These clean eating meal prep ideas will help you learn to eat whole food ingredients while enjoying delicious, healthy food for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
What is clean eating?
Clean eating can vary according to different sources and be confusing for some. First of all, I want to address the elephant in the room: there is no such thing as clean or dirty foods. I may not like the name “clean eating”, but it basically means healthy eating. A clean eating lifestyle aims to give a general guideline of what's good for your body and outlines what's not as nutritious.
For some, clean eating means a strict diet with nothing but whole foods and no room for flexibility. However to me, clean eating means doing your best to eat healthy MOST of the time. The bottom line is that clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible so it's not processed or refined.
How to incorporate clean eating into meal prep
If you're making a big batch of food for the work week, you want to make sure you're using wholesome ingredients in order to get the health benefits of meal prep, without sacrificing on flavors. Don't get me wrong: sometimes store-bought condiments that may have added sugars or fats have their place in cutting down on prep time, but if you're looking to eat healthier, you're going to want to stay away from most processed foods.
Using whole food ingredients and knowing how to stock your pantry can help ensure that you're getting the most out of your meal preps. My Clean Eating Meal Plan contains a week's worth of healthy and easy recipes, including prep ahead instructions.
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The 80/20 rule
Clean eating isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle. How you see your diet and nutrition and how you prepare food can lead to better health, more energy and sometimes even more money in your wallet! I go with the 80/20 rule: eat well 80% of the time, and indulge the other 20% of the time. Life gets busy and you can't beat yourself up if you're not able to eat whole foods ALL the time. Plus we all deserve a treat every once in a while.
This post will detail how to eat clean when it comes to meal prep, and give you some general guidelines to follow, in addition to some of my favourite healthy meal prep recipes. Take what you want, leave what you don't. However you get healthy, focus on the nutritional content of what you're eating and how that's going to fuel your body – that's how you will have lasting success with clean eating!
Clean eating guidelines
Eating clean is easier than you think! Here's a list of general guidelines when it comes to clean eating as a lifestyle.
- Avoid processed foods: This includes TV dinners, boxed and canned foods (there are exceptions such as canned beans, canned chickpeas, diced tomatoes, etc.)
- Avoid refined sugars: Aim to switch to natural ingredients such as honey, maple syrup and stevia whenever possible.
- Steer clear of trans fats and excessive sodium: These definitely don't contribute to a clean eating lifestyle.
- Know how to read food labels: Make sure you know how to check the ingredients and nutritional labels, so you can tell what you're consuming.
- Opt for whole grains over white flour products: Instead of white rice, go for brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, etc.
- Practice mindful eating: Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full!
- Consume healthy fats: This includes extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, fish, etc.
Clean ingredients
The best thing about clean eating is its emphasis on whole foods. Almost nothing is off-limits in this diet save for processed foods.
Here's what you should be eating when making this lifestyle change:
- Whole grains – quinoa, wheatberries, farro, barley, whole wheat bread/pasta, brown rice
- Lean proteins – fish, shellfish, legumes, eggs, nuts, seeds, chicken breasts, skinless chicken thighs, turkey, extra-lean ground beef, lean cuts of pork
- LOTS of fruits and veggies – apples, berries, bananas, leafy greens like kale and spinach, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, etc.
- Healthy fats – healthy oils, avocado, fish
Here are some foods you should be limiting or avoiding:
- Most desserts
- Chips
- Sugary drinks
- Cold cuts and other processed meats
- Boxed foods and frozen dinners
- Many different kinds of store-bought sauces
Clean ingredient swaps
While there are some foods you should try not to eat too often, there are alternatives for some of your fave guilty pleasures.
Here are some of my fave alternatives to make your kitchen clean eating friendly:
- Swap sour cream for Greek yogurt
- Swap mayo for mashed avocado or hummus
- Swap soy sauce for coconut aminos
- Try honey or maple syrup instead of sugar
- Instead of pasta, try gluten-free chickpea pasta
- Instead of white rice, use cauliflower rice
- Use coconut milk or another dairy-free milk in place of heavy cream
- Use ground almonds instead of breadcrumbs
Clean eating strategies
There are so many ways to eat healthier but these are my top tips to eating clean, and sticking to it! Making meal prep easier on yourself helps you stay focused and on track – knowing what you're eating and when is really helpful in maintaining a healthy diet.
