5 Make Ahead Meal Ideas

Turn to these make ahead meal ideas when you’re feeling short on time for a healthy weeknight meal! Simply just reheat and eat!

I feel like an imposter writing a post about make ahead meal ideas when in fact this week I’ve done NOTHING to prep ahead for our weeknight dinners. We had a really busy weekend c/o Paw Patrol Live, a birthday celebration at my parent’s, Ted jet-setting for a work trip, and well, if I’m being honest, I was just too darn tired! I did however get my grocery shopping done on Friday and picked up more than a few grocery store short-cuts [pre-cut veggies, frozen produce, frozen fish, etc.]. But because we are heading into the busiest time of the year [I sort of feel like it started with Halloween], I’ve put together a few of my favorite make ahead meal ideas [beyond shredded chicken] that have jumpstarted the dinner-making process!

If you keep scrolling, you’ll find the food prep pic included + the finished product—- in non-food blogging style, but real-life, real-mom fashion. Hence the lighting and shadows! Lucky for me I know you busy people aren’t judging. If it tastes good and the kids eat it, it’s all that matters!

Make Ahead Meal Idea #1: Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies

So when I made this meal on a Sunday, I simultaneously cooked a batch of quinoa. When it was time for dinner on Tuesday, I sliced the cooked sausage, threw it in a skillet with a little olive oil, plus the roasted veggies and quinoa, and voila! DINNER! You can also see from the picture above that I had slow cooker apples, pork, and onions cooking too. We ate it that day though!

Make Ahead Meal Idea #2: Flatbread Pizzas

Here I have the ingredients for a sausage and mushroom flatbread pizza, but you could really prep any pizza ingredients you like ahead of time. Making the sauce + cooking the sausage and mushrooms was the real time saver! This combo would also be delicious in a pizza quesadilla, or pizza-dilla!

Make Ahead Meal Idea #3 &#4: Taco Baked Sweet Potatoes and Stir-Fry

During another round of food prep, I cooked the sweet potatoes in the microwave [on high, in 3 minute increments until cooked] and the ground beef with taco seasoning in a skillet. When it was time to eat a few days later, all I needed to do was bake the sweet potato with the beef + a little cheese until heated through! You’ll also see in this food prep pic more sausage, sauce, and mushrooms. We’ve been loving those flatbreads! And for the stir-fry, I suggest just chopping a few veggies ahead of time so when it’s time to make that 15-minute meal the most time intensive part is done!

Make Ahead Meal Idea #5: Bacon Mushrooms Burgers

I’m fine with a plain old cheeseburger. But I found some bacon, mushrooms, and onions in my kitchen when it was time to do my weekly food prep [I think Ted planted the bacon] and it hit me: LET’S MAKE BURGERS! I haven’t figured out how to prep burgers ahead of time… but if you know the trick, let me know!

While there are plenty of other recipes or make ahead meal ideas on my website, these are what’s shaking and baking right now in my kitchen. And because old habits do NOT die hard, check out my shredded chicken meal ideas—- shredded chicken is one of THE easiest ways to make a meal ahead of time! You could also prep a batch of Sunday gravy or soup on the weekend too… ok. Leaving you with that! I’m overwhelmed by a lot these days and if I throw too many ideas your way it will sound like rambling. Or have I already accomplished that?!

Now that we’ve hit THE busy season of the year, what are you doing to ensure your family is eating healthy?!