Hello! Good morning! Happy Monday!
How was everyone’s weekend? Things were pretty darn good over here…you already saw most of my Saturday, and Sunday was just as nice. I had a baby shower brunch to go to for my friend Kate, which my mom was also going to so it was nice to spend a few hours with her. After the shower I came home and both Jay and I did some work around the house – I did a little cleaning, laundry, and organizing, while Jay worked a bit more on the nursery.
When it came time for dinner, surprisingly enough, I actually had a bit of motivation to put some time in the kitchen. Who knew?
I think my favorite part of the meal was Kristin’s Creamy Garlic Shells. I pinned these a while back and came across them yesterday while trying to figure out dinner. I already had everything on hand – even after I ruined the first batch after burning the garlic. Whoops.
Dinner also included another Pinterest find, which was this chicken recipe. I pinned it a few weeks ago and had high hopes, but it wasn’t quite as stellar as I was hoping for. I mean, it was good, but it didn’t come out looking anything like the photo and just tasted like it was missing a little something.
I’ll have to figure out what to do to jazz up the other chicken pieces, because we’ve got plenty of leftovers from both!
So that whole motivation in the kitchen thing? Would you guys believe that I actually did a teeny tiny amount of prep work for the week ahead??? I know, right? Crazy.
I’ve had a spaghetti squash sitting on my counter for a while, so I decide to test out Skinnytaste’s Spaghetti Squash Lasagna. I didn’t follow it exactly but it was pretty close and is basically the same idea…lots of spaghetti squash, sauce, and cheese. YUM. I packed up one piece to go along with my lunch today and will still have three more for during the week.
I also prepped two batches of overnight oats in a jar. These jars have been waiting around for a about a week , so I figured I should probably get working on them. Since I never seem to feel like making OOIAJ when I should (aka, the night before), I figured I’d just prep them now and have them for during the week when I want them.
One of those days just so happens to be today. ;)
This morning I also managed to get up on time for a quick workout. Nothing crazy…just a quick, 30 minutes on the treadmill which varied in inclines and speeds while watching the morning news.
Now it’s time to get back to the grind that is the work week. Ohhh, it sneaks up on us so fast, doesn’t it?
Question for the Morning:
How much food prep do you do on the weekends for the week ahead? A lot? Nothing?
Someday, I hope to be as good as Lindsay, but I doubt that I’ll ever get to that point. ;)
Caitlyn @ City and the Cubicle says
For some reason, I have no motivation to do any prep on the weekends. I usually do it Monday afternoon after work! So Monday’s work meals are usually pretty awful, haha.
chelcie @ chelcie's food files says
I like to do some food prep mainly just for lunches if I have time..that spaghetti squash lasanga sounds delicious but I am drooling over those creamy garlic shells!
Nicole @ Fruit 'N' Fitness says
I love skinny taste recipes and that lasagna looks great! I don’t think those pre-made OIAJ would last too long around this house.
Lindsey says
I used to do way more, but now I do less. I make sure I have a meal plan for each meal every day and make sure there are leftovers each night for my husband’s lunch and call it done! I usually bake every other weekend to make sure we have some muffins or cookies on hand too.
Lauren says
I did a food prep one week in college and I never did it again. Frozen dinner Kashi meals for the teacher! Don’t mind if I do. haha!
Avery @ SBLW says
I really should food prep, I just…well, never get around to it. Whoops. Love the JIF, reppin’ the PB!
Lyric says
I am more of a food prep the night before kind of gal. But I really would like to maybe roasting some veggies up for the week or cooking up some chicken, I think it would make thing A LOT easier!
Amanda says
I try to prep as much as possible on Sundays. Some weeks are better than others, but I try to portion out my breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the week.
Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes says
I used to do more but kind of got out of the habit. Winging it works for us! Any progress on baby tooths name?? :-)
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
girl, you’re rockin’ it! every little bit helps :)
Kathryn says
I’m horrible, I know I should do some prep for hubby’s lunches on the weekend (I stay at home, he works), but I never get around to it. Though, I did get a little better this weekend. He’s been wanting breakfast burritos in the morning (scrambled egg, a potatoes O’Brien type mix, and bacon). We get up at 4:30am, so making the potatoes was killing me. I made a big batch yesterday and just reheated the portion I needed this morning, cut down the breakfast making time by 20 minutes!
Ashley @ Life and Fitness says
I have a love/hate relationship with food prepping for the week. It’s great when you have all your meals ready to go during the work week, but it’s def. time consuming on the weekend. Whew, I felt so accomplished when I finished all my meals yesterday!
