With this easy step-by-step Meal Prep Sunday guide, a few hours of hustle on the weekend can save you 5 days of stress during the week!
Like many other families across America, my kids headed back-to-school this week. As much as I’d like to think I am the picture of organization when it comes to setting up a school routine, the truth is that our weekdays can be hectic on a good day and pure chaos (and misery) on a bad day.
Between trying to get going in the morning when our kids would rather be sleeping and trying to get dinner on the table in the evening when we’ve also got dance, soccer, homework, PTO meetings, and any number of other obligations, it often feels like our Monday through Friday is nothing but rush, rush, RUSH!
Can anyone else relate to this?
But ever the optimists, this year my husband and I are determined to do better. We’ve already told ourselves that this will be the year that we know what’s going on, that we don’t miss an event or forget to pack a lunch or neglect to return a permission slip.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so this year, to keep ourselves on track, we have worked on developing this easy step-by-step Sunday Prep plan. We figure just three hours of serious hustle each weekend will save us five whole days of stress during the week, which seems like a very worthy tradeoff! Luckily this year we also have the benefit of our new Frigidaire 2-in-1 Upright Convertible Freezer, which makes preparing meals ahead of time a whole lot easier.
While Sunday evenings work for us, you could just as easily follow these steps on a Saturday morning or Friday afternoon—whatever works best for your family and your schedule. The point is to actually block out a recurring chunk of time each weekend to prep for the week ahead. And for a family of four like ours, the cooking portion of the plan really only needs to be done every other Sunday.
This plan is definitely doable in 2 hours if the whole family helps but may take just a little longer if you are working all on your own. I strongly encourage you to involve your kids as much as possible—let them be responsible for picking out their own clothes, folding laundry, picking up around the house, and even helping with some of the food prep! You might just be surprised at how much fun you all have racing against the clock to get it all done.
In just 2 hours, you will have completed these tasks:
Sounds pretty good right? Below you will find everything you need to get it done!
Shopping time is not included in this 3-hour time frame, so you will need to make sure you have the following items on hand before you begin!
Food:
Ingredients for 10 Meals in an Hour (Check out all our recipes & plans here)Additional Supplies:
Before you begin, be sure to check the following items:
Before beginning, make sure you have all your ingredients and supplies ready. When everything is in place, just set the timer and GO!
0:00 – Gather laundry & sort into lights and darks. Start first load of laundry in washing machine. Fill kitchen sink with hot, soapy water.
0:05 – Prep 10 freezer meals, using instructions/recipes from our 10 Meals in an Hour resource HERE. While you are prepping your meals, have your kids pick out their clothes for each day of the week and/or tidy their rooms.
1:05 – Wipe down kitchen counters. Transfer first load of laundry into the dryer and start second load of laundry in washing machine.
1:10 – Prep freezer PB&J sandwiches using instructions found HERE; save the crusts for breakfast cupcakes. Have kids help with sandwich prep and placing sandwiches in bags for freezer.
1:30 – Turn on oven; prep Breakfast Cupcakes using instructions found HERE, using the bread crusts leftover from sandwiches for the base.
1:50 – Place breakfast cupcakes in oven. Transfer dry laundry to laundry basket; transfer second load to dryer.
1:55 – Wash dishes & load dishwasher; wipe down kitchen.
2:10 – Remove breakfast cupcakes from oven & place on wire rack to cool. Have kids pick up living areas and dust while you speed clean the bathrooms using instructions found HERE.
2:25 – Approve outfits that your kids have chosen
2:30 – Plan week’s meals using printable family meal plan found HERE.
2:40 – Sort & file kids paperwork; sign permission slips and add to backpacks.
2:50 – Remove 2nd load from laundry; fold and put away.
Now give yourself a big pat on the back, then put those kiddos to bed and enjoy a glass of wine. You are DONE and now ready to start the week off right! Doesn’t it feel good?
What else do you do on the weekend to make sure the rest of your week runs smoothly?
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How Sunday goes for me really determines the tone for my week! Thanks for sharing these great tips!!
I believe I used to have a printable that went along with this, I don't see it in this post...
Hi Ashley,
The printable is in the "Dig Deeper" box. Just click the "get my prep plans now" button.
I've seen the idea of choosing clothes for the whole week...but where do you put several kids' clothes out for the week?
We usually just place then in the closet in the order that they would wear them. Or you could use the labels and hang on the hangers. :)
This is an awesome idea.
With the whole week planned, clothes chosen, lunches made, laundry caught up and a clean house and kitchen, I'm not sure what I would do. But I'm sure going to try and find out how it feels.
Thanks so much.
This is good information, but I would vote for a different day than Sunday. That is our family's Sabbath time.
This is great! I am going to pin this for later.. Sunday prep is needed, but this seems like a super effective way to make the most of it!!
I love the idea of your organization and meal prep. We too have an issue w peanut butter & my kids don't really even like sandwiches! So we have healthier options. Also, our washer dryer takes a lot longer than yours & I'm not quite sure how you fold an entire load & put it away in ten mins?
I love this! I will be sharing this for sure -- what an awesome plan! I only wish I had a freezer like yours to be able to do freezer cooking. My current freezer as small as a shoebox--not kidding. Someday soon I will have an upright freezer too :) I know I can, I know I can...
I love this stuff. The more detailed the better! I don't think this exact plan would work for our family of work-from-home homeschoolers, but I do love the sentiment. I'm thinking I will try something similar to meet my own needs. Nothing beats a little preparation heading into the week.
I'm really concerned about the food you're preparing for your children. All that gluten, sugar and dairy is setting them up for a lifetime of weight and health problems. It is possible to eat well on a budget - you could easily teach that on a Sunday night. You could have the slow cooker going and make soups or stews and freeze these in readiness for the week. I suggest a column on healthy eating done the night before. From Nichola, a nutritionist