Food | 3 Reasons Why Meal Prepping Works for Me

I've been the sole meal preparer in my household for quite a few years. Initially, I would always struggle with things like, "oh I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer!" and later in the day wondering what to do now. 

Meal prepping can be different things to different people. Before moving from NC to VA, to me, I would prepare & store 4 days worth of lunch meals every week. I also prep items needed for breakfast and dinner to make preparation easier. This would help me with the amount of time spent in the kitchen. ‘Prepping’ your food doesn’t mean having it ALL cooked ahead of the day you intend to eat it. Prepping can encompass menu planning, organizing your pantry and freezer, and practicing safe food storage.

3 Reasons Why Meal Prepping Works for Me

Now, that I'm in VA, meal prepping isn't a weekly ritual anymore but I'm on the cusp of getting back into it. I'm a person that thrives in an environment that is grounded in routine, schedules, and to-do lists.


  1. It's Economical.
  2. It's Organizational.
  3. It assists me with portion control.


When I don’t plan my grocery list, I often end up making additional trips to the grocery store, leading to additional and unnecessary purchases (like junk food and pre-packaged convenience foods). Planning ahead helps me economically by shopping sales, utilizing coupons and sticking to a set budget weekly. We’ll talk more about this in future posts. If there is a concurrent theme throughout Ms. Naturally Random, it’s frugality. I’m all about the savings!


Meal planning helps me organizationally by staying on top of my pantry and freezer contents. We live in a home with limited storage space, so being organized definitely helps me to use what space we do have more efficiently. It also helps me to organize my time. I've actually planned all of our dinners for the entire month.

Here's a sample:
Lastly, I wanted to be able to say I know what I’m feeding my family. Full disclosure: I don’t buy everything raw, organic and unrefined. I really don’t like to be in the kitchen from sunup to sundown so I still purchase items for convenience. I’m not necessarily on a diet or an uber health nut. What I am is a mom trying to think harder about what we are really consuming. How much of it we’re consuming and also how often. If you’ve had the same thoughts, you’re in luck. If I use a product for the sake of convenience, I’ll also mention an alternative. It really all depends on what I am making that day.


Want this neat bonus? It’s free! I just need your email address!

Stay organized for your next shopping trip by using my FREE meal planner and shopping list printable so you can make meal planning easier. Brought to by #KitchenRandom

Thanks for stopping by!



Comments

Recent Reader Faves