Paige @ Your Trainer Paige says
Lindsay is the queen of meal preparation! That’s pretty good, too, Courntney. I’m impressed ;) Although I pretty much suck at it. Sometimes I’ll make breakfast the night before…if I’m feeling ambitious ;)
Heather @fitncookies says
Lindsay is the best at meal prep! I hope to be as good as her, but I am happy if I prep one meal for the week, haha. The past few weeks I have been trying to prep my lunches at least for the week because that is the hardest to pack for me!
Erin @Axell's Kitchen says
I am so bad at meal planning, it would make my life so much easier if I would do it! I make a spaghetti squash “lasagna” similar to that that’s delicious! And those shells look so good need to try those.
Brooke @ Running In Heels says
Awesome job on the food prep girl! If I ever work up the ambition to grocery shop on a Sunday, maybe I can start to prep too ;)
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I’m definitely better some weeks than others! I want to be good about food prepping, but I’m just not as organized as I’d like to be!
Sara @ fitcupcaker says
I love overnite oats! Especially in a PB jar, yum
Holly Hoff @ EatGreatBEGreat says
Those creamy garlic shells look delicious! Every Sunday I try to do all my prep for the week. I cook several meals (or my husband grills) and we try to get our work lunches/breakfasts together as well. It’s definitely worth it to do it ahead of time, rather than scrambling b/f work in the a.m. :)
Natalie @ Free Range Human says
Good job on the food prep! Getting things done like that is such a rewarding feeling!
Andrea @ Andrea out loud! says
I pretty much just started doing some extra food prep a couple weeks ago. I precut all my fruits and veggies, etc and cook up some Quinoa, and make some salads in a jar etc for the upcoming week! Im loving it, definitely saves me time!
Linz @ Itz Linz says
i go through phases with meal prep – sometimes i’m really good and do a lot, other times i do nothing and that really makes me scramble throughout the week!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
Meal prep is pretty much a way of life for me. I made the enchilada recipe you shared and froze them for meals during the week. They were do good! I’ve also had my eye on IGE’s shell recipe.
Sarah says
I have tried that chicken recipe also and felt that it was missing something. I had such high hopes but just was as disappointed as you. It was good chicken, but nothing special.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I have never thought to make lasagna with spaghetti squash, but that is a genius idea. Thanks for sharing the link! :)
Jillian @ Trail Mix Diaries says
I prep all of my fruits & veggies on grocery day, which is always Tuesday, and is always my “rest day” from working out. I find that if I don’t do it right on grocery day, I end up not eating them (because I’m too busy to wash, cut, package) & I end up tossing out so much produce. That’s about the extent of my food prep.
Meghan @ After the Ivy League says
Awesome job food prepping! It always feels so nice during the week when lunches, etc. are ready to go. I’ve been really slacking with food prep lately thanks to a bunch of weekends away. I’m not complaining though, if a weekend away means I can’t prep lunches, that’s a small price to pay! I’ll be in the kitchen tonight though haha
Emily @ The Good Era says
After prepping on Sunday’s because of Lindsay for the last few weeks, it totally messed up my week when I don’t do it now. At the very leased I like to get a few lunches packed/dinner’s started. It makes the week so much easier!
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
I’m actually pretty horrible when it comes to food prep. The only thing I really always make sure to have on hand is some kind of baked/grilled chicken so I can easily throw a meal together in a pinch, but other than that I tend to make it up as I go along. I used to be really big into meal prep but I think I kind of burnt out on it… That and I don’t like putting something together and then feeling like I have to eat it just because it’s there, even if I’m craving something else.
Katie @ KatieEnPursuit says
Jealous of your OIAJ! I’m almost down to some empty jars :) If I know I’ll be in town most of the week, I do a decent amount of prep for quick lunches at least. Dinners I try to plan enough so that I don’t have to go to the grocery store during the week, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t :)
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles says
I pinned that garlic shells recipe too…glad that it turned out well!
I’m not a food prep-person at all. I’ll usually make extra if I’m cooking rice for dinner or something, but make an entire meal for the sole purpose of meals to eat later in the week? Never happens.
Lindsay says
I always say I’m going to make time to prep on the weekends – I have the best intentions – but it just never happens. I don’t know why! Maybe next weekend. Maybe ;)
Miranda @ Miranda Runs says
I never food prep. I feel like that’s a blogging sin! Oh well… I’m confessing my sin! ;)
Suzanne @ Mixing It Up says
Some weeks I am great with food prep, others not so much. The problem I have though is that I get bored of eating the same thing every day so by about the third day I am ready for something else. Besides, I stay home so it is easy to just head into the kitchen to whip up what I am in the mood for.
