Meal Planning For Busy Moms: Tips & Recipes

Meal planning for busy moms can be a daunting task, especially when you’re trying to eat healthier. Between work, kids activities, and trying to find time to fit in meal preparation, it feels like there is never enough time in the day. However, with a little bit of organization and advance preparation, you can easily create healthy and delicious meals your whole family will love. In this blog post, we will provide tips for creating a meal plan as well as recipes that are both easy and convenient for a working mom!

meal planning for busy moms tips and recipe for eating clean and healthier

I remember the very first few days of being new parents were so challenging, meal planning and cooking is the last thing you have to worry about. But hey, we need to survive somehow and be healthy by some miracle. So reducing the amount of time you spend in the kitchen for a busy mom is essential. The cooking time should be short and productive.

Meal Planning for Busy Moms is Time-Saving

Meal planning for working moms is crucial when you’re short on time. Understanding the essential ingredients for a healthy and satisfying meal is the probably the core knowledge you need for successful meal prepping. Meal prepping veggies and fruits correctly will help you eat healthier the entire week. Also knowing how to store produce the right way to keep fresh longer helps tremendously with food waste.

And is not as difficult as it seems. You can make it fun and easy by following a few tips;

Meal Planning Tips

1. Stock up on Ingredients

One of the keys to successful meal planning for moms is having all the ingredients you need on hand. This means taking inventory of your pantry, fridge, and freezer on a regular basis. If you want to prepare meals ahead of time, you first need to know what it is you will be prepping.

Keep a running list of items that you need to replenish so that you can grab them when you’re at the grocery store. Or you could create a master list of recipes that you can make with the items you typically have on hand.

For example I’m always stocked with leafy greens as I’m trying to have them with every meal. These can’t be frozen or kept for a long time in the fridge. So prepping your veggies in a way to keep them fresh longer is essential. I learned a few tricks along the way. Make sure to check out that post.

prepping leafy greens — *Meal prepping/ storing leafy greens to last longer.*

2. Prepare Meal Ingredients In Advance

Have pre-made salad ingredients or for assembling quick healthy bowls as dinner or lunch like:

Mixed greens (washed, dried and stored ahead);
Nuts/seeds (almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans etc.);
Cooked grains (rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oatmeal, sorghum);
Cooked vegetables (seasonal veggies);
Fresh vegetables (washed, cut and stashed in the fridge);
Cooked beans (white, black, green), chickpeas, lentils;
Cooked pasta (penne, spaghetti, spiralized, tagliatelle etc);
Pre-made sauces and salad dressings;
Frozen fruits and veggies for smoothies;
Boiled eggs for breakfast or lunch (in a salad);
Cooked meat (ground, shredded, sausages, steaks, cutlets, patties, marinated meat chunks).

Shots of meat meal prepping in advance. — *Ways to meat prep in advance (either cooked or raw);*

As snacks (I’m avoiding gluten and dairy) I’ll always find in the fridge some nut or seed butters, pre-sliced fruits or veggies. Sometimes I make some homemade crackers, energy balls or cookies. And when I’m really tight on time, I choose some healthy store-bought snacks.

Make ahead pancakes, muffins, burritos for breakfast is another great idea!

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If I’m pre-portioning my meals in advance I use these compartment glass containers which are freezer safe, dishwasher safe, and even oven safe.

3. Stock Up On Frozen Foods

Buying frozen fruits and vegetables is very convenient for meal planning. Frozen vegetables work well in cooked dishes like casseroles, stir-fries, pastas and soups.

My favorite options are broccoli, peas, corn, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, squash and bell peppers.

Frozen produce to be used as meal prep and planning. — *Freeze produce for longer storage.*

I’m trying to eat fresh as much as possible but sometimes I use some frozen fruits in my breakfast smoothie recipes as well.

4.Thaw Meat Products In Advance

As a working mom, meal planning works when you think in advance. In this case defrosting meat 24 hours in advance is necessary. The best and easiest way is overnight in the refrigerator.

By thawing meat products the night before, the texture will remain the same and you will not feel the difference whether it’s fresh or it was frozen. If you attempt to cook with frozen meat, it may cook unevenly, leaving parts overdone and other parts underdone.

I usually like to use ground meats, they are really useful in making quick meals that require meat as “condiment” such as Swedish meatballs or meat patties, stir fries, shredded meat in a wrap etc.

5.Try Batch Cooking

Preparing a larger batch of pancakes, crepes, pies, waffles and freeze them for future breakfasts or lunches. It can also be grains, beans, proteins, sauces and then creatively combined into full meals. Those items will become your core ingredients and will be the building blocks for creative recipes. One of my favorite meal recipe that requires assembling ingredients on the go is this cobb salad recipe – as a full meal.

Once you have your meals /ingredients ready, they can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I also like to freeze some of my leftovers like cooked beans or meat stock/ bone broth. I usually cook a large batch, use a portion for the same day meal and the rest I freeze for later in portioned batches.

Frozen broth stock for meal prep ahead. — *Freezing meat stock / bone broth in batches to be used as meal flavoring or soups.*

6. Keep Cooked Food and Raw Food Separate

When meal prepping in general the longer the food will keep, the better. So it’s important to keep cooked food and raw food separate. For example keep your raw vegetables and your cooked vegetables (and meat) in separate containers even if you’re going to enjoy a little of each in one meal. Just assemble your plate when you’re ready to eat.

Meal prep tip for busy moms showing how to keep prepped food in different containers. — *Keep prepped raw food and cooked food (especially meat) separate for longer shelf life.*

These are my most important tips for meal prep for busy moms. When done correctly you can avoid food spoilage AND food waste at the same time, which leads to better nutrition, time planning and money management!

I hope those tips will give you some ideas and inspiration on how to make meal planning work for you as a busy mom! If you have any other tips or recipes that help with meal planning, please share them in the comments below. I’m always looking for new ideas!

Useful Meal Planning Recipes For Busy Moms

Make Ahead Breakfasts (Including Gluten And Dairy Free)

Make Ahead Snacks

Make Ahead Lunch or Dinner Recipes

Make Ahead Dessert Ideas

Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookbook

284 pages total: 128 gluten free and dairy free wholesome recipes with beautiful high quality photos (including paleo, whole30 and vegan recipes: all without refined sugar and no highly processed foods or additives.