The Sunday Meal Prep That Saves My Week
Sundays in our house mean one thing: meal prep. Meal prepping has become one of those Sunday routines that we just cannot miss, otherwise it turns the entire week on its head. Every week, we try to prep enough to keep us ahead for the week. This usually includes:
a loaf of bread
a baked good for breakfast
egg bites
a soup
and chopping up any vegetables we have on hand
A Loaf of Bread
The bread is the easiest because we have a bread machine, so you just pour all the ingredients in and it does the rest. I LOVE THIS THING. For whatever reason, I was skeptical at first but now I love it.
I do want to test out other types of bread though. I am working up the nerve to make a sourdough starter followed by my own sourdough. I find the process intimidating, but I especially want to try it for the fall and winter months. There is nothing better than a piece of sourdough to dip into soup.
I also want to try to make this honey white bread. It seems far less intimidating than sourdough and it would be a great option for sandwiches. I will say that our bread machine bread is good but isn’t quite the right texture for sandwiches. It’s a little too dense and the bread is too big.
A Baked Good
I always try to do some sort of baked good. Not only are they great to have on hand for easy snacks and breakfast options, but it’s a nice activity I can do with my daughter. She loves pouring ingredients into bowls and is always so proud when everything comes together. I think it also helps her to actually eat it throughout the week when I remind her that she made it (parenting hack for you 😜)
Last week, I made these strawberry oatmeal bars hoping they would replace the love my kids have for Nutrigrain bars. I think we could get there with a few tweaks (blend the oats. no fresh strawberries, only the jam) but these just didn’t hit the way I had hoped they would.
I also love Kodiak’s muffin mixes for an easy baked good. Their protein balls are also a nice no-bake option! I don’t think they are considered high-protein but I do love that they have a little more to them than other muffin mixes. They’re not overly sweet either, which is nice!
Egg Bites
When it comes to a high-protein option, these bacon gruyere egg bites are a household favorite! I’m always amazed at how quickly they come together. You do have to cook the bacon and shred the cheese beforehand, but once that is done you’re like 75% of the way there. You can also easily sub out different ingredients. No bacon? Use sausage or spinach! No gruyere? Cheddar works too!
I was iffy on the cottage cheese, but once it’s blended up you really cannot tell it’s there. It makes everything so creamy and delicious. These also heat up well for the week ahead.
A Soup
I read something the other day that talked about making soup every Sunday, and I could not agree more. It’s such a nice way to take care of yourself for the week ahead. It’s a great meal option for lunches and dinners, which is what we need to keep things easy around here. And obviously, the best part is that you can literally make a different soup every week. Or remake favorites.
This week we are making this vegetable beef soup. We also have a vegetable bisque that we make all the time that is delicious but is also a really easy way to sneak vegetables into kids’ dinners. We like to mix it into a box of mac and cheese. No one can tell!
I am very excited that it is almost officially soup season because I have plans to make tomato bisque, minestrone, and broccoli cheese potato soup. And while it’s not technically a soup the idea is the same - big pots of chili with cornbread!
Chopped Veggies
We don’t always do this one, but if we have a lot of vegetables taking up space we’ll go ahead and chop them and store them in restaurant containers. It makes it so easy to grab and use those veggies when it’s time to good dinner or to toss them in the freezer for another time.
Something Extra
Sometimes we’ll throw something extra in there too. Last weekend I made buffalo chicken egg rolls because they sounded good. They were nice to have on and for an easy lunch throughout the week. Sometimes my husband will smoke something out in the Traeger for an easy meat that we can use in different ways throughout the week. We’ve also been making refrigerator pickles for the past couple of weeks and they are so good! There is no real plan for them other than as a little snack or toss them on a plate as a garnish. But they’re so yummy!
We don’t always do something extra, but if we’re feeling it and have the time it’s a good idea for us!
We’ve experimented with varying levels of meal prep over the years, and right now this works well for us. We try not to make it an all-day affair. Sometimes we’re able to get in the kitchen and knock it out in a couple of hours while other days we actually do spend way too much time in the kitchen. But we never regret it. It’s such a nice way to take care of our family and keeps us from making poor meal decisions when the week gets too hectic.
What’s on your meal prep list this week?