Weekend Prep

If you have a busy weekday schedule, but you have some free time over the weekend you can use the weekend to prep your meals for the week.  You can actually cook multiple things at once to help save on time as well.

Things that you can make over the weekend that will be good for the week include:
 - soups/ stews/ hilly chili
 - anything made in a slow cooker - shredded meats, meatballs, etc.
 - baked foods that can freeze

Here are some of the examples of what I made this weekend to help last the week:

snacks: crispy kale chips.  These are great for a snack during the week and super healthy
Ingredients: kale, salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil and cooking spray for the pan

Stuffed Cabbage:
Ingredients: savoy cabbage, 1lb ground meat (I used lean ground turkey), 1/2cup rice (I used brown rice), tomato paste, can of tomato sauce, large can of petite diced tomatoes, brown sugar and barbecue sauce, chopped carrots/ celery/ onions, 1/2 up of raisins, salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil, egg

Directions: boil cabbage leaves approx 10 min and set aside, cook down the onions, celery, carrots, olive oil and spices in saute pan, put aside in a bowl, next combine the meat, partially cooked rice, tomato paste, raisins, egg and large squeeze of barbecue sauce and some brown sugar in the bowl.  Stuff the cabbage leaves with the meat mixture, put the tomato sauce in the pan with another squeeze of tomato sauce and bring up the heat.  Add the stuffed cabbage to the pot and bring up to a boil and then down to a simmer for approx an hour and a half.  

This will last you at least 2 nights and freezes well for other nights when you are hungry and do not have time to cook a healthy meal.

I also added cauliflower mash as a side.  Cauliflower mash is better as a side for a crispier food, but it was still yummy with the stuffed cabbage.   Cauliflower mash is made by steaming Cauliflower and put it in a blender with fat free half and half and spray butter, and salt and pepper to taste.  This dish also reheats well for other meals during the week.

You can make these dishes all at the same time because they use different cooking techniques.

I also got chicken over the weekend and marinated it overnight in a soy ginger  sauce.  I can easily stick this in the over when I get home tomorrow night and not worry about any of the prep.  The other things I helped prep over the weekend so I will not have to worry about it over the week is chopping of veggies.  I chopped onions and stuck them in a ziplock bag to use as needed.  I washed and cup up some asparagus to eat one night as well as some peppers for stir fry another. I store these all in ziplock bags to keep them fresh and ready to use.

Hopes this tips help.  Please let me know if you have questions on any of my above advice of recipes.  I will add more suggestions after another weekend of prep.