Cook Once. Eat Twice.

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In today’s world, people are busy. Between work, raising families, and everything in between, it’s no wonder why there has been a decline in home cooked meals. For many this is a struggle, but with a little planning it can actually be feasible for everyone.

What’s the solution? Cook once, but eat twice (or 3 – 4 times!). The trick is to prepare ingredients in bulk so that leftovers can be utilized for the rest of the week in other ways.

Here is a simple example of this plan being implemented:

Sunday:

• Prepare bulk rice and/or quinoa (i.e cook for eight if serving 4)
• Cook a whole chicken
• Roast an assortment of vegetables (i.e. carrots, brussel sprouts, sweet potato)

Meal one:

• Chicken, sweet potato, brussel sprouts

Meal two:

• Tacos: Corn tortillas, rice, avocado, carrots, salsa

Meal three:

• Chicken salad: pull apart chicken, mix with avocado, salt and pepper, and enjoy over a bed of arugula, and brussel sprouts

As you can see, by reusing ingredients and adding them to other items that require little or no preparation, we can create so many meals in minutes. Just plan ahead for the meals you want to prepare so that you have everything you need on hand.

Other ideas for faster meal prep:

• pre chop veggies/herbs
• use a crock pot or instant pot
• pre cook meats
• keep a well stocked pantry (rice, grains, some canned goods)
• freeze bulk baked goods such as pancakes, waffles, and muffins
• keep frozen veggies on hand for emergencies

Do you have any tips that help you throughout the week? I would love to hear! Please share in the comments.

With Love & Gratitude,

Brittany