Meal prepping is one of my favourite ways to make feeding a large family that little bit easier. With two adults and six children to feed, having some of our meals prepared ahead of time saves me so much time during the week.
For this weekly meal prep, I prepared several of our main dinners as well as some easy fillings for lunches. I also thought I would show you how we actually ate everything throughout the week, because sometimes it’s helpful to see how meal prep translates into actual family meals!
Here’s what I prepared.
Chicken Pilau and Mutton Curry
I started by preparing two dishes at the same time: chicken pilau and a mutton curry.
One of my favourite meal-prep tricks is cooking the base for two curries together. I chopped four onions in my mini chopper and cooked them in ghee until soft. I then added fresh garlic and ginger before dividing the mixture between two pans.
I added chopped tomatoes, spices and salt to each pan before adding the meat. The chicken was cooked with Greek yoghurt and the mutton was simmered for longer so that the larger pieces had plenty of time to become tender.
Preparing two meals from one onion, garlic and ginger base saves a surprising amount of time.
Roast Chicken
We were having a roast dinner one day, so rather than cooking the chicken during my meal-prep session, I simply got it ready for the freezer.
I pricked a lemon with a fork and stuffed the chicken with the lemon and some fresh herbs. I then coated it with olive oil, salt and coarse black pepper before putting it into a freezer bag.
When we wanted our roast dinner, I could simply defrost the chicken and cook it.
Creamy Chicken, Mushroom & Sweetcorn Lasagne
This was probably one of my favourites from this week’s meal prep. It turned out so creamy and delicious!
For the filling I used chicken thighs, chestnut mushrooms, red onion, garlic and ginger, sweetcorn and passata with a few simple seasonings. Once everything was cooked together, I made a homemade white sauce.
For the white sauce I used:
- 50g ghee
- 50g plain flour
- Milk
- A little salt
- Coarse black pepper
- Cheese
I melted the ghee, mixed in the flour to create a paste and then gradually added the milk, whisking as it came to the boil. Once the sauce had thickened, I removed it from the heat and stirred in the cheese.
Then it was simply a case of layering everything into the lasagne dish and finishing it with plenty of grated cheddar.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Next up was chicken tikka masala, which is always popular in our house.
I marinated chunks of chicken breast in Greek yoghurt, lemon juice and spices and, if you have time, you can leave this for around 30 minutes.
For the sauce, I cooked very finely chopped onions in ghee before adding the marinated chicken. Once the chicken was cooked, I added around 300g of passata followed by 300g of double cream.
A little salt and some extra spices finished it off before bringing everything to the boil.
This makes a lovely creamy curry to serve with rice.
Potato & Chickpea Curry
I also wanted a quick vegetarian curry to serve alongside some of our other meals.
I cooked chopped onion with garlic and ginger before adding tomato purée, spices and salt. I then added chopped potatoes, a tin of chickpeas and enough water for the potatoes to cook.
Once everything came to the boil, I turned down the heat and left it to simmer for around 20 minutes.
This was particularly handy because we could use it as a side dish rather than needing to make something extra at dinner time.
Easy Lunch Prep
Meal prep doesn’t have to be just about dinner.
I also prepared two fillings that we could use in pitta breads, sandwiches and wraps throughout the week.
For the chicken filling, I coated pieces of chicken thigh in a mixture containing egg, plain flour, salt, coarse black pepper, garlic and ginger paste and a little milk before frying them.
For the mince filling, I browned lamb mince and added salt, paprika, garam masala, garlic and ginger paste and a little tomato purée.
I also made a quick chutney-style mixture using tomatoes, red onion and pepper.
With everything prepared, I could make different combinations using pitta breads and wraps with cheese, lettuce, chicken, mince and the tomato mixture.
I even froze some of the filled pittas. They reheated really well in the microwave and tasted freshly made, which makes them a great option for busy days.
What We Ate During the Week
And this is how all that meal prep came together!
Saturday: Chicken pilau with potato and chickpea curry.
Sunday: Roast chicken and vegetables with a quick homemade gravy.
Monday: Mutton curry with rice.
Tuesday: Creamy chicken, mushroom and sweetcorn lasagne with homemade potato wedges.
Wednesday: Chicken tikka masala with rice.
That’s five family dinners largely sorted before the week had even started, plus plenty of easy lunch options.
Meal Prep Doesn’t Have to Mean Cooking Everything
One thing I’ve learnt from meal prepping for a large family is that you don’t necessarily have to completely cook every meal in advance.
Sometimes I cook the entire dish. Other times I’ll marinate the meat, prepare a curry, assemble a lasagne or simply prepare fillings that I can quickly turn into lunches.
The aim is really just to make life easier for yourself later.
I hope this gives you some ideas for your own weekly meal prep, whether you’re feeding a large family or simply trying to spend a little less time in the kitchen during the week.
