Meal Prep

I feel like the smallest tweaks and changes in a space can make all the difference in how it functions and feels. We have a small kitchen, and I run a business out of it, so I am constantly looking for ways to make things run more smoothly, optimize our space, and save money.

Here are a few simple ways I have organized our kitchen to save time, space, sanity, and money!

–> Cook at home. We rarely go out to eat and this has saved us a lot of money and also makes going out to eat a special treat! I also make some staple foods myself to save money: granola, bread, soup, and even peanut butter.

–> Buy in bulk (if it makes sense). There are some foods and drinks that we go though consistently, so it makes sense to buy them in large quantities because the price per unit is lower than not purchasing in bulk. A few items we buy in bulk are coffee beans, eggs, flour, juice, honey, croutons, and pancake mix.

–> Use cleaning concentrates. I buy a bottle of cleaning concentrate and dilute it myself. This is helpful in saving money and I’m not constantly running out of cleaner. We do a lot of scrubbing around here 😉 Some of my favorite concentrates are this glass cleaner, this disinfectant, and this multi-purpose cleaner. (more…)

I mentioned in a previous post that I prep Jimmy’s breakfasts and lunches in advance and freeze them. I had a lot of interest in how I do this, so I’m here to describe the process for lunches!

Honestly, I never knew sandwiches could be frozen, but I just went for it one day and hoped for the best. Jimmy tells me he really enjoys his breakfasts and lunches, so it’s a win-win situation because having these meals made in advance has made our lives so much easier!

For lunch sandwiches, I pick some sort of sturdy bread product like a bagel, wrap, hearty bread, or bun. When I made the batch of sandwiches pictured in this post, I used everything bagels and pretzel bread.

Next, I choose some kind of meat to add as the bottom layer of the sandwich. For this batch, I used rotisserie chicken on the everything bagels and ham and turkey deli meat on the pretzel bread.

I preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a cookie sheet with either parchment paper or foil and lay down the bread. Next I add the meat, cheese, and toppings and bake the sandwiches “open faced” for about five minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the bread has toasted a bit.

If you have a sturdy bread, I’ve found you can put the cheese on the other half of the sandwich without it becoming soggy.

Once the sandwiches have baked, I let them cool for about ten minutes and then assemble them, wrap them in plastic wrap, foil, or place them in a sandwich bag. When they’re completely cool, I place the wrapped sandwiches in a gallon freezer bag and freeze them until we need them.

My routine is to make a week or two of sandwiches at once, freeze them, and then pull out five on Sunday night. By Monday morning, the sandwiches are thawed and ready to go for the week.

Jimmy heats his sandwiches in a toaster oven for a few minutes, but also eats them without heating them sometimes and reports that both ways are delicious.

Notes and ideas:
-I usually keep Jimmy’s sandwiches super simple; meat, cheese, jalapeño or banana pepper slices, and srircha or hot sauce.
-If I’m feeling fancy or have more time, I like to add thinly sliced onion, bell peppers, and bacon.
-Sometimes I make pizza sandwiches and add pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and pizza sauce.
-Other topping ideas include most cooked or pickled vegetables, meat, mustard, and barbecue sauce.
-I would avoid lettuce, mayonnaise, and tomatoes, as they don’t freeze well.

Have any questions? Let me know in the comments! I’ll share a few breakfast recipes I have on rotation soon 🙂

Living My Full Life

Easy Time, Money, and Space-Saving Organization Tips for the Kitchen

How to Make Freezer Lunch Sandwiches