Cooking Ahead: Mason Jar Meals

Looking ahead into each work week, I have to cook ahead. I may seem mad to some, but I promise, there is a method to my madness.

At the end of each weekend, if someone were to look into my refrigerator, they would think I need admitted for OCD. Each shelf perfectly lined with mason jars filled with food. Larger ones with grains or salads. Medium size with soups or stews. Small jars with sauces and sides. Tiny ones (on the lucky special treat weeks) with desserts, such as beetroot pots de créme.

Our little family just doesn't eat sandwiches. We're not the usual lunch suspects. Being a vegan is much more planning than that. Also, with our crazy schedules, as Husband and I pass in the night, we need meals that can be easily accessible and can grab on the go.

Back to my madness — each weekend I dedicate a {half} day to planning out a week of breakfasts (which almost always are steel cut oats), lunches and dinners; grocery shopping; cooking; and finally dividing each of the meals into individual servings, in mason jars. This is the perfect solution for our family.

Personally, I don't find this to be madness. I find my life prior to mason jar meals to be mad....Early morning before darting out the door, we would chop, mix and fly around the kitchen leaving it an utter mess for later on. That life was stressful. I like my mason jar life now.

You're probably also wondering why on earth would I spend a day off of work cooking. Why not just go out to eat more often or grab lunch in the cafeteria? Well, my answer for you is, this way I know my husband and I are eating healthy and delicious meals. It really is simple: prep and cook your meals, place into individual serving size jars, screw on the lid and TA DA! Ready for a week full of deliciousness. I've also found that we waste much less food when all the meals are prepped ahead of time, which makes my wallet smile.

I use a variety of sizes, as mentioned above. I purchase them at my local market but also can be ordered through Amazon.com.  They're fabulous, dishwasher safe, doesn't contain funky plastic toxins, stain-proof, helps control portions, and just make life easier! I use mason jars for so many things, not just food containers. Use your imagination — there are so many uses!

How do you get your family fed and out the door during the week? Are you making a new years resolution to get a better system in place for feeding your family wholesome meals?