Meal prep doesn't have to be time consuming! Learn about my foolproof method for easy meal prep and planning to save time, money and stress.
Meal Prepping for the Week
As a full-time blogger, food photographer and entrepreneur, I'm never really off the clock. Something always needs to be done and I'm often working from sunrise to sunset. I couldn't get half the things on my to-do list accomplished without proper sleep, nutritionally dense meals and a little bit of movement each day. As a fellow busy person, you can probably relate to the rat race and recognize that a healthy lifestyle plays a huge part in your success.
Meal planning is a lifesaver when it comes to living a healthy (but busy life). When you meal prep for the week ahead, you'll be saving time, money and stress so you can focus on work or everyday life. I've found that prepping breakfast and lunch for the work week ahead of time in bulk saves me a ton of time. But don't think that you have to spend a few hours or a whole day in the kitchen. My simple recipes will help you cook delicious food you love and get it all whipped up in a hurry (check out my Clean Eating Meal Prep Recipes or my entire recipe archive to start!)
Benefits of meal prepping
There are so many benefits of meal prep:
- Saves money: You don't need to worry about spending all your money on takeout or stopping after work to grab something when you've got healthy meals prepped at home. The average cost per meal is SO MUCH CHEAPER because you're making your meals in bulk and you're repurposing different ingredients for multiple recipes.
- Reduces food waste: This is a big one for me. When I was first learning to cook, I just kind of bought groceries on a whim and a lot of my produce would go bad or I'd forget about meat in the freezer. Learning to make meals that use the same ingredients for multiple recipes helps you cut down on food waste because you know exactly what's in the fridge and how it's going to be used.
- Saves time: Saving time is sometimes just as important as saving money! Making your meals in bulk is such a time saver and will keep you feeling satisfied and energized so you can focus on doing what you do best: kicking ass at work!
- Reduces stress: Trust me when I say from experience that having all your breakfasts and lunches ready at the beginning of the week is a life saver and allows you to free up mental space and energy during the week so that you can focus on getting things done. No last minute scrambles to get dinner on the table either.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can either cook all your meals in advance (the more traditional option for meal prep), or prep all your ingredients ahead of time (which is known as ingredient prep). I personally prefer to ingredient prep, but you can choose whichever option works best for you or do a combo of the two! Check out my guide on how to meal prep for the week for more helpful tips and tricks.
Pretty much anything that contains whole and healthy ingredients is a great option for meal prep. As long as you're getting a good combination of vegetables, protein and healthy grains, you're meal should be as delicious as it is nutritious. I rounded up some of my favourite healthy meal prep ideas in this post including options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Most of these healthy meal prep recipes can be made up to 5 days in advance, as long as you store them properly in airtight containers. Certain meals might only last for up to 3 days, so I'd recommend checking the individual storage instructions for each dish.
I like storing my meal prep in these glass meal prep bowls or glass round containers (which are also great for ingredient prep). Mason jars are great for storing dressings and marinades, in addition to salads if you layer them properly.
Meal Prep Breakfast Recipes
I usually have the same thing for breakfast almost every week, and it's something that I prepare in advance because I HATE cooking in the morning. Given my love-hate relationship with breakfast, I like to have it made in advance or least have it be something that's super easy to throw together in 5 minutes. I rounded up some of my favourite healthy breakfast meal prep ideas including everything from overnight oats to Greek yogurt parfaits and breakfast burritos.
The Best Baked Oatmeal Recipe
Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Taquitos {Meal Prep}
Meal Prep Freezer Breakfast Burritos
Freezer-Friendly Mini Breakfast Pizzas
How to Meal Prep Overnight Oats {9 Easy Recipes}
Healthy Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits {Meal Prep}
5-Ingredient Egg White Frittata {Meal Prep}
2-Ingredient Banana Egg Pancakes {Meal Prep}
Meal Prep Lunch Ideas
When it comes to lunches, I definitely have a few main go-to's but I also really like to switch it up and try new flavors. I'll often create my lunches in bulk at the beginning of the week in the form of meal prep bowls or grab and go mason jars and then count on using dinner leftovers for lunch at least 1-2 days out of the week.
