Meal Prep for Teachers
As teachers, we know how important it is to meal prep your lunch for the week. Unlike most other professions, we can’t just run out and grab something from a restaurant that we think sounds good that day. We are bound to the four walls of the school building and our 20-30 minute lunch (if you’re lucky!).
On top of that, I DREAD coming home every day and trying to figure out what to cook for my family after I have been teaching in the classroom ALL DAY. I make enough decisions in those 8 hours, and I’d rather not have to make more decisions at home. Setting up a menu, laying the groundwork, and having a plan for dinners each week has saved my sanity, my wallet, and my waistline.
Most people tell me they don’t know where to start, and to be honest – neither did I. Then, I found the holy grail of meal prepping. Y’ALL – this book changed my life! Cook Once Eat All Week by Cassie Joy Garcia is the simplest, most cost effective and delicious way I have found to meal prep for myself and my family.
About the Book
Inside, you’ll find 26 weeks worth of meal prep ideas that use different proteins (except fish!). You get a full grocery list on page one of the recipe, and even includes substitutions to fit your dietary needs. Each week can be made gluten free and dairy free with simple substitutions. The next pages of the recipe detail what you need to do on your meal prep day to prepare for three DIFFERENT meals for dinner all week.
Meal Prep Day
After you buy all of your ingredients from the prepared grocery list, pour yourself a glass of wine and get ready to prep all the things! I decided to go with week 6, where the primary ingredients are ground chicken, rice, and red peppers. The three delicious meals for this week are Curried Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Firecracker Meatballs, and Chicken Burrito Bowls.
Today’s main meal prep tasks are cooking the rice, rolling and cooking the meatballs, browning the ground chicken, and chopping the red peppers. I also made the firecracker sauce for the meatballs and let it simmer on the stove.
Invest in some good food storage containers like these – you will definitely need them! Once the rice, ground chicken, meatballs, and peppers finish up, put them in the containers and let them cool before putting them in the fridge.
Now, let’s see what all that hard work on meal prep day produces – and I’m talking dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less each night!
Meal One
Night 1 – Curried Chicken Lettuce Wraps
The prep for this meal was already done! I all needed to do was warm the chicken, and mix the ingredients for the inside of the wrap. This meal was on the table in 15 minutes flat. My husband and I poured ourselves a nice glass of wine and enjoyed this meal together.
Meal Two
Night 2 – Firecracker Meatballs Over Rice
This one if my favorite both for flavor and for prep time. I had this meal on the table in FIVE minutes! It was so good that I ate the entire dish before I even got a picture. This dish is a bit spicy, but can be toned down by cutting the Sriracha in half.
Since the meatball and rice were already prepared, all I had to do was warm everything up and put it on a place. I like to enjoy this dish with a nice lime sparking water.
Meal Three
Night 3 – Chicken Burrito Bowls
Not only was this dish ready SO FAST, but the flavor of the cilantro lime rice is to die for! While these are perfect on their own, we like to add pico de Gallo on top and some sliced avocado.
I have a family of five, but my two youngest daughters and my son do not eat a ton. I either cut down the amount of protein, or I save the leftovers for lunch!
When I don’t have a plan, I have found that we either eat something unhealthy, or we get take out, which is expensive. Do yourself a favor and get this book. I promise you, the hour of meal prep on Sunday will save you time and sanity for the entire week!