Meal planning is just another step to keep you motivated towards your health goal. It not only saves your time but saves your efforts and money too. Our today’s meal prep ideas will help you to prepare some easy meals for your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Get all Meal Prep Ideas + 40 Recipes as a PDF!
It is often easier and more convenient to simply save a recipe on your smartphone or tablet. So you always have it ready and of course you can also print it out. Grab it before you go:
Before I give you the list, let me show you something important.
Are You Interested in Weight Loss Recipes? If yes, Read this..
If you love cooking weight loss recipes or you are new and looking to try weight loss recipes. I completely understand your frustration to keep searching for recipes.
And there are so many things to plan like – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert, soup etc. Plus you need to count for points. So many plannings are needed. I have myself faced all of them when I had started my Weight Watchers diet.
This is why I (a doctor) together with my dietician friend, have created a complete 21-day Weight Watchers Diet Plan which includes healthy recipes from breakfast, mid-day snacks, lunch, evening snacks to dinner.
So, from now you don’t need to worry about what you’ll have tomorrow. You can simply get a Copy of our 21-day Weight Watchers Diet Plan (recipe book which includes 175+ well planned recipes).
How to prepare meal?
It does not require a lot to plan your weekly meal preparation. Here are the things you need to note down to prepare your meals hassle free:
Gather your storage containers
You are going to prepare it for a week and it is a bit obvious you don’t want your food to get spoiled or spilled. For that, you need to get good capacity storage containers that are ideal to store food for a longer duration.
In case you are a busy mom and don’t have much time to shop them out, grab your phone and order them online.
You can buy some mason jars or good quality airtight containers for this purpose. Don’t forget to buy them according to your storage space capacity.
Mark all the things upon your shopping list
You need to think about the ingredients you would be requiring for a week. Don’t get stressed out, plan it meal-by-meal. Double check the list to make sure that you are not forgetting anything – so you don’t have to rush to store again.
Invest on time saver foods if you are in a rush:
You can buy canned or frozen foods to save your time if you are busy. Also, you need not worry about their storage and chopping and wash them before use.
Moreover, some of the frozen foods are cheaper than the fresh one that helps you to shop smart by staying in your budget. You can also look for the equipments like rice cooker, instant pots, egg boilers, etc that can save your time and efforts.
Wash it all before storing
Always make sure to wash your food as well as your containers before storing it. It will help to prevent contamination and keep food fresh for a longer time.
Make it part of your schedule
Making meal preparation part of your daily routine can help you a lot in cooking various meals in a single batch. Set up an hour in a week when you can carry out all the prepping and portioning.
I usually prefer Saturdays and Sundays for this work as things are at more discounted rates on these days.
If you are a lazy bee, I prefer you to set a reminder for all these works.
How long meal prep can be kept in the refrigerator?
Every food item has its own shelf life. Most of the leftovers and fresh vegetables and fruits can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. In case you feel something changed in texture, odor or flavor of the food – Do not consume it at all.
Is meal preparation beneficial for weight loss?
Pre-planning and preparing your meals accordingly can help you a lot to avoid binge eating or eating unhealthy foods outside. Just think about how many calories you can save by having a pre-planned salad rather than having a pizza for your office lunch.
In the same manner, you can get some amazingly healthy fruits to consume in form of smoothies for your breakfast and can get some healthy zero calorie foods to consume as snacks rather than eating packets of cookies or chips.
40+ Meal Preparation Ideas:
Alright, you have got enough how to manage and prepare your meals. Now let’s move ahead to our main section where we are going to introduce you to some amazing meal prep ideas that are simple, fast, well-balanced, and definitely going to become favorite recipes of you and your family.
Breakfast Meal Preparation Recipes:
Starting from the top meal of the day, here are some amazing recipes you can get right into your tummy within very less time.
1. Egg Muffin Cups:
Found on ShowmetheYummy
Packed with veges and eggs these muffins are just a perfect start for my day. Cooked within very less ingredients these muffins are one of the easiest recipe on our list.
These super delicious muffins can be consumed by our calorie conscious people as one single muffin contains only 50 calories.
Ready to Try Our 21-Day Weight Loss Recipes? If yes, Read this..
Being a Doctor myself, together with my dietician friend, have created a 21-day Weight Watchers diet plan for busy moms and people who have no time to daily research and plan their meal.
Get our 21-day Weight Watchers Diet Plan and never worry about what to have tomorrow. We are running a Special 40% Discount right now.
2. Bacon and egg meal prep:
Found on DamnDelicious
Say goodbye to your old unhealthy days when you have to stop at coffee shops and nearby cafes to get a breakfast meal. You can grab your microwave safe containers pre packed with your bacon and egg meal prep, heat it a little bit and have it with your cup of coffee without hassling a lot in your lazy mornings.
3. Keto Cajun Sausage Breakfast Scramble:
Found on MealPreponFleek
What about having a full fledge egg breakfast every morning? Feels superb? Get through the details of this recipe to get yourself a full fledge well-balanced breakfast meal even if you are running short on time!
