Cooking every day can be tough, and you might eventually get sick of it. Additionally, a lot of people have packed schedules that make it impossible to cook every day. But there’s no need to worry when you can simply meal prep, which will not only save you time but also help you eat healthy!
In this article, we will share some tips on how to make the process as easy as possible and some excellent meal prep ideas. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Tips To Make Meal Prep Easy
As good as the idea of