10 life changing family meal prep hacks that are going to make cooking quicker, easier, and a much more enjoyable experience.

It’s no surprise that I love to cook and something I am asked about often is how I am able to quickly put together healthy meals for my family throughout the week. With a little one running around, it can be a challenge for sure, but here are some fun meal prep hacks that I’ve been loving.They’ll make eating homemade healthy meals a piece of cake (pun intended).

1. Bake Your Pancakes

Don’t slave over the stove flipping flap jacks ever again. Just like baking a cake I love this hack. I used to love making baked pancakes on the weekend but soon learned that they’re a great weekday breakfast. They are fun to eat, taste delicious, and keep well in the fridge.

2. Peel Hard Boiled Eggs with a Spoon

This is the easiest way to peel hard boiled eggs. Using the back of a spoon, tap the shell of your egg all around until it cracks. Then slide the spoon under the shell and it will peel right off (practically bouncing off). It’s the best (and cleanest) way to de-shell your eggs by far! I also have a blog post you can check out called Eggs 10 Ways where I share other ways you can make your eggs.

3. Snap Asparagus Ends

If you are still chopping the ends of your asparagus, try this hack. If you didn’t know, the end of your asparagus will actually snap right off in the sweet spot where the stem becomes woody. Put your fingers near the end, bend and snap!

Pro Tip: Other ways to use the woody ends of the stem that you aren’t going to eat: use it in a soup stock, give it to your dog, or throw it in the compost bin for the garden. 

4. Store Greens Upside Down with Paper Towel

No one wants their greens getting wet or going bad. I avoid this by placing a piece of paper towel at the top of my greens container, seal it, and then I store it upside down. This hack will absorb moisture from your greens, keep them fresher for longer and prevent them from becoming wilted. 

5. Use a Spring Mix for an Instant Salad

Mixed and ready to go, this is such a fast way to enjoy a salad instantly. Salad is often the last thing on everyone’s mind when it comes to dinner. All you need to do is grab a few handfuls of your favourite spring mix, toss in some cucumbers, cherry tomatoes to spice it up, dress it and ta-da, salad is ready. 

6. Pre-Wash Your Fruit and Store in a Bowl

When I have fruit sitting in the fridge it often gets forgotten about and goes bad. To avoid this, I will pre-wash my fruits, take them out of their original bags/containers, dry them and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge or on the counter for easy all day snacking. I find that this makes them so much easier and much more desirable when it comes to enjoying a mid day sweet treat!

7. Steam Broccoli Whole

Ever get frustrated when you chop broccoli and the confetti off of the florets go everywhere? Here’s a hack to save you the mess and time. Take your broccoli head with the stock still attached and dump it into a pot of boiling water, upside down with the stem facing up. Once it’s cooked you can chop off the stems without hassle or mess.

8. Shred Chicken with a Mixer

Pop your precooked chicken (roasted or poached works great) into a stand mixer (or bowl with a hand mixer) and let the paddle do the work. I love this hack because I used to stand at the counter hand-shredding my chicken with two forks for way too long. Save your time and energy by using this trick instead. Before you shred you can also flavour your chicken by adding a drizzle of olive oil and your favourite spices. Use the shredded chicken in salads, sandwiches, absolutely anything!

9. Blend Your Separated Nut/Seed Butters

I don’t know about you but I am always the first one to open my nut/seed butters….lucky me! That pile of oil sitting on top stares me down every time and I dread the mixing process. So, what I have learned to do instead is dump the entire jar into a small blender or food processor (I love this one!). After blending, it will turn into the silky smooth spread you dreamt of enjoying and will even stay smooth after refrigerating.

Pro Tip: Make energy bites using the leftover butter still in the blender (see my recipe here)!

10. Buy a Pre-Cooked Chicken for the Week

This is a recent one I’ve been doing and loving! Having a cooked protein ready to go in the fridge for the week is a game changer, trust me! I look for a rotisserie style chicken that doesn’t have any added sugars, preservatives or weird oils. You can add this to a wrap, salad, crackers with cheese, you name it, it’s ready for the whole family to enjoy!

These are my 10 life changing family meal prep hacks! For other cooking and baking hacks, check out my cheat sheet here.

If you enjoyed this post you can check out my 7 Meal Prep Hacks, My Favourite Meal Prep Equipment & Resources, How to Meal Plan for the Week blog posts.

What is one hack you use in your weekly meal prep that is a life saver? Leave me a comment below!