4. Sausage egg and cheese bites:
Found on Maebells
Enjoy these ultimate family egg breakfast meal bites with your family every morning. The most amazing thing about these bites is that you can easily adjust the portion size of your bites, making larger ones for adults and smaller ones for little kids to avoid wastage of food.
Store them in Ziploc bag and let your kids have a great breakfast meal as they run out the door in the morning!
5. Banana oatmeal cups:
Found on TheMerchantbaker
I never thought eating oats can be so tasty until I had these cups. The wonderful combination of banana and chocolate makes these cups yummylicious without even tasting like an oatmeal.
6. Overnight oats:
Found on Wholefully
Overnight oats is a perfect meal preparation recipe for our busy moms who don’t have enough time to cook a wholesome breakfast meals for them. The best thing is that you can add a lot of variations in it to get more nutrition out of it without getting bore.
The special thing about this recipe is you don’t need a stove no knives and not even a microwave!
7. Strawberry quinoa breakfast bars:
Found on MyFussYeater
I never knew that strawberry and quinoa made such a great combination! Quinoa is a wonderful breakfast ingredients loaded with such great health benefits. Adjust them according to your portions size and enjoy them as a perfect dessert replacement.
8. Green smoothie prep packs:
Found on CleanFoodCrush
Green smoothies can be a brilliant option to gulp a lot of nutrients in one single glass. Smoothies are super easy to make, you just need a good blender and you are done with the cooking part.
You can try a lot of combination and put them all in packs to blend them every morning.
9. Peanut butter green smoothie freezer packs:
Found on SmileSandwich
A perfect blend of nutritious fruits and vegetables added with a spoon full of peanut butter feels amazing on those hot summer mornings. Peanut butter makes the smoothie richer giving it a creamy and velvety texture.
10. Freezer smoothie and greens smoothie packs:
Found on BerryMaple
One more smoothie variant on our list so that you don’t get bore of them. With healthy greens, super easy preparation and tons of flavors, these blends make my mornings a happy mornings!
Lunch and Dinner Meal Preparation:
I have connected both of these meals as most of the people prefer to use their dinner leftovers in their next day’s lunch meal. These meal prep ideas involve salads, soups, and many more variants so that you can have a new meal everyday!
11. Salad in jar:
Found on ComfortablyDomestic
Mason jar salads just work perfect for my lunch as I like the flexibility of holding my lunch and working at the same time. Moreover, they are just so refreshing and tasty!
12. Mexican salad in jars:
Found on azetyBite
What is better than giving your husband and children a jar full of nutritious ingredients without putting any extra efforts in making it? I love the taste of these Wendy’s taco salad. For all my vegetarian friends over here, you can try these salad jars without any hesitation.
13. Chicken Cobb salad:
Found on EverydayMealPrep
Who does not like to have chicken in lunch or dinner? These cob salads meals are better than any ready to grab weight loss salads. And you can store them too to have anytime in your lunch or dinner.
14. Homemade instant noodles:
Found on SweetPeasandSaffron
Instant noodles are not bounded with the age group everyone likes to have them. Even though, I have a huge crush on them. These healthy homemade instant noodles have made me grab them in my lunch or dinner without even caring of those unnecessary calories.
15. Veggie packed hamburger soup:
Found on OurSaltyKitchen
Confused whether it’s a hamburger’s or soup’s recipe? It is basically a soup recipe that tastes insanely like a hamburger! Most of the ingredients used in these soups are fridge and pantry staples so that you can have everything on hand!
16. Instant Soup Jars with protein:
Found on CotterCrunch
If you love to have those instant soup cups available in market, you will surely love this 3 variants instant soup cups recipe that is merely a copycat of the store-bought cups! High in protein, these cups are just great in taste and nutritive value.
17. Turkey spinach pinwheel meal prep:
Found on DamnDelicious
Why to have a single sandwich or a roll for your office lunch, while you can take a full lunchables along with you. This simple and extremely delicious pinwheel recipe is ideal for you and yours children lunchbox. The options are just endless so that, you can add more variety everyday to your lunch meal.
18. Turkey Taco Lunchbox:
Found on SweetPeasandSaffron
For me turkey has been the best replacement option for the grounded beef in terms of nutrition and budget. Loaded with turkey taco meat, brown rice, corn and simple pico de gallo this recipe is better than any other readymade meals available near your office.
19. Turkey lettuce wrap:
Found on SweetPeasandSaffron
If you are looking for a low carb recipe for your lunch you have come a right way! This lettuce wrap recipe is just high in protein and low in calories and the evil carbs. Must say you cannot get better than this!
20. Thai Peanut Chicken Meal Prep Bowl:
Found on FromValeriesKitchen
Getting apart from the recipe, the peanut sauce in this recipe is the dip I can have in my every meal! I just loved the mix of those noodles and salad; it is far better option than ordering a Thai meal from outside.
21. One Sheet Pan Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Tenders and Green Beans with Fresh Grape Tomatoes:
Found on CookingClassy
Such a large name dish recipe but trust me it is the most easy meal prep recipe on our list. This highly dense nutritious recipe can make you fan in one go!
