Food Prep is the way to go

Let’s start by saying, this is truly MY OPINION. I have personally saved money by prepping my own food for the week. This limits the amount that I am stopping for coffee or getting dinner on the way home. Don’t get me wrong, I still do that every now and then, but MUCH less than I used to. Plus, the schools here in town took away free and reduced lunch, unless you qualify for it, which unfortunately we do not. So, now in order for our kids to have hot lunch at school, we have to pay $5/lunch. If they want breakfast, that is another $3/meal. Wowza, can I just date myself and say, back in my day our lunches cost $2-3.

Each weekend I try to prep some meals that will make weekday nights a little easier going. I am sure you live a busy life, especially if you are a parent, so why not save some money and make your life easier by prepping? On this episode of food prep, I am going to share what I got from the grocery store, the stores I got them from, and how much I spent. After that I will share what I prepped this weekend to prepare for next week.

Next week is conference week at the kids’ school which means half days. They will eat breakfast before they go, eat lunch, and then devour snacks the moment they get home before I even get off work and prep dinner. My big focus this week, making mini meals for them to have when they get home. In addition to conference week, we have baseball, midweek and I have four conference calls four nights this week, so I need easy, put in the oven and serve type of meals, so my second area of focus is prepping meals that I can pour out on a sheet pan, dump in the air fryer or put in a crock pot and go.

Shopping on a Budget

We have a family of four, plus three dogs in which I try to prep 1-2 meals for them per week as well. My two kids eat enough to feed a family of four, so although I have only 7 mouths to feed, I have to prep like I have 9.

How I decide how much to budget out depends on what payments are coming out this week or if it is a Costco week. When it is a Costco week, we have to budget out a LOT more than all other weeks.

How do I prioritize my shopping? Well, I start at Costco, that way I make sure to get the essentials we NEED for the month. I only shop at Costco once a month, so stocking up on staples is priority. Start by planning which stores I want to go to and give myself a limit of how much I can spend at each place. I get STRICTLY what is on my grocery list first. As I shop, I keep my calculator up and see how much I am spending on my items I planned for. If I have money left in the budget, then I will add them to the cart. This method takes DISCIPLE and is NOT easy, but if you can put it into practice, you will save so much money in the future.

Sunday Meal Prep

This Sunday’s meal prep is based off the items I purchased and what I already had in my freezer, fridge and pantry.

The most important thing that needs to be done if you are going to food prep is to plan your meals. I meal prep four days at a time. Here is what I prepped, along with the recipe. There is a video posted below the recipe if you prefer to see me prepping.

Breakfast prep: pancake cups, freezer waffles, overnight oats, vanilla coffee syrup, white chocolate coffee syrup and creamers.

Lunch/Dinner prep: Naan bread, broccoli cheddar soup, steak salads with salsa verde, cucumber sushi bowls, and my dog’s food.

For the pancake cups and freezer waffles, I use the same pancake/waffle mix. This recipe comes from Ree Drummond with some modifications by me. I will post Ree’s recipe below.

In a bowl, combine 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar (I use raw cane sugar), 1 cup of dried buttermilk, 1/4 cup of baking powder, 1 TBSP of cinnamon, 1 tsp of salt and stir together.

Separate the mixture into three different bowls. One bowl will be used to make the waffles, one bowl will make the pancake cups and one bowl will be transferred into a large mouth large mason jar.

Pancake cups: We love the pancake cups that you fill with water and microwave. Instead of purchasing more, I figured I would make pancake cups and add whatever mixins my kids wanted. My daughter wanted Halloween sprinkles, my son wanted chocolate chip, and I wanted blueberry. There are so many amazing options, I just recommend using whatever is around your house.

Take one of the bowls and add water to meet the consistency you prefer (I recommend keeping it on the thicker side). Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and a dash more of cinnamon. Greece a large muffin tin. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way up, but not all the way to the top.

Next, add whatever toppings/mixins you want and swirl in with a knife or stir stick. Cook at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.

Once they are removed from the oven, allow them to cool about 15-20 minutes before removing them from the pan. Once they are at room temperature, put them in a zip lock bag, date and label the bag. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for a week.

Waffles: I plan on using these for two different purposes, breakfast and dinner. For breakfast, I will keep them in the freezer, my kids can take out however many they want and either put them in the air fryer, toaster, in the waffle maker or microwave (they won’t be very crispy if you microwave them). I also planned on having them for dinner one night in my chicken and waffle dish.

For the waffles, prep it exactly like the pancake cups. Cook them in a waffle maker for 3-5 minutes, or until the waffle has raised up.

Overnight oats: In a small mason jar, add 1/4 cup of oats (I personally like gluten free oats from Bob’s Red Mill (https://amzn.to/48Mxo5p), add 1 tsp of cinnamon, fruit of choice (I made two with blueberries and 1 banana with 1 TBSP of Lily’s dark chocolate chips (https://amzn.to/3AKPGHu). I add 1 TBSP of pure maple syrup.

