Get Ahead Sunday – Your Weekly Prep Game-changer

Welcome to Get Ahead Sunday – your secret weapon to a smoother, more organised week! 💪 This is designed to make your life easier, so it isn’t about rigid schedules or marathon cooking sessions to stress you out. It’s about doing one or two (or a few!) smart things on a day off to save time, reduce stress and help you feel in control. Imagine chopping a few salad ingredients while sipping coffee, or whipping up a quick and delicious marinade to do its work overnight while you unwind – easy, flexible and oh-so-rewarding.

It’s pretty much what it sounds like – a day where you get ahead (for me it’s Sunday) to make Future You’s life WAY easier. Think of it as a self-care ritual disguised as productivity. It’s not magic – it’s strategy. One thing now = countless small wins later.

Depending on how you’re feeling – and what your week holds – the ways to get ahead could be as simple as washing some fruit and veggies, then maybe chopping or shredding them, or possibly prepping other ingredients like salad dressings or sauces, sandwich fillings for lunches, or even cooking a full meal ahead of time to store in the fridge or add to your freezer stash.

Over the years, I’ve embraced this practice in many forms and I’ve shared some of my favourite prep-ahead meals with you in my Get Ahead Sunday collections – from core meal favourites like bolognese and freezer-friendly chicken schnitzels, to mini lunchbox pizzas, burger patties and homemade chicken stew.

Of course, it works best if you pair up your Get Ahead Sunday with your weekly meal plan. so you know you’ll definitely use what you prep.

• Saves time – A few hours on Sunday can save you valuable time on busy weeknights.
• Reduces stress – Dreading the “What’s for dinner?” question? By introducing a Get Ahead Sunday, you may find you’ve already done most of the work for one or two meals, or even have prepped full meals.
• Reduces food waste and saves money – Using what’s already in your pantry or fridge avoids extra shopping and spoilage. Having those veggies chopped and stored properly means it’s less likely they’ll end up forgotten at the back of the fridge.
• Helps you feel organised and in control – A tidy, well-packed fridge with items clearly stored and easy to find makes the whole process of cooking more enjoyable. A well-stocked freezer with portioned-out, clearly labelled meals is a life-saver for those crazy weeks.

Here are some of the things you can do on Get Ahead Sunday:

Wash, prep and portion fruit and veggies

• Clean fruit and veggies, drain, then store for salads or snacks like veggie sticks (maybe I’ll prep a dip to go with them).
• Dice onions, julienne carrots, shred cabbage, then store in clear containers for quick use – ideal for veggie sides like mixed roasted veggies and yum cha-style Chinese broccoli, or veggie-packed rice bowls and stir-fries.
• Don’t forget to store your ingredients properly If you go to the trouble of washing and chopping your fruit and veggies ahead, it’s important to store them properly. I like to use glass storage containers or reusable storage bags. See all my tips for keeping produce fresh in my blog 12 Tips for Fruit and Vegetable Storage (Make Your Food Last Longer).

Marinate meats overnight

• Marinate meats or seasoned veggies ready for the oven or barbecue, such as Easy Greek Chicken or Rosemary and Garlic Lamb Leg (use the leftovers for pizza or tacos).

Whip up some quick spice blends, salad dressings or sauces

• Spice blends and dressings mixed into jars e.g. my 2-minute Balsamic Salad Dressing or totally addictive Easy Chicken Salt, or 10-minute Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce.
• Check out all my dressings and sauces here.)

Cook ahead (especially where you can cook once and eat multiple times)

Some things are ideal to cook ahead as they can be used for multiple meals through the week (or frozen to use later). This is where you get to cook once, but eat multiple times.

• Bolognese works for classic spag bol, and if I make extra I can use it for lasagne, a pasta bake with gnocchi, load it onto baked (jacket) potatoes or stuff it into capsicums (bell peppers).
• Roast chicken or a one-pan tray bake (sheet pan dinner) like roast chicken and veggies might sound like a big deal, but they require minimal prep and can be cooking away while you do other stuff. You can eat your roast chicken on the Sunday night, then use the leftovers during the week for chicken salads or chicken sandwich filling.
• Freezer-friendly chicken schnitzels are one of my fave things to make ahead. Serve them with freezer-friendly mash and steamed greens, or a simple make-ahead 15-minute creamy mushroom sauce, or even with pasta in Crispy Chicken Schnitzel Alfredo. The schnitzels are also gorgeous in sandwiches or subs like Chicken Schnitzel Pesto Sandwich or Crispy Chicken Caesar Sandwich.
• Breakfast ideas like Easy Toasted Homemade Granola (only 5 minutes hands-on and the smell while it’s cooking is divine!) or 10-minute Chia and Oat Puddings (I store them in jars for the week).

Freezer stash additions

• Double-up the recipes and freeze the extras: Hidden Veggie Bolognese, soups like Comforting Chunky Minestrone, quick fritters like Cheesy Corn Fritters, Freezer-friendly Chicken Schnitzel and sides like Freezer-friendly Mashed Potatoes and Freezer-friendly Garlic Bread.
• See more ideas for brilliant freezer meals here.

School lunchbox prep

• Yoghurt jars, muffins, boiled eggs, sandwich fillings like The BEST Chicken Sandwich Filling, or cold chicken salads like Chicken Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing.
• See more ideas for prep-ahead Lunchbox hacks here.

Get the kids involved!

• Kids can help with things like making homemade dumplings (great to use in salads or just serving with a dipping sauce) or crumbing schnitzels.

• If it sounds overwhelming 👉 start with just one task – Peel and julienne those carrots for tomorrow’s stir-fry.
• Keep it simple – No matter how small, if it helps you feel ahead, it counts.
• Use items you already have – no extra shopping needed.
• Match up your prep with the meals you have on your weekly plan, or at least that you know you’ll be cooking this week.
• Make it part of your Sunday vibe – coffee + chopping board = win-win.

To show you how it works, here are a few real-world Get Ahead Sunday combos all ready in less than 2 hours.

• Example 1: Prepared chia puddings and homemade granola for breakfasts and snacks through the week, patties for beef burgers, a trusty bolognese and some Freezer-friendly Mashed Potatoes.
• Example 2: Roasted two chickens (one to eat for dinner, one to shred for lunches), cooked a bolognese, made a Comforting Chunky Minestrone soup and some Cheesy Corn Fritters (great for lunches).
• Example 3: Prepped fruit and veggie storage, made One-pan Roast Chicken and Vegetables, The BEST Chicken Sandwich Filling and Chicken Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing.

Want more inspiration? Head to SimpleHomeEdit.com and explore the Get Ahead Sunday collections – 10+ curated weeks of prep ideas to fit every life stage and energy level.

This Sunday, consider committing to one prep win – chop, marinate, cook, or stash a meal away. And don’t forget to tag me in your prep pics – I’d love to cheer you on! And if you're hungry for more, dive into my collections or subscribe for weekly inspiration. Ready to start? Trust me, your future self will thank you! 😊