15 Healthy Meal Prep Ideas To Simplify Your Life
Healthy meal prep is the process of planning, batch-cooking, and portioning nutritious meals in advance to save time and reduce stress throughout the week. If thinking of something to cook each day feels tiresome and time-consuming, meal prepping is the perfect solution. Not only does it eliminate daily decision fatigue, but these healthy meal prep ideas are also great for supporting weight loss and saving you money!
HOW TO MEAL PREP
The best way to meal prep is to cook in large quantities and then distribute it in containers where you can store in the fridge or freezer.
When to Meal Prep
If you can, try to make it part of your Sunday routine. This way, when the week starts, all you have to do is grab and go or heat up in the microwave before eating or packing for lunch if that’s your thing.
You don’t want to be rushing around trying to get food together right after work, so I say at least take a break for an hour or two.
Why Meal Prep?
Here are some excellent reasons why I think people should start using this technique:
- Save time throughout the week if you are too busy
- Reduce decision fatigue since it has already been decided for you
- Can save money
- Loose weight
- More time to do other stuff
BEST FOODS TO BUY FOR MEAL PREPPING
Recommend buying these simple items, have long shelf lives, and taste good when reheated.
Chicken breast/Whole Chicken
Tuna cans
Tinned Mackerel/Sardines
Pasta
Beef Mince
Pork Mince
Soup Ingredients
Frozen Fruits
BREAKFAST MEAL PREP IDEAS
- Make a huge batch of oatmeal or porridge and portion it into containers to eat throughout the week. Buy frozen fruit such as blueberries to add to your porridge.
- 2. Yoghurt bowls are also an easy breakfast you can meal prep for on the go.
- 3. Bake some breakfast muffins. Great for on the go. This recipe makes 12 large muffins, so enough to have one each day or even take one as a snack.
- 4. Pancakes – when cooked and cooled, can be frozen. Place a baking sheet between each pancake and place it in a freezer bag. To reheat, just pop them in the microwave, toaster or in the oven. No need to defrost!
LUNCH PREP IDEAS
- 5. For lunch, I typically have some sort of brown rice/quinoa or sweet potatoes that I portion out at the beginning of the week to add to different dishes or just eat on its own with some cheese added.
- 6. Leftovers from your Chicken roast dinner – We always have leftovers and are great to box up, ready for another day to heat up and add some instant gravy to it.
- 7. I’ll also cook up 2 whole chickens in bulk to have enough for several salads throughout the week or add to soups. It’s a lot cheaper to buy whole chickens than to buy pre-packed chicken (which usually contain a load of rubbish to preserve it), – this is a no-brainer!
- 8. Soup – Soups are easy to make and great for the winter months, such as a Leek and Potato soup. Make the soup in a large pot, let it cool, refrigerate and use it within 5 days.
DINNER PREP IDEAS
- 9. Meat Dishes – Cooking in large quantities is best done with proteins like chicken breast, beef or pork tenderloin because they’re simple and taste good no matter how you season them. Cottage pie is a good example and good to freeze. For food freezing tips click here.
- 10. Chicken Dishes – is the easiest to cook in bulk because it just takes a little salt and pepper, thyme or rosemary, and you’re good to go for all your Chicken meal preps!
- 11. Pasta Dishes – Vegetarian pasta dishes (spiral pasta) are great to make in big batches, and most kids love pasta with lots of tasty homemade tomato sauce topped with cheese. I use my mini-chopper to mix all the veg into the sauce as the kids don’t notice or taste it.
- Great for chopping up raw vegetables, fruit, nuts etc.
- Basin in the lid to add liquids
- 2 Year Guarantee
- 12. Lasagne – My sons favourite! I make this easy lasagne recipe in a big dish to eat straight away, plus I make enough to put extra into freezable containers like the ones below. Don’t forget to write on the lids with a waterproof pen, so you know what they are!
- 13. Slow-Cooker Meal – Prepare in the morning, and dinner is ready when you get home. Freeze the leftovers and use them when needed!
If you get tired of having the same thing for dinner every night, try planning out 7 dinners so that you have variety throughout the week!
DESSERT PREP IDEAS
- 14. Hot Puddings are great to bake and pop in the freezer for a later date. Top puddings to make are:
Peanut Butter and Jam Sponge Pudding
- 15. Cold Desserts – These prepared to prepare for the week, such as these simple Chocolate Keto Puddings are healthy yet super tasty!
BENEFITS OF MEAL PREPPING
Setting aside time to meal prep once per week can be life-changing. It’ll save you so much money, reduce decision fatigue by giving you healthy options at home AND save you tons of time throughout the week not having to think about what to make for dinner.
The other benefits are obviously helping with weight loss because these meals are simple, healthy and delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start meal prepping for beginners?
Start by choosing just one meal to prep, such as breakfast or lunch, rather than your entire week. Pick simple recipes with overlapping ingredients, buy high-quality airtight containers, and dedicate 1-2 hours on a Sunday to batch-cook your portions.
How long do meal preps last in the fridge?
Most cooked meal preps, including roasted vegetables and cooked meats like chicken or beef, will safely last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you should freeze your prepped meals.
What are the best foods for meal prep?
The best foods for meal prep are those that reheat well and maintain their texture. Excellent choices include roasted vegetables, quinoa, brown rice, cooked chicken breast, beans, and hard-boiled eggs.
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