Easy Meal Prep Tips & Recipes

Between kids and/or the job these days, we are all busy. That’s why we provide an approach to cooking that is simple, nutritious, and delicious. It’s fun to do complicated recipes and test your culinary skills, however sticking to a meal prep routine generally relies on a foundation of quick and simple meals. We put together our list of tips and recipes for easy meal prep.

Keep it simple

There are mean tricks and tips to busy lifestyle meal prepping, we’ve covered a lot of them on this site. The basics are easy though. Keep it simple. Look for:

• Recipes with fewer ingredients
• Recipes with less steps
• Recipes that use ingredients you already have

The fewer ingredients that you have to buy the better. This makes the meal, usually, more affordable and quicker to prepare. You don’t need to spend the time preparing tons of veggies, fruits, and proteins. It may only contain three ingredients. This is great for a meal you’re just trying to whip up.

Recipes with fewer steps make for easy meal prep. Think one pot meals, one pan meals, or instant pot meals. These meals may contain more ingredients but the cooking instructions are simple and usually don’t require you to stand there watching a pan cook to the perfect temp. You can set it all up and walk away and focus on other tasks until the meal is ready to eat. This is where cooking methods can save you a lot of time as well. The stove top can be great for a lot of things but an instant pot or an air fryer can save a lot of time and frustration.

Another way to make easy meal prep is to choose recipes that require less or no time at the grocery store. Of course, you’ll eventually have to go to the store but if you can spare yourself a trip you’re more likely to make the meal. Keeping basic ingredients on hand with a few recipes up your sleeve for those days is perfect. Avoid the stress of a busy grocery store or be able to watch the kids while cooking. Consider keeping pasta noodles, rice, ground beef or chicken, with a sauce or two in the kitchen and it’ll be a lifesaver when you need them. Just be sure to eventually use them.

Pre-prepared ingredients or no work required

Some ingredients are easier to buy at the store pre-prepared. Cut vegetables, frozen cooked meats, and dough are some examples of common ingredients that most people buy on a regular basis. Often fresh is better however easy meal prep is about making easy meals that are nutritious and delicious by any means. These pre-prepared ingredients can end up saving you a ton of time and will honestly taste the same. Plus if it means you don’t fall back on fast food then it was the right move.

Adult snack boxes

Essentially a more nutritious version of charcuterie, this easy meal prep normally only requires portioning out ingredients. This is a very quick method to meal prepping that is great for small midday meals. It’s also extremely flexible so you can easily change up the combinations to keep it fresh.

Weekly meal plans

Subscribing to a weekly meal plan can also alleviate the stress of finding recipes. The meal plans should be balanced for nutrition throughout the week without you having to think through the nutrient needs. Even as a jumping off point, weekly meal plans can help you formulate a plan unique for you or use a few different weekly meal plans to mix it up from week to week.

View Weekly Meal Plans for Free