Something I’ve found to be effective is ingredient prepping rather than meals. I’m so not a leftover gal. There ARE a few things I’ll eat leftover, like pizza, pad thai, and mac and cheese but that’s about it – and those things aren’t the best for you. I like to prep in food “batches”, imagine your own chipotle line. You have different items, textures and flavors to choose from.This ensures you keep the healthy meal prep but also don’t get bored by day 2, ya know? I need constant change and variety in my food and I think that’s where/why a lot of people “fall off” so quickly.
Healthy Meal Prep List
- Roasted or Air Fried White Sweet Potato
- Pancakes or Waffles to Freeze (You can also buy frozen – we love Birch Benders Paleo or Trader Joes Gluten Free!)
- Roasted Mushrooms, shiitakes are my fav
- Roasted Peppers
- Basmati Rice ( I like making this into coconut lime rice, so easy!!)
- Grass-Fed Ground Beef ( I love making this into picadillo, but you can do meatballs, burgers, etc)
- Chicken (I honestly poach chicken breasts, cut into cubes and douse them in Franks Red Hot for a quick buffalo chicken)
- Black Beans
- Plantains for tostones + maduros
- Nuts: sliced almonds, cashews, peanuts
- Seeds: hemp seeds (great source of plant protein, 3TBS has 10g of protein!!), chia seeds, flax seeds
- Eggs (you obviously don’t need to ‘prep’ these per say but helpful to have on hand.
- Nut Butter
Find my Trader Joes go-to’s here!
How to Meal Prep
- Here’s the deal – you’re going to cook each ingredient respectively, seasoned however you want and then you’re going to throw them separately into air tight glass containers (save yourself from toxic plastic) like these and then put them in the fridge. *You’ll notice there isn’t much meat in the list – that’s because I hate re-heated meat and prefer to eat it fresh!
TIPS:
- Let the food cool completely before you throw the top on. This will make sure it doesn’t get mushy or grow scary bacteria.
- Label your containers! Ok this may be a stretch but im seriously obsessed with my new label maker, it was only $12 and it makes me so happy.
To Grab Out of The Fridge/Freezer
- Cucumber + Tomato Balsamic Salad
- Lettuce (I love romaine, or spring mix)
- Hummus
- Sauces
- Franks Red Hot
- Aleppo Pepper (from Trader Joes)
- Sriracha
- Green Goddess Dressing (also Trader Joes)
- Cashew Queso, recipe here
- Lemons/Limes
- Fruit fresh & frozen
- Salsa
Did you think I was going to leave you to fend for yourself in the kitchen?! NO WAY check out some of my favorite healthy meal prep recipes below:
