I’m here today to talk about my most recent money-saving venture: meal prep. In 2018, I had a resolution to bring my own iced coffee from home instead of buying, and it seemed to save money (about $900/year). When I first decided to try and meal prep, I wasn’t convinced it saved money. In fact, I’m still not convinced. Simple math: I used to spend $6-8 on lunch per day, with the occasional $12 day. I still feel like I spend a similar amount in groceries, but something happened a few weeks ago to change my mind: I actually did the calculation.

My friend posed a question to Facebook-world: “How much do you spend per month on groceries?” Somehow, even with living in New York, I spent less than almost everyone on the thread! I checked my mint, and I averaged $146/month over the past year, but $170 since December when I started bringing my own lunch ($274 if you include eating out & delivery, but I won’t go into that). That means I only added $24/month to my grocery bill to make about 18 lunches/month. That’s CHEAP.

To be fair, I really spent $340 on groceries, but I split it with my emoji-bf, whose lunches I also make. I know, I know, I’m a catch. But still… $170 for myself.

On the Facebook thread, people asked me how I did it, and I promised a blog. But spoiler alert, it’s not a huge secret. The main secret: it takes a LOT of time. The secondary secret: Trader Joes. Not only does TJ’s have the lowest prices I’ve ever seen (especially on organic berries and meat), but they also have some great pre-made/pre-seasoned things. And I’m always trying to cut down on time, so that helps.

Every lunch I make has the same formula: protein, vegetable, lots of seasoning, and some carb (preferably whole grain).

I’ll separate those three parts and lay out some of my fav options, while interspersing some of my go-to recipes. I have started putting my recipes on my Instagram story when I meal-prep, and some of my friends take screenshots to make the recipes for themselves. I’m such a trendsetter! And budget-setter!

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Protein:

TJ’s is a game-changer here. I buy their organic chicken breast (thin-sliced). And I buy a LOT of it. Literally last week the cashier asked if I was preparing for the apocalypse. But I just freeze it! Then I always have chicken in the house. And I can season it however I want to make something for the week. Also, TJ’s has some pre-seasoned proteins we like. Here are a few of our go-to items:

• Pesto Genovese Chicken Breast – we love this
• Shawarma Chicken Thighs – my bf’s favorite
• Pollo Asado – Also good, especially in taco bowls! I throw in black beans, onions, brown rice and fresh spinach – tada!
• Chicken Sausage – Again, game changer. At Trader Joes they have a million options (roasted garlic, jalapeno, sun-dried tomato, smoked andouille, etc.) and they are about $4 for 5 links. At my regular grocery store they are $8.99 so this is a HUGE savings. They are fully cooked, so it makes for great, easy meal prep or last-minute dinner. Also, they don’t expire for a while so I can keep it in the fridge and wait for a day when I don’t want to cook but also don’t want to spend money.

Veggies:

TRADER JOE’S, MAN! Are you sensing a theme?? They have the cheapest produce. Sometimes when I put a lunch together, the vegetables are raw, sometimes baked, sometimes sautéed, or sometimes steamed. TJ’s has a lot of “steam in bag” options, so I mostly buy these, in case I run out of time to bake or stir fry them.

I love brussel sprouts, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach. Our lunches usually contain these. The best part of making all the food is I get to pick what’s in it!

Carbs:

Carbs are a necessity for my emoji-bf for lunch. He says he doesn’t feel full without them. Before I started meal prepping, I often bought salad for lunch. And even though it filled me up, I must admit that a carb added helps me get through the day. I often don’t eat between 1:30 pm when I finish lunch, and 9:30 pm when I get home from teaching Spin class. 8 hours is a long time without food! Carbs help me power through.

• Brown Rice. This is usually what I make because I can put it on the stove to simmer/cook, then do the laundry, or take a shower, or even go for a short run. I’m all about double tasking. Also, it’s SO CHEAP. Especially at Trader Joes. I buy Basmati sometimes, or Jasmine, both are good, and incredibly cheap. It’s about $4 for a bag that can make 20 lunches or more.
• Pasta. Again, I always try to use an alternative grain instead of white. I like the brown rice and quinoa fusilli pasta, or red lentil pasta, or vegetable radiatore. All of these are about $3/bag and make 6-7 lunches.
• Refrigerated ravioli: TJ’s has some awesome ones and they are all cheap, but these are the unhealthiest carb option of the bunch, and heaviest, so I usually reserve them for dinner. Some of my favorites: Butternut Squash Triangoli, Lobster Ravioli, Honey Roasted Pumpkin, Spinach Tortellini, but our absolute FAV: Porcini Mushroom & Truffle Triangoli. Did I mention, these are each about $3??

Seasonings:

Again, I love Trader Joe’s for this. I can cook chicken a million ways using some of my favs:

• Everything Bagel Seasoning! If you don’t have this, RUN and get some. It’s good on veggies, salmon, chicken, bagels… pretty much everything.
• Umami Mushroom Seasoning Blend – “on its way to cult favorite status”
• Red Curry Marinade
• Soy Teriyaki (I love to throw chicken in a ziploc in this for 24 hours then simmer in a stir fry with fresh veggies. DELISH!)
• Tikka Vegetables or other of the $1.99 Indian non-refrigerated packets. These come in many options, some veggies, some with lentils. I usually will add lots of fresh veggies to this mix and simmer on the stove. Sometimes I’ll add chicken sausage and there’s a whole meal!

Now that you know what I like the cook, the questions are how and when? I ask myself this, too. I thought I was totally tapped out on time since I have 5 different side hustles, but somehow, I’ve managed to fit this in. I usually try to complete all food prep for the week in under 2 hours. The best way to do this is by multi-tasking and buying lots of containers.

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You need to go in with a plan. I always try to cook in the least amount of time, and with the fewest dishes to wash (also cuts down on time washing less). I try to always be using at least 2 or 3 cooking methods at a time –

Example to save time: roast chicken in the oven while cooking rice on the stovetop and steaming veggies in the microwave.

Example to save dishes: boil pasta in a pot, split that into containers, then use the same pot to cook and season ground turkey, then add in the sauce and veggies in the same pot, and let simmer for 20 minutes, all while baking salmon in the oven for dinner (on foil… no dishes).

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You guys get the idea. I hope this helped a little bit, even if for no other reason than to give you a shopping list of things to buy at Trader Joe’s! This blog is not sponsored, by the way. But if you have any connections at TJ’s and want to throw them my way for some coups, I’m all in! Buon Appetito!