• I typically have these as my mid-morning snack, so in the morning I will add my milk to the oats. I add just enough almond milk to top the oats, don’t add too much.

To showcase what products I use, or which are my favorite, I added amazon links. You can purchase them from Amazon, or from your natural food store.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Meals made from my prep

Dinner: Chicken and Waffles

I don’t know how anyone could dislike chicken and waffles. The savory chicken on top of that luscious golden-brown waffle all topped with that maple syrup. Yum! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Ingredients:

• I used the Real Good Chicken strips I purchased from Costco ($9.99 for a pretty big size bag)
• Homemade waffle mix – I personally had all the ingredients on hand so this did not cost me anything
• Organic maple syrup – I use the one from Trader Joes but again this was something I already had on hand
• Plain greek yogurts – For this kids, they had a chobani flip of their choice (Costco $10). For my husband and I, I made homemade yogurt parfaits using plain greek yogurt (Trader Joes 32oz $5.49)
• I had some left-over granola from a potluck the previous week so no money out for that
• I chopped half of a banana and put it on top (Trader Joes $0.92 for the bundle of bananas – maybe bushel?)
• I had some left-over blueberries from the potluck as well so I used some of those
• A small drizzle of honey
• Cinnamon

Dinner: Flat Bread Pizzas

During my food prep this weekend I made naan bread. What better dinner than to make build your own naan bread pizzas?

Ingredients:

• Homemade naan bread or naan bread from the store
• Pizza sauce in a jar ($3 from winco)
• Mozzarella brick ($4 winco) – I shred about 2 cups for the pizzas
• pizza toppings: pepperonis, canned pears, fig butter, bacon, turkey bacon and mascarpone cheese

Kids: For my daughter she had pepperoni and my son had cheese.

To start: take a piece of naan bread, spread on about 1 TBSP of pizza sauce, top with freshly grated mozzarella cheese, and your toppings of choice. I always add italian seasoning on the top to get that little bit of herby flavor. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then serve.

On the side: I air fried some french fries and served it with the kids favorite dipping sauce

Husband and me: We ended up having fig, pear and bacon flatbreads – and OMG it’s amazing! It was the first time ever trying it and they did NOT disappoint!

Recipe: take a piece of naan bread, spread on a layer of mascarpone cheese, a layer of fig butter (here it is on Amazon but know it is cheaper if you purchase it in store https://amzn.to/3NKjffc), next top it with sliced pears, freshly grated mozzarella, and finalize it with some cooked bacon (I used turkey bacon). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

On the side: serve it with a side salad using freshly shredded carrots and some of the cucumber slices (I precut all my veggies this weekend in my food prep). I topped it with Trader Joes buttermilk ranch.

Here is the recipe I based my naan bread off of: Garlic Naan Recipe – Magnolia

If you love her stuff just as much as I do, I highly recommend purchasing her book: https://amzn.to/48rJYHd

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

Dinner: Sushi Roll Cucumber Bowl

Choose any of your favorite sushi rolls and make them into a cucumber salad! My favorite is the snow mountain roll from JJ’s sushi in Sparks, NV. It is so delicious! SO that is the roll I decided to make. Because Nigiri is hard to come by, and if you get salmon and tuna from the store they aren’t as fresh as sushi, so I bought a sushi pack from Sprouts that had tuna and salmon. (I do not like sushi that is older than one day so I did not include this in my weekend shopping trip however, I did have money left over from my shopping to where I could buy a sushi pack. I always recommend trying to leave at least $20 left so if something comes up in the week you have some wiggle room to buy additional things from the store.

First, make your crystal shrimp sauce: in a blender add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, 1/4 cup of crushed pineapple, 1 TBSP of raw honey, 1/2 of a lemon juiced and 1 TBSP of sweetened condensed milk. Blend until smooth.

Put in a bowl, and air fry some popcorn shrimp.

Make your crab: get your crab meat (if you get the canned crab meat it is much cheaper and easier, just watch for claw shells that can occasionally be in there https://amzn.to/3ApZXJ4) and add 2 TBSP of chipotle mayo or sriracha mayo. Mix and set aside

Assemble: Next, take your pre-sliced cucumbers and add them to a pint-sized mason jar. Add 1 TBSP of kewpie mayo, 1/2 of an avocado, 1/2 TBSP of the crystal shrimp sauce, slice and chop up the tuna and salmon nigiri, as much spicy crab as you would like, 1 tsp of Tamari soy sauce, 1 tsp of sriracha, 1/2 tsp of sushi sauce and a dash of sesame seeds. Put the lid on and shake until everything is evenly coated.

Next, dip your popcorn shrimp in the crystal shrimp sauce and top the cucumber sushi bowl with it. Drizzle more sriracha if desired.

