11 Feb 5 Easy WFH Meal Ideas
When WFH began, we heard the countless plaudits for the extra time and good fortune to reconnect with our families and our kitchens, with an eye toward communing together and eating healthy! And the fact that eating out was not an option, we began to stock our pantries and got creative.
A year later, the tune has changed a bit …
“I’ve run out of recipes.”
“Cooking every day is tiring!”
“I have gained the Covid 19 (lbs)”
“Working and feeding everyone is like 2 full time jobs”
Don’t despair. With a few meal planning strategies and meal ideas, we’ll have your inner-chef back up and running in no time.
Plan. Shop. Prep.
They key to creating great meals without stress is to plan out your meals for the week, make sure you have the ingredients on hand and prep as much as possible. Here are some ideas for the entire family to join in:
- Weekly Meal Prep – Schedule a time each week to sit down and plan out the week’s meals. This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Make it a family affair and let everyone help choose the menu.
- Weekly Shopping – Whether you go to the store or rely on home-delivery for your food, shop at least once a week to make sure you have all of your ingredients on hand.
- Prep. Prep. Prep. – After you bring everything home, wipe it down, look to see what you can prep ahead of time. Planning soups, salads or one pot meals? Try washing and chopping your veggies and store them in containers so they are ready for you when you are ready to cook.
5 Simple Meal Ideas
1. Salads
Get creative and embrace the magical world of salads. They are healthy, tasty, colorful and so easy to make. Get a big bowl and throw in any and all of the following items:
- Greens (Spinach, Kale, Lettuce, Shaved Brussel Sprouts)
- Cucumbers
- Radishes
- Carrots
- Avocado
- Sprouts
- Apples
- Raisins or Cranberries
- Sweet Potato
- Butternut Squash
- Broccoli (cooked or raw)
- Cauliflower (cooked or raw)
- Nuts or seeds
You can also get create and make pasta, quinoa, rice or noodle salads. And of course, enjoy it with your favorite dressings.
2. Soups
There is nothing more comforting than a piping hot bowl of soup, especially when it is cold outside. The other wonderful thing about soups is that it takes about 10 minutes of prep (and shorter if you already prepped your veggies) and then you are free to do other things while it cooks on the stove.
They can be a meal into itself or accompanied by a delicious bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, flatbreads with toppings, crackers or whatever else you love with your soup!
3. Pizzas and Flatbreads
Pizzas and flatbreads are always meal winners. They are easy to make, sky is the limit with regards to your topping choices and they are satisfying and fun. Start with a good pizza dough or flatbread (home made or store bought) and then sprinkle your toppings, bake and voila! Mealtime. You can also enjoy a side salad to go with your pizza.
Here are some fun topping ideas:
- Cheese of your choice (dairy or non-dairy)
- Veggies of your choice (mushrooms, onions, broccoli, zucchini, peppers, etc.)
- Sausage (meat or vegan)
- Pineapple
- Hummus
- Greens (basil, spinach, kale, etc.)
- Sauce (Tomato, pesto, alfredo etc.)
4. Pasta
Everyone loves pasta. It’s easy and fast and goes with just about everything. Get creative with your sauces, your ingredients. Pasta dishes can be accompanied with a salad or side vegetable or simply enjoyed as a one pot meal. You can also enjoy traditional pasta and the many choices of protein pastas that are now available.
5. Boxed Meals
A wonderful addition to our food prep choices are services such as Green Chef , Blue Apron and Hungry Root marry the best of all worlds. They contain meals of your choice and provide you with pre-measured but you still get to put your chef hat on and cook the meal. It’s a great alternative to the weekly routine and can be ordered in as needed or on a regular basis. Something to explore.
No matter what you wind up cooking, enjoy and Bon Appetite!
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