In college, meal prepping every Sunday night was a huge part of my healthy routine. It saved me not only time but also money. It kept me on track to meet my healthy goals, because I knew I had no excuse to grab something unhealthy on the go. All I had to do on a weekday was go home, and a nutritious meal would be waiting for me.
If you're looking to live a healthy lifestyle, meal prepping can be a huge step in the right direction. A few minutes cooking meals for the week on a Sunday night might be your saviour when you feel tempted to turn to processed and fattening foods. To make things easy for you, I've gathered my favourite breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes to prep for the five-day workweek.
Overnight oats are always a great option for meal prep because they do not require that many ingredients. I like to call them a heavenly bowl of mush with just the right amount of sweetness. I just tossed all the ingredients into mason jars, and the night before eating one of them, I add almond milk and throw the jar in the fridge.
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Breakfast: Vanilla Berries Overnight Oats
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Hajar Larbah
This might be the easiest thing to make for breakfast in advance — it can be hard to meal prep eggs as they go bad really fast. Prepare the oatmeal with almond milk as directed on your package of oats. Portion out into five jars and add fruit, honey, almond butter, and granola.
Oatmeal is a powerhouse of nutrients. It is low in sugar and high in fibre so this jar will keep you full for longer. And, because you can create any flavour combination you'd like — by switching up the fruit — you can get creative with it.
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Lunch Prep: Cold Sesame Noodle Bowls
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Hajar Larbah
Ingredients:
5 cups cooked gluten-free pasta (Banza Chickpea Pasta is my favourite healthy option.)
1/3 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sriracha
1 cup chickpeas
2 cups courgette spirals
2 cups carrots spirals
All I needed to purchase for this delicious recipe was the spiralized veggies which Trader Joe's happens to have for really cheap. This saves so much time in meal prepping, and it's only $3 for a box in the freezer section. The best part about this recipe is the only thing that needs to be cooked is the pasta, which takes just 10 minutes.
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Lunch: Cold Sesame Noodle Bowls
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Hajar Larbah
This plant-based, vegan, and full of protein recipe is super refreshing and easy to prep. While the pasta boils, you can get the sauce ready by mixing the almond butter, honey, soy sauce, sriracha, and any spices like salt and pepper. If you can't have soy, try substituting coconut aminos for the soy sauce. Once the pasta is ready, serve it next to the chickpeas and spirals in containers for the week.
Having a dense but healthy lunch like this is so important because it saves you from snacking during that awkward time between lunch and dinner when hunger kicks in.
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Dinner Prep: Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Hajar Larbah
Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika as needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 sweet potatoes
5 cups broccoli
2 Haas avocados
The best part about this recipe from Pinch of Yum is that it requires very few ingredients. This tasty dinner cost me around $13 — I got the avocados for free from a friend's tree.
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Dinner: Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Hajar Larbah
This chicken recipe is the classic "meat and potatoes" that never get old, but lighter and loaded with a variety of micronutrients, healthy fats, complex carbs, and lean protein. It really does not get better than this.
To make it, season your chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat and cook your chicken until done. While it cooks, dice the sweet potatoes and throw them in a pan with another tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook until soft and tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. The broccoli can be roasted in the oven at 425°F for 20 minutes. Portion the chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli into five containers. When you're ready to eat, slice up some avocado and serve.
This meal not only kept me full until it was time to sleep but also left me super satisfied. I didn't need to grab something sweet or go back for seconds.
