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The Girl on Bloor

Meal prep for busy people!

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  • Recipes by Type
    • Recipe Index (Search)
    • All Recipes
    • Restaurant Copycat Recipes
    • Recipes by Method>>>
      • 30-Minute Meals
      • Air Fryer
      • Instant Pot
      • Slow Cooker
      • Meal Prep Bowls
      • Sheet Pan Dinners
      • One Pot Recipes
      • Freezer-Friendly
      • Grilling & BBQ
      • Stir Fries
      • Pasta
    • Recipes by Diet>>>
      • Kid-Friendly
      • Gluten-Free
      • Low Carb
      • High Protein
      • Whole 30
    • Recipes by Protein>>>
      • Chicken
      • Beef
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
    • Recipes by Holiday>>>
      • Game Day
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St Patrick’s Day
      • Easter
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
    • Recipes by Season>>>
      • Winter Recipes
      • Spring Recipes
      • Summer Recipes
      • Fall Recipes
  • Recipes by Course
    • Appetizer
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner Ideas
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Snacks
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Dressings, Sauces & Spice Mixes
  • Resources
    • About Me
    • How to Meal Prep
    • Resource Guides
    • Contact Me
  • eBooks

Meal Prep

MEAL PREP FOR BUSY PEOPLE

Meal prep saves you time, money and hassle, and it's the way I've been cooking for years now. It's also a big part of the reason I've been able to keep up my personal fitness along with a crazy work schedule and still squeeze in some time for fun on weekends. Since I get asked so often, I thought I'd share my foolproof method for easy meal prep and planning, including free printables!

Search the recipe index
Beginner's Guide to Meal Prep
Chicken Shawarma Meal Prep Bowls

Chicken Shawarma Meal Prep Bowls

A close-up of a meal prep container with roasted baby potatoes, kale salad and baked BBQ chicken inside.

Baked BBQ Chicken {Meal Prep}

Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades in 5 ziploc bags

Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades {5 Ways}

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

meal prep newsletter ebooks

Access my free meal prep challenge!

Access free meal prep challenge & bonus resources.

Over five printable PDF downloads to help you stay on track with your health & fitness goals like a weekly meal planner, printable shopping list, and more will be sent during the challenge!

Take the 5-day Meal Prep Challenge!

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!

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Banana Oat Pancakes

Healthy Banana Oat Pancakes {5 Ingredients!}

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies {High Protein}

Creamy Avocado Smoothie

The Creamiest Avocado Smoothie

An overhead shot of 7 mason jars, each filled with a different smoothie.

The 7 Best Healthy Smoothies {Minimal Ingredients + Meal Prep Tips}

Broccoli Cheddar Crustless Quiche

Broccoli Cheddar Crustless Quiche {Low-Carb}

Freezer-Friendly Mini Breakfast Pizzas

Freezer-Friendly Mini Breakfast Pizzas

Homemade Granola Recipe

The Best Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe

Protein Shakes

The BEST Protein Shakes 5 Ways

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Meal Prep Freezer Breakfast Burritos

5-Ingredient-Crock-Pot-Chicken-Teriyaki-6

Healthy 5-Ingredient Meals {Breakfast, Lunch + Dinner!}

Healthy Lunch Ideas

Chicken Shawarma Meal Prep Bowls

Chicken Shawarma Meal Prep Bowls

Low Carb Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Mexican-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Low Carb}

Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Meal Prep Bowls

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Meal Prep Bowls

A collage of four different lunches with the text "Make Ahead Cold Lunch Ideas" layered over top.

20 Easy Cold Lunch Ideas {Make Ahead + Meal Prep}

Mini pizza bites

Party-Friendly Mini Pizzas

Sweet Chili Thai Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Sweet Chili Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Meal Prep Buffalo Chicken Burrito Bowls

Meal Prep Buffalo Chicken Burrito Bowls

Dynamite Shrimp Sushi Jars

Dynamite Shrimp Sushi Jars {Meal Prep Lunch}

Southwest Chipotle Avocado Corn Pizza

Grilled Southwest Chipotle Pizza

Healthy Dinner Ideas

Shake Shack Burger

Shake Shack Burger {Perfect Copycat}

Low Carb Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Mexican-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Low Carb}

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

A close-up of a meal prep container with roasted baby potatoes, kale salad and baked BBQ chicken inside.

