I’m sure you’ve seen the meal prep craze. People prepare healthy meals for the whole week in one session. And it looks a little intimidating.

My ways of meal prep is a little simpler.

I prepare a protein, starch, and vegetable most of the time. I usually do this all on a Sunday afternoon. I put a portion of each dish into a container so for a meal all I have to do is pull a container from the fridge and heat it up.

Now, I’m not an expert in nutrition or anything. But I’ve figured out some things that are healthy and keep me full. So here’s what my simple meal prep looks like.

Step 1: Protein

I like to cook chicken in the slow cooker the day I’m doing meal prep. Though my husband says we’ve been having too much chicken, so I might have to find another option soon.

I have chicken in the freezer marinated a few different ways. I’ve been pulling one out each week and cooking in the crockpot to split among my containers.

Step 2: Starch or Grain

I have always done rice for a starch. I’ve done both white and brown instant rice. To add flavor I’ve added either salsa or shredded cheese. The cheesy rice is my favorite!

Another easy favorite is potatoes – I do mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and it’s so easy! You could also chop them up and roast them or even make homemade fries. 

Step 3: Veggies

Roasted or steamed mixed veggies. I’ve always roasted or steamed vegetables that were frozen.

To be honest, I thought the steamed veggies were just as good as roasted and it’s faster and easier to fix that way. Plus you can buy the microwavable bags at Aldi for pretty cheap 🙂

I’ve also done mashed sweet potatoes a couple times. I cut the potatoes into 3 or 4 pieces, boil (Tip: you don’t have to peel – once boiled the skins will slide right off), take the skins off, and mash and mix with honey and cinnamon.

Breakfast

I like to make a breakfast casserole full of protein for breakfasts. I’ve also done breakfast “cupcakes.” Those are fun, but if I’m in a hurry I just throw together a casserole of hash browns, eggs, ham or sausage, and a little cheese on top.

These casseroles keep and reheat well for several days.

Another great breakfast to prep is oatmeal. I like to make a batch of steel-cut oats in the Instant Pot and make enough for a few days. It reheats well and tastes great with some milk and brown sugar. 

We also love baked oatmeal. I have a go-to recipe that I’ve been making for years and it always turns out great. I bake it in a 9×13 pan and cut into 6 pieces. 

Snacks

For snacks I like to have fruits on hand. We also keep cheese sticks for a good protein-filled snack. For crackers and such, I like to portion them out into snack baggies.

I hope this gives you some ideas and inspirations for healthy meal prep. It doesn’t have to be hard. If I can do it, so can you!

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