The Organised Housewife
  • HOME
  • MY ONLINE STORE
  • New? Start Here
  • BACK TO SCHOOL
  • ORGANISING
  • CLEANING
  • RECIPES
    • RECIPES
    • Lunchbox Ideas
    • Meal Planning
  • COUPON CODES
  • MORE
    • BUDGET TIPS
    • THRIVING AT HOME
    • PRINTABLES
    • DECLUTTER
    • BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS
    • HOLIDAY SEASONS
      • HOMEMADE GIFT IDEAS
      • VALENTINES DAY
      • EASTER IDEAS
      • MOTHERS DAY
      • FATHERS DAY
      • HALLOWEEN
      • CHRISTMAS
      • TEACHER APPRECIATION
    • OTHER
      • ESSENTIAL OILS
        • What are Essential Oils
        • Why I use doTERRA Essential Oils
        • Current doTERRA Promotions
        • How to Buy doTERRA Essential Oils
        • Beginners Guide to Essential Oils
        • DIY with Essential Oils
        • A-Z Essential Oil Guide
        • More Essential Oil Tips
        • About Loyalty Rewards Program
        • How to Place a US doTERRA order from Australia
        • Become a Stockist
  • HELPFUL TIPS
  • FREE UPDATES
  • AFFILIATE PROGRAM
    • Become an affiliate
    • Affiliate Login
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT KAT
    • Meet the Team
    • Media/Press
  • CONTACT KAT
    • General Enquiries
    • Advertising Enquiries
    • Shop/Printable Enquiries

The Organised Housewife

  • HOME
  • MY ONLINE STORE
  • New? Start Here
  • BACK TO SCHOOL
  • ORGANISING
  • CLEANING
  • RECIPES
    • RECIPES
    • Lunchbox Ideas
    • Meal Planning
  • COUPON CODES
  • MORE
    • BUDGET TIPS
    • THRIVING AT HOME
    • PRINTABLES
    • DECLUTTER
    • BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS
    • HOLIDAY SEASONS
      • HOMEMADE GIFT IDEAS
      • VALENTINES DAY
      • EASTER IDEAS
      • MOTHERS DAY
      • FATHERS DAY
      • HALLOWEEN
      • CHRISTMAS
      • TEACHER APPRECIATION
    • OTHER
      • ESSENTIAL OILS
        • What are Essential Oils
        • Why I use doTERRA Essential Oils
        • Current doTERRA Promotions
        • How to Buy doTERRA Essential Oils
        • Beginners Guide to Essential Oils
        • DIY with Essential Oils
        • A-Z Essential Oil Guide
        • More Essential Oil Tips
        • About Loyalty Rewards Program
        • How to Place a US doTERRA order from Australia
        • Become a Stockist
Meal Planning

5 foods I meal prep on the weekend for the week ahead

by Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 8, 2019March 4, 2020
August 8, 2019March 4, 2020

Easy and quick weekend meal prep ideas that will take the stress out of dinners, lunches, and snacks for the entire week, making the manic morning and evening chaos a little easier on YOU!

In partnership with Woolworths

A smooth-sailing stress-free week starts with a little weekend planning, which is why after my weekend grocery shop I do some quick prep with my food before putting it away. These easy little hacks have become habit for me now, and take so much stress out of the week that follows. By prepping my food I am able to make it last longer, stay fresher, reduce my meal prep time on busy weeknights, and ensure there’s always healthy snacks on hand for the entire family.



1. Carrot and Celery Sticks

I cut up my carrot and celery because they make great healthy go-to snacks for the whole family. They can be put into school lunchboxes, the kids pop a little peanut butter on them for an afternoon snack, and even my dog Zoe loves a carrot stick! I used to store my chopped up carrot and celery in tupperware containers, but noticed they started to dry out. I now store them in water, cooled from the kettle, in mason jars in the fridge. After a few days when the water starts to look cloudy, I simply tip it out and replace with fresh water.

