Meal prepping can seem overwhelming at first!  What if you get sick of the food?  What if you spend hours on Sundays preparing meals for the week?  Here are some tips and tricks to make meal prep easier each week.

1. Wash your fruits and veggies when you get home from the grocery store - This cuts down on time, use of dishes to strain, and allows for fresh fruits and veggies to be used for meals or as snacks during the week! 
2. Choose a theme for your meals - You don’t have to prepare the same meal for every day, but pick a theme!  Then, you can prep components and mix and match.  For instance, if you want to do Mexican-themed foods, brown some beef with taco seasoning, have some rinsed and drained back beans (both good protein sources), prep some rice, and a couple different types of veggies!  This allows for variety without having to prepare a completely different meal every night.
3. Make sure you’re including a variety of food groups - A good rule of thumb is at least three food groups at every meal.  Try preparing a protein, grain, and fruit or veggie!  Even mixing in some cheese would add a dairy, giving you another food group.
4. Shop in bulk - If you know that you are going to need a lot of an ingredient, or you are going to use that same ingredient for multiple meal preps (usually a non-perishable), check out bulk purchasing options to make your trip to the grocery store more budget-friendly!
5. Remember your food safety - When you are preparing food, make sure you don’t put it in the fridge too hot, or let it cool down on the counter for too long.  Also ensure you are cooking all food to the appropriate internal temperature.  When storing food in your fridge for the week, a good rule of thumb to ensure it stays safe for you and your family is keeping it for a maximum of four days.​

Check out some mason jar meal prep inspiration: https://greatist.com/eat/mason-jar-meal-prep-recipes#Breakfast ​

Currently, product availability in grocery stores across the nation has fluctuated significantly from week to week. As individuals' schedules are also in flux, there may not be a set day that one can get to the store, causing even more uncertainty when planning meals. Here are some ways to make your grocery list more adaptable!

• Outline your meals for the week - This will alleviate any unnecessary trips to the store. We find that picking a dinner "theme," such as breakfast for dinner or Mexican-themed foods is enough to guide you through the isles while giving you enough flexibility based on whatever is available. 
  
• Have a backup plan - This is especially the case with proteins. For example, pinto beans and rice would make an easy pantry-based swap for ground beef, if your store is all out. 
• Make sure your items can be multi purposeful - One tip we always share with clients is that they can batch cook things like rice and meat, which can be later tailored to fit varying flavor profiles. For example, a large batch of penne pasta can be cooked at once, but can be used with a red sauce one night and then also turned into a cold pasta salad for lunch the next day.
• Remember your essential food items - We have all left the grocery store and realized we forgot the flour!  Including the basics, such as olive oil, flour, butter, or lemons on your list helps you remember. 
• Break up your list - divide it into proteins, grains, dairy, pantry staples, snacks, etc and come up with a couple options for each.  This allows you to mix and match based on what you need for the week, and gives you flexibility if something is available.

Don’t forget the freezer! - whether that is the grocery store freezer section, or buying the meat that is on sale and freezing that until you are ready, remember to keep frozen foods in mind.

The five senses work together to provide both our minds and bodies with satisfying and nourishing meal experiences. Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch each add their own element to mealtime. Besides taste and smell, the sight of a food item sets certain expectations about things like intensity of flavor (e.g., a brighter colored food provides a more intense expectation of flavor). Touch contributes to detecting texture and temperature. Of less obvious understanding, is how sound is integrated into acceptance or rejection of certain foods. Sound helps one anticipate the feel of a food (e.g., the crunchiness of a carrot). Try these fun sensory games with your kids today:
Smelly Spicy Art by Mindful Littles
Five Senses Popcorn Mini Book by I Heart Crafty Things
Desalinization Experiment by STEAM Powered Family

Basic Biscuit Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick (or other brand biscuit mix)
1 cup salt
2 cups water
1 TBSP cream of tartar
1 TBSP oil
Your choice of kool aid or cocoa (for sight and smell)
Directions:
Pour and mix all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave, scrape and stir the bowl. Next, microwave for another 3 minutes. Remove from microwave, stir, and let cool for 1-2 minutes. The final step is to knead the dough.
Recipe from: No Time for Flashcards