THREE FOOD PREP IDEAS TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY

I am huge into food prep! And there are 3 foods, or types of foods, I prep every single Sunday to start my week off strong. Why you might ask? Because food prep saves me and my husband so much time and money! And the older I get, the more I cherish that sweet, precious time of mine. And, who doesn’t love saving some extra money these days?!

Food prepping makes dinners so much easier and cuts down on food making time which is exactly what we need after our long hours at the hospital.

We also prioritize having lunches for the following day, which again saves us money. Unless of course my husband forgets to bring his lunch and the poor guy has to endure another Chick-fil-A sandwich. Having our lunches prepped typically saves us from having to purchase meals at fast food or the hospital cafeteria.

I typically grocery shop first thing Saturday morning, I like going when the isles aren’t swarmed with people yet and I can slowly stroll with my coffee. I usually do most of my initial food prep on Saturday if I time, and save some for Sunday so I’m not a total couch potato.

Sometimes I get lazy and push grocery shopping until Sunday, which only gives me one afternoon to get my life together. Either way, these three things are typically always prepped before Monday rolls round!

Three Food Prep Ideas to Save Time and Money

Grocery shopping on the weekend just fits our busy schedule better. I’ve been after work before, and it was a mad house – never again!

Going to the grocery store on an early weekend morning is my guilty pleasure, I love it! I typically shop at either Aldi, Walmart, and Costco – or a combination of the three.

Once I get home from the store, here are the three foods I prep to set myself up for success for the upcoming week.

1. Fruits and Veggies

The first thing I do when I unload my groceries is wash, clean, and cut my fruits and veggies. If you’re family is anything like mine then you know, if they’re not prepped – they’re not getting eaten.

I typically soak my fruits and veggies that I eat whole (eat the skin) in some water with a splash of white vinegar for roughly 5-10 minutes. I then dry them, cut them up as needed, and place in a glass container.

Recently I purchased a genius container with three dividers in it which has been perfect for when I buy some of favorite fruits such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, or cherries.

I love making several fruit cups for me and my husband throughout the week and leaving the leftovers in my divided container to easily snack on throughout the week.

Making sure that my veggies are prepped and cut right away saves me so much time when I go to make dinners. We typically have onions that I chop up fine, and some that I leave larger. That way I can easily add them to any meal or dish throughout the week. I do the same things with peppers, carrots, and any other veggies we have that week.

Pro tip: Whatever we don’t eat halfway through the week I throw in a freezer bag that I can easily use them later. It saves on waste, and it reduces costs of having to buy more food the following week.

2. Breakfast

Having breakfast prepped for us saves us a lot of time as we’re typically in a rush to get to the hospital. Some of my favorite things to prep are:

Pssst recipes coming soon!

• Sourdough Avocado Toast – I make a loaf of my artisan bread loaf every single week. It’s such a versatile recipe and can be eaten sooo many different ways. We love it as a quick, delicious, and healthy avocado toast breakfast. It’s surprisingly easy to take on the go too!

• Mini Sourdough Banana Bread – We have been obsessed with these! They’re healthy and the perfect breakfast to take on the go. I can also easily make 12 mini loaves at a time which gives both of us breakfast for the week. My husband loves these as an after-work snack too!

• Strawberry Sourdough Scones – This is what I make when I’m feeling fancy, even though the recipe is super easy! It’s also the perfect, most yummy way to get rid of strawberries (or any other berries) before they go bad. Saving us from wasting food!

• Overnight Oats – I’m still getting used to this one.. I only prep these 1-2 days in advance, not for the whole week. My husband isn’t the biggest fan so I don’t prep these as often.
• Maple Sausage Links – This one is so nostalgic for me! I don’t eat bacon, so my dad used to make my sister bacon and me sausage nearly every weekend growing up. It’s super easy just to re-heat and a great way to get protein in the morning. Pro tip: Add these yummy breakfast links to any of the other items listed to add more protein to your breakfast!

Prepping breakfast is a great way to start our day off on the right foot. My husband and I both need something that is going to be quick, yummy, and nutritious to hold us over until lunch time.

I typically just change out what we have each week or go with whatever my husband requests.

3. Snacks

Everyone needs snacks, ooorrrrrr maybe that’s just me! If I don’t have my snacks planned out though, I will certainly go ravenous throughout my pantry and fridge. I try to have quick and easy snacks already prepped that I can easily take with me to lunch or all the way to the couch.

I love making fruit and veggie cups for my husband and for me for work. It’s a really great way to get good fiber in throughout the work day. And it forces us to make sure we eat our produce!

We use these glass jars from Amazon and they are the perfect size for me to take snacks. They come in a pack of six which is super nice. The lids can be a little tricky to get off every once in a while but otherwise I really like them!

I am finally on the chickpea cookie dough train! I created by own recipe and am obsessed! This little jar lasts me the week and curbs my late-night sweet tooth.

Okay I could keep going on and on and on about all the snacks I like to prep, because I’m a snacker, guilty. And I really like to prep little baggies of chips, popcorn, crackers, cookies, etc. I bring these to work or grab a smaller bag when I get home so I’m not munching on the big bag. Because let’s be honest, I could devour a whole bag of popcorn on my own.

Now you can utilize this food prep list and make it our own.

These three food items and meal ideas are a great place to start in your food prep journey. And you can easily make it your own and customize it to you and your family.

I hope this list gives you a few things you can start with to make your week go a little more smooth, save a little more time and money, and reduce a lot more waste.

Share with me some of your favorite foods to prep in the comments below!