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Save money and eat well by using these 8 easy meal prep tips. Practical tips to help you save money and time.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
When it comes to meal prep, I often hear the same complaints over and over. These are that meal prep takes too long, takes up too much space in the fridge, and that eating the same thing over and over again gets boring. I get it. I feel the same sentiments when it comes to typical meal prep.
Over the years and with working with clients, I have found that there are better ways to meal prep than just making meals ahead of time. For me it comes down to preparing a few items with versatility and preparing components of meals. If prep has not worked well for you in the past then I encourage you to try your hand at some of the easy tips below!
Prepping entire meals can be convenient however it is also time consuming and takes up a ton of fridge space. Not to mention, I personally get tired of eating the same meal over and over again. Often times this makes the temptation to eat out stronger, because I am so sick of eating the same thing.
A better strategy for myself and my clients is to instead prepare components of meals. As a bonus, not only does this cut down on time but it also cuts down on dishes. Below are some of my favorite things to prepare before the week begins and how I utilize them.
This is a simple tip that makes a big difference. When fruit and veggies are washed and ready to eat, you are more likely to grab for them. As an added bonus, if you have little hands in your home that like to help themselves you will always know what they are grabbing for is clean.
I also like to focus on purchasing produce that doesn’t require any prep for eating alone. Think apples, mandarin oranges, bananas, berries, mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes.
When I bring my produce home, I get my sink ready for them to soak. I start by cleaning the sink well. Next, fill with warm water. Next sprinkle in a cup of white vinegar and about 1/2 cup of baking soda. I often add a few drops of lemon essential oil to boost the cleansing properties. Let the produce soak for 15 minutes or more before rinsing, drying, and storing.
Sometimes the hardest part of making a meal is choosing what to eat. I often suggest to keep a list of some go to snacks and meals ready in a note on your phone or on the fridge or pantry door so that you always have ideas. Some of my go to snacks and meals include:
I love this hack. Smoothies don’t take a long time to put together, however I tend to put quite a few things in them and it’s so much easier to just grab a pack from the freezer and dump into a blender with raw milk or full fat coconut milk. I like to make these in my trusty reusable stasher bags or in wide mouth mason jars.
Alternatively, blend up a big batch of smoothies and then freeze them with plenty of head space in wide mouth mason jars. Remove from the freezer and set in the fridge the night before or on the counter a few hours before you need it. Just shake and go!
Some of my favorite combinations include:
As you are cooking take note of what you are currently preparing and what you might be making later in the week. If you are chopping onions and will need them for other meals, cut up extra which will save a step later. If you are mincing garlic, do a few bulbs to have ready in a container for when you need it.
This is such a simple tip that can make a big difference when it’s time to get dinner on the table.
Often times when it comes to prepping dinner, the protein can be the hardest part. It becomes hard to prepare a meal when all of your protein is frozen rock solid.
On Sunday night, I think through the proteins we will have during the week. Usually it looks like cod, salmon, prawns, beef, and chicken. I will pull it from the freezer and then store it in a large baking dish in the fridge. We use it based on what thaws first. Typically the beginning of the week will be seafood, and a whole chicken will be ready to cook mid to end of the week.
I also like to keep some proteins like eggs, canned tuna, and canned salmon on hand. It is inevitable that sometimes dinner time will come around and there won’t be any protein thawed. These are easy staples that can be used many different ways.
Leftovers often get a bad reputation, but they are totally a game changer when it comes to saving time in the kitchen. On Sunday’s I often make a big batch of soup for dinner so we have lunches for a couple of days. Other days I will make an extra serving or two of dinner so that we have lunches the next day.
For us this is the perfect balance of saving time without getting sick of eating the same meals over and over again.
At the beginning of the week I like to take inventory of what we have in the fridge. This is crucial in avoiding food waste. There’s nothing I hate more than wasting food and this is the easiest way to combat it. I like to take note of what is on it’s last leg and transfer any produce that are about to turn into the freezer. Of course this also helps to save money so you aren’t buying groceries you already have at home.
I hope you found these tips helpful! Comment below any additional tips you have.
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Learn how to make kombucha at home. Kombucha is a lightly sweet and carbonated fermented beverage, packed full of probiotics. Black tea, sugar, a SCOBY and kombucha starter is all you need to begin brewing kombucha at home.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
I have been a long time lover of kombucha. When my store bought kombucha habit really started to pick up about 6 years ago, I knew it was time to start brewing it myself. While a single bottle will set you back almost $5, you can make an entire gallon for less than half of that. Kombucha is a delicious and economical way to get in some probiotics.
Kombucha has gained massive popularity over the last 10 years, and for good reason. Think of kombucha as a probiotic rich, low sugar, naturally carbonated alternative to soda. The idea of making your own can sound a little intimidating, but I promise it is beyond simple and requires very little effort. As it goes with a lot of fermenting, the biggest requirement is time.
Kombucha is a fermented tea that is made with strongly brewed black tea, sugar, a SCOBY, and kombucha starter. Kombucha starts out as a sweet tea mixture which is then fermented by the SCOBY.
