Back to Work – Meal PreP

STEP 1:

Once you have worked with your team to determine a schedule – MARK YOURSELF OFF THE FLOOR FOR BREAKS AND LUNCHES.

RECOMMENDATIONS: If you are working more than five hours. Schedule at least a half hour break halfway into your shift. If you are working eight or more hours also schedule two 15 min breaks around scheduled appointments.

These are not state employer guidelines. If you are an employee, work with your supervisor to plan state required breaks.

STEP 2: Print Out Weekly Meal Planner

STEP 3: Brainstorm Ideas and Plan

Brainstorm ideas for your meal plans. Look for favorite family recipes that are simple, easy to cook/prep ahead of time, and that taste good when reheated in the microwave. Look for food items that are well rounded and filling.

Snack Time

Snacks are the easiest to plan and pack, but are often forgotten about until the last minute. Go through your cupboards now and log the snacks you will be using in your meal planner. A little variety goes a long way. While its not important or cost effective to bring different snacks every day, having the same granola bar every day gets old real fast. Below you will find a list of suggested snacks.

Dinner

Next, map out your dinners for the week. Mapping out dinners and when you plan to cook them are important, because leftovers are a great and simple way to plan your lunch for the next day.

I’ve started prepping dinners now for the future. Whenever I make a meal that can be stored easily in the freezer to be cooked at a later date, I make double. I purchased some of these aluminum baking pans from Freddys. They can be found anywhere including my favorite place, Dollar Tree. If you want to be more environmentally conscious consider investing in a few baking pans.

It will be easier to map out a cooking schedule after you have determined a work schedule. Including my work schedule on my meal planner helped me greatly to develop my plan. Everyone’s circumstances will be different. For example in my home it is just my husband and myself. On the nights I work late, he can take care of his own dinner those nights. This also however means that I will want to pack a lunch and a dinner during my late shifts.

With COVID 19 capacity issues we may be working a schedule that is atypical from our normal schedule. Think about the shifts you will be working and what that means for your family and meal situation, then plan accordingly.

Lunch

I plan my lunches based on the idea that I will have left overs to eat from past dinners. When planning to utilize the leftover method it is imperative that the lunches get packed directly after dinner. If lunches and snacks are not prepacked and ready to “grab and go” often they will be forgotten in the fridge, all planning gone to waste.

If you do not want to use the left over method for lunches – plan one a day a week to cook and pack all your lunches. In my house we always have precooked chicken breast, ground beef, and rice on hand for lunches and dinners on the go.

Breakfast

Last but not least plan some breaky! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It doesn’t need to be a large meal, but it should be noursing to get you going. I’m a huge fan of cereal, however I don’t find it particularly filling.

STEP 4: Make a list and hit the Grocery Store

After developing your plan check your food supplies. Make a list of what you need to purchase based on your plan. In the weeks leading up to heading back to work remember to purchase extra for meals that you are planning to cook, that can be prepped ahead either – in ziplock bags or bakewear. In addition make sure that you have enough tupperware to prep and store snacks and lunches.

STEP 5: Cook and Prep

Stay tuned for freezer meal inspiration.

Do you have some great freezer meals that you love? Please submit your favorite freezer recipe using the form below!