Do you struggle with your grocery budget?  Or with planning meals ahead of time (and a food prep system for kids sounds like a distant dream)?  …..uh ya, me too!

You are so not alone!  When my son first started eating solids (pre-packaged Gerber Baby Food), my life was super easy.  The food was packaged, easily accessible, and I didn’t have to prepare anything!  For a working mom, this was amazing!  I could just grab the food and go in like 2 minutes.

Then, as he was developing and beginning to eat actual solids, I had a slight panic attack when I realized I was going to have to prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks….EVERYDAY.  I work full-time and I barely had enough time to feed myself, let alone another human.

I started brainstorming a way to have meals for him that were:

• Balanced
• Prepared
• Portable (to provide to child care)
• Portioned
• INEXPENSIVE

I needed an option that would fit all of that criteria, which I thought would be impossible.  I had no extra money to be buying all the “lunch buddy” sized food items for kids.  I did not have the time to be cooking special things for him, and I knew my husband definitely would not be participating in that venture either.

So I took a look into my cupboard and found the stacks and stacks of empty baby food containers (seriously, I probably had 60-70) that my mother-in-law told me to save because I would find a use for them.  What do you know?  She was right!

What started looking like this:

Was now to this point (only TONS more in my cupboard than this picture shows).

Prepping Balanced Meals

I realized these containers were already “portioned” into individual servings; I just needed to fill them with nutritious food.  Some of you may cringe at what I’m about to tell you, but I have found that it works for me and my family!

Instead of buying fresh produce, meat, dairy, etc.; I buy canned and frozen items.  These are just as nutritious (in my opinion) and cost me so much less!

My typical shopping list:

• Canned vegetables – carrots, peas, green beans, mixed vegetables, yams (to mash)
• Canned fruits – mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, peaches, pears
• Canned beans – black beans
• Pasta – spiral noodles, elbow macaroni, macaroni & cheese
• Boxed mashed potato flakes
• Frozen salmon (individual filet packages in a larger bag), Hot dogs, Chicken nuggets (these aren’t the healthiest, I realize).
• Pancake mix – my son has pancakes for breakfast every morning with a banana.  I make ~100 pancakes at a time, bag them into individual servings and freeze them.  This makes them grab ‘n go!

My prepping system:

• Vegetable (canned mixed vegetables) – Take 1 can, drain it, divide the can into 3-4 empty food containers
• Meat/Protein (black beans) – Take 1 can, drain it (I rinse off the beans in a colander), divide the can into 3-4 empty food containers
  • If I am using Salmon, hot dogs, etc.  I will bake the Salmon then divide it among 3 containers.
• Grain (mashed potatoes) – Make 4 instant servings and divide it into 3-4 empty food containers
  • You can also do this with butter noodles, mac & cheese, mashed sweet potatoes, etc.
• Fruit (pears) – Take 1 can, drain it, divide the can into 3-4 empty food containers

Then I stack all of these in the refrigerator.

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My Grab ‘n Go System

In the mornings, which are ALWAYS a rush, me or my husband (whoever has the kids to drop off that day) can just go to the fridge and quick grab what is needed for the day.

Typical day of food for my son:

• 2 pancakes + banana (pancakes are already pre-packaged in the freezer, just pull out a baggie!)
• vegetable container
• protein container
• grain container
• fruit container
• +/- cheese stick
• 8-10 oz. of milk in a sippy cup (which was filled the night before)

ALL I HAVE TO DO IN THE MORNING IS PICK OUT A CONTAINER OF FOOD FROM EACH FOOD GROUP.  IT’S SO EASY!!

This method provides my son with meals that are:

• Balanced
• Prepared
• Portable (to provide to child care)
• Portioned
• INEXPENSIVE

Saving Money

With this method of creating meals, I have saved money by:

• Re-using the Gerber Baby Food containers
• Buying canned foods (~$0.70 – $0.90 per can)
• Having everything prepared so there is no last-minute impulse purchase of food for the day

What I love most is, if a container is lost or damaged; I DON’T CARE!

I have had minimal investment in the container for the amount of use I have gotten out of it.  My son is now 18 months old and I still haven’t run out of these containers.

These are so easy to use!  I believe whoever is taking care of your child (you or someone else) will also appreciate this system.  All that has to be done is put the container in the microwave for 30 seconds and a hot serving of meat, veggie, pasta is ready to go!

This is a super convenient way to make sure your toddler is eating a balanced meal and it adds up to $30 or less per month!

Do you have a food prep system that works for you?

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