Grilled Balsamic Mini Meatloaves Recipe

I know that I’ve talked before about my crazy schedule. I’m not a mother running children to school and endless activities but I do have a full-time job in addition to my blogging career.  I try to stay healthy with my lunches and dinners but sometimes when I’m constantly on the run after work it just seems easier to run into a fast/casual restaurant and grab dinner. I have started to learn, however, that if I spend just a little bit on time on Sunday planning my lunches and dinner and doing a little bit of prep, I can eat healthy all week long at home.

Here are some of the things that I’m doing on Sunday to prepare for a busy week:

1. Whether it’s for yourself or your children prepare 5 days of lunches on Sunday. I have a plethora of containers perfectly sized for salads and snacks that I pack on Sunday to get me through the full week. This allows me to quickly grab containers each morning and put them into my lunch bag without having to worry about what to pack the night before or what to pack that morning. It allows me to bring a healthy lunch to work instead of running out to purchase something at a restaurant. The portioned containers also allow me to control calories.
2. I also like to get all of my produce washed on Sunday and placed into storage containers. This allows me to easily reach for a snack of berries or vegetables at night. While it’s easy to grab a bag of baby carrots, I much prefer regular carrots. Having these peeled, cut and placed into air-tight containers allows me to quickly reach for a snack in the evening.
3. Since I usually get home later in the evening I try to have my dinners partially prepared ahead of time. If you can have your chicken marinating or bags with meals that can easily be dumped into a slow cooker in the morning, you’ll find dinner to be less stressful.

One of my favorite meals to prepare ahead of time is meatloaf. This is such a quick and easy thing to have prepared in your refrigerator to throw in the oven when you get home from work. And while meatloaf is typically a fall/winter comfort food, I transformed this into a summer delight by grilling mini versions of meatloaf! I like that this creates less mess in your kitchen and this can be a deliciously healthy dinner if served with a side of steamed vegetables or a salad. What are some of your weekly meal planning tips?