I loved this first week of January so much! It was a time to rest and reflect, to look forward and to look ahead. I’m starting a new series this year that I hope you’ll love. Here’s my first week in review:
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Making Meal Prep a Little Bit Easier
January 31, 2022
DISCLOSURE: Thank you so much to Walmart for partnering with me on this post. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own. Thank you so much for supporting my sponsors.
We’re at the end of January, and I have to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I’ve been able to keep up with one of my New Year’s Resolutions: meal prepping! Meal prepping is often something I forget about but then always wish that I had made the time for. Today I’m giving some of my go-to tips to make the process easy and, dare I say, fun! I definitely couldn’t do it without my favorite delivery membership either.
I feel like no matter what stage of life you’re in, our weekly schedules are busy! From dropping kids off at school, homeschooling, working the 9 to 5, working weekends, traveling, balancing multiple responsibilities, our weeks can get hectic. The one thing that’s always a given though is that we need to eat, preferably as healthfully as possible! Meal planning and prepping though is always a way I feel more organized and our weeks go so much more smoothly when this is something I prioritize.
How I’ve Been Making Meal Prep a Little Bit Easier
FIND YOUR RECIPES
On the weekends, I love to pull out my favorite cookbooks (or new cookbooks I’m borrowing from the library). Sometimes I have a tiny helper who likes to pick out his or her favorites! I’ll go through and find 5 recipes we want to make. Usually I leave 2 days empty – one for leftovers, and one for a special out meal! Besides cookbooks, I love to look on Pinterest. I have a few boards that I add to with meals we’ve made and loved, and also another one with dinners I want to make. Then, when I need an idea, I’ll go there to refresh my memory!
*bonus points for looking in the fridge/pantry first to see what needs to be used up. This week I’m trying to use up some sweet potatoes.
MAKE A LIST
I make a list of ALL the ingredients needed (ok maybe not salt and pepper). Then I look in the fridge and pantry and cross off everything I don’t need. I use an app to make the adding and removing process a lot easier and smoother.
GROCERY SHOP
Grocery shopping tends to be a big ordeal over here because usually I’m taking the kiddos, and also trying to stay focused on my list. I usually have tiny hands reaching for chips/cookies/things I’m not planning on getting. For that reason, I’ve really come to love and rely on my Walmart+ membership. I’ve shared my love of Walmart+ in the past, and I just have to say that when it comes to meal planning, it’s incredibly helpful! When life is filled to the brim, I love that I can rely on this service for free delivery from my store ($35 order minimum. Restrictions apply), or even free shipping with no order minimum (ecludes most Marketplace items, location & freight surcharges). It’s the little things that help so so much! Walmart’s grocery section is awesome and I love that I can get free delivery of fresh groceries from the store in a pinch. I try to be super organized with my grocery list but if I run out of one thing it’s also nice to easily use the service to get what I need.
GET A HEAD START
Meal planning and meal prepping often go hand in hand. Sometimes I wish I had more time on my Sunday evenings to just do a big prep for the week. If I can, I’ll make the rice, soak the beans, and wash and dry the salad lettuce. More often than not though, I’ll usually prep the meal I’m making the night before. After the kids go to bed, I’ll go into the kitchen, read my recipe from start to finish and do as much as I can. Oftentimes I can make the recipe completely and put it in the fridge for the next day! I love when that happens. To make the process more enjoyable this is the time I love to listen to podcasts or music. It helps pass the time, and then I feel like I’m being doubly productive!
ENLIST HELP
Augustine has been loving helping me in the kitchen, so I just got him these kid knives that will be perfect for him to use safely! I know he’s going to be such a good sous chef! And Corinna is such a wonderful helper picking out recipes and adding ingredients that I’ve measured out. She also loves to put the muffin liners in the tins! We love to bake muffins together on Mondays as a special treat that we can enjoy in the afternoons. It’s been something we’ve really looked forward to doing together.
I’d love to know any tips you have been making meal prep a little bit easier. Please share below! And if you want to learn more about Walmart+ please do. It’s been a wonderful membership for our family!
SCROLL THROUGH FOR SOME FAVORITE KITCHEN ITEMS
xox
Setting up for Happy Hour with a Secret Tip
September 1, 2021
Our time in San Diego is coming quickly to a close and I know I will miss the sunny beach days followed by the brisk evenings. It’s been so nice to have this chance to recharge and soak up lots of family and friend time. Our trips these days feel a bit different with children but Matthew and I have been finding special ways to connect as we used to on our solo couple vacations. A happy little change has been that we’ve been able to stay on Boise time and get the little ones down to bed earlier than usual. With shorter naps at the beach, this has allowed Matthew and I to have our own evening happy hours just the two of us on our patio. It feels special in its own way and even though the children aren’t more than 50 feet away, we feel like it’s just us. Our favorite membership has been such a help to us this trip as well because we’ve been able to get whatever we need when we need it. For planning this backyard happy hour I was able to get free same-day delivery* on fresh groceries for our Caprese salad, plus a loaf of bread and other goodies! (*$35 minimum. Restrictions apply)
Walmart+ is such an amazing membership and with free same-day delivery it really comes in handy! Our beach apartment has very little parking so going out during the evening hours is practically impossible. While take-out is great, we’ve been trying to still cook a bunch so having access to fresh groceries has been amazing. I didn’t realize how helpful this membership would be when we got it, but it’s been more than worth it, especially on this trip.
It’s incredibly easy and convenient to order too. I can use my Walmart+ account from the Walmart app to order groceries in just 10 minutes. Everything arrives fresh and knowing this frees me up to do other things is the best feeling! There are also no markups on items, so you’re getting the same prices as in-store, without any hidden fees.
With fall around the corner I know we have a lot going on, so take a peek at the membership to see how it can help bring value to your day/week. If you can cut out those grocery runs to spend more time with family and friends, I think it’s so worth it! How often have you had a situation where you’ve unexpectedly run out of a certain grocery item (like milk/butter!) and don’t want to run out to get it? Or you are scrambling to put together a last-minute dinner party? Walmart+ has made our lives much easier, all while saving time (and money!) in the process.
xox
DISCLOSURE: Thank you so much to Walmart for partnering with me on this post. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are completely my own. Thank you for supporting my sponsors!
FYI Free delivery from your store has a $35 order minimum. Restrictions apply.
