Put together a meal prep strategy to make your life easier. With just a little extra prep time spent on the weekends, you can jump-start meals for the whole week. Better Homes & Gardens Meal Prep Recipes magazine is packed with more than 80 recipes that you can plan ahead, then finish off when a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner is a must. It’s all about strategy. For example, double up on casseroles—whip up one for dinner, stash the other in the freezer. Or put together a sheet-pan dinner that yields enough leftovers to transform into a completely different dinner tomorrow. When you buy meat in bulk, divvy it up, add a marinade, and freeze it all together for later (the marinade flavors the meat while it thaws!). Jump-start slow-cooker dinners for the week by assembling the ingredients in a bag, then refrigerating until you’re ready to pop it in the slow cooker. Or fix a big batch of protein (chicken, pork, ground beef, or a vegetarian blend), then remake the extras in two different ways during the coming week. BH&G Meal Prep is all about prepping smart so you can eat at home with less weeknight fuss and bother. Are you ready to simplify? Let’s go!
Better Homes & Gardens
Editors Letter
Ready. Set. Prep! • MAXIMIZE EVERY MINUTE YOU SPEND IN THE KITCHEN.
Breakfast in the Fast Lane • BREAKFAST IS IMPORTANT, BUT SO IS GETTING OUT THE DOOR ON TIME. WE’VE GOT A PLAN FOR YOU TO DO BOTH. PREP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THE NIGHT BEFORE, SO AN EASY ASSEMBLE IN THE A.M. IS ALL IT TAKES BEFORE YOU CAN HIT THE ROAD.
Start With a Base • THE FIRST RULE OF MEAL PREPPING—GO BIG! THESE JUMBO-SIZE BATCHES OF CHICKEN, BEEF, PORK, AND A VEGETARIAN MIX ARE DIVVIED UP FOR THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER. PULL OUT PORTIONS AS NEEDED TO USE AS THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR FRESH AND INSPIRING DINNERS.
Spiced Up • KEEP ONE OR MORE OF THESE PREMIXED SPICE BLENDS TUCKED AWAY IN THE CUPBOARD FOR A LAST-MINUTE PATH TO FLAVORIZING MEAT, POULTRY, AND MORE.
Simmer Sauces • THESE MAKE-AND-FREEZE SAUCES WERE DESIGNED TO BE YOUR WEEKNIGHT SECRET WEAPON. EACH RECIPE—BALSAMIC BBQ, RED CURRY, AND TACO VERDE—YIELDS THREE PORTIONS YOU CAN TUCK AWAY UNTIL YOU NEED THEM MOST. THEN JUST TOSS A PORTION IN THE SLOW COOKER TO FLAVOR-MAX YOUR DINNER!
Soup Cups • YOUR CUBICLE LUNCH IS GETTING A BOOST. ALL YOU NEED IS A MICROWAVE TO PULL OFF THIS DIY CUP OF SOUP FILLED WITH FRESH, FLAVORFUL INGREDIENTS. MAKE-AHEAD BONUS: YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER THREE LUNCHES IN ONE SHOT.
Slow Cooker Jump Start • SLOW COOKER MEAL KITS ARE THE MAGICIANS OF THE WEEKNIGHT DINNER SHUFFLE. ASSEMBLE ONE OR TWO KITS EARLY IN THE WEEK, THEN LET YOUR SLOW COOKER SOUS CHEF TAKE IT FROM THERE.
Get Your Grains • PICK YOUR PROCESS—PRESSURE COOKER, SLOW COOKER, OR STOVE TOP—FOR MAKING ENOUGH GRAINS TO GO THE DISTANCE ALL WEEK LONG. ADD THEM TO SOUPS, VEGGIE BOWLS, STIR-FRIES, OR CASSEROLES WHENEVER YOU NEED A HEARTY, NUTRITIOUS CARB TO FILL YOU UP.
Prep School Get a Head Start • FOOD BLOGGER TRACY BENJAMIN’S SECRET TO A WEEK OF GOOD EATING AND MINIMAL COOKING STARTS WITH A SMART SUNDAY GAME PLAN.
Roasted Veggies • ROASTED VEGETABLES ARE A HEALTHFUL BASE ON WHICH TO BUILD MEALS (AND A GREAT WAY TO CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE!). GET A JUMP ON THE WEEK BY ROASTING A BATCH ON SUNDAY, THEN REFRIGERATE UP TO 4 DAYS OR FREEZE UP TO 1 MONTH.
Soups to Freeze • TONIGHT, YOU’VE GOT DINNER IN THE BAG. YOUR SHORTCUT IS THE STASH OF SOUP INGREDIENTS YOU ASSEMBLED AND STORED IN THE FREEZER LAST WEEKEND. NOW ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GRAB A BAG, ADD BROTH, AND BRING IT ALL TO A QUICK SIMMER.
Double Up! • MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME WITH THESE FIVE RECIPES. EACH YIELDS TWO MEALS—ONE FOR TONIGHT, THE OTHER TO FREEZE FOR LATER.
Freezer Marinades • YOU’VE MADE YOUR WEEKLY RUN TO THE BULK-BUY WAREHOUSE STORE AND SNAGGED A MEGA-DEAL ON MEAT AND POULTRY. NOW...
