The best advice for your nutrition is to start meal prepping. Meal prep is the practice of planning and making meals in advance to ensure you stay on track with your calories. But it’s easier said than done.
There are a lot of different variables to address with meal prep, so we want to make it a little easier. This article will give you some of the best meal prep ideas.
What Is Meal Prep?
Meal prep is an umbrella term for preparing meals beforehand so that you always have them ready to go. Generally speaking, this includes making healthy meals, but it can refer to simply planning your meals and ingredients.
More importantly, this assures you hit your calories and macros because you prepare them! Meal prep is essential to managing your weight, either through weight loss, weight gain, or maintenance.
How Do You Meal Prep?
Any way you want!
There are many ways to meal-prep. You can prepare every meal or just your lunch. However, you need to figure out what you need to eat!
1. First, you need to figure out your total daily calories and macros. TDEE is the amount of calories you use during the day.¹ Use a TDEE calculator and check out this article to learn how to find your macros!
2. Decide how many meals you’ll eat throughout the day. This is entirely up to you, but we recommend 3-4 main meals and 2 smaller snacks.
3. Divide up your calories and macros across those meals. The main variable here is your protein intake each meal. It should be at least 20-25g to optimize muscle protein synthesis.¹
4. Decide what meals you need to prep for. Generally, people won’t prepare their breakfast in advance. They may plan what they’ll have, such as oatmeal or an omelet.
Further, they may prep the ingredients for dinners but not the meal. With that said, lunch and a couple of snacks are generally the most important as people are out of the house working.
5. Choose one or two days a week to prepare meals. Some people will choose to meal prep everything on one day, while others prefer prepping on two days a week. The main difference is that if you prepare food on Sunday, some will not be eaten until Saturday.
If your meal prep includes cooking, that could take a long time to reheat. However, if your meal prep just includes prepping ingredients to be cooked, that could be done.
Note: When you reheat rice, add water to the container to increase moisture.
Awesome Meal Prep Ideas
We’re now going to go over some ideas to make meal prep easier. These will consist of various tips and tricks for starting your meal prep.
Find 2-3 Main Meals
When you first begin meal prepping, don’t try to make extra fancy meals daily. This would make meal prep significantly more difficult.
Instead, find just a couple of really good meals that you can make easily and enjoy. Start with these first, and then you can build upon them.
Learn To Use Slow Cooker!
A slow cooker has become a popular tool for meal prep. Lifters generally use it in two ways.
Make a large pot. They will then use and divide it into meals throughout the week.
They use a smaller pot to make daily meals. They usually prepare the ingredients earlier, all at once. In the morning, they throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker real fast and let it cook throughout the day.
This opens up many possibilities as there are a ton of different delicious meals you can make.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Sandwiches and wraps are great ideas for incredibly easy meal prep. They offer a ton of variation and can be made quickly and easily.
You can make a basic sandwich with some deli meat and vegetables or spruce it up with grilled chicken chunks and pesto sauce.
Further, you can use;
Bread: Premium breads such as Mike’s Killer Bread are awesome
Wraps: Many great styles, such as spinach wraps or egg white wraps
Bagels: Just watch for calories if you’re losing weight!
These are a great option for lunch or a quick snack.
Prep Ingredients
One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily need to prep the meal in its entirety – this is more geared towards your dinner. Rather, you can just prepare the necessary ingredients for easy meals.
For example;
Chop up and season roasted potatoes
Chop up onions and peppers
Marinate or season your proteins
Measure out raw protein to be cooked.
Measure out rice, quinoa, or other carbs.
Learn A Few Sheet Pan Recipes
Like the slow cooker, sheet pan recipes are easily prepared as everything is cooked together. This is when prepping ingredients definitely comes into play!
You can prep the ingredients early on your prep day. Then, when you get home from work, you can put the ingredients on a single sheet pan and put it in the oven. Wait (usually 20-40 minutes), and your dinner is served.
This is a great way to add variety to your meals and make meal prep delicious!
Use Tempered Glass For Microwavable Meals
There has been a growing concern about using plastic containers in microwaves. The concern is that various compounds will break down in the microwave and seep into the food.
The easy way around this controversy is to use tempered glass containers, which are generally regarded as the safest option. Further, they’re easy to clean and will last longer in the long run.
Top Healthy Food Prep Ideas
Here are some of our favorite, easy food prep ideas. They are delicious, healthy, and packed with protein.
