↑
  • 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

The Girl on Bloor

Meal prep for busy people!

Start here Contact Privacy Policy
  • 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
Spiralized Pad Thai Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Spiralized Zucchi Pad Thai Bowls {Low-Carb}

A close-up for a meal prep container filled with cowboy caviar.

The Ultimate Cowboy Caviar {Best Dressing!}

Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl + Roasted Chickpeas

Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl

School lunch meal prep ideas

20 Easy Meal Prep School Lunch Ideas

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

Grab & Go Turkey Bacon Egg White Cups

Grab & Go Turkey Bacon Egg White Cups

Pina Colada Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

Pina Colada Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

A muffin tin filled with 5 different types of baked eggs - mushroom spinach, sundried tomato & arugula, bacon, ham & asparagus, and broccoli cheddar.

Baked Eggs 5 Ways {Meal Prep Breakfast!}

Dalgona Coffee {Whipped Coffee Recipe}

Dalgona Coffee {Whipped Coffee Recipe}

Meal Prep Protein Oatmeal-14

Protein Oatmeal {Meal Prep Breakfast}

Breakfast Sandwich Recipes 3 Ways

Easy Breakfast Sandwich Recipes {3 Ways!}

Freezer-friendly, Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches

Freezer-Friendly Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich

Pesto Bagel Breakfast Sandwiches

Pesto Bagel Breakfast Sandwiches {Meal Prep}

Banana Oat Pancakes

Healthy Banana Oat Pancakes {5 Ingredients!}

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies {High Protein}

Healthy Lunch Ideas

Spiralized Pad Thai Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Spiralized Zucchi Pad Thai Bowls {Low-Carb}

A collage of four different corn recipes with the text "Healthy Delicious Corn Recipes" layered over top.

19 Healthy and Delicious Corn Recipes

A close-up for a meal prep container filled with cowboy caviar.

The Ultimate Cowboy Caviar {Best Dressing!}

Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl + Roasted Chickpeas

Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl

One Pot Creamy Mac and Cheese Bar

One Pot Creamy Mac and Cheese Bar

A collage of four different zucchini recipes with the text "Easy Healthy Zucchini Recipes" layered over top.

The Best Easy Healthy Zucchini Recipes

How to Make Boneless Wings

Buffalo-BBQ Boneless Wings {Super Easy}

Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt

Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt {Panera Copycat}

20-Minute Doritos Taco Salad

The Best Dorito Taco Salad {Quick + Easy}

School lunch meal prep ideas

20 Easy Meal Prep School Lunch Ideas

Healthy Dinner Ideas

A collage of four different corn recipes with the text "Healthy Delicious Corn Recipes" layered over top.

19 Healthy and Delicious Corn Recipes

Chicken Pasta Bake

Easy Chicken Pasta Bake {Freezer Meal}

A close-up for a meal prep container filled with cowboy caviar.

The Ultimate Cowboy Caviar {Best Dressing!}

A sheet pan of pesto coated chicken cutlets with chopped asparagus, red pepper and yellow pepper.

2-Ingredient Baked Pesto Chicken {Sheet Pan}

One Pot Creamy Mac and Cheese Bar

One Pot Creamy Mac and Cheese Bar

A collage of four different zucchini recipes with the text "Easy Healthy Zucchini Recipes" layered over top.

The Best Easy Healthy Zucchini Recipes

How to Make Boneless Wings

Buffalo-BBQ Boneless Wings {Super Easy}

Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt

Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt {Panera Copycat}

Instant pot recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Pad Thai

Three bowls each filled with chicken corn chowder.

Healthy Chicken Corn Chowder {One Pot}

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

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes {Low Carb}

These Creamy Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes are super buttery and a delicious low-carb alternative to your favourite mashed potatoes. How to make cauliflower mashed potatoes BoilView Post

Sheet Pan Rosemary Chicken

30-Minute Sheet Pan Rosemary Chicken

This Sheet Pan Rosemary Chicken is a healthy low-carb meal that's ready in just 30 minutes – plus, it's great for meal prep! How toView Post

Baked Hasselback Greek Chicken

52 Healthy, Quick & Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights

These Healthy Dinner Ideas will show you how to cook quickly and efficiently – these strategies help you get dinner on the table FAST! DinnerView Post

Steak and Quinoa Burrito Bowl

Steak Quinoa Burrito Bowl

This Steak and Quinoa Burrito Bowl with pico de gallo and corn salsa is a delicious lunch idea you can meal prep, and is inspiredView Post

Sheet pan dinners

25 Sheet Pan Dinners {Busy Weeknight Meals}

The oven does all the work for you with these Easy Sheet Pan Dinners. These healthy dinner ideas are a great way to clean outView Post

Meal Prep Low Carb Big Mac Salad Jars

Meal Prep Low Carb Big Mac Salad Jars

These Meal Prep Low Carb Big Mac Salad Jars are like a healthy cheeseburger – you probably already have the sauce ingredients!   How to makeView Post

Instant Pot Chana Masala

Instant Pot Chana Masala {Canned Chickpeas}

Chana Masala is a delicious vegan chickpea curry made from pantry staples. Make it in the Instant Pot, slow cooker or stovetop. How to makeView Post

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

15+ Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes for Meal Prep

These Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes for Meal Prep are the best way to get ready for the work week – just dump everything in theView Post

How to Meal Plan in 15 Minutes

How to Meal Plan in 15 Minutes {Template + Video}

Here's how to meal plan in 5 easy steps – my simple system eliminates decision fatigue. Plus, download my free meal plan template! How doView Post

Crockpot Chicken and Rice

Creamiest Crockpot Chicken and Rice {Healthy Dump Dinner}

Crockpot Chicken and Rice is so easy to make in your slow cooker – no soup can is required! Just add frozen veggies, sour creamView Post

A close-up of two baked chicken breasts on a white plate, one sliced and one left whole, with a fork picking up a sliced piece.

Perfect Juicy Baked Chicken Breast

This is the only Baked Chicken Breast recipe you'll ever need – the chicken is juicy, and you'll never get bored of my 6 seasoningView Post

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

5 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (Dump Dinners!)

These 5 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes make great dump dinners and can be made ahead of time for the freezer. Make sweet & sour chicken,View Post

  • « Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • Next »
Load More
Copyright ©2022, The Girl on Bloor. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites
Learn how to meal prep...the FAST way!
Download my dinner prep cheatsheet so you can prep ingredients in 1 hour each week. That way, dinner comes together in just 15-20 minutes each night!
YOUR NAME:
YOUR EMAIL: