As summer comes to a close and the realities of work, school, and other responsibilities come pressing back in, sometimes it feels like there are so many obstacles standing in the way of cooking delicious, nutrient-dense meals. When you find yourself pressed for time, or when you’re simply not in the mood to cook, meal prep is the key to sticking to your healthy eating plan.
Meal prep can mean preparing recipes ahead of time, storing in single servings, and enjoying portions throughout the week. Meal prep can also mean preparing the components of a meal—pre-cooking big batches of whole grains, roasting trays of vegetables, or soaking dried beans, for example—to make throwing together a weeknight dinner fast and easy.
The world of meal prepping is full of endless options, but here are some of our favorite things to prepare in advance:
Blissful Breakfasts
Butternut Squash Quinoa Egg Muffins: These egg muffins are super easy to make ahead of time for a satiating and delicious grab-and-go breakfast throughout the week.
Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats: Overnight oats have enjoyed the spotlight for some time, and for good reason! They are easy to prepare in batches, and this particular recipe is chock-full of blueberries, toasted nuts and chia seeds – ingredients sure to keep you full until lunch!
Satisfying Salads
Farro Cabbage Salad: This salad is filling and flavorful, thanks to the farro and a spice-filled dressing. The cabbage adds crunch and also keeps well in the fridge. For a different flavor but an equal level of meal-prep-convenience, substitute packaged broccoli slaw for the cabbage.
Black Bean and Kidney Bean Quinoa Salad: Not only can this entire salad be prepped in advance and left to marinate in a delicious roasted garlic vinaigrette, but the beans can also be left to soak while you’re sleeping, at work, or otherwise preoccupied – or, just opt for canned! After that, it’s an easy recipe to throw together (plus, make extra for lunch or dinner the following day!).
Tzatziki Chicken Salad: Tzatziki is a traditional Greek dish made from yogurt, cucumber, lemon, and often dill. It’s a great way to change up traditional chicken salad by keeping calories and fat low and adding extra veggies, and letting it sit in the fridge for a day or two only enhances the flavor. Plus, this dish is versatile – dip vegetables or pita chips in it or use it as a filling for pita pockets.
Cucumber and Serrano Chile Salad: This is a great side-salad for a lunch or dinner and holds up well in the fridge. It’s quick to whip up, and the ingredients balance each other beautifully – the crunch and coolness of the cucumber marry with the intense heat of the pepper and the sweet pineapple.
Delicious Dinners
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala with Chickpeas in Kale: Slow cookers are an underrated meal prep tool, doing most of the work for you. This slow cooker-friendly recipe is a mashup between two of our favorite Indian recipes: Chicken Tikka Masala, a creamy, tomato-based chicken dish; and chana saag, a fragrant, spiced chickpea and greens dish. It’s the perfect meal to come home to after a long day!
Pumpkin Quinoa Chili: Chilis and soups are wonderful when made ahead in large batches, keeping beautifully in the fridge. As autumn approaches, this tasty, high-protein chili brings a comforting warmth to the table. It combines an assortment of both chili and pumpkin pie spices, and a touch of unsweetened chocolate gives it a bit of bitter complexity.
Pasta e Fagioli: This traditional Italian soup is hearty and very satisfying, loaded with pasta, beans and vegetables. Use any veggies you like – perhaps leftovers from other meal prep projects – and feel free to try other kinds of beans. We like to use small pasta shapes, such as ditalini or macaroni.
Super Simple Staples
Basic Vinaigrette: This basic vinaigrette is a starting point for building any kind of salad dressing you can dream up and is easy to make in advance. Add herbs and spices, try flavored oils and vinegars, replace vinegar with citrus juice, or experiment with different types of vinegar for endless variations.
Cabbage Slaw: A stunning side or mid-day snack of bright purple cabbage brings a sweet-tart flavor and nice crunch to your plate and can be used to quickly add flavor and nutrients to any meal. You can substitute cucumber for the cabbage to make an equally tasty pickled slaw.
Walnut “Chorizo” Crumble: This vegan meat substitute made with walnuts is a great complement to a breakfast scramble, frittata or breakfast burrito – perfect for busy people who still want to elevate their quick meals. It’s also great on its own as taco filling, for weeknights when you only have minutes to spend preparing dinner.
And these options are just the beginning. No matter what your amount of free time looks like, there are almost always steps you can take to lighten the weekly workload, prevent last-minute rushes to the grocery store, and avoid having to rack your brain for interesting dinner ideas. Whether you opt to prepare quick, large batches of heritage diet staples so you can mix and match throughout the week, or you spend the weekend whipping up five-days-worth of different breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, both routes can be equally healthy and delicious!
For more recipes and inspiration, check out our recipe database.
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