Well, this past weekend was the big move.  And by big move I mean we literally moved a few blocks down the street.  Much better than moving from Sycamore to Chicago.

But still, no matter where you’re moving it tends to be stressful.  The last thing you’re thinking about is eating a healthy meal.  You just want something to shove in your mouth before you haul the next box up eight flights of stairs. 

Ok, we live on the 8th floor but thank GOODNESS for the freight elevator in our building.

Back to food.

I wanted to share some of my favorite make ahead meals.  If you have a busy week ahead or a stressful event like a move, you can still have healthy homemade meals without sacrificing time and effort.  All you have to do is plan ahead a little and make a few of these meals so you can just pull em out and warm em up!

Remember, prep yourself before you wreck yourself is valid advice 😉

My Favorite Make Ahead Meals 

All of these meals can be made a few days in advance, except for the slow cooker meals.  But those are easy to just start in the morning and have a delicious dinner waiting for you when you’re done for the day! 

Cauliflower Crust– I keep at least one or two of these in the fridge and then dinner is as easy as coming up with toppings.  To make this for the freezer, do everything but bake it with the toppings on.  Let it cool and then I wrap it in foil and store it in a gallon bag in the freezer.  To thaw let it sit on the counter for a few minutes while you preheat the oven and get your toppings ready.  Then cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Sweet Potato Toast–  These are great for snacks or quick breakfasts/lunches.  Plus, one sweet potato makes like 5 to 6 slices of toast and they keep in the fridge for a little over a week.

Chicken & Jicama Salad– Pro-tip- Cook a whole chicken and then use it for recipes all week.  Like this chicken salad which is perhaps better the second day.

Creamy Broccoli Spinach Soup– Soup is another good make-ahead meal and this one gets a bunch of green veggies into your day.

Dairy Free Lasagna– I’m pretty sure lasagna is the ultimate make-ahead meal.  Like, it doesn’t get better than noodles, cheese, and sauce.  Or does it?  My version is dairy, gluten, and meat free but you can add ground beef or turkey and use noodles full of gluten if you want!

Casseroles- Ok, I lied.  Casseroles are probably the ultimate make-ahead meal and I have a ton on my blog that I love.  You can make these up to two days in advance and then just warm them up in the oven when you’re ready to eat!

• Three Cheese Cauliflower Casserole
• Mexican Bell Pepper Casserole
• Spring Casserole
• Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Casserole
• French Onion Casserole

Slow Cooker Meals- These are good if you just have a busy day ahead of you and want to come home to a hot meal.  There are a few slow cooker recipes where you can prepare all the ingredients a few days in advance and then throw everything into the slow cooker in the morning and go.

• Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls
• Slow Cooker Cauliflower Pesto Mac N’ Cheese
• Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
• Eggplant Garlic Bake 
• Butternut Mushroom Risotto

Snacks- Because every day, busy or not, needs a little bit of a snack 🙂

• Pumpkin Pie Granola
• Chai Green Tea Granola
• Cherry Pumpkin Bars
• Pumpkin Nut Bars 
• Zucchini-Sweet Potato Muffins
• Roasted Chickpeas