Here’s how to meal prep ingredients instead of full-on meal prepping! I never stick with meal prep but this, I do. When Monday comes around, I’m not feeing meatloaf and instead I want a stir fry. Ya feel me? That’s why I create ingredient prep and stick with that instead. I prep main ingredients and have others on hand and ready to go instead of prepping entire meals! It saves me time and money + I eat what I want and not what’s on a menu.

I’ve worked 1:1 with clients for 6 years now and I will tell you something, PEOPLE DON’T FOLLOW MEAL PLANS. I was wasting my time and their’s making meal plans that were going to stay on the fridge and get them down when they didn’t follow them. Life happens and friends come over or you have to help someone move and then your week is off. That’s at least how my brain works ha!

How to Meal Prep Ingredients

Firs, I think of the common foods we eat as a family and write them down. Then, I ask tommy whatever else he wants/likes and add that to the list. I make sure there’s a good selection of fats, protein and carbs. Since we follow a seasonal eating lifestyle, the list rotates with the seasons. 

Once my food list is ready to go, I go to the market, farm of local grocery store. STICK TO YOUR LIST. This is where you save money and create self-discipline which are fantastic things. Next, I set aside time to prep away.

Now, I’m home and have everything I need to prep for the week. I separate what needs to be chopped, cooked, blended and bagged. Here are a few examples:

• broccoli, sweet potato, brussel sprouts all go to the sink to be washed before chopping and stored
• chicken, beef and other meat gets defrosted so I can cook it up for different meals
• wash and freeze any local fruit and veggies that I’ll use for meals and smoothies
• mix up my grain free granola ingredients to bake and add to reusable bags or mason jars

Ingredients I Always Have On Hand

I’m a meat kinda girl so, I always have high quality, local and organic meats ready to go for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I get my meat from local farms first and from this organic/pasture-raised meat delivery (code SIMPLHOLISTIC).

• chicken
• ground beef
• stew beef
• roast
• organ meats
• sausage

Seasonal veggies and fruit so, in the winter, we don’t eat many fruits and veggies. But in the other seasons, I’ll chop, freeze or cook what I have listed below. I will wash produce but avoid cutting it until I am ready to eat it due to the bacteria that grow on precut produce. 

• onions
• garlic
• broccoli
• brussel sprouts
• sweet potato
• strawberries
• blueberries
• apples
• pears

In the pantry we always have organic ingredients ready to go that are free from natural flavors, GMOs, pesticides, citric acid, O-6 oils and other junk:

• olives
• capers
• curry paste
• canned coconut milk
• pumpkin puree
• almond flour
• coconut flour
• bone broth
• ghee, tallow, lard
• coconut aminos
• organic seasonings and spices
• avocado mayo

Then, some other stapes in our home that I use for meals and ingredient prep are:

• eggs
• canned salmon
• oysters
• REBBL drinks (code SIMPL15)

Meals I Make With Prepped Ingredients

Now, you’ll learn how to meal prep ingredients and MAKE meals with them! With the ingredients listed above, you’ll normally find me whipping up something like this:

• Beef and veggie stir fry
• Breakfast Hash with egg and sweet potato + meat
• Instant Pot Paleo Chili
• Chicken curry
• Beef and organ meat tacos
• Clam and seafood chowder

All meals are always free from grains, gluten, refined sugar, soy, corn and any dairy other than ghee or the occasional raw dairy products I find!

Where I Get The Food

First, I shop from local farmers and farmers markets when it’s season. + I use this organic and pasture-raised meat delivery service.

Next, I’ll head to a local store, Natural Grocers of Whole Foods (or Grocery Outlet which is my obsession).

Then, I pick up non-perishables from Thrive Market (you can get a 1 month membership or a 1 year membership with my link!).

You can head to this post for my pantry staples. It goes more into the exact items I get, where I get them and what I look for when shopping. + this video by my fellow blogger – Lisa – is fantastic!

So, that’s how to meal prep ingredient vs. meals! Helpful? Will you try it? Comment below with your favorite meal hack!