Menu Planning the Weekend Prep

I like to try to plan my menus out at least one week at a time, we don’t always stick to them exactly and things come up, but having a plan helps. When I have the menu for the next week planned out on Thursday or Friday, and a list of anything I need but don’t already have on hand, it’s time for a trip to the grocery store.

Sometime on the weekend I like to prepare whatever I can ahead. There are several things you can do. This week for example I know I’m making a couple dishes with ground beef, so I can go ahead and brown a couple pounds of ground beef.

I want to make som pico de gallo for some lunch wraps, and I want to chop some fresh vegetables to have them on hand for snacking and salads. I’m also planning two rice dishes and I like long grain and brown rice so I’m going to cook it ahead.

What are some other things you can do to prepare ahead for a busy week?

• Make some homemade vegetable, chicken or beef stock and freeze it in ice cube trays to use later.
• Chop vegetables and fruits for salads, stir frys, casseroles, smoothies and desserts.
• Parboil or bake potatoes and sweet potatoes ahead, or slice them and put them in water. They’ll keep for several days in the fridge.
• I also like to do my baking on the weekend when I have more time, you can make corn muffins, pizza crusts, breads, or desserts ahead and even freeze them if you’re not using them for a few days.
• Mix up homemade salad dressings and marinades.

Do you do any weekend preparation or meal planning to make your weekly meal prep easier? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks.