As back-to-school season rolls around (how did it come back around so quickly?!), mornings become busier, and mealtimes more hectic. We get it, juggling nutritious eating with the demands of school schedules and busy lifestyles can be a challenge, but that’s exactly what we’re trying to address and resolve for people just like you.
Whilst signing up for a meal delivery service like ours is the easiest way to free up your time and eat delicious and nutritious meals, it’s not always financially viable or even suitable for everyone. That's why we're sharing some of our top meal prep tips and tricks from our kitchen team to help you navigate this busy time with ease, ensuring your family enjoys healthy, delicious meals without the stress (or as little stress as possible)!
1. Embrace the Power of Breakfast Prep
Starting the day right is crucial, especially for busy school mornings. While it’s easy to reach for the cereal box or breakfast bar these options often don't provide the most nutrition for yourself or your family. A nourishing breakfast fuels the body with essential nutrients that support cognitive function and energy levels, making it important not just for physical health but for academic performance too. Preparing breakfast ahead of time can ensure you and your family are getting a nutritious start to the day and save precious minutes. It’s like the saying goes “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Here are a few ideas:
Get Ready-to-eat Breakfasts Delivered Every Week
Take all of the stress out of morning meal prep by signing up to our weekly breakfast subscription. Get a selection of delicious breakfast parfaits delivered to your door every week. Either eat your breakfasts at home, or have them on-the-go if you're really stretched for time in the morning. Suitable for adults, children and everything in between!
Make Overnight Oats
Overnight oats can be batch prepped and stored in the fridge for up 5 days. All you have to do is mix together oats with some form of yogurt, milk and any additional fillings you want then pop them in the fridge until you're ready to eat them. If you prep them all in one big bowl and then portion them up, it will take less than 15 minutes to prep. Then you've got breakfast for the week sorted. Check out our overnight oat recipes in our Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes for Busy Mornings blog.
Meal Prep Chia Pudding
If you fancy something a little it lighter for your breakfast than overnight oats, chia pudding is another great option! Much like overnight oats, all you need to do is pop chia seeds, you milk of choice and any additional fillings into a container and store in the fridge. You can get super creative with your recipes too, check out our Black Forest Chia Pudding and Banana Bread Chia Pudding recipes in our Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes for Busy Mornings blog for some inspiration!
2. Kid-Friendly Lunches They’ll Love
Packing a lunch that comes back empty is every parent's dream. Combine that with being able to prep a few lunches ahead of time and you're onto an absolute winner! Don't leave lunch prep till the morning, instead try and prep a few lunches in the evening. Here are simple, child-friendly lunch ideas that are nutritious, fun and can be prepped a few days ahead:
Wrap It Up
Fill whole grain wraps with our Chickpea "Tuna" or Tofu "Egg" sandwich fillings (available every week in our add-ons section) add in some veggies, roll, slice, and pack! Lunches really can be as simple as that. If you've got a bit of a picky eater on your hands, fill the wraps with their favourite sandwich fillings instead. Slice the wraps into a 2cm rolls and you've got a fun lunch ready to go.
Finger Food Fun
Kids love to pick and a bento box-style lunch means minimal prep for you! Pack a bento box style lunch with a variety of bite-sized fruits, veggies, "cheese" cubes, dips and crackers for an easy lunch.
3. Create a Weekly Menu
We all know the dreaded question filling our head once we finish work "What's for dinner?". Instead of having to think of a meal every night, plan your meals for the week in advance. We asked our team how they plan their meals for the week (if they're not taking any The Conscious Farm Kitchen meals home) and the best answer we got was: "We sit down as a family and all suggest one meal idea, if we're all on board with it we add it to the weekly menu". You can adopt a similar approach and let meal times become a full family affair.
4. Reuse Weekly Menus
Instead of having to think of new meals every week, just reuse old ones that your family have loved. You'll start to create a list of family-favourites and staples that will be easy to make, prep, and keep your whole family satisfied.
5. Batch Cook and Freeze
Some meals are super easy to batch cook and pop in the freezer. Basically, you can make your own ready-to-eat freezer meals, or if you really want to save time you can order frozen meals from us every week! If you're making a curry, soup, stew, chilli etc... for your dinner, make extra and freeze the leftovers. If you always do this, you'll end up with endless options on hand in your freezer for those evenings when you're either too busy to cook or just really don't have the energy.
6. How We Can Help
At The Conscious Farm Kitchen, we’re here to support your meal prep needs:
- Weekly Meal Deliveries: Subscribe to our weekly prepared meal plans and receive fresh, plant-based meals delivered straight to your door. Our menu include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sides. Choose the meals you want and get them delivered every week without ever having to lift a finger.
- Frozen Meals: Perfect for last-minute dinners, our frozen meals are a great backup for when you just don’t have time to cook.
- Nutritious Breakfasts: Start your day right without the hassle. Our ready-to-eat breakfast options provide quick, healthy choices for the whole family.
- Add-ons: We always have a selection of handy add-ons you can add to your weekly order. Get sandwich fillings, salad dressing, sauces, and dips to support your own meal creations.
7. Stay Prepared and Stress-Free
Organization is key during the school year. Over the weekend, plan your meals, check what’s on hand, and prepare what you can ahead of time. Labelling meals and utilizing can also help you keep track of your fridge contents and ensure nothing goes to waste.
Back-to-school doesn’t have to mean back to stress when it comes to mealtime. With these tips and our help at The Conscious Farm Kitchen, you can ensure that your family enjoys wholesome meals that fuel their days. Interested in learning more about our meal plans and offerings? To find out more about weekly subscriptions, flexible meal plans, and individual meals head over to our 'How it Works' page.
Want to order meals for next week? Place your order between Tuesday - Saturday to get healthy prepared meals delivered to your door next week!
