Hi Reader,

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So, at some point I’m going to guess that you’ve either heard about batch prepping your meals or have tried it before.

I’m gonna say, that’s a FANTASTIC idea. If you can do it, do it. Whatever it takes to make your life easier and run smoother, do it.

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On the flip side, you may not be the type that’s naturally drawn to this method of preparation…

• either because you’re just not used to it,
• because you haven’t done much cooking before,
• maybe you don’t know how to go about it,
• or maybe you enjoy being lazy…listen… no judging.

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I’m not gonna lie, I don't do much batch prepping myself. The IDEA of it appeals to me, but the reality I live in is this:
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I don’t like eating the same thing over and over again…I get bored. And I don't have the freezer space.

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And momma doesn’t like to get bored with her food. But I’ve got a few ideas on how to both batch prep and keep it interesting enough that you’re not having to slave away all day everyday in a hot kitchen, and you get a bit of variety in there.
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You ready? OK Let’s go!
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A little bit of prep is required here, at least in the form of planning. Ok, so in keeping with simplicity you could try this:

• Each week make 1 main starch like white or brown rice, quinoa, or some type of grain that you can batch cook and spread out over the week.
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• Make either some soup or chili. Doesn’t matter what type, just enough for 2 to 3 days. One week a soup of your choice like Black bean, Minestrone, or White bean and kale and another week chili.
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• Some roasted veggies. Rotate each week which ones you make.

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If you look at the above, you’ve only made 3 things. Some gain, some soup (or chili) and roasted veggies. If you have a rice cooker you can use that for your grains. The oven will roast the veggies, the only thing you need to pay attention to is the soup/chili, and even that practically takes care of itself.

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Technically everything can be done at the same time. ​
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During the week all you have to do is supplement what you’ve already prepared. A couple of things have happened here:

• Less time in the kitchen because your base is taken care of
• You’ll not get bored because it’s not the same thing every night
• Less food storage and waste because you’re making fewer items and you’ll use everything up.

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Let me explain. As I write this I have very limited fridge/freezer/pantry space (which I mentioned before). You might be in a similar situation. I'm not gonna be able to prep food for a month, nor do I want to. Also, as I mentioned before, I get bored and I enjoy variety.

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Variety is the spice of life after all. So let me share with you what I might do here:​
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Grain: White Rice

Soup: Black bean

Vegg: Roasted tomatoes/onions/carrots/mushrooms/zucchini

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Weekly meal:

Black bean soup with white rice and garden salad

Roasted veggie panini with caesar salad

Black bean soup with toppings: diced onions/avocado/vegan cheese/salsa

Spaghetti tossed with roasted veggies

Rice and roasted veggie casserole

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You’ve gotten 5 days of meals, all different, used up everything you made, and not alot of space taken up in your fridge. PLUS…this is pretty budget friendly if you think about it.

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If you have a family, you can easily stretch this out without killing your budget.

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So, I’m all for the meal and batch planning, but if it’s done in a way that’s smart, simple, and in the end satisfying to your taste buds. You don’t need to go crazy to be efficient and you don’t need to occupy every bit of space in your fridge with the same 10 meals for the sake of saying you meal/batch prepped for the week.

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Let’s recap:

1. Each week:

• Batch prep a grain (starch)
• Soup or Chili
• Roasted Veggies

2. Create meals around your base for the week- use it all up.

3. Less space/less waste.

4. Repeat the next week with a different grain, soup, vegg.
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Batch prepping can be an efficient and effective way to save time and energy, stretch out your budget, cut down on food waste and if done right create some variety in your routine.

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Bonus Tip: Just in case you find yourself with some leftovers…

When it comes to leftovers, they sometimes get a bad rap. But as I always say, put on the re-mix. If you think about it, there’s not much you can’t re-mix into soup, salad, fried rice or a quesadilla. Think about it, you know I’m right.

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Question for you: Did you find this helpful? Have you been able to incorporate some of these suggestions into your weekly routine and has it made things easier to navigate? I would love to hear your feedback so hit me up.

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Until next time!

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Thanks again,

Hugs and chocolate kisses! Kadae

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