School is starting again after a long summer and that means we’re back in routines which is nice but also a more busy weeks and that means less time to make meals for the whole family. I know that fresh food made right before serving it is the very best option, but there are times when life is simply too busy. So a little meal prep can help make life a bit simpler and prevent calling for takeout or eating food not as healthy for you.
It takes a great deal of planning ahead to make this go smoothly. The first thing I have done is weekly meal planning, which has helped tremendously. The fact is that still I found myself sometimes struggling. When unexpected things would happen, suddenly there I was at dinner time with three hungry souls looking at me. So, I decided to give meal prep a chance to see if having healthy staple foods like soup, quinoa, a couple of sauces, dressings, cut-up veggies and hummus ready in the fridge would make life a bit easier, and allow us to still eat healthfully and with less stress. And the answer is a big, whopping YES!!!
So, my food prep does not include having lots of meals cooked and ready to be microwaved. No. Instead, I have a few sauces, veggies and other staple products ready so I can assemble a quick and healthy meal in a few short minutes if needed, and have something for the kids (and me) to snack on while things are cooking. This, along with my snack-in-jar-to-go, makes me a lot less stressed, and helps me feed my kids and myself only healthy food, even on the go.
So, here are the foods I like to prepare on Sunday night for the week to come:
- Tomato Sauce
- Hummus
- Nut butter
- Cut-up veggies like celery, jicama, bell peppers and carrots
- Lentil & mushroom patties
- Creamy Broccoli Soup
- Cooked quinoa
- Cooked Beans
- Cooked Lentils
- Bragg’s roasted seeds (great for a salty topping)
Peanut Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. smooth peanut or almond butter
- 2 Tbsp. Bragg’s liquid amino
- . 1 grated garlic clove
- . 1/2 tsp. grated ginger
- . 1/2 tsp. vegan Sriracha sauce
- 1 can light coconut milk
Mix everything for the sauce in a mixer or food processor. Keep in a mason jar.
Creamy Cilantro Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp. tahini
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp. ume plum vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 medjool date
Mix everything in a food processor until creamy and mixed. Keep in a mason jar in fridge.
