Beat Stress, Save Money, and Eat Healthier through Meal Prep

by Jennifer McCracken

No matter the dynamics in your household- whether you are living by yourself or have family, it’s challenging to make healthy meals throughout the week. We all have too much to do and so little time to get everything done!

For many of us, it’s easier to get take out, grab snacks on the go, or even skip meals all together when everything from the week begins to pile up. This takes away from our wallets and can add to our waistlines. When meals are prepared on the weekends, you’ll find that you have more time to enjoy yourself during the week, you will eat healthier, and you will save money (think more money for Guppys or a College Fund!).

Tips for Meal Prep:
Eating healthy does not have to be expensive if you plan out your meals.


-If you dislike going grocery shopping, a list will help you navigate through the store more quickly. Or you could utilize online meal delivery programs through Giant, or even Amazon Fresh.

-Carve 1-2 hours out of a Saturday or Sunday for meal prep (for us, it’s normally during nap time! If your child is older, encourage him or her to help pick out healthy meals for the week).

-Prep sides like rice so you do not have to cook them during the week, saving time.

-Come up with 2-3 kinds of lunches that you would be able to eat multiple days in a row. Switch weekly so you do not get bored with what you are eating.

-Make 4 lunches in Tupperware per person (one day, you can eat leftovers!)

-Find staple foods that your family enjoys eating. Some easy ingredients to stock up on could be rice, quinoa, beans, lean meats like ground turkey,  


While prepping your meals is important, plan on going out to dinner once a week to be with friends or family!

Sample Grocery List:
-Berries
-Bananas
-2 Apples
-Spinach
-Carrots
-3 Sweet Potatoes
-2 bell peppers
-5 avocados
-Creamer
-Dozen Eggs
-Siggs (2)
-Shrimp
-Tortillas
-Black Beans (Buy in bulk!)
-Almonds (“”)
-Annie’s Mac and Cheese
-Can of Cannellini Beans
-Tomato Paste
-Bread
-Kind Bars
-Mozzarella Cheese
(We buy quinoa, rice, wheat bran in bulk)

---