your goals with custom 1:1 nutrition coaching? Message me through our website for a free consultation to get started on your wellness journey today at ABetterPathtoWellness.com