Note: We will list ingredients for bulk preparation, as well as calories and macros. You can then break it down as needed. Some nutrient info will include two numbers: calories of 1 serving / total calories.
Monster Mash
Monster Mash is one of our favorite meals. It comes from Stan Efferding and his Vertical Diet. It’s made in a crockpot and terribly easy to make. Further, it’s highly customizable by changing protein and ingredients. Here’s one of our favorites.
This is a must as it’s easy and delicious, and you can build off it with other ingredients.
Calories and Macros
Calories: 438kcal / 1,752
Carbohydrates: 44g / 176g
Protein: 32g / 128g
Fat: 15g / 60g
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 cup white rice
1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup carrots
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Dice bell pepper and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add beef and brown it. Once browned, drain the excess liquid in a strainer and set the beef aside.
Add chicken broth and water to the pot. Stir in rice, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and vegetables are tender.
Stir in the cooked beef and mix until combined.
Divide into airtight containers and top with shredded cheese.
Chicken Burrito Bowl
Burrito bowls prove that meal prep doesn’t need to be bland. These bowls are full of flavor and nutrition.
Further, keep in mind you can easily swap out the protein for a different bowl each week. For example;
Week 1: Chicken
Week 2: Beef
Week 3: Fish
Week 4: Steak
Calories and Macros
Cals: 520cal / 2,080cal
Protein: 37g / 148g
Carbs: 64g / 256g
Fat: 13g / 52g
Ingredients
2 cups arugula
1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
7 oz can of corn (drained)
14 oz can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 lb chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup basmati rice
1.5 cups water
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp Caesar dressing (use dairy-free option if needed or opt-out)
Directions
Place chicken breasts in a pot with salt and pepper.
Cover with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
Let the chicken cool, then shred it with two forks.
Rinse the rice and cook it according to instructions. Add paprika, cumin, cayenne, and black pepper 5 minutes before it’s done. Stir well and let it finish cooking.
Fluff the rice before serving.
Divide the arugula, tomatoes, corn, and black beans into four containers. Add the chicken and rice to each.
Sheet Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Sheet pan recipes are a lifesaver for anyone wanting to make delicious foods while saving time. All you need to do is throw everything on a sheet pan and bake it all together.
Cals and Macros
Cals: 1,884
Protein: 192
Carbs: 148
Fat: 64
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups Brussels sprouts (halved)
2 medium sweet potatoes (cubed)
1 red onion (sliced)
2 apples (sliced)
Fresh parsley for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix olive oil, garlic, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
Coat chicken with the mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Chop veggies and arrange on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then toss.
Roast for 15 minutes.
Add chicken on top and bake for 20-22 minutes.
Garnish with parsley.
Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner
Another sheet pan recipe but Greek style.
Again, if you like this, all you need to do is swap out proteins every week! To really make it Greek, try some lamb!
Cals and Macros
Cals: 1,136
Protein: 120g
Carbs: 60g
Fat: 48g
Ingredients
1 lb chicken breasts
3 bell peppers (red, yellow, green)
1 zucchini
1 red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Add peppers, zucchini, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper to a sheet pan.
Toss in diced chicken and spread evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
Remove from the oven and top with crumbled feta.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Lemon Chicken With Vegetables
A classic bodybuilder meal: chicken, sweet potato, and vegetables.
Calories and Macronutrients
Cals: 500 / 1,500
Protein: 40g / 120g
Carbs: 35g / 105g
Fat: 23g / 69g
Ingredients
Chicken Breast (1 lb)
Chicken Stock (1/4 cup)
Lemon Juice (1 tbsp)
Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
White Onion (1)
Garlic (3 cloves)
Salt (½ tsp)
Black Pepper (½ tsp)
Sweet Potatoes (2, peeled and diced)
Broccoli (2 cups)
Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
Paprika (½ tsp)
Salt (½ tsp)
Black Pepper (¼ tsp)
Garlic Powder (¼ tsp)
Cherry Tomatoes (3 cups)
Fresh Dill (chopped)
Directions
Chop the onion and peel the garlic, and blend with chicken stock, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Cut the chicken into chunks, marinate it in the blender mixture, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then bake for 35 minutes. Add broccoli after 25 minutes.
Cook chicken in olive oil and marinade for 13-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Chop cherry tomatoes and dill.
Portion chicken and veggies into containers and serve.
5 Ultra-Easy Meal Prep Ideas
We went over some delicious food prep recipes above. Now, we want to discuss some ultra-easy meal prep ideas. These are basic meals with minimal ingredients that are still ultra delicious.
