Camille Styles on How to Make the Most of Sunday Meal Prep

Followers of wellness and style blogger Camille Styles appreciate that she’s an equal lover of green juice and fully caffeinated coffee. The mom of two believes everyday moments are cause for celebration and has made it her mission to show others how to “live life like you mean it.” In this interview, Styles shares her favorite Sunday meal prep hacks and recipes to help weekday dinners feel a little less hectic.

Let’s start with the basics. Tell us about your background and how you came to work in the health and wellness space.

I’m the founder and editor-in-chief of the lifestyle site CamilleStyles.com, where we deliver daily content to help our audience live life like they mean it! I run a team of seven incredible women based out of Austin, Texas. We produce shoots and write articles about food, entertaining, style, design, travel, and wellness—all with the underlying message of intentional living. As life gets more stressful for so many people, we want to inspire our readers to embrace imperfection and authenticity. We encourage them to dive into the things that bring them the most joy. Now that the holiday season is upon us, we’re really focused on the recipes, design ideas, and prep that will help our readers achieve gatherings that are low on anxiety and high on connection.

What does “live life like you mean it” mean to you?

For me, it’s all about being present and enjoying the moment. Like everyone, I struggle with finding balance. There are times when I get overwhelmed with work, or sometimes when I’m home with the kids, but my mind is a million miles away thinking about some Instagram comment or email that just came in. I’ve realized that in this age of being constantly connected to our devices, the struggle of feeling distracted but wanting to become more engaged and more present is something that almost every single person I know deals with. My team and I have spent the past year answering the question, “How does it help our audience live more intentionally?” We use this filter to be thoughtful about every person we interview, every recipe we create, each holiday gathering piece we write, and every home design story we tell.

You’re big on Sunday meal prep. Walk us through your routine.

I love my Sunday ritual of flipping through cookbooks to dig out my favorite recipes. I also scroll through my Pinterest feed to look for the recipes I’ve been meaning to make and keep a note on my phone titled “Recipes I Want to Try.” It’s full of links to different food blogs, so when I feel the need to shake things up, I always have a collection to pull from.

I make the process fun and relaxing. And I always prioritize meal prep because then I know that no matter how hectic the week gets, I’ll be able to actually enjoy the cooking process and sit down to something delicious after a busy workday.

What pantry staples are the most useful for meal prep?

Flaky salt, high-quality olive oil, a few types of beans (Thrive Market’s pouches are my favorites), coconut milk, dried pasta, rolled oats, and a variety of raw and roasted nuts and seeds. And avocados—so many avocados!

What are your top three hacks for a successful Sunday meal prep?

1. Make double batches of soups, chilis, and broths—you can freeze almost anything, and having a few dinners ready to go in the freezer is so clutch when life gets busy.
2. Invest in some prep time right when you get home from the store (or when your groceries get delivered). I created a video of how I prep my groceries. In addition to chopping and washing, I also make a salad dressing that I can use all week, plus a sauce like pesto that can be tossed into pasta, scooped on top of avocado toast, or thinned out with vinegar for a vinaigrette. I usually don’t spend more than 30 minutes or so, but it’s amazing how a little time on the front end makes things feel so much more manageable on a busy weeknight.
3. On your calendar, add an appointment each evening that says “DINNER.” In the notes section, I type the name and cookbook or link to the online recipe of what I plan to make that night. If I’m planning to go out or order in, I put that on the calendar, too. But I try not to be too rigid about it. If I put tacos on the calendar for Tuesday, but am feeling the spaghetti squash pasta that I’d planned for the next night, I’ll just swap them on the calendar—no harm done. And I still feel like I’ve got a plan.

What are your favorite recipes that you always make?

These three are always on rotation in our house:
Chicken Burger Lettuce Wraps
Slow-Baked Citrus Salmon with Chile and Herbs
Chimichurri Fish Tacos

Which recipes do your kids like the most?

They’re both going through picky phases right now, so I usually find a way to adapt what I’m making to a simpler version that they’ll eat it. For example, if I’m making Slow-Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls, I’ll leave the beans and cauliflower rice on the side and let my kids roll theirs up in a tortilla with cheese and guacamole. I like for us to eat dinner together as a family, but I try to avoid being overly rigid about what everyone is eating. Recently, I asked our readers for ideas on getting kids to eat more healthy foods at dinner, and they shared these 20 genius strategies that I’ve been trying out.

What ingredients do you try to incorporate into their meals?

Berries, avocado, eggs, spinach, and almonds. My goal is to pack as many colorful, nutrient-dense foods into my kids’ diets as possible! Although we eat a little bit of everything in our house and don’t eliminate any food groups, I try to make fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats—to support brain health and immunity—the foundation of their meals and snacks. And I know I can throw almost any fruit or vegetable into a smoothie and they’ll drink it!

What do you love most about Thrive Market?

The convenience of being able to find all my favorite healthy foods and get them delivered to my doorstep (at a discount!) is pretty awesome—but I’d have to say my VERY favorite thing is being able to shop all the genius Thrive Market Goods that aren’t sold anywhere else!

How has Thrive Market changed the way you shop?

As much as I’d love to do a long, leisurely grocery shop every week, between work, kids, working out, and keeping up with friends, grocery shopping is something I can remove from my to-do list when I order from Thrive Market. Plus, I love that I can be a little more thoughtful about my purchases, instead of falling prey to impulse buys when I’m hungry at the grocery store.

What is your #1 tip for shopping success on Thrive Market?

Use the “Buy Again” feature to shop for all your faves quickly and grab those last-minute items you might have forgotten to put in your cart.

What’s your secret kitchen weapon, and how do you use it?

The clean wines are my favorite kitchen companion when I’m cooking at home! There’s nothing like pouring a good glass, turning on some music, and making dinner after a busy workday. I love the Clean White Wine Starter Pack—all the wines are delicious and I definitely have fewer headaches and more fun without all the pesticides and added sugars found in many conventional wines. I order all my wine from Thrive Market now.