Why should you meal prep for breakfast?
Meal prepping for breakfast can make it so that the most important meal of the day is easy peasy to make and enjoy!
Grab and go is the way to go
Meal prepping can make giving your family a delicious and nutritious breakfast fast and easy. We all know that mornings can be hectic, especially if you have kiddos that you need to get off to school. Having a plan ahead of time can make things go much easier. By meal prepping for your breakfast, you will likely be able to grab and go, or at least prepare something with minimal effort.
Healthy ingredients are key
You want to make sure you are starting your day with the best fuel possible. Having a breakfast that includes, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and protein, as well as fruits and vegetables, will help to make sure you have a meal that is filling and healthy.
In addition, if you have a healthy breakfast prepared and ready to go, you are much less likely to hit a drive-thru on the way to work. You will also be more productive, as eating healthy has been known to increase productivity and alertness. As an added bonus, you will save money. It's way cheaper to eat at home than to go out.
Chose the right containers
When you are doing meal prep, the containers are important. Anything that you are going to reheat should be in a glass container. While you can use plastic in the microwave, it is much healthier to use glass. Nothing can leach into your food with glass and you won't ever have any leftover tastes from a previous meal.
If you are prepping ingredients that will hang out in the fridge, those millions of plastic containers you have laying around the house are perfect. If you don't have space in the fridge for containers, plastic bags work too. However, they do cost money every time you use them and it's not wonderful for the environment to throw away plastic if you can avoid it.
If you are prepping portions of grains ahead of time, small plastic containers are great, but don't leave them sitting for too long or they may start to taste funny. Containers are better than bags for this as they last longer and don't take on a weird taste as quickly.
Make a list and check it twice
Next up in your meal plan adventure is to plan your menu. You can do this weekly or monthly. If you tend to make the same things week after week, it might be easier to plan for the month. You can plan for the week and simply repeat that every week for a month.
Once you have your menu set, it's time to make a grocery list. Making a list will ensure that you remember to pick up everything. This step is important, even if you have a stellar memory. Most grocery stores have a website or an app you can use to make a list. The advantage to that is they usually organize it as the store is organized. No more running up and down every aisle. There are also apps to help you meal plan and make your lists. I personally use mealboard. I store all my recipes there and make a shopping list as I'm planning for the week.
Prep all the food
So now that you have your plan and your ingredients, you have to get things ready to go. This step will really depend on what you are doing for your breakfasts. If you are going to make an omelet in the morning (eggs cook up super-quick), you can scramble the eggs the night before and have them in a container, ready to go. Cut up and veggies you want to add and have them ready to go in another container.
Yogurt, fruit, and granola your jam? Mix it all up the night before. You can make the best yogurt you'll ever eat in your instant pot. It does take some advanced prep work, but it lasts two weeks in the fridge in our house, has zero preservatives, and is delish! Once you have yogurt made up, simply throw it in a glass dish (a small mason jar is perfect), add some granola for crunch, and whatever fruit you can imagine.
Want to wake up to a hot and ready breakfast? Try this slow cooker cinnamon oatmeal. Simply prep the ingredients before bed, set it, and you'll wake up a hearty breakfast. And the leftovers will reheat beautifully for a few days.
Smoothies are a quick and easy breakfast
If you have a blender with a single-serve mixing cup, breakfast meal prep couldn't be easier. Simply set up your ingredients the night before in the cup. When you get up in the morning simply blend and go! If you don't have a single-serve cup, simply measure your ingredients out the night before and store them in the fridge. Dump them into the blend and you're all set!
For smoothies, I highly recommend frozen fruit. There is no prep to be done and frozen food is flash-frozen when they are picked, making them fresh and delicious. Plus it gives you a bit more icy goodness in your smoothie.
You can use a flavored protein powder, an unflavored protein powder, yogurt, nuts, or peanut butter, depending on your calorie and protein desires. Throw some spinach in there too! You won't taste it and you'll get some bonus vitamin c and fiber.
Sandwiches and rollups
Making a sandwich the night before can be an excellent and fast breakfast! Who says there's such a thing as “breakfast food”. You can do a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a peanut butter and banana roll-up. But ham and cheese works just as well. Really any lunch meat would be a filling breakfast to get you on your way.
You can prep a grilled cheese sandwich the night before, pop it in your toaster oven or air fryer (use a tray for the toaster oven), and make your breakfast while you're getting ready to start your day. Who wouldn't like to start the day with some ooey-gooey cheesy goodness!
Bagels are exceptional breakfast choices. Make or add low-fat spreads to enhance the flavor and nutritional value or add an egg, spinach and turkey bacon to make it tasty and filling.