This hack saves me so much time and stops the family reaching for sugary snacks. You can also check out my tips for How To Easily Remove The Stringy Bit From Celery here.

  READ MORE: Storing Carrots And Celery For Healthy Snacking

Carrot and celery stored in mason jars for freshness

Alternative suggestions:
  • fresh carrot sticks
  • frozen carrot sticks
  • carrot snack packs

Carrot Chips – Carrot chips are a fantastic way to get your chip fix with a healthy twist. They make a great snack or addition to meals. View carrot chip recipe here. 

Healthy carrot chip and avocado dip recipe


2. Fruit, Veggies and Eggs

I wash all my fruit and vegetables straight away – (except to be honest, I don’t wash the raspberries) – cut up my vegetables, cube my watermelon, and take the spinach out of its bag. All these ingredients are then put in their own containers which helps keep them fresh, and makes grabbing a handful of cauliflower or broccoli to add to a dinner so quick and easy! Whilst I’m doing this I put the eggs on to boil. Having all the fruit washed and cut up makes packing healthy lunches easier, and the boiled eggs make for great protein snacks too. 

I use an Oxo container for the spinach, various Decor containers from Woolworths for the fruit and veg, and a couple of Tupperware containers too (these ones have lasted so long, but sadly are not made anymore).

Oxo, Tupperware, and Decor fruit and veg food storage ideas

Alternative suggestions:
  • frozen cauliflower florets 
  • frozen cauliflower rice
  • fresh cauliflower rice
  • cauliflower bacon mac and cheese mix

Baked Cauliflower and Cheese – This is a great way to make veggies tastier for the kids! Cauliflower cheese is a delicious side for roasts and other dinners. View Baked Cauliflower and Cheese recipe here. 

Baked cauliflower and cheese recipe for busy families

3. Bliss Balls

Over the weekend I like to make bliss balls. They are so quick and easy to make, are great to freeze – although they never make it to the freezer in my house because they get eaten too quickly – and are a good healthy go-to snack option. They only take 10 minutes to make, so I like to make a fresh batch every weekend.

  Find my Chocolate Brownie Bliss Balls recipe here. 

Chocolate bliss ball recipe perfect for freezing

Alternative suggestions:

  • Bliss Ball Date and Cocoa Packet Mix
  • Banana Choc Chip Ball
  • Wholefood Balls

Bliss Balls – Bliss Balls are a delicious and nutritious healthy snack which will help satisfy your sweet cravings and are super easy to make! View all my bliss ball recipes here. 

Bliss ball recipes for easy and quick healthy snack options


4. Mason Jar Salads

In summer I like to pre-make mason jar salads, and these little babies can keep fresh for 5-7 days! By prepping a few of these on the weekend, I am able to have them on hand to grab for a quick work lunch, or as an accompaniment to dinner on a busy weeknight. There is a trick to assembling these salads so that all the contents stay fresh, with the vegetables and protein layered in the following way:

Layer 1 – Dressing – 1-2 tablespoons.
Layer 2 – Hard vegetables – carrot, celery, capsicum, red onion, cucumber
Layer 3 – Pasta, rice or quinoa
Layer 4 – Soft vegetables – avocado, tomato
Layer 5 – Protein – chicken, egg and cheese
Layer 6 – Salad greens – lettuce or baby spinach

  READ MORE on How To Make Mason Jar Salads here.

Mason Jar Salad ideas for quick convenient meals on the go

Alternative pre-made salad kits: 

  • Asian Salad
  • Chicken Caesar Salad
  • Greek Salad

Tuna Salad – This tuna salad has very few ingredients but is packed with flavour! This is a great lunch option! View tuna salad recipe here. 

Tuna salad recipe option for easy healthy lunch


5. Trail Nut Mix

Trail nut mix is another really easy and healthy option to throw together. I find making it up myself allows me to put in exactly what hubby, the kids, and I all like.  Sometimes with pre-made trail mixes I find the kids leave some of the nuts and fruit behind, which is a waste. 

