Meal Prep 3 Dinners This Sunday. That's It. That is the secret.

You've heard this a hundred times.

"Meal prep! It will change your life!"

But every time you heard it you didn't see the point or it felt too overwhelming.

I get it. I was you.

When my boys were young, I was stuck in an exhausting cycle that I'm guessing sounds familiar: no plan → eat out all week → feel guilty → promise myself we're eating at home from now on → buy all the groceries → plan all the meals → get too tired to cook → watch the food go to waste → repeat.

Every. Single. Week.

I wish I had figured this out back then. I really do. I waited until my empty nester era to figure it out and I wish I could tell my younger self to stop and take the time to do this!

Here's the secret. And it's simpler than you think.

Don't meal prep the whole week. Just prep 3 dinners.

Not a month's worth. Not a full week. Not every meal of the day.

Just 3 dinners.

That's 3 nights you don't have to think about what's for dinner. 3 nights you aren't standing in your kitchen at 6pm wondering "what's for dinner?" 3 nights you aren't tempted to pull through a drive-through because you're too exhausted to cook. 3 nights the kitchen cleanup takes 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

That's it. That's the whole thing.

And honestly, if that feels too overwhelming it ok!! I have been there! Try this instead, throw 2 lbs of chicken in the slow cooker on low Sunday morning, when it is finished cooking let it cool, shred it up, and suddenly you have the protein for a couple of shredded chicken dinners! You could make shredded chicken quesadillas or BBQ chicken sandwiches and the list goes on. Cook up a couple of pounds of ground beef while you are at it and now you have the protein for tacos or spaghetti!! Afraid it will go bad? Put it in freezer bags and thaw it out fast before dinner.

If you feel up for something a little more challenging keep reading!

3 of My Favorite Freezer Meal Prep Dinners

These are my personal go-to meals for Sunday prep. They freeze beautifully, thaw easily, and the day you cook them dinner is on the table fast with minimal cleanup.

Meal 1: Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

This one goes together in minutes on prep day and cooks fast on dinner night. We love it over rice.

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken breast, thinly sliced

• 5 cups broccoli florets (frozen works great)

• ½ cup orange juice

• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

• ¼ cup honey

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 piece fresh ginger (about 2 inches), peeled and grated

To prep and freeze: Open a 1-gallon freezer zip-lock bag. Add all ingredients. Write the meal name and date on the outside. Double-bag it in case it leaks when thawing. Freeze.

The night before: Move from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

To cook: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a small drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Dump all the contents of the bag into the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Serve over rice.

Meal 2: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

This one is the definition of a dump-and-go dinner. Everything goes in the slow cooker in the morning and dinner is ready when you get home. It's warm, hearty, and genuinely feels like comfort food.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cubed beef stew meat

• 2 cans (10.75 oz each) condensed golden mushroom soup

• ½ cup chopped onion (leave out if you prefer)

• 1 jar sliced mushrooms (leave out if desired)

• ½ cup water

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 8 oz cream cheese

  Depending on how much meat your family likes this can feed 3-4 people, this is easily doubled though!

To prep and freeze: Combine all ingredients except the cream cheese in a 1-gallon freezer bag. Write the recipe name and date on the outside. Double-bag. Freeze.

The night before: Move from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

To cook: In the morning, dump all the bag contents into your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 4–6 hours.

In the last 30 minutes, add the cream cheese. Here's a trick that makes it mix in much better: scoop out some of the sauce into a bowl, stir the cream cheese into that smaller amount until it's smooth, then pour it all back into the slow cooker. It blends so much better this way.

Serve over wide no-yolk egg noodles with a simple green salad or green beans on the side.

Meal 3: Sheet Pan Chicken Pitas

This one feels a little fancier but it's incredibly easy — and the spread you serve it with makes it feel like a full restaurant meal at home.

The recipe comes from Pinch of Yum — she includes the recipe for homemade tzatziki sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced into strips

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon curry powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Black pepper to taste

• 3 bell peppers, thinly sliced (I use 3 different colors — it's beautiful)

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

To prep and freeze: Combine the sliced chicken, all the seasonings, lemon juice, and olive oil in one 1-gallon zip-lock bag. Put the sliced peppers and onion in a second bag. Place both bags inside a third bag and freeze together so they're easy to find and thaw together.

The night before: Move from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

To cook: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Spread the chicken and seasonings from the first bag onto a baking sheet. Pour the veggies from the second bag into the bag itself, add a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss right in the bag until everything is coated. Pour onto a second baking sheet. Place both pans in the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the peppers are soft and brown.

A note on the veggies: mine almost always release water and don't get brown — but they taste amazing anyway, so don't let that discourage you.

Serve with warm flat pita bread and any combination of toppings you love: Tzatziki sauce, hummus, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, pita chips, feta cheese. The more the better honestly. Kids love this one because they get to pick their own toppings!

Will this take time on Sunday? Yes.

A couple of hours, probably.

But here's what that couple of hours buys you for three nights of the week:

✅ Less time thinking about dinner ✅ Less time preparing dinner ✅ Less time cleaning up after dinner ✅ Less money spent eating out ✅ Less stress at 6pm when everyone is hungry and tired

That's not a bad trade.

Start with just these 3. See how it feels. Follow us on social media for more tips on how to successfully do this for more than 3 days!!

Also, these meals can be frozen and thawed, so if Sunday doesn't work... that's ok!! Make them when you have time and pull them out to thaw when you are ready.

Wishing you a great and healthy start to the school year!!

Melissa Powell, FNP-BC