Bite Of Minnesota: Citrus Date Muesli

With 2015 ending in a fast-and-furious way, planning for 2016 was nearly impossible. Between family commitments, workload and general craziness during the holidays, a quiet moment to ponder upcoming goals was elusive. Or maybe I was too busy squeezing in episodes of "Making A Murderer" before and after our New Year's Eve celebration. I know I wasn't the only one!

I've never been one for resolutions anyway and luckily, I started some really good habits early in 2015 by getting into meal planning and prep. I've always loosely planned and prepped our meals, but 2015 brought about some serious prep work in the kitchen as I pulled myself away from bad habits into good habits.

No one is perfect, including myself, and sometimes the week or weekend simply takes over, but there are a few things I prep each Sunday to help stay on track. These are all stacked in my fridge (sometimes with masking tape labels) and are ready to grab and go. It took us awhile to find the right containers for everything but I think our collection of mason jars (various sizes), Pyrex, Lock & Lock containers, and Nalgene 2 oz. jars (perfect for salad dressing and dips) has served us well.

1. Hard-Boiled Eggs
Super simple to do: place eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water and a lid and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, let sit 10 minutes before immersing in an ice-water bath. Peel and eat.

2. Salads
I fill a container up with greens, add 1 oz. cheese, some dried or fresh fruit and a handful of nuts. Sometimes I'll add a chicken breast or dinner leftovers and it's ready to grab-and-go for work. I also keep a bottle of balsamic glaze at my desk for a quick dressing.

3. Veggie Sticks & Dip
Sliced carrots, celery and radishes are standard for us but sometimes I'll add peppers, radish or zucchini for variety. I also pack a side container of Greek yogurt mixed with seasoning or hummus.

4. Breakfasts
I prep breakfasts for four out of five work days and usually have a yogurt parfait (yogurt, fresh fruit and granola), steel-cut oats mixed with dried fruit, chia pudding or this awesome citrus and date muesli recipe.

Do you have any more go-to meal prep ideas that I should incorporate this year? I'd love to hear your thoughts!