Alternative pre-made trail mixes: 

  • hikers trail mix
  • seed mix with pine nuts
  • mix booster

  MEAL PLAN: Available as an instant download here. 

The Organised Housewife Meal Plan Printable

Tropical Trail Mix – Easy to make and so tasty, this trail mix is great to keep on hand during the day for snack time. View this tropical trail mix recipe here. 

Trail mix recipe combination to make at home

and… LUNCHBOX SNACKS

Having a few pre-planned school lunch box fillers on hand is a sure fire way to get my week off to a stress-free start. Mornings are calmer, the kids get interesting, tasty, and healthy contents in their lunch boxes (that they actually eat!), and I save a lot of money at the checkout. I do a batch-bake-up of a few different freezer-friendly recipes during the school holidays or every fortnight to fill the freezer – and these last me weeks! I like to mix it up with a little variety – such as a fruit muffin recipe, some mini quiches, and then maybe sausage rolls or savoury scrolls. The kids love the variety, and they make great afternoon snacks for the whole family too!

  READ MORE: My Lunch Box Recipe Cookbook is available here, filled with over 50 sweet and savoury freezer-friendly recipes. 

Freezer friendly lunch box cookbook recipes and ideas

DO YOU PREP ANY FOOD OVER THE WEEKEND? 

This post is run in accordance with my disclosure policy.

16 comments
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinStumbleuponEmail
previous post
Task 32 – Declutter 52 Things in 52 Weeks Challenge – Junk Drawer
next post
2020 Weekly Planner and Calendar Coming Soon

You may also like

Delicious Family Meal Plan

Meal Plan – Creamy chicken pasta bake

Weekly Meal Plan – Ham and Potato Cakes

Weekly Meal Plan – Oven Fried Chicken

Meal Plan – Chicken Nuggets

Meal Plan – Savoury Mince

16 comments

Catherine August 8, 2019 - 7:55 AM

Hi Kat, thank you as always for your handy hints etc. Which size Oxo container do you use for your spinach? Spinach is something that does not always keep as well if not stored properly. We eat more of it if it is ready to eat 🙂
Many thanks once again, Catherine

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 8, 2019 - 11:28 AM

Hi Catherine, I got this Oxo container years ago and I’m not even sure if they make these ones anymore. I would recommend the new Fridge Food Saver range from Kmart though. This one looks quite good: https://www.kmart.com.au/product/4.5-litre-fridge-food-saver/2438803 – hope that helps! Kat x

Reply
Chelsea August 9, 2019 - 10:39 AM

I can see how a lot of these hacks would help save time during a busy week! The only reason I wouldn’t opt to pre-cut up veggies & fruit though is that once they are cut they lose alot of their vitamin content. So unfortunately healthy food then loses a lot of its goodness & the very reason we eat it! 😉

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 13, 2019 - 2:00 PM

I have heard this before too Chelsea, but after doing a little bit of research it seems that the loss of nutrients comes mainly from how much surface area becomes exposed to the air. So cutting a broccoli stem is probably better than slicing up an apple. This is also why I like to use really good air-tight containers. I guess it’s about finding what balance works for you and your own busy family – I know my kids certainly eat a lot more fruit and veggies if they are pre-cut. Kat 🙂

Reply
Tara August 9, 2019 - 10:45 AM

HI Kat,

I like to prep as much as possible too but am wondering how long your watermelon lasts. I find within 24 hours it looks less than desirable and then does not get eaten.

Cheers,
TARA

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 13, 2019 - 2:44 PM

Tara we get a good few days out of our pre-cut watermelon, which I put down to using a container with either a waved bottom or an internal drainer, so that the juices don’t pool. Kmart have a good range out perfect for this: https://tinyurl.com/y5whgh9p Hope this helps! Kat 🙂

Reply
Holly August 9, 2019 - 10:57 AM

HI Kat, love your blog, thankyou. 🙂 Spinach tip that I want to share with your readers- wrap spinach in a cloth (small clean teatowel will do) then place it back into a container. I usually lay out the cloth, tip the spinach onto it, then lift up all four corners for easy transfer into container. This honestly makes the spinach last twice as long.

