I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. I have learned through trial and error throughout my life what works for me to keep me on track. In the past this has included medication, behavior modification therapy, and keeping a meticulous paper planner (the last two are current practices),

Because I have ADHD, long term focus on tasks that aren’t exciting is a struggle for me. One such task is meal planning. It’s a chore, often a bore, and can be very involved depending on what I’m prepping for the week.

It is, however, a great time and money saver. Around here, we tend to eat the same types of meals – lots of grain bowls with tons of veggies, chicken salad sandwiches, and even the occasional mac and cheese night. Sometimes you just want Mac and cheese from a box. Yum.

My meal prep for last week and this week was not that bad, once I committed to the task at hand. It didn’t take that long either. Here’s what I prepped, for chopped salads to eat with chips, and veggie-laden grain bowls.

2 bunches of parsley, chopped; ends split between veggie ends box in the freezer for making stock later, and two very grateful Guinea pigs! 1 bunch whole carrots, peeled and shredded; peels and tips given to the Guinea pigs, leafy greens put in the freezer for stock. 3 cucumbers, washed and diced, skin on. 2 bunches of scallops, chopped. 1 red and 1 green cabbage, chopped. 8 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cobs; cobs put in freezer for a TikTok corn cob jam recipe I want to try.

I put everything in its own individual Snapware container. Snapware is the best! I got 2 boxes at Costco and use them for meal prep and taking lunch to work. Everything is stored, airtight, in the fridge. When it’s time to make dinner, I grab handfuls of all the chopped veg, and a hefty sprinkle of the parsley. Mix in a large bowl with a dressing of choice, and serve this yummy chopped salad with chips, warm pita, or atop a cheesy pizza. For a grain bowl, same process for the salad, then add golden quinoa, bulgur, or brown rice.