Baked BBQ Chicken {Meal Prep}

Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades in 5 ziploc bags

Delicious Chicken Thigh Marinades {5 Ways}

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

Meal Prep Turkey Sausage Skillet

Sausage Peppers and Onions Skillet {One Pan!}

Easy Pizza Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Easy Pizza Portobello Stuffed Mushrooms {Low-Carb}

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Meal Prep Bowls

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice Meal Prep Bowls

Air fryer chicken thighs with coleslaw and rice on a plate

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs {Bone-In or Boneless}

My Favorite Meal Prep Tools

meal prep containers

Glass Meal Prep Containers

mason jars

Mason Jars

rice cooker

Rice Cooker

bento box

Bento Box

salad containers

Salad Container

Latest Meal prep Recipes

Five freezer bags with marinated salmon filets, labelled "Teriyaki", "Chili Lime", "Maple Dijon", "Lemon Garlic" and "Plain".

Easiest Baked Salmon Recipe + 5 Marinades!

This foolproof formula makes the perfect baked salmon every time – choose from yummy marinades like honey garlic, teriyaki and maple dijon!   Ingredients andView Post

Beef stir fry in a black skillet.

The Easiest Beef Stir Fry {2-Ingredient Sauce!}

This is the EASIEST Beef Stir Fry recipe with a 2-ingredient stir fry sauce. You likely already have all the ingredients in your pantry!  View Post

A collage of four different meals with the text "7 Easy Tips & Tricks to Meal Prep for Beginners" layered over top.

7 Easy Ways to Meal Prep for Beginners

These 7 Easy Ways to Meal Prep for Beginners are the best way to get started with meal prepping and planning – you’ll be aView Post

Meal Prep Jerk Chicken Bowls

Jerk-Inspired Chicken Rice Bowls {Meal Prep Lunch}

These Jerk-Inspired Chicken Rice Bowls are the most delicious meal prep lunch idea with mango salsa, homemade jerk marinade and brown rice. Ingredients and substitutionsView Post

A close-up of the ranch mason jar salad, with the other mason jar salads in the background.

5 Mix and Match Mason Jar Salad Recipes {Healthy Lunches}

These Mix and Match Mason Jar Salad Recipes make healthy lunches easy – they're great for meal prep and will keep your salad fresh forView Post

A collage of four different recipes with the text "Healthy Summer BBQ Recipes" layered over top.

15 Healthy Summer BBQ Recipes!

These 15 Healthy BBQ Recipes are perfect for summer and include everything from homemade burgers to Caribbean tofu bowls, salads and more! Healthy BBQ RecipesView Post

A collage of four different steak recipes with the text "Delicious Leftover Steak Recipes!" layered over top.

18 Delicious and Easy Leftover Steak Recipes

Got leftover steak? Try one of these delicious and easy steak recipes – they're perfect for repurposing leftovers and reducing food waste! Leftover Steak RecipesView Post

Summer Buddha Bowls with Turmeric Chickpeas

Summer Buddha Bowls with Turmeric Chickpeas

These vegan Summer Buddha Bowls with Turmeric Chickpeas, marinated tofu and quinoa are just as delicious as they are nutritious! Ingredients and substitutions Olive oilView Post

Whole Wheat Summer Pesto Meal Prep Pasta

Whole Wheat Summer Pesto Pasta {One-Pot Meal}

This Whole Wheat Summer Pesto Pasta is the perfect one-pot meal that’s great for meal prep and batch cooking during a busy workweek! Ingredients andView Post

20-Minute Potsticker Bowls

Easy 20-Minute Potsticker Bowls {Low-Carb}

These Easy 20-Minute Potsticker Bowls are a quick low carb dinner idea made with ground chicken, coleslaw, mushrooms and sesame sauce! Ingredients and substitutions SesameView Post

Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Chicken

Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken

This Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken with butternut squash is a delicious meal that comes together in 30 minutes – it's great for meal prep. IngredientsView Post

A close-up of two meal prep containers filled with sheet pan Greek chicken meal prep bowls.

28 High Protein Recipes Perfect for Meal Prep

These Meal Prep High Protein Recipes are delicious ways to get more protein in your diet – you'll love these healthy meals and snack ideas!View Post

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