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 13, 2019 - 2:01 PM

Fabulous tip! Thanks so much Holly 🙂

Reply
Hazel August 9, 2019 - 11:45 AM

I swear by Tupperware’s VentSmarts for my veges and never find they dry out. I tried your mason jar method and didnt like the smell after a few days, sorry to say! My carrots last 3 months in VentSmarts!

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 13, 2019 - 3:08 PM

Oooo, very good to know! Thanks for sharing this tip Hazel. Kat x

Reply
Justine August 11, 2019 - 10:04 AM

Great tips Kat. I like to cook a roast on Sunday and we get a second meal out of it for Monday. On Sunday I make dinner for Tuesday – eg. lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise sauce, apricot chicken. I bake on weekends and place biscuits, slices or muffins in the freezer ready to be taken out for school lunches. My meals for the week are planned prior to my trip to the supermarket. This all makes a huge difference to my week.

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 13, 2019 - 2:35 PM

Justine I am a big fan of pre-planning meals before the supermarket trip! I don’t trust myself not to get distracted by all the pretty products if I don’t, ha! Kat 🙂

Reply
Margie August 12, 2019 - 1:07 PM

How would you suggest freezing batches of biscuits, muffins etc so that they don’t get freezer burn?

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 13, 2019 - 2:33 PM

Margie I always freeze my biscuits and muffins in good quality air-tight containers, and this works wonders for me. Kat x

Reply
Jude August 16, 2019 - 11:36 PM

Our children do an hr work each week. They get to choose what to do – yard work, cleaning or cooking and they often choose to bake school lunchbox snacks. I appreciate it so much – and so do they!! (primary/high school age) (When they were toddlers it was packing up toys and when they were 4yrs old they started helping with cooking and hanging washing on racks so it wasn’t a culture shock for them to be expected to contribute to the family when they were older and quite capable = yay! Glad I did that 🙂

Reply
Katrina - The Organised Housewife August 19, 2019 - 2:47 PM

Jude I love this! Getting the kids to get in and help is a great way to instil a good working ethic and sense of responsibility in them – plus it helps give us a bit of a break too! 🙂 Kat

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Google + Instagram Pinterest Youtube Email

About Me

About Me

Katrina Springer, The Organised Housewife. Gold Coast, QLD

Global Inspiration, Social Influencer, Author, Celebrity Ambassador, Winner 2019 Gold Coast Women of the Year People Choice Award & Finalist Gold Coast Women Entrepreneur Of The Year.

I share a daily dose of domestic advice to make life simpler and tidier. If you are struggling, you can gain back the control, to have a home you enjoy spending time in and create calm to replace the chaos. Read more.

STAY UP TO DATE

SEARCH THE BLOG

AWARDS

KAT’S FAV SHOE

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

FEATURED IN

the organised housewife featured in

ARCHIVES

COPYRIGHT

Wanting to feature an idea or recipe on your blog that you have found on The Organised Housewife? I'm honoured! If you do, please use only one image, do not crop my logo and provide a direct link back to the original post. You may not share a post in its entirety without my permission.

