We all want to eat healthy, but if you have a full time job or kids (or both!) you hardly have the time. Cooking at home is the easiest way to make sure your meals are nutritious and delicious, but it definitely isn’t the fastest. So what’s the solution to healthy eating in a time crunch? Meal prep!

Time Saver

Okay, so technically this will still take time, but if you do it on the weekends you’ll still have plenty of time during the week. Do your big grocery run on Saturday afternoon, then set aside a few hours on Sunday to cook. If you’re a hands-off person, try a recipe or two that you can just throw in the slow cooker and roast some veggies in the oven. There’s no reason to be over-ambitious here; you’re prepping these meals to make your life easier. So don’t feel like you need to be Julia Child or Martha Stewart.

Money Saver

Those trips to Chipotle during your lunch break really add up, even if you don’t want to admit it. Eating out for dinner every night costs even more. If you have all your meals planned and prepped ahead of time, you won’t need to worry about what you’re having for lunch before you head to work. And you’ll have dinner nearly waiting for you when you get home. Not convinced that meal prep will save you money? Try it for a week. Go on a big grocery run and keep your receipt. Make your meals for the week. Then, check your bank balance and compare your grocery receipt with the money you spent last week on food. We bet you’ll see a big difference!

Life Saver

You’ll find a ton of meal prep ideas and quick fixes on Pinterest. The key to using Pinterest is to not get overwhelmed - you know you won’t make 20 different recipes in one week, especially if they result in unfamiliar food. Start off small, with only three or four all-new ideas. It’s okay to eat leftovers one night and go out to eat once a week. Once you’ve found a few dependable recipes, then you can start experimenting and trying different things. Remember to keep your meal prep easy; you don’t want to make too much work for yourself.