Meal Prepping: The Working Mom Hack That Changed My Week
- Mom Brain
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Let’s be real, being a working mom is hard. Being a working mom with a working partner and virtually no family or outside help? Even harder. As such, time has become my most precious of commodities. Time during the week is really tough– everyday I race home from work (likely with lingering tasks), coordinating with my husband who will pick up the kids (how did daycare drop offs and pickups become a seeming luxury?!?), and run around the house usually still having to pee and with my coat on to get dinner rolling and the pets fed.
Actually getting to the dinner table feels like a huge win, despite the fact that the battle to keep my kids seated at the table and actually eating their food has just begun. Over the years, however, I’ve developed a system for meal prepping and planning that has really helped me streamline this process. Don’t get me wrong, I cannot promise that every single weeknight won't feel like you are sprinting a marathon, but if you goal is to streamline a healthy, home cooked dinner for your family to enjoy together before your children implode from hunger or fill up on snacks, then I have you covered.
Why Meal Prepping Matters for Working Moms
As a Seattle mom who juggles work, parenting, and that elusive concept called "me time," I needed a system that gave me a break during the week without sacrificing the things I care about—like feeding my family (and myself) nutritious meals, having time to sit and eat together, and not spending a fortune to do it.
Here’s what meal prepping has done for me:
Time savings: I’m no longer scrambling at 6:15 PM wondering what’s for dinner. Instead, my husband and I can get food on the table in usually 15 minutes.
Less stress: Decision fatigue is real, and not having to figure out dinner each night is a mental relief. In addition, my Equitable Meal Prep Calendar will eliminate the previous bain of my existence--the loaded question of “what can I do to help for dinner?”-- a seemingly innocent and helpful question that actually does nothing to alleviate the mental load of meal prepping.
Healthier choices: When meals are ready or mostly ready, my kids are less likely to fill up on snacks before dinner.
Family bonding: We actually sit down for dinner most nights, and research shows that’s a big deal for our kids’ emotional and mental well-being. I also know that as my kids get older, the evening activities like sports and homework will pile on and make it even harder to sit down together as a family.
Financial savings: No more last-minute takeout or overpriced delivery kits. And believe me, I’ve tried all the delivery kits and really wanted an option I could throw a little more money at that would solve my time problem. In the end, I still had to plan out the week or month in advanced, and each prep kit took a minimum of 20+ minutes to prepare.
My Real-Life Approach to Meal Prepping
Let’s talk about my most basic system. In its bare bones, it's not fancy, but the concept and thought process are the important part. Once you get into an actual groove of meal-prepping, leveraging AI and technology to help streamline the process can be a game changer and that is what Mom Brain is gonna help you with. But back to basics….here's how I handle it from start to finish.
Step 1: Hit Up My Pinterest Board (Friday Night or Saturday Morning)
Over the years, I’ve curated a Pinterest board with family-friendly, realistic recipes that I’ve tried or want to try. Each week when Thursday or Friday night rolls around, I start my process of scrolling through my recipes to find the ones that sound good for the next week. Now a few things about me that may bias this process– first, I love to cook (but don't have the time to cook the way I actually want to) and second, I love looking at Pinterest. I scroll through and pick 3-4 meals for the upcoming week. The key is choosing recipes that can be prepped ahead and that use similar ingredients—like chicken thighs for two recipes or repeating veggies that can show up multiple nights. I typically put it into my phone Notes so I can share with my husband create a day-by-day list of the recipes and all the ingredients so I can begin building my grocery list.
A few key points for this:
This is when I divvy up what days my husband will be in charge of dinner and what days I will.
I try to pick two vegetables to highlight for the week for my kids and include them in my grocery list. I also make a list of all the items my kids need (bread for sandwiches, fruit, snacks, etc.).
Make note of any meals that I can make extra of, whether it be for a second night or as extra dinners for the kids in the subsequent nights.
Step 3: Sunday Meal Prep
The magic of grocery delivery is real, especially for us Seattle moms who’d rather spend Saturday doing literally anything else than dragging kids through a busy grocery store.
Once I’ve picked the meals, I plug the ingredients into my grocery app (I usually use Instacart or Amazon Fresh) and schedule it for Saturday or early Sunday delivery. This gives me ample time to prep, though I typically do this on Sunday mornings.
Step 3: Sunday Meal Prep
Sunday mornings, I carve out 1 hour—usually while the kids nap or play—to prep meals for the week. I put on my favorite podcast and honestly, the kitchen is a mess afterwards. Here’s what I do:
Marinate proteins
Cut Veggies: I store them in labeled containers or bags by dish, so that all the ingredients for each meal live together in the fridge.
Make sauces/dressings: If a recipe calls for a special sauce or marinade, I make it ahead of time.
Assemble what I can: Sometimes I’ll build the full meal (like a casserole dish) and refrigerate it, ready to bake. Other times, I just pre-chop veggies and store them by dish.
The Real Payoff: Sanity AND More Time With My Kids
My job is long hours and high pressure, and the last thing I am prepared to do is come home and feel like my head just got put into a blender. But by putting in the work on the front end of the week (Sunday) and in short, smaller segments, I feel less stressed during the hours when I’m leaving work and when my kids go to bed. I also value healthy eating for myself and for my kids, so I tend to choose lower carb, high protein options or make basic swaps in the recipes I find (like swapping cauliflower rice for regular rice). Instead of hovering over the stove while my kids beg for snacks or get cranky, I can spend 15 focused minutes finishing dinner and then actually sit down with my family. That’s when the ‘eat your dinner’ and ‘sit at the table’ battles really begin.
How to Start If You’re New to Meal Prepping
If the idea of meal prepping feels overwhelming, don’t worry. You don’t have to go full-on "Pinterest perfect" from day one. Here’s how to ease in:
1. Start with 2–3 meals per week
Pick just a couple dinners to prep ahead of time. You can still keep some nights flexible.
2. Choose simple, versatile recipes
Look for recipes that don’t require specialty ingredients or 10 different spices. Think sheet pan dinners, slow cooker meals, and stir-fries.
3. Use similar ingredients
This is the ultimate time-saving hack for moms: use the same ingredients in different ways. Chicken tacos one night, BBQ chicken wraps another.
4. Embrace shortcuts
Buy pre-washed greens, frozen veggies, or store-bought sauces if it makes your life easier. There’s no shame in smart shortcuts.
5. Make it a family thing
Older kids can help chop veggies or portion snacks. Even toddlers can help “sort” groceries or put things in the fridge. One of my favorite ways to incorporate my daughter into this process is have her help me pick recipes from Pinterest and have her help chop veggies with these:
Final Thoughts: It’s Not Just One More Thing To Do
I’m not saying every week goes as planned. Adaptation is an important skill for preserving sanity. But if you are looking for a better way to gain some weeknight time back, feel less rushed and hurried at the end of your work day, and ensure that you have healthy options to fuel you and your family then meal prepping will make all the difference. And the best part of all of this? Each step of meal prepping can actually be made easier and more streamlined with technology and AI, and Mom Brain is here to show you how.
Have your own mom-approved meal prep hacks? Share them in the comments! Let’s keep helping each other make this whole working mom thing a little easier.
To learn more about Mom Brain and join our Village:
Comments