Sushi sauce: https://amzn.to/4ecMr9B

Sesame seeds: https://amzn.to/48zwWaw

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Dinner: Salsa Verde Steak Salad with Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 4- tomatillos
• 2 jalapenos
• 2 large poblano peppers
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 serrano peppers
• cilantro
• 2 limes
• steak
• shredded iceberg lettuce
• spinach
• red onion
• roma tomato
• english cucumber
• yellow or sweet onion
• bag of broccoli
• brick of mozzarella cheese
• brick of pepperjack cheese – or cheese of choice for soup
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• chicken stock or broth
• heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• avocado (optional)

I feel like there is nothing better on a chilly night than a bowl of soup and either a salad or sandwich. Over the weekend, I prepared my salads in a jar, soup base in a jar, and chopped up all my mixins for the soup. All I had to do was drizzle the salsa verde over the salad and add all the mixins to the soup and dinner was served!

Here is how I prepped it:

Start by prepping your salsa verde:

On a sheet pan, add 4 husked tomatillos cut in half, 2 jalapenos cup in half with seeds remaining (remove the seeds to decrease the heat), 2 large poblano peppers seeded and cut in half, 4 cloves of garlic chopped, 3 serrano peppers sliced in half and seeds removed from 2 of the 3 peppers. Drizzle avocado oil over the top of all the peppers and top with sea salt. Add to the oven on broil for 5 minutes.

Remove and immediately place the contents from the sheet pain into the food processor. Add a bundle of cilantro, the juice of two limes and a little more sea salt. Blend until it reaches the consistency you desire.

Here is the original recipe by Ree Drummond: Salsa Trio Recipe | Ree Drummond | Food Network

Salad: prep in jar

Start by grilling up your steak. I seasoned both sides with salt and pepper, cooking about 3-5 minutes on both sides over medium to high heat. I personally like my steak medium well (the redness and oozing bloody juices which you see with rare grosses me out). Once cooked, set aside on a plate to rest about 5-10 minutes while you prepare your salads in a jar.

Slice up: 1/4 cucumber for each jar, a few slices of red onion, half of a roma tomato

Slice your streak into thin, bite size pieces.

Assemble in mason jar: Add about 1/2 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce, a handful of spinach, onion, cucumbers, tomato and add slices of your steak. Top your jar.

In a plastic ramekin, fill it with your salsa verde.

Soup:

Start by cutting your onion and your broccoli. Cut up 1 yellow or sweet onion and put it in a gallon sized Ziplock bag. Next, cut up a full small bag of broccoli (or half of a large bag) and add that to the ziplock bag.

Grate up about 1.5 cups of cheese. I always get a block of cheese and grate it myself. For ours, I did 1/2 cup of pepperjack cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Add the cheese to a smaller sandwich bag and put the sandwich bag with the cheese inside the large Ziplock bag with all the veggies.

In a large mason jar, add 1 can of cream and chicken soup, 1 cup of chicken broth (I typically make my own by adding one cup of water and 2 chicken Boullion cubes to it. Keep over medium heat and stir until the cubes are fully melted), and 1 cup of heavy cream. Add the lid and shake.

Your soup is now prepped.

Preparation: Start by making the soup, in a large pot add about 1 TBSP of avocado oil, or any neutral oil (not vegetable or canola oil – they are not good for you). Add your veggies and let them cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Now add your soup base and top with salt and pepper. Stir until the soup begins to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add your cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and serve!

I like to add some diced tomatoes, pepper and a sprinkle more of cheese to the top of my soup.

Put all the contents of the salad in a bowl (add more lettuce if you are super hungry), add 1/2 of an avocado sliced and top with your salsa verde.

Dinner: Smothered Chicken and Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• chicken breast
• turkey gravy
• cauliflower gnocchi – or regular gnocchi

Grilled chicken topped with a delicious turkey gravy with cauliflower gnocchi bites, ummm yes please! As the season is changing and the weather is getting cooler, there is nothing better than a warm and comforting meal. This one was very easy!

Start by grilling up two thinly sliced chicken cuts, seasoning both sides with salt and pepper. I cooked each side for about 7-10 minutes and then put them on a sheet pan and in the oven on warm to keep them warm.

Add 1 cup of frozen cauliflower gnocchi and cook it on medium heat with 1 TBSP of avocado oil and cook it about 10 minutes, or until the gnocchi is soft.

I made the gravy next: in the discounted isle at Sprouts they had a packet of turkey bone broth, all I did was add the packet and 1 cup of water over medium heat and stir until thickened.

Add the gnocchi to the gravy and let it sit on a simmer for about 5 minutes.

Next, chop up your chicken and add it to the mix. Let it sit on the simmer for another 2-3 minutes and then serve!

Simple, warm and delicious!