Meal Prep Ideas to Try Now!

Prepping for your meal plan is half the battle. Once you have your meal plan set, make sure you prep properly to set yourself up for success! Steal some of my ideas to make prepping easier on you!

Prepare your veggies in advance

By this I mean, chop and spiralize whatever you plan to use for the next few days. Most vegetables will last at least 3-5 days once cut up. For me, it is easier to go in the fridge and grab my spiralized zucchini and squash to make my spaghetti substitute than to take the time each evening to spiralize and then cook.

I also find it handy to have carrots and celery and other veggie snacks cut up and portioned so that I have quick healthy options to grab!

Pre-portion healthy snacks

Whatever healthy snack you choose to eat proportion them! I know that I’ve been guilty plenty of times with my hand in a bag of baby carrots. Yes, they’re a healthy choice, but should I eat the whole bag dipped in the entire container of hummus? No. It’s important to proportion your snacks so you’re not tempted to overeat. I find it handy to have carrots and celery and other veggie snacks already cut up and portioned so that I have quick healthy options to grab!

I also take my container of hummus and split it into serving sizes so that I know what I’m actually consuming. It’s so easy to forget how much you ate when you think you’re choosing something healthy. Healthy snacks also add up quick!

Make sure you’ve given yourself at least 3-5 options of healthy snacks. Sometimes you want something sweet, like baked apples with cinnamon. Other times you crave savory, like pretzel thins and a cheese stick. Either way, it’s always better to give yourself options so you don’t get bored with the monotony of your food and grab that cookie your 2 year old is eating (Yes, we’ve all done it!).

Pre-bag smoothies and protein shakes

Pre-package and bag your smoothies and protein shakes. Have you noticed a theme here? Portioning and pre-packing your smoothies and protein shakes make it easy to grab them and throw them in your blender. I know when I wake up in the morning I don’t want to be cutting up strawberries, measuring my kale and yogurt and mixing them together in the blender. It’s much easier to grab my bag of pre-measured smoothie ingredients and just toss it in the blender with some ice. Quick, easy and refreshing smoothies are the way to go.

Make ahead breakfast egg muffins

One of my good friends turned me on to these a few years ago! They are so easy! Take your egg or egg whites, mix it together with your veggies, cheese or meats, pour into your cupcake tins and you’re done. Set those babies to bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or so and you’re set! You can bake them in your cupcake tins and have them ready to go in containers for the week. Grab them in the morning and warm them up in the microwave for a great warm, high protein breakfast!

Mason jar salads

There are tons of recipes for these online! One of the most important things to remember is always put your dressing in first and leafy greens go in last! Your heartier add-ins like pasta, quinoa, cherry tomatoes or proteins should go in after the dressing to keep your greens from getting wet.

When it comes to mason jar salads it’s all about the layers! I like to start with a homemade vinaigrette, some chicken, quinoa, then tomatoes and cucumbers with some craisins and feta cheese sprinkled on top just below my fresh baby spinach. Yum. I’m getting hungry just thinking about these. When you’re ready to eat the salad, just pour it into another bowl or container and you’re ready to go!

Overnight oats

So many people skip breakfast because they don’t want to waste time in the morning. Overnight oats is the solution to that problem! This is an easy go to breakfast one of my coworkers has for breakfast almost every day! There are so many variations like the mason jar salads that you can look up online. I prepare them twice a week, at the beginning and middle so that I can have a healthy start to my day. Keep in mind that overnight oats stay good for about 2-3 days after making them

Hard boiled eggs

There is not much to say here, except that these are my favorite! There is so much you can use them for throughout the week. I usually make about a dozen eggs at the beginning of each week and my husband and I go through them fast. We grab them as a high protein snack, a quick breakfast, an easy way to make egg salad. Sometimes I even grab them and throw them in my salad if I don’t have any other protein prepared. Such an easy food to prepare that often gets forgotten!

Alternate your snacks/lunch/breakfasts

Make sure to alternate your snacks, lunches and breakfasts. Monotony is one of the top reasons people give up on their diets and healthy eating. I like to alternate my meals for the week. I will prepare two sets of meals for the week. One set I eat Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the other set I eat Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Sunday for my family is usually a little different, we often do a family breakfast and family dinner that aren’t always the healthiest (but sometimes are!) so I don’t usually plan my meals out too extensively. It’s my cheat day and sometimes you just have to indulge!

I hope these meal prepping tips can get you started on reaching your healthy goals for the new year!