Meal prep: it’s worth it

Despite the most rigorous scheduling and organization, the challenges of day-to-day routines and responsibilities can still be, well, challenges! We’ve provided a few tips that may make life a little easier.

Make a plan

Cooking a meal at the end of a long day can be both stressful and frustrating. Consider planning the meals for the entire week. From this meal schedule, you can create a grocery list and shop for all of the ingredients ahead of time. This will eliminate the need for last minute trips to the grocery store during the week. Some grocery stores have introduced programs that allow shoppers to purchase groceries online and then select a convenient time to pick up the pre-packaged groceries at the store. Depending on where you live, some areas also have grocery and meal delivery. While there are fees for these services, signing up for e-mail newsletters and coupons can sometimes make these services more affordable. Click here to view the Government of Canada’s Meal planning basics webpage for tips on how to plan meals.

Prepare meals ahead of time

You may also want to consider preparing meals on the weekend. This could mean chopping vegetables and making sauces so that only quick tasks such as cooking pasta or rice need to be done during the week. This may sound like a lot of extra time, but it can actually save time on busy weeknights. You may even find that cooking entire meals for the week and freezing pre-portioned servings is the best solution to hectic weeknight schedules. This can also decrease the amount of fast-food that is consumed during the week.

Hint: This weekend meal prep can also be done for lunches throughout the week! Click here to view the Government of Canada’s Healthy school lunches webpage for tips on packing healthy and safe lunches.

Ask for help

You could potentially also work out some kind of exchange where you and your neighbours, friends, or family members draw from your respective strengths and likes. For example, your friend or neighbour may love making homemade soups but hates going to the grocery store…are your wheels turning? There may be lots of possibilities here!

Have you tried planning your meals ahead of time? Has it helped make your week a little more manageable?