No matter where you are when summer ends, there’s a familiar pull toward reset. A milestone. A new baby. Kids heading back to school. Something new starting. Whatever the shift, FreshDirect is part of how you get back on track.
This fall, FreshDirect joins Samantha Russo as she lives her own reset in real time—managing two kids, full-time recipe development, and everything in between. FreshDirect handles the food, so Sam can focus on the rest: a new weekly series called Habit Stacking with FreshDirect.
Habit stacking is a simple idea: pair a new habit with one you already do, so it sticks without adding extra decisions to your day. For Sam, that means anchoring healthy eating to something she’s already doing anyway—making breakfast, packing lunches, meal prepping for the week—instead of treating it as one more thing to figure out.
By bringing together balanced recipes, smart ingredients, and time-saving delivery from FreshDirect, Sam can make a week’s worth of meals in under 60 minutes. Let her show you how to meal prep with the hacks she’s learned as a recipe developer, healthy eating expert, and mom of two kids.
Follow along with Sam’s journey to build better habits with her make-ahead recipes that cut down on time and effort—without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.
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Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day, but it’s often the one that gets forgotten first. These pancake bowls are an easy, delicious way to prep your morning meal.
Sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, blueberries (fresh or frozen), chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 22-ounce oven-safe dish.
2. Add all ingredients to the dish and whisk until completely smooth and combined. Add any toppings you’d like, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until completely baked through.
3. Remove from the oven and enjoy right away or store in the fridge for up to one week!
By using FreshDirect’s pre-prepped and pre-cut ingredients, like rotisserie chicken and chopped veggies, you’ll see just how easy meal prep can be.
For the dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
For the salad:
1 8-ounce container shredded mixed cabbage
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken)
½ cup green onion, sliced
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup mandarin oranges, optional
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1. Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl until combined.
2. Assemble the salads by tossing together the vegetable slaw, shredded chicken, green onion, almonds, and sesame seeds in a large bowl.
3. Store the dressing separately, then add to the salad right before eating.
This is a deconstructed take on egg rolls that comes together in one skillet and packs neatly into containers for the week ahead.
2 pounds ground pork, turkey, or chicken
8 ounces shredded cabbage
2 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups cooked rice
1. Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add in the ground meat. Cook and break up the meat with a spoon until it’s cooked through and no longer pink.
2. Add in the shredded cabbage, sliced green onions, soy sauce or coconut aminos, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and ground ginger, then toss to cook and combine everything. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is soft.
3. Lay out four meal prep containers, add ½ cup of rice to each container, then divide the egg roll mixture equally between the containers. Let them cool, then secure with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You may not have time to cook eggs every morning, but you can make a big batch ahead of time and enjoy them throughout the week.
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
6 cooked sausage patties
6 slices cheese
6 English muffins
1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or oil.
2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the eggs in the greased baking pan and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the eggs are just set in the center (be careful not to overcook!).
3. Remove the eggs from the oven and cut them into 6 equal squares.
4. Fill each English muffin with egg, a sausage patty, and a slice of cheese. Then, wrap each sandwich tightly in parchment paper and store in the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 2 months.
5. When ready to eat, remove the egg sandwich from the fridge (if frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight first) and microwave for 1 minute or heat in the oven/toaster oven at 350° Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
A simple, kid-friendly snack that comes together with just a handful of pantry staples.
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 cup almond butter, or any nut/seed butter
¼ cup maple syrup or honey
1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin or line it with mini muffin liners.
2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl until completely smooth.
3. Add the eggs, almond butter, and maple syrup, and stir until a smooth batter forms.
4. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about ¾ of the way full.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Store cooled muffins at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
A no-bake, seasonal snack built for parents who need something quick to grab too.
½ cup cashew butter, or any nut/seed butter
¼ cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 ½ cups almond flour, or oat flour
2 scoops unflavored collagen powder or protein powder, or an additional ¼ cup of almond flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well until fully combined.
2. Scoop energy bites with a medium sized cookie scoop and arrange the scoops onto a plate. Transfer the plate to the freezer for at least 20 minutes, or until they firm up a bit.
3. Remove the plate from the freezer and roll the scoops into balls with your hands. Drizzle with melted white chocolate, enjoy right away, or store in the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
A snack tray is a stealthy way to get kids to eat more of the foods that you want them to. To make one, fill the cups of a muffin tray with bite-sized fruits, veggies, cheese, and crunchy things. It works because when kids are given the authority to choose, they go for the things they usually wouldn’t.
A single bag of FreshDirect groceries can become five totally different school lunches if you get creative with the format. Buy one set of proteins, grains, and produce, then remix them all week: a wrap one day, a grain bowl the next, taco cups after that. It works because the ingredients repeat, but the format never does, so an easily-bored kid never notices lunch is basically the same five days running. As an added bonus, you’ll have fewer leftover ingredients and easier decision making.
Samantha Russo is a FreshDirect Brand Ambassador and full-time recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator. An expert on gluten- and dairy-free cooking, she creates recipes that help everyone feel their best. See more of what she’s cooking up at samdoesherbest.com.