Before we go further, we will want to list some of the foods that can be added to a protein for flavor as well as nutrients.
Onions
Peppers
Tomato
Garlic
We won’t list the bulk of nutrition information for these as they’re very simple, and you can use however much you need. However, we will list some nutrition information for common foods used in meal prep.
1. Onion, Pepper & Mushroom, Ground Beef Over Rice
This is one of our favorite and easiest meal preps. It only contains 4 primary ingredients with any seasoning you’d like, as well as awesome smaller foods.
Decide on the amount of beef you need as well as onions and peppers (nutritional info below)
Heat up a pan and melt some butter.
Saute your onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
Add the beef and brown with the vegetables
Add garlic, salt, or any other seasoning you wish to taste
Serve over rice
Feel free to add some greens to the mix, such as spinach or kale.
Incredibly simple yet delicious.
2. Chicken Fried Rice (Healthy Version)
Don’t fret about the term “fried,” as you’re not deep frying any food.
For this, you can make the meal as complex or simple as you want. For example, an incredibly simple recipe could use just;
Eggs
Chicken breast chunks
Rice
Oil
A more “complicated” recipe could use;
Eggs
Chicken breast chunks
Rice
Oil
Peas
Diced Onions
Diced Carrots
Diced Tomato
Now, if you prep the diced ingredients, adding those takes 10 extra seconds. Regardless, here are some basic directions;
Heat 2 tsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook chicken until browned, about 4-5 minutes, then remove and set aside.
Add 1 tsp oil (or as needed) and sauté other vegetables such as onion and carrots for 3 minutes.
Add rice, chicken, egg, peas, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix gently.
Season with salt and pepper, and top with green onions if desired. Serve.
3. Wraps – Chicken and Avocado Wrap
Wraps are a terribly easy meal prep. All you need is some wraps, meat, and toppings. Throw it all together, and you’re ready to go.
One of the fancier versions is also one of our favorites: chicken and avocado wrap. Chicken and avocado are a powerhouse of protein and nutrients, making them a must for a healthy yet delicious quick meal.
Ingredients
6 Wholemeal Weight Watcher tortillas
3 pieces of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 avocados, deseeded and diced
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup red onion, sliced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp sea salt
Directions
Combine shredded chicken, avocados, lemon juice, red onion, parsley, Greek yogurt, garlic powder, and sea salt.
Spread the tortilla wraps and place romaine lettuce to the right of the center.
Cover with the chicken-avocado mixture.
Roll the wrap carefully, cut it in half, and serve immediately.
4. Three Egg Omelet or Scrambled Eggs (Plus Optional Ham Steak)
Omelets are a classic breakfast item but also extremely nutritious and delicious. Why we like them so much is because they’re simple and highly versatile.
Start with a 3-4 egg omelet which will yield 240-280 calories with 18-24g of protein. From here, you can add any filling such as;
Chicken chunks
Ham
Cheese
Tomato
Onions
Mushrooms
Again, prepare the ingredients so you can just throw it all together for breakfast. These are great meal prep ideas for weight loss as you can pack a lot of protein with low calories.
5. Chicken Thigh with Sweet Potato & Vegetables
Another classic meal prep that’s extremely easy to make. This is primarily because it consists of the 3 primary foods that are cooked on their own.
1. Chicken Thighs- Bake as many chicken thighs as you need depending on your needs.
2. Sweet Potato – Bake at 400-degree for 40-60 mins. Add butter or brown sugar for taste if needed. However, if you don’t eat sweets, these are delicious as is!
3. Vegetables- Fill in the rest with any vegetables you like. A mix of cabbage, onions, and carrots is a favorite of ours!
Make Your Own Meal Prep
Above, we listed some ingredients. However, sometimes, it’s easy to create your own. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how that works.
1. Choose Your Protein. The base of all your meals is your protein, as it’s the most important part of your meal. Once chosen, you then add your other food choices.
2. Decide On Fats. Your next food choice will be any fats. Now, obviously, you want to keep these within reason. Opt for healthier fat sources such as olive oil, nuts, or avocados.
3. Add Any Vegetables. These are up to you, depending on what you like. We will say that onions, mushrooms, and peppers are great choices as they add a ton of flavor. Other than that, carrots, cabbage, and broccoli are other favorites.
4. Choose Your Carb. Last, you have your carbs. Depending on your caloric needs, you can use as much or as little as you desire. Here are some of our favorites. (Remember, these are estimates, so be sure to check your selection.