Raychel says
Not much food prep for me on the weekends- I think the most I do is probably defrosting meat for the week and making a Sunday night meal for leftovers on Monday… having to make dinner on a Monday night after the gym is so dreadful for me!
Ellie@Fit for the Soul says
wowww that spaghetti squash lasagna looks amazing, as does the garlic shell dish. I guess I’m wanting some Italian right now :D I never food prep but do always eat up the leftovers for 1-2 days, not in a row though.
Brittany @ Little b's healthy habits says
I usually try to prep snacks and breakfasts for the week, plus all our veggies. Then, I really just have to make dinner each night and we use that for leftovers the next day! :)
Leigha says
I absolutely hate food prep! I prefer knowing what I’m going to make for dinner each night instead. I always have some hb eggs.. that’s about it haha!
Angela @ Health's Angel says
I’ve been horrible about food prepping and cooking in general lately. No motivation whatsoever. I’ve been eating the same yogurt bowls for lunch and just making salads for dinner. But I’m not sick of them…yet!
Barbara says
I wish I could say I’m a food-prepper but I’m not. It happens kind of randomly… I don’t think that counts.
Garlic shells look de-lish! Chicken looks good – just looks likes it needs some sauteed vegetables on it – sauteed mushrooms, red peppers, and onions maybe?
Annette@FitnessPerks says
I’m a food prepper ONCE in a while. Hah! I’m not very committed to it–it’s more like every other week or so. I just need to buckle down & do it–but my faves are cooking up a big batch of black beans, hardboiled eggs, and quinoa.
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake says
Food prep is something I SHOULD do, but I never seem to get around to it. I like your idea of making a few batches of overnight oats at once. I eat them practically every morning, so why have I not thought of making several servings at one time??? Definitely doing that tonight!
Emily @ Hungry Delights says
I was so proud of myself. Last night when I got home from work I meal prepped a whole week of dinners and cleaned the entire house. I really doubt I will be feeling that energetic tonight :) Meal prep is so helpful to make the rest of the week less stressful and full on.
Erin says
How funny, I made that same Pinterest chicken recipe last week and I felt the same way! The yogurt made the chicken really moist but it was really missing something in the flavor dept. I even added some Dijon mustard but maybe some fresh herbs would help?
Kim @ Cooking in the City says
I tend to either go all out, or do nothing. This week I had planned to do tons of (Saturday) food prep because I am working a conference, but I didn’t and I ended up eating some really unsatisfying food today. I’m about to make some overnight oats so that, if nothing else, I can have a good breakfast for tomorrow! I need to check my PB jar to see if its ready- thanks for the inspiration!
Angela says
I am no good at food prep. I like the idea of it, but when it comes time to do it I can never follow through. :)
Victoria @ Reluctantly Skinny says
I try to prep as much as I can, but I could definitely do better. I meal plan to save money and always have a healthy option, but I don’t actually prep most of the stuff in advance. I honestly get kinda skeeved out by prepping something like ground beef 5 days in advance, but it would probably save me so much time!
Bek @ Crave says
Good thinking on the food preppin- that make it so much easier during the busy working week :)
Sarah says
Hey Courtney,
Loving the Garlic shells! Although I think I might of overdone it on the Garlic if you ask my husband oooops lol.
I tend to prepare only salad dressing for the week.
I try and cook everything on the day if possible which takes up a lot of time obviously, so it would be nice to do more prep in advance.
We go through tons of salad in my house, hence the dressing gets made in batches.
Thanks for sharing, hope you have a lovely week.
Sarah xoxo
Kelly @ Femme Fitale says
Hah! I am the worst!!! I always intend to prep in advance, but sadly they are just pipe dreams. Instead, I try to make extra food at dinner time in order to have left overs for lunch the next day :)
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says
I LOVE prepping food the weekend before because it truly does streamline my week, but this past weekend I was home for my bridal shower so I missed my food prep and things are a little crazy when it comes to putting food together! EEK! Oh well…at least I went grocery shopping so we have plenty of options to choose from :)
Jessamy @ In the Words of an Asian says
It depends. I mean, sometimes when I know my week is going to be insane; I try to prep on Sunday. But most times I just make a huge meal on Sunday and we eat off it all week.
David says
I would be absolutely lost if I didn’t prep food for the week. What with work, socialising and training there is little time in the week to spend cooking. Get it all done on Saturday and then you have no excuses.