A SCOBY is a “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”. The SCOBY essentially feeds off of sugar and caffeine which changes the sweet tea into a slightly sweet, slightly tart, fizzy fermented beverage. The SCOBY is essentially the mother culture that you need to make kombucha. It looks sort of like a jelly fish and forms in a layer at the top of whatever vessel you are brewing kombucha in.
When kombucha is traditionally prepared is packed full of probiotics, enzymes, electrolytes, and acetic acids. Kombucha is great for supporting our gut health, digestion, and immunity.
It’s important to be aware of the kombucha you are buying at the store. These days there are many varieties on the market that are heat processed. This will destroy the probiotics and enzymes, so be aware as these are a big reason most consume kombucha in the first place.
When brewing kombucha, the SCOBY feeds off of two things, caffeine and sugar.
For tea, you can use green tea, white tea, or oolong tea in place of black tea. Caffeine free tea will not work to make kombucha.
It is not possible to make kombucha sugar free. Sugar is required for yeast and bacteria, which is what makes kombucha. This is what creates carbon dioxide which gives kombucha its effervescence. Stevia, xylitol, and monk fruit will not work.
Alternate sugar sources like molasses, honey, agave, and coconut sugar can be used. While these will work, they contain higher mineral content which can make the SCOBY a little sluggish. Unrefined cane sugar like panela and turbinado also work. Ideally, cane sugar is your best option. Using cane sugar gives the most consistent result when it comes to flavor.
Alcohol is a by product of the natural fermentation process, so while kombucha isn’t typically intended to be an alcoholic beverage, it does contain very small amounts of alcohol. You can control the amount of alcohol by how long you brew kombucha for. The longer that kombucha is brewed, the more alcohol it may contain.
To give you an idea, a strong batch of home brewed kombucha may have an alcohol percentage of 3%. That is a whole percent lower than a light beer. Commercial varieties contain less than 0.5% of alcohol so they can be sold as a non-alcoholic beverage. Some brands have stronger kombuchas that sit around 3%, so they have to be sold as alcoholic beverages. I don’t think alcohol in kombucha is something to be concerned about.
To make kombucha, you will need a few basic supplies you likely have around your home, plus the ingredients to make the fermented tea.
During the second fermentation, the flavor and carbonation will develop. You will need a few additional tools.
To flavor kombucha, the options are almost endless! Herbs, fresh fruit, and fruit juices all work to flavor kombucha. Sometimes I will even use vanilla extract. The flavoring and carbonation takes place during the second ferment. You do not want to add flavoring to your initial fermentation because it could damage your SCOBY.
I typically use 1 liter flip top bottles, but you can use mason jars. I don’t usually follow an exact formula, I like to wing it! As a starting point, I like to add to 3 cups of kombucha to a 1 liter flip top bottle. Next, add about 2/3 cup of fresh or frozen fruit. Alternatively, to 3 cups of kombucha I add about 1/3 cup of fruit juice. Just play around with this!
Keep in mind you always want to add a source of sugar in the second fermentation, so the bacteria has something to feed off of. In my case, that is juice or fruit, but if you would like to keep it unflavored, I would add a teaspoon of sugar or honey.
Some of my favorite flavor combinations when making kombucha at home:
The options are endless when flavoring your homemade kombucha!
To make kombucha at home, first start by bringing the water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the tea bags and cover with a lid. Allow to sit until the sweet tea mixture has come to room temperature. This step is crucial, because you could kill the kombucha starter and SCOBY by adding them to hot tea.
Next, add the sweet tea mixture to your gallon sized glass jar. Carefully add the SCOBY and starter culture. If the sweet tea mixture is a different temperature than the SCOBY, it may sink a little bit. Once they reach the same temperature, it will float to the top.
Cover the jar with a double layered piece of cheese cloth or a dish towel and secure with a rubber band or twine. Alternatively, coffee filters also work for this. The goal is to allow the kombucha to breathe without letting in any bugs. Allow the kombucha to ferment anywhere from 7-21 days. Yes, this is a range, but kombucha will ferment slower in cold temperatures and faster in hot. When it is ready to bottle, it will be slightly sweet and tart.
When the kombucha is ready to bottle, add any fruit or juice to the flip top bottles for flavoring. Transfer the kombucha to flip top bottles leaving a few inches of head space so the CO2 can move around. Keep aside at least 2 cups or more of kombucha, so you have some to store your SCOBY in and use in your next batch. Transfer the SCOBY to the fridge, or start a new batch following the same instructions. A new SCOBY will form on the top of your fermentation vessel.
The bottled kombucha is now ready for its second ferment. Let the sealed flip top bottles to sit on the counter for 1-3 days until carbonated. The kombucha will continue to feed off of the sugar. Finally, remember to crack the bottles once a day so that some of the CO2 can escape. While we want the kombucha to carbonate, we also want to avoid any explosions. I have skipped this step before and as a result had raspberry kombucha all over our ceiling – it was not a fun mess to clean up.
