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Do you struggle with making food for your family as a working mom? Here are 5 meal prep tips to help working moms kick ass on weekdays.

Oh mama, I know the struggle!

After your long days juggling all the things as a working mother you often can’t even think about what to make for dinner…

So you just give in and grab fast food or order takeout for the millionth time! Because you’re just trying to keep it together and hold your head above water as you juggle all the things as a busy working mom.

Gurrl, I feel you!

Use Meal Prep To Help You Kick-Ass & Rock Being A Working Mom

Meal prep can help you kick ass on weekdays and rock being a working mom. You do not need to have all your meals cooked, beautifully plated, and picture ready. Make Meal Prep Work For You!

I’m here in my kitchen listening to a course while chopping vegetables for the week. It’s Sunday. You don’t need to do this on Sundays though.

Earlier I felt the anxiety and pressure of two hungry kids asking if the food was ready, yet, repeatedly! Listen!!!

I wanted the entire family to have breakfast together. Sundays are usually the only day we have breakfast together as a family. I was trying to make a nice breakfast for us to enjoy together.

If this morning was a weekday when the kids have to get to school by a certain time and then I get to work, plus make and pack lunch and snacks I would have gone cray cray!

Can you relate to any of this?

So I’m taking some time to set myself up to kick-ass making meals during the upcoming week. Yes, I did pause chopping my vegetables to write these tips down and take a few pictures to share with you.

Here are 5 meal prep tips to help you take the stress and anxiety out of making meals on weekdays.

5 Meal Prep Tips To Help Working Moms Kick-Ass on Weekdays

1. Review Your Upcoming Week Schedule.

It’s very helpful when you know what your schedule will be at home, with activities for your family and work projects. Look for the days when you have events, activities, projects, and deadlines, and plan your meals accordingly.

2. Plan “big picture” for all your meals and snacks.

Think about the protein, veggies, sides, and snacks you will make for the meals you serve your family for the week. Consider making a simple one-pot meal or cook a dish that can be served for more than one day.

For example, make a large batch of BBQ chicken in the oven. During the week you will just need to heat the chicken, make some veggies and add a quick side like mac and cheese or baked sweet potatoes.

3. Check and organize what you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry.

Throw out old food and organize these areas. This will help you be more efficient when you can easily identify the food you have.

4. Prepare some veggies, fruits, protein, and sides beforehand.

Clean, cut, or chop your fruits and veggies. You will be more motivated to cook when some of the time-consuming work is already done.
Buy fruits and veggies pre-cut if that works better for you.
Roast veggies to use in salads or as a side dish.
Clean and season meats and freeze them. You can then put it in the oven, air fryer, slow cooker, or stovetop and quickly have it ready on weekdays.
Make a large batch of some food items. You can do this with pancakes, egg muffins, meats, quinoa, and oatmeal to name a few.

5. Make meals simple and fun.

There is so much we can’t control as we juggle working mom life at home and work. We must eat and feed our families several times daily, right! This is one area we can have some control over. Keep it simple to save you time and lessen your stress, but make meals that will also bring you and your family joy.

Below is how I meal prepped to help make meals fast and some bit healthy for my family for the upcoming week. I hope these will spark ideas for you that will help you kick ass on weekdays and rock your working mom life.

Remember we each have different family dynamics and are in different seasons of life. Adjust these to make them work for you.

Breakfast Meal Prep

I made pancakes for breakfast this morning and I doubled the recipe so that I would have enough left over to use as breakfast next week. The leftover pancakes will help me prepare breakfast for my two daughters’ fast in the mornings.
My husband and I have smoothies for breakfast during the week. There isn’t much prep needed for these as I use a different combination of the same products every day.

My Basic Smoothie Ingredients
Arbonne’s plant-based protein powder – We use vanilla or chocolate, or one of our seasonal flavors such as pumpkin spice, coffee, or mint chocolate
Plant-based milk, like almond, coconut, or oat milk
Greens such as spinach and kale – I use fresh or frozen
Frozen berries or fruit
Healthy fat like avocado or almond butter
Seeds such as chia and flaxseed

I also drink a green drink/shot before I workout each morning.
These are some of Arbonne’s plant-based nutrition products that I use for my smoothies and green drink. You can check them out at my Arbonne store here and reach out if you have questions. Protein, BeWell/Greens, GutHealth, EnergyFizz, SkinElixir, and MindHealth.

Lunch & Dinner Meal Prep

I chopped onions, mushrooms, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red cabbage, and yellow cabbage. This helps me to quickly steam vegetables or stir fry. I have broccoli florets pre-cut from Costco and garlic already peeled.
I roasted the butternut squash and sweet potatoes. This combo will be used in salads and as a side dish.
I bought chicken parts from Costco that’s packaged individually. Leg quarters are my go-to. I try to buy organic and leg quarters are less pricey. I try to season and freeze the meats when I grocery shop, but sometimes I don’t get to & season it a few hours before cooking it. That’s what I will be doing his week.

The pictures on the left shows some of the meal preparation I did, and the pictures on the right are some of the meals I was able to make quickly because of the prep I did. Make meal prep work for you, mama!

Don’t Be Intimidated By Meal Prep

I don’t know about you, but the thought of meal prep has intimidated me. I thought my preparation had to look like the pictures I see on Pinterest.
It doesn’t! Make meal prep work for YOU!

I know each week can be very different for you. Customize your meal prep each week so that it will help you rock life as a working mom and kick ass on weekdays at home and at work.

Plan big-picture for meals and snacks, and remember that you don’t need to have all meals completely prepared and ready to go on Sundays for the upcoming week. Prep the areas of your meals that will save you time and help you make meals fast on weekdays.

And those days when you just can’t even think about what to cook, give yourself permission to order dinner, or ask your hubby or someone else to take charge of dinner.

It will take time for you to organize your pantry, fridge, and freezer and prepare your fruits and veggies, but this will help you to be more efficient in making meals on weekdays. It’s less stressful doing this preparation when you don’t have hungry kids crying or asking if the food is ready, yet! 🙂

Make Meal Prep Work For You!

Meal prep can help you kick ass on weekdays and rock being a working mom. You do not need to have all your meals Pinterest ready on Sundays. Meal prep when it’s most convenient for you. Make Meal Prep Work For You!

I hope these meal prep tips help you kick ass on weekdays as you juggle wearing several hats at work and home so that you can rock being a working mom.