Do you ever wish you had more hands to get meals prepped? Well, if you put the kids to work, you sure do! Balancing life as a mom of three and a busy career doesn’t mean I forfeit nutrition or great taste for easy meals. Just the opposite! Here are three easy Meal Prep Monday tips using simple everyday kitchen items.
It’s Kin-da Easy
I almost always have KIND bars in my purse or in the cupboard. They’re delicious, nutritious (they have up to 7 grams of protein and 7 grams of fibre in each bar) with most of the fats coming from nuts. They also have nut free pressed bars that contain just fruit, veggies and chia.
In our home, breakfast might be a gong show during the week so we grab and go (and these are perfect as I know the kids and myself are getting a fully nutritious meal). On weekends though when we have the luxury of time, we’ll set up a morning breakfast parfait. We put all the goodies on a lazy susan and fill bowls with all our favourite goodies. We start with a base of yogurt in a fancy bowl or a fun container (think a wine glass – non breakable! Mason jar or other fun vessel – kids love this), heaps of KIND Grain Cluster (which also have 7g of protein), fruit, coconut or even chocolate chips for a touch of fun on lazy Saturday mornings.
It’s time to HAM it up
There is nothing that brings me back to my childhood like an old fashion ham and cheese sandwich. I love DuBreton sliced ham for my kids. It’s nitrite free, phosphate free, GMO free and gluten-free (say that three times fast!). But it’s full of great taste – we all love it. We keep it on hand to make easy wraps, sandwiches, or rolled meat snacks with the girls. And the proof is in the taste. When easy meets nutritious you have a product this mom approves. I love to have the girls make their own lunches and in my house one might like a wrap, one a sandwich and one an English muffin. I put all the products out, I even add some fun cookie cutters so they can cut them into fun spring-like shaped (butterflies or flower shaped larger cookie cutters are great) and then they get to be creative while they prepare their lunch! I find if they are hands on in the creating it’s more likely that their lunch container will come home empty which is a bonus.
Protein Ball Magic
There is nothing kids like more than getting their hands dirty! Translate that to the kitchen and they can get their hands “dirty” doing something fun and nutritious. In our home we love to make protein balls. If you have a food processor you are good to go! In our house we use dates as the base, add in some peanut butter (or WOW butter if the kids want them for school snacks), some ground oatmeal, maybe some protein powder and some chocolate chips as an added treat. These little gems are packed with protein and goodness and the kids gobble them up (I might even snag a few myself!.
Give these products a try to make meal time easier, and get the kids involved. You will have more time together, it will take some of the prep work off your plate, and your kids will learn making great meals starts with quality ingredients. That’s a win-win for all of you!
love these ideas even for back to school
Good ideas. Meal prepping helps us eat healthier and saves us time in the long run. I haven’t tried making protein balls but they sound like a simple but healthy snack to make.