Recently, I made a decision to create an easier way to have meals available for my family when I’m not around as my shifts at work have been a little unpredictable lately. With my son starting Football season again I thought I should step my game up a little and provide him with a healthier diet.
While conversing with my Dad and Sister, who are familiar with the category, they said that I should maybe try “prepared meals”. For those who aren’t familiar, meals are sent on a scheduled basis to your door for you to keep in the freezer or fridge until you decide to eat them. This is a great alternative for people on the go or simply don’t want to cook, enabling them to have a complete meal, usually something healthy, waiting for them when they get home.
With my sister by my side, we began researching different companies in the industry that design meals for moms like me who are constantly on the go. Although I did run into some good leads online, I didn’t really find anything that caught my eye completely and oh yeah… fit the budget. Feeling overwhelmed with too many options my sister made a valid point. “Hey, why don’t you just food prep yourself.” The thoughts of me, a baby chef, preparing healthier, more appealing meals for a 13-year-old began piling up and just sent me into somewhat of a downward spiral. Visions of myself trying to become Ayesha Curry or Rachel Ray nonchalantly flipping a nice juicy steak and asparagus with steam from a pan became a living nightmare because I knew, as skillsets go, I was nowhere near as good as either of the two. When I woke up from daydreaming all I could hear is my sister saying “just make a menu and see how much it would be. Compare it to the online sites and just try.” Well, it was a start.
I began to speak positivity into myself and into this new scary venture I was about to undertake. I figured I knew a little something about a healthier diet as I had recently put myself on one and already had been experimenting with different foods. I knew what I liked but the real challenge was that I had to figure out what a 13 going on 14-year-old boy whose only favorite veggie was cauliflower would want for lunch or dinner! Sitting there for a while perplexed I just thought to myself well why don’t I just ask him. Yeah! I’ll show him some things and just ask him. I walked into his room with all the confidence and showed him ideas I’d gotten online that included Turkey meatballs, salmon dinners, pastas, shrimp tacos etc.; just to get the common guy expression “mmm, yeah, ok. OK? Really?” I began pressing in and got a “NO I’M NOT EATING THAT!” when I showed him a picture of brussels sprouts. Realizing that this kid still had boundaries, I committed to staying within them. 
I compared the prices of what I would spend on product to what I would be charged online for one of the food prep companies and it came out to be a lot cheaper than depending on someone else to prepare meals. I then took my list and headed to the store. I made 3 different meals that included Turkey meatballs brown rice and broccoli, garlic salmon, sweet potatoes and garlic veggie mix including his favorite cauliflower and the last meal was a pasta that I looked up that was inspired by Renee Blackman (Odell Beckem Jr.’s Chef) which was an Alfredo pasta with penne noodles, sausage, spinach, shrimp, and chicken. We love snacks so right now our favorite combination is Colby jack cheese cubes, wheat crackers, peanuts, and grapes/strawberries!
I know 
kids don’t really appreciate their veggies So in order to make sure that my son gets the nutrition he deserves I learned to make smoothies. It took a while for me to get the hang of making the perfect smoothie but eventually I arrived with our favorite green smoothie which is also made of Spinach/Kale, pineapple, mango, banana, and some sugar in the raw. Works every time.
Now it’s all about committing. Choosing a day for prep depends on your schedule so you want to make sure to pick a day closest to the day your week actually begins so the food stays fresh! I spend my Sunday mornings or afternoons preparing meals. I will be honest; while it may seem like you’re cooking for a long time and all these different meals all at once, you have to remember that you won’t have to cook at all throughout the week, leaving space for more important things in your life. Make sure that you purchase fun containers with separate compartments to hold food that you can just warm up in the microwave. Meal prep goes a long way as it makes your week more efficient so you don’t have to make worry about what you’re going to eat for dinner, or if you thawed the meat out on time. Preparing meals have not only made life easier for my family and I, but my son gets to eat healthier meals that he actually enjoys. Prepared meals are kid friendly and allow for easiy access. No more going to the stove, fixing a plate, waiting on dinner, or trying to figure something out.
Meal prep allows more time to spend with family and friends, or to relax and enjoy the evening like you should after the day is through. I’m so glad I learned this skill. Now my son, family and I can just go to the fridge pick out a meal and warm it up in the container. It’s simple! It also helps you to stay out of the fast food lane. LOL!!
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