theorganisedhousewife

The Organised Housewife™
My daughter makes these cookies for us and we all My daughter makes these cookies for us and we all love them so. I LOVE ROCKY ROAD, and these have all those yummy flavours in a cookie! They are a perfect treat in the afternoon when I sit down with a cuppa, I do love the crunch of the nuts and gooeyness of the marshmallow. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The cookies freeze really well for eating later, but I must admit we tend to polish off the batch pretty quickly and they very rarely make it to the freezer in our home. I am planning on doing a big baking day soon to stock my freezer with snacks, these cookies would make a lovely once in a while, lunchbox treat if your child attends a school that allows nuts 🥜 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The recipe is on my blog, or just swipe up in my stories! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#cookingwithkids #quickrecipes #kidsdinner #kidsdessert #easydinner #kidsfood #recipeoftheday #recipeoftheweek #cookfromscratch #lunchboxideas #foodforkids #cookingforkids #mealplanning #mealplanideas #dinnerideas #lunchideas #familymeals #rockyroadrecipe #rockyroad #cookierecipe #cookierecipes
Our 2021 New Years 14 Days Home Refresh series fin Our 2021 New Years 14 Days Home Refresh series finished yesterday. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You should all feel so proud of everything you have accomplished, be it just completing one task, a few or all of them. A start is a step in the right direction in creating a little more calm in the chaos and that is a huge accomplishment!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I have so enjoyed seeing all the efforts on Facebook and Instagram and the encouragement of others in the community as you've worked through your own Home Refresh! Making changes in the home isn't always easy but for 14 days, everyone has impressed me with their hard work and positive attitudes. Knowing that there were so many out there doing the same tasks with me every day motivated me too! I had loads of fun and I really can't explain how much I truly love helping you all, it really does humble my heart, this Refresh has really refreshed me too!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐️ Please share in the comments below:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- how this series helped you, and/or⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- the task you're most proud of completing⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thank you for participating in this Home Refresh, I truly hope your year is off to a fantastic start! If you haven't finished your Refresh or you want to do the Refresh again, you can still these simple tasks to keep your home + life organised and clean! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Kat x
DAY 14 - 14 Day Home Refresh #2021homerefresh
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Task: Tub It
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I organise everything in my home, including the dirty laundry LOL.  One area that I have tidied recently is my candle collection which I keep in my TV cabinet. Before - candles were just pushed into the cupboard and I couldn't see what was up the back.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
How did you go with today's task?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Don't forget to share your photo!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#getorganised #organisedhome #neutraldecor #newproduct #professionalorganiser #gettingorganised #declutteringmylife #cleartheclutter #organisedlife #homeorganisation
DAY 14 - 14 DAY HOME REFRESH - TUB IT⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A key to being organised is giving everything a place. Be it a zone, a specific drawer, cupboard or tub.  Everything should have a home.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
"DAY 14 - 14 DAY HOME REFRESH - TUB IT⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A key to being organised is giving everything a place. Be it a zone, a specific drawer, cupboard or tub.  Everything should have a home.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Check out today's email in your inbox with steps on how to do the final task of this series.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Don't forget to share your accomplishment, share a photo of how you've 'tubbed it', tag @theorganisedhousewife and #2021homerefresh - and you'll go into the draw to win a $200 @organisedhq voucher.
DAY 13 - 14 Day Home Refresh #2021homerefresh
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Task: Create a donation bucket
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This will help you part with clutter as your wandering, cleaning or just simply pottering around your home and you come across something you can add it to your bucket.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
How did you go with today's task?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Don't forget to share your photo! 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#cleanhousecleanmind #cleaningwithkids #cleanhometips #cleaninghacks #homehacks #theorganisedhousewife #cleankitchen #cleaningmotivation #cleaningtips #cleaningproducts #ecocleaningtips #ecofriendlyproducts #ecoclean #ecocleaning #cleaninghacksthatwork
DAY 13 - 14 DAY HOME REFRESH - CREATE A DONATION B DAY 13 - 14 DAY HOME REFRESH - CREATE A DONATION BUCKET⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Acknowledging that you have clutter and need to make some changes is the biggest step of all. Clutter can be anything from overfilled drawers, too many clothes in the wardrobe to a room filled from floor to ceiling with things you may consider special and struggling to part with.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Check out today's email in your inbox with steps for todays task. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Don't forget to share your accomplishment, share a photo of your donation bucket, tag @theorganisedhousewife and #2021homerefresh - and you'll go into the draw to win a $200 @organisedhq voucher.
Load More… Follow on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube
  • Email

© 2018 The Organised Housewife. ABN: 96 162 992 074. All Rights Reserved.   Disclosure Policy  |  Privacy Policy


Back To Top