Nutrition Information For Common Food Prep Ingredients
Protein
Chicken Breast, Skinless (100g) – Calories: 110kcal | Fat: 1.24g | Carbs: 0.0g | Protein: 23.09g
Chicken Breast (100 g) – Calories: 195kcal | Fat: 7.72g | Carbs: 0g | Protein: 29.55g
Chicken Thigh (small) Calories: 135kcal | Fat: 8.45g | Carbs: 0g | Protein: 13.67g
Salmon, boneless(1 oz) – Calories: 41kcal | Fat: 1.68g | Carbs: 0.00g | Protein: 6.13g
90/10 Ground Beef (1oz) – Calories: 49kcal | Fat: 2.80g | Carbs: 0.00g | Protein: 5.60g
80/20 Ground Beef (1 oz) – Calories: 71kcal | Fat: 5.60g | Carbs: 0.00g | Protein: 4.81g
Ground Pork (Per 100 g) – Calories: 263kcal | Fat: 21.19g | Carbs: 0.0g | Protein: 16.88g
Dairy & Eggs
Eggs – Per 1 large – Calories: 74kcal | Fat: 4.97g | Carbs: 0.38g | Protein: 6.29g
Cheddar Cheese Per 1 slice – Calories: 113kcal | Fat: 9.28g | Carbs: 0.36g | Protein: 6.97g
Mozzarella Cheese – Per 1 slice – Calories: 86kcal | Fat: 5.68g | Carbs: 1.09g | Protein: 7.36g
Milk (Whole) – Per 1 cup – Calories: 146kcal | Fat: 7.93g | Carbs: 11.03g | Protein: 7.86g
Vegetables
Onion: Per 100 g – Calories: 42kcal | Fat: 0.08g | Carbs: 10.11g | Protein: 0.92g
Green Pepper Per 100 g – Calories: 20kcal | Fat: 0.17g | Carbs: 4.64g | Protein: 0.86g
Mushroom Per 1 cup – Calories: 15kcal | Fat: 0.24g | Carbs: 2.30g | Protein: 2.16g
Carrot Per 1 medium – Calories: 25kcal | Fat: 0.15g | Carbs: 5.84g | Protein: 0.57g
Cabbage: Per 100 g – Calories: 24kcal | Fat: 0.12g | Carbs: 5.58g | Protein: 1.44g
Tomato: Per 100 g – Calories: 18kcal | Fat: 0.2g | Carbs: 3.92g | Protein: 0.88g
Lettuce: Per 1 cup of shredded or chopped – Calories: 8kcal | Fat: 0.08g | Carbs: 1.63g | Protein: 0.50g
Carbs
Roasted Potato (medium) – Calories: 203kcal | Fat: 9.52g | Carbs: 27.28g | Protein: 3.16g
White Rice: Per 1 cup of cooked – Calories: 204kcal | Fat: 0.44g | Carbs: 44.08g | Protein: 4.20
Brown Rice: Per 1 cup of cooked – Calories: 215kcal | Fat: 1.74g | Carbs: 44.42g | Protein: 4.99g
Couscous: Per 1 cup of cooked – Calories: 180kcal | Fat: 0.26g | Carbs: 37.44g | Protein: 6.11g
Sweet Potato: Per 100 g – Calories: 86kcal | Fat: 0.05g | Carbs: 20.12g | Protein: 1.57g
Quinoa: Per 1 cup of cooked – Calories: 229kcal | Fat: 3.55g | Carbs: 42.17g | Protein: 8.01g
Healthy Meal Prep Ideas For Success
Above, we listed a mixture of meal prep ideas and various ideas for healthy meals. Learning meal prep can take a bit of time, but once you get the hang of it, it makes your fitness journey so much easier. Again, start with easy meal prep recipes and then build off of them from there.
Some recipes were taken from other websites:
https://allnutritious.com/
https://www.allrecipes.com/
https://www.theendlessmeal.com/
References
Ostendorf DM, Caldwell AE, Creasy SA, Pan Z, Lyden K, Bergouignan A, MacLean PS, Wyatt HR, Hill JO, Melanson EL, Catenacci VA. Physical Activity Energy Expenditure and Total Daily Energy Expenditure in Successful Weight Loss Maintainers. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2019 Mar;27(3):496-504. doi: 10.1002/oby.22373. PMID: 30801984; PMCID: PMC6392078. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30801984/
Schoenfeld, B. J., & Aragon, A. A. (2018). How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1