22. Meal Prep Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls:
Found on JarofLemons
You surely won’t get over this super yummy chicken dish. It’s cheap, delicious and versatile. This is the best example of low cost recipe that can be cooked easily and can be tried with lots of seasonings to add different flavors in it.
23. Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta Meal Prep:
Found on BudgetBytes
Packed with super healthy ingredients, this is another most nutritious recipe on our list. If you want, can surely swap pasta with any of the healthier option available at home.
24. Greek Chicken Meal Prep Bowls:
Found on CleanFoodCrush
Your search for the ultimate meal prep idea to lose weight ends over here! This Greek chicken meal bowl provides you all the essential nutrients along with good quality protein.
25. Honey Lemon Chicken Bowls:
Found on GimmeSomeOven
Low in budget and high in taste this lemon and honey flavor chicken can make you lick your fingers every time you grab it for lunch or dinner. It is quite filling meal to provide you enough energy for the rest of the day.
26. Egg Roll In A Bowl:
Found on SweetPeasandSaffron
Sometimes the easiest dishes tend to be the tastiest one. And when I look forward to this recipe I get the idea of how easy can be tasty. This money saver dish has all the super healthy veggies you were looking to add into your diet!
27. Protein Snack Pack Lunch Meal Prep:
Found on TheForkedSpoon
If you are looking for some money saver meal prep ideas then you need to save this recipe in your recipe book. Ideal for weight loss, this meal prep idea is 100% ready to eat means no microwave no cooking!
28. One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies:
Found on ChelseasMessyApron
This recipe is for one’s who are not getting their veggies proportion properly due to lack of time or don’t like its taste. You could skip the rice and add on veggies to make it a carb-free recipe.
29. Sheet Pan Crispy Cheddar Pork Chop:
Found on TheRecipeCritic
We all know that sheet pan recipes are the fastest to make and can be cooked in bulk. This recipe is full of nutrition and flavors, making it a delicious option for your lunch or dinner.
30. Pulled Pork Pulse Protein Bowl:
Found on EazyPeazyMealz
For our muscle builders, this recipe is just the thing you were looking for. With high level of proteins, it provides you all the extreme flavors to enhance your taste buds.
31. Garlic Butter Steak Bites With Zucchini Noodles Meal Prep:
Found on KirbieCravings
Garlic butter is my favorite ingredient in the kitchen. Its high end flavor and super healthy and low calorie content make it an amazing option for the health freaks who don’t want to compromise with their taste.
32. Meal Prep Taco Salad Lunch Bowls:
Found on KristinesKitchenBlog
How could be our list complete without adding a classic ground beef taco salad recipe? This easy to make recipe requires very less efforts, you just need to brown the ground beef, add your favorite veggies and pack them in the containers for your lunch or dinner.
33. Garlic Butter Skillet Steak Bites and Potatoes:
Found on ClosetCooking
Steak is love! You cannot be always in a salad mood. To refresh your mood and to add more taste to your meals here is the easy steak recipe you can add in your recipe book.
34. 10-Minute Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp With Zucchini Noodles:
Found on EatWell101
10 minutes shrimp recipe loaded with flavors of lemon and garlic butter can make your office hours even better. You can make it low carb by replacing the ordinary noodles with super healthy zucchini noodles.
35. Beef and Broccoli Meal Prep:
Found on LifeMadeSweeter
This is staple dish in our home. It is easy, delicious and definitely low in budget. Served with white rice it makes a very healthy dinner or lunch meal option.
36. 15-Minute Chicken Sausage Pasta Meal Prep Bowl:
Found on SmileSandwich
It is most time efficient dish that is worth your efforts. It has all the elements you were looking forward in an ideal meal prep dish. And good news for our celiac people, it’s totally gluten-free!
37. Sausage Peppers and Onions Skillet Meal Prep:
Found on TheGirlonBloor
Want to spice up your meal? Then you can surely munch on this recipe high in spices and flavors. Spicy tomato sauce and peppers and hearty onions mix makes it the spice up meal of the day.
38. Lemon Roasted Salmon with Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli:
Found on LittleSpiceJar
When it comes to the finest recipes I cannot deny adding name of this recipe! This recipe makes sure you get a well balanced diet adequate in grains, vegetables and meat proportion.
39. Super-Easy Shrimp Stir-Fry Meal Prep:
Found on CleanFoodCrush
Looking for a tasty shrimp recipe? Then look over here. We have got you a dish full of colors, flavors and all the essential nutrients.
40. Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry Meal Prep:
Found on MyFoodStory
I never felt that veges could look so good until I saw them in this recipe. It takes around 1 hour to pack this dish in the prep meal boxes. This is surely a super loveable dish to enjoy at your dinner table.
41. Turkey meatballs with spinach:
Found on HomeCookingMemories
These meatballs mixed up with a variety of meats are just incredible in flavor and texture. They can be stored for a long duration and can be eaten by just heating them up for few seconds.
Important
So, this was all about our meal prep ideas. Do remember they need not to be boring at all. Try to add more variety of vegetables and healthy grains in your everyday meal and stay away from unhealthy options making you fat and sick. Do try them all and tell us which idea you liked the most!
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