Your kombucha is ready to go! Store in the fridge so that the fermentation process is slowed.
Learn how to make kombucha at home. Kombucha is a lightly sweet and carbonated fermented beverage, packed full of probiotics. Black tea, sugar, a SCOBY and kombucha starter is all you need to begin brewing kombucha at home.
I hope this is helpful in your learning how to make kombucha at home. Let me know if you have any questions, or about your experience in the comments below!
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Refined sugar free, paleo, and GAPS friendly healthy homemade marshmallows. Perfect for roasting, adding to your morning coffee, or enjoying alone.
Store bought marshmallows are packed full of high fructose corn syrup and free from any health benefits. When made at home, marshmallows can be a perfect nourishing treat with the gut healing benefits.
Not only do these marshmallows taste delicious, but they are made with gelatin. Gelatin is a great source of glycine, proline, and glutamic acid, which converts to glutamine in the body. These days we don’t get a ton of these amino acids in our diet due to our focus more on muscle meats. I’m always looking for ways to get gelatin into my diet, usually by way of homemade bone broth, homemade fruit juice gummies, and these yummy marshmallows. Glutamine is especially important for those dealing with leaky gut.
These homemade marshmallows are perfect for roasting around the campfire or adding to hot chocolate. However, my very favorite way to enjoy them is added to my morning coffee. They really do just add a little something special to the start of your day!
To make these marshmallows, you only need a few ingredients. Water, gelatin, sweetener of choice, and a mixer. A stand or hand held mixer is required to add air into the marshmallows to make them pillowy.
Water: Water is required to allow the gelatin to bloom.
Gelatin: My favorite gelatin is from Perfect Supplements. It is important to me to purchase high quality, grass-fed gelatin. This is the only company I have found that tests for glyphosate residue. Their products perform well and are so reasonably priced, especially considering the quality!
Sweetener: You can use many different sweeteners to make marshmallows. I typically use 100% pure maple syrup or raw honey to keep them free of refined sugar, and mineral rich. Light colored honey will provide a classic white marshmallow, maple syrup will give them a slightly off white color. The taste is great no matter what!
With a short ingredient list, there aren’t a whole lot of substitutions to be made in this recipe, but you do have a couple of options!
To substitute sweeteners, you do have options. Coconut sugar, panela sugar, and cane sugar all work as well. Keep in mind, the sweetener you use will alter both the flavor and the color of the marshmallows. Coconut sugar and panela sugar will provide a more golden marshmallow.
To make these marshmallows vegan, you can potentially swap the gelatin for agar. I have not tried this, but it seems to be a successful alternative.
Flavor: Marshmallows can be flavored in so many ways. Use your favorite extract like vanilla or peppermint. For a chocolate version, add in a couple tablespoons of raw cacao powder when whipping.
Storage: Store your marshmallows in the fridge, or at room temperature. They do not need to be refrigerated, however I often do for no particular reason. To keep them firm and dry, room temperature is the better option. If you are planning on roasting marshmallows, definitely keep them at room temperature to dry out a little bit.
To Prevent Sticking: To prevent sticking there are a couple of things you can do. First, line whatever dish you use, baking sheet or baking dish, with parchment paper. You can then lightly dust that parchment with arrowroot powder. After the marshmallows are set overnight, dust again with arrowroot before slicing. Add a little extra before transferring them to an airtight container for storage. I personally skip both steps, and just pour the marshmallow fluff directly into a 9×13 pan with a lid. After setting, I slice them and keep them stored in the same pan. I don’t experience too much sticking, but I also don’t mind if they don’t look perfect! The pan is easy to clean.
To Make Mini Marshmallows: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkle with arrowroot powder, and spread the marshmallow fluff over top in a thin layer. Once set, cut into small pieces.
Start by adding 1/2 cup of water to a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin over top of the water and allow it to bloom.
Next, add remaining 1/2 cup of water and the honey to a sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
Turn the stand mixer or hand mixer on low speed, and begin to mix the bloomed gelatin. In a slow stream, pour the sweetener mixture into the bowl while mixing. The gelatin will begin to melt into the mixture.
Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 8-10 minutes. Keep in mind your elevation and your mixer will play into how long you need to mix the marshmallows for. You are aiming for a glossy, thick, white marshmallow fluff.
Next, quickly transfer the marshmallow fluff to your baking sheet or baking dish. It will set quickly, so you need to work fast. To prevent sticking, you can line your dish with parchment paper and arrowroot powder. I personally just add it straight to a 9×13 dish so I can add a lid and store easily.
Allow marshmallows to set overnight, if you can wait that long!
Once set, cut marshmallows into cubes, whatever size you prefer. Next, toss with arrowroot powder to avoid sticking. Again, this is a step I skip! I just slice the marshmallows in my baking dish and store as is with a lid.
Refined sugar free, paleo, and GAPS friendly healthy homemade marshmallows. Perfect for roasting, adding to your morning coffee, or enjoying alone.
Store marshmallows at room temperature. If you plant to use for roasting, allow them to dry out on the counter for a couple of days.
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