I was raised in an ingredient’s household – no packaged food. My mum is not a nutritionist or a health nut or anything along those lines. She just loves cooking and has done it so much that she is insanely efficient and can’t understand why people buy packaged foods when the homemade version is healthier, less expensive and doesn’t require that much effort.

I am the same but I do it with a lot less pizzazz.

Unlike her, I am obsessed with achieving as much as I can in the time I have available. Thus, my vibe in terms of meal prep is about removing the thinking from the process. I want to muscle-memory the shiz out of that situation and have meals and recipes in my default setting that provide great health benefits but require as little time and effort as humanly possible. I’m happy to spend two hours in the kitchen every now and then but I’m not doing that every day – no flipping way.

So, here is a list of recipes that I prepare once a week or once a month that can be used on repeat as a grab & go option when in a rush – all inspired by my mum.

Smoothie Packets

Slice and dice cucumber, celery, kale, apple, spinach, and carrot then slip into a sandwich size ziplock bag and freeze. Simply add water and blitz when ready to use (can also add protein powders or juice to enhance health or flavour. Etc.)

Homemade Granola or Muesli Bars

Oats, seeds, nuts, coconut oil, maple syrup, spices and fry or bake in the oven (homemade granola recipe here). Serve with yoghurt or milk. Store in an airtight container for a month or combine with honey, butter and some brown sugar then refrigerate to make muesli bars (muesli bar recipe here). Can be frozen and individual pieces removed as needed.

Homemade Hummus and Veg Sticks (courtesy of my friend Brie)

Slice celery, carrot, cucumber and capsicum into sticks and store in an air tight container in the fridge for the week.

Use this homemade hummus recipe from Well Nourished (here) and store in a fridge for the week.

Eat a portion a day until gone.

Chia Puddings

Recipe found here. Store in jars in the fridge and take one each day until gone.

Bircher Muesli

Oats, yoghurt, milk – store in jars in fridge for the week and take one each day until gone. Serve with nuts, seeds, honey and fruit.

Veg Fritters or Savoury Muffins

Corn and zucchini are great in both! I also love roast sweet potato cubes if I’m feeling fancy and have leftovers in the fridge (see this post for more details on that concept).

I cling wrap individual servings once cooled as a legit Grab&Go option. The veg fritters are so good when toasted in a sandwich press – my whole staffroom can attest to this. Recipes found here.

In my experience, this is The Easy Way to save time and money when working full-time. I’d often take three of these options to work as breakfast, morning tea and lunch then rotate for the following week so I get variety in the fortnight. What are your go-to work meals that save you time and money?

J