Meal Prepping with Mason Jars

Meal Prepping with Mason Jars: A Time and Money-Saving Strategy for Busy Families

Introduction

If you are a busy family looking to eat healthy without the hassle of daily cooking, meal prepping with mason jars could be a wonderful tool to up your healthy eating game. Imagine dedicating just a few hours on a Sunday to prepare delicious soups and sauces that can carry you through the week or even month. This method not only saves time and money but also encourages healthy eating, especially when busy days become even busier with sporting events and family activities.

The Benefits of Meal Prepping with Mason Jars

Save Time and Reduce Stress

Meal prepping allows you to reclaim your evenings. By spending a few hours prepping on Sunday, you can ensure that nutritious meals are ready to go whenever hunger strikes. Instead of scrambling to prepare dinner each night, you can simply heat up your delicious recipes that you have premade. Some of the overwhelm for parenting comes from the constant need to do the mundane things- cooking, cleaning and ensuring everyone’s needs are met.  After a busy day at work and school, sometimes the last things we want to do is clean a kitchen.  By using this method, on the nights you don’t have the energy to do one more thing the mess in the kitchen is minimized while still being able to have a meal.

Using the mason jar method to create things like overnight oats, or pre make Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and syrup in the morning along with grain bowls allows for busy mornings to go smooth and still have a healthy breakfast. The more we can put basic needs on auto pilot, the more time we can spend enjoying life.

 

Save Money

Buying groceries in bulk and preparing meals at home is often cheaper than frequent takeout or dining out. With the increase in grocery prices, we have been shopping at stores like Costco or Sam’s Club more often than the traditional grocery stores to stretch our food budget.  By utilizing mason jars, you can store and portion your soups and sauces, ensuring nothing goes to waste. You can also take advantage of seasonal produce and sales, which further reduces your grocery bill.

Meal Prep Ideas: Soups and Sauces

Mason jar salads were all the rage for a while along with healthy breakfast bowls, but we want you to know there are so many other uses for these that many don’t think of.

Flavorful Soups

Soups are perfect for meal prepping. They can be made in large batches, are highly customizable, and freeze exceptionally well. Here are a few family-friendly soup ideas:

• Gluten Free Sausage and Tortellini Soup: Loaded with Italian sausage, chicken broth, spinach and the cheesy tortellini, this fills you up!
• Creamy Homemade Split Pea Soup:  This easy recipe using carrots, split peas, vegetable broth and ham along with the perfect blend of spices and is guaranteed to warm you up on cold nights.
• Noodle Soup: We keep this on hand for when we get a childhood craving or someone is sick.  Pairs perfectly with homemade bread or our favorite clean saltines.

Versatile Sauces

Sauces can elevate any meal and are easy to make ahead of time. Consider these options:

•  Marinara: An easy way to toss together any meal.  Add to your favorite pasta dishes.
• Pesto: Is a great option for pasta or as a spread on sandwiches, packed with flavor and nutrients.
• Sticky Sweet Sauce: A fantastic addition to stir-fries or drizzled over grilled meats and veggies. We love using our prepped rice hack to pour this over and make meal time tasty without much work.

Tips for Successful Meal Prepping

Choose Your Containers Wisely

Mason jars are excellent for storing soups and sauces because they are airtight and keep your food fresh. We use a wide mouth funnel to pour the ingredients in with minimal mess. . Remember to leave some space at the top to allow for expansion when freezing. We love using these reusable tops for easy storage and also for the kids to take soup or healthy lunch to school in. We don’t have to worry about them cutting their fingers on the traditional mason jar canning top. Many times, I will store dinner in these and use them for work or school lunches the next day.  We don’t have to worry about them cutting their little fingers on the traditional mason jar canning top.

 

Plan Your Menu

Know what your family will eat so that on a busy week you won’t be left scrambling because someone doesn’t like their meal.  Do this before you head to the grocery store so you can ensure you have enough mason jars and the proper size mason jars.  Full disclaimer, we have many sizes in our home because we kept breaking our regular glasses.  I started using mason jars not just for storing food, but to drink out of as well.  They are much more durable. Knowing what you need in advance will save you time and moneIy!

Batch Cooking

During your meal prep day, make a large batch of each soup and sauce. Portion them into mason jars, label them with the date, and store them in the fridge or freezer. This not only keeps your meals organized but also makes it easy to grab and go.  Often, I will plan my batch cooking day around things with similar ingredients.  For instance, noodle soup, gluten free tortellini soup, dump and go soup.  They all use similar spices and vegetables.  If i know they will keep for a few months in the freezer, I can cook like this ever few weeks instead of every week and know I will have extra meals in the freezer always ready to go.  I would recommend storing in portion control sizes so that if a family member isn’t home on a certain night, or if you live by yourself you won’t waste food.

Clean Kitchen, Happy Family

One of the best parts of meal prepping is the reduced cleanup. With prepped meals ready to heat, you’ll spend less time at the sink washing dishes every night. A clean kitchen means more quality time spent with family—whether it’s cheering at a sporting event or relaxing at home. Even being recipe creators, the kitchen cleanup can be overwhelming to us at times.  Somedays mama just needs a break!

Now get to Meal Prepping with Mason Jars!

Mason jar meal prep is an efficient and creative way for busy families to eat healthy, save time, and manage their budgets. By preparing soups and sauces ahead of time, you can enjoy delicious home-cooked meals throughout the week without the cooking dinner. So why not dedicate a few hours this Sunday to transform your family’s dining experience? Your future self will thank you!Happy prepping!