Mason Jar Instant Noodles
Sweet Chili Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad {Meal Prep}
Meal Prep Buffalo Chicken Wraps
5 Quick & Easy Quinoa Salad Recipes
5 Mix & Match Mason Jar Salad Recipes {Healthy Lunches}
Taco Bell Power Bowl {Copycat Recipe}
Sheet Pan Greek Chicken {Meal Prep}
Meal Prep Dinner Ideas
Dinner is my favourite meal of the day, so I have high expectations for it – I need a piping hot bowl of something with a ton of flavour to enjoy while I kick back and relax. But I also want dinner ready quickly, and I don't always have it planned out. When I'm in a rush, freezer meals or something done in the Instant Pot is helpful, but I also love 30-minute one pot meals or sheet pan dinners that come together at the last minute with ingredients you already have on hand in the cupboard or fridge.
Whole Wheat Summer Pesto Pasta {One-Pot Meal}
Homemade Hamburger Helper {One Pot}
Slow Cooker Peanut Stew {Gluten-Free + Vegan}
Easiest Ever Crockpot Lasagna Recipe
Meal Prep Skinny Taco Bake
Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Meal Prep Bowls
30-Minute Italian Chicken Skillet {One Pan}
Margherita Asparagus Stuffed Chicken {Low-Carb}
Meal Prep Snacks
Making your snacks ahead of time will help cut down on the urge to grab something unhealthy like potato chips. I like to keep options around the house that are healthy and easy to make. I'll sometimes make a big batch of energy bites, beef jerky or protein bars and have them around for whenever I'm in the mood for a little snack. Here are some of my favourite snack options you can prep ahead of time!
Tahini Coconut Protein Energy Bites
Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Bars
Easy Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe
Healthy Avocado Hummus Snack Jars
Garlic Parmesan Popcorn {Quick & Easy}
Baked Beet Chips + French Onion Dip
7 Best Healthy Smoothies {Simple Ingredients} + Meal Prep Tips
Meal Prep Tips
- Keep it simple. If you just don't think you can plan out three meals a day, that's okay. Try planning dinner for each meal of the week, and make enough so that there are leftovers for lunches all week long. From there, you can keep a good inventory of snacks and simple breakfast ideas until you find recipes you're comfortable with and know you love.
- Use the same ingredients more than once. This is hands down the best way to reduce food waste. Use those carrots for two or three different recipes; and no, you probably don't need to include eggplant in that recipe when you like red peppers or zucchini better, so make ingredient swaps work for you where you can. Buy fresh ingredients you know you'll use in a variety of recipes.
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time. Know that you're making quinoa bowls later in the week? Make the quinoa or other grains ahead of time, or cook chicken in the oven or boil it to make pulled chicken for later in the work week. It helps to have some components of a recipe prepared ahead of time.
- Keep a well-stocked pantry and spice drawer. This is another huge one for me. I ALWAYS make sure I have a ton of spices on hand so I can just add a little bit here and there, and I also make sure my pantry/fridge is stocked with staples like butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, bouillon cubes, coconut milk, pickles, hot sauce, mustard, vinegars…you name it, I've got it. It makes life so much easier when you go to make a recipe and see you've already got most items on hand.
- Keep a well-stocked freezer. This brings me to my second point: have a ton of meat in your freezer. I personally like to buy in bulk when meat goes on sale, and I have a ton of variety on hand, everything from turkey sausages to ground beef, shrimp and scallops. And of course, a bottomless supply of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It may be expensive to stock up all at once but if you have all of these items on hand you're less likely to buy food out because you KNOW you have a ton of options to satisfy any cravings you have! And that can be cheaper in the long run!
- Go easy on yourself. Sometimes life happens, and that's okay. Your meal plan is meant to help you stay organized and take a look at your week at a glance, not to rigidly lock you in – there will be some days you just don't want to cook, and that's okay. Being prepared helps get you back on track again the next day though!
Weekly Calendar and Shopping List
Lucky for you, I have a FREE WEEKLY CALENDAR & SHOPPING LIST (along with a bunch of other meal prep resources) for you to download to keep yourself organized – you'll get them when you sign up for my 5-day meal prep challenge!
The one you'll download on Day 3 of the Challenge is the one I use when meal planning and meal prepping each week, and it helps me stick to my routine and stream-lines the planning process.
I like to be able to also see when I'm going out in advance. That way, I can plan my meals around my schedule, and write down what I already have on hand in my fridge and pantry BEFORE I go grocery shopping. It helps to reduce food waste and prevents wasting money spent on buying the same thing twice. This meal calendar is definitely a lifesaver!
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Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to pack up your weekly lunches.
- Meal prep with your freezer! Butcher Box, conveniently delivers a variety of meats to your door frozen.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you're preparing freezer meals
- Freeze and refrigerate leftovers in round glass microwave-safe bowls with lids
- Mason jars are great for salads where you're layering a bunch of different ingredients
- **Get my full list of tools here**