Mom’s meal prep tips make dinner quick, easy and stress-free

Deciding what’s for dinner is a daily headache for many moms (and dads), who cook for the family.  

Cara Richardson, senior digital editor at USA TODAY, is all too familiar with that struggle. After a long day of work, the last thing she wants to think about is 45-minutes of chopping, browning and simmering. So, she’s become a pro at meal planning. It’s helped her sanity and health. Plus, she’s saved money along the way.

Her tools are simple: deep freezer, Crock-Pot and a spreadsheet.

“The key to saving your weeknights is taking out the prep,” she said. “It takes a little bit of planning. But, once you get into a groove, I promise it’s easy.”

One of Richardson’s family favorites is pizza.

“I hate takeout because it’s so unhealthy and it makes you feel so lazy and gross,” Richardson said.

Her solution? Pizza Soup. It packs the pizza flavor without the carbs, and it’s an easy, freezer-friendly make-ahead meal. Even Richardson’s 3-year-old daughter Annica loves it.

Pizza Soup, adapted from Skinnytaste

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrot

28 oz crushed tomatoes

32 oz beef stock

8 oz small pasta

Bay leaves (optional)

She preps her beef and vegetables ahead. Then, packs the mix (cooled browned beef, onion, celery and carrot) in a plastic bag labeled with ingredients she’ll add before serving (crushed tomatoes, beef stock and small pasta). Pro tip: Write serving suggestions and ideas for sides on the bag, too. 

Then, evenings are easier: Pull out the mix, heat it up (thawing in the microwave saves time), add three ingredients and TA DA. Dinner is served. #winning

When Richardson does make pizza, she bakes just the crust (usually Rhodes frozen bread dough), wraps it in foil and freezes it her deep freezer. Then, before dinner, she rubs it with olive oil and tops it with salt, pepper and her favorite toppings. This way the pizza just needs to be heated before meal time. 

Other make-ahead favorites? Crockpot Red Pepper Chicken found on New Leaf Wellness (she freezes the raw chicken and vegetables together) and Sour Cream Noodle Bake by The Pioneer Woman (Richardson opts for low-fat cheese and fat-free cottage cheese and sour cream).

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Mom Bod is a USA TODAY video series featuring tips from moms on fitness, nutrition and mental health. The goal? Let's be real about the struggle to "healthy" and learn to love our mom bods.