- Make your own dressings and sauces: Skip the store-bought salad dressings and marinades and make your own at home using pantry staples. Most will last in the fridge for a couple months.
- Eat more fruits and veggies: Aim for half your plate at every meal, including breakfast!
- Skip premade breakfasts: Avoid cereals, fruit-flavored yogurt, store-bought granola and instant oatmeal packs, as they all have a ton of sugar even though they're often marketed as healthy. Make your own overnight oats or yogurt parfaits instead.
- Make your own frozen dinners: Ditch the TV dinners and make your own freezer meals for nights where you really don't feel like cooking. You can make a pasta bake and divide it into individual servings or whip up mini pot pies – they'll still give you the comfort food you crave without the unhealthy ingredients.
- Store meat in the freezer: Store cooked or raw leftover meat in the freezer for a quick high-protein meal. I do this with baked chicken breast, chicken marinades and steak marinades
Meal prep breakfasts
Breakfast is the first day of the meal – don't skip it! Instead make a set of delicious, healthy breakfasts that you can grab on the go or whip up in a flash. Make ahead options like a breakfast casserole done in the slow cooker are also a great idea. Here are some of my favourite easy meal prep ideas that fit a clean eating lifestyle!
Pina Colada Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats {+ Stovetop Instructions}
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
2-Ingredient Banana Egg Pancakes {Meal Prep}
Meal Prep Sausage Egg McMuffin {Copycat}
The Best Starbucks Egg Bites Recipe {Copycat}
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cups {Meal Prep + High Fibre}
Meal prep lunches
Lunch is an integral part of your busy day – it's the midday meal that keeps you going throughout the day, and you want to make sure you're making healthy ingredient choices. I love making meal prep bowls to ensure I have a healthy lunch to enjoy all week long. Here are some of my fave clean recipes below, and I have several more in this healthy lunch ideas post linked here.
Zucchini Chicken Noodle Soup Jars
Slow Cooker Tuscan Sausage and Kale Soup
Indian-Inspired Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Sheet Pan Greek Chicken {Meal Prep}
Low Carb Big Mac Salad {Meal Prep}
Dynamite Shrimp Sushi Jars {Meal Prep}
Clean eating dinner recipes
When it comes to dinner, making it in a skillet or a sheet pan is easiest and it ensures you get a full serving of lean proteins and vegetables in. You can go low carb here or choose a healthier whole grain side such as brown rice or quinoa to get the full nutritional benefits of a comprehensive end of the day meal. Here are some healthy, easy clean eating dinner ideas below – and check out 52 Healthy Dinner Ideas here for more inspiration.
30-Minute Italian Chicken Skillet {One Pan}
Easy Cashew Chicken {30-Minute Meal}
Hasselback Baked Caprese Chicken
Jalapeno Popper Hasselback Chicken
Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Sheet Pan Sausage & Root Vegetables
Clean eating made simple
If you're looking to learn even more about clean eating, make sure you sign up for my Clean Eating Meal Plan. It helps you stay on track with a week's worth of healthy and easy recipes, including prep ahead instructions.
Here's what you'll receive when you sign up:
- 1 make-ahead breakfast
- 1 meal prep lunch recipe
- 5 healthy dinner ideas
- Prep ahead instructions designed to make your dinners come together quickly and easily each night!
Click here to sign up for my Clean Eating Meal Plan!
Comments & Reviews
Maria (Tampa FL) says
Wow. Love your recipes! I’m going to check out everything on your website. Trying to cook healthier for my family and myself. Thanks 😊
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoy them! If you’re trying to eat healthier this year, please consider signing up for our Dinner Prep Challenge 🙂 https://delicate-moon-8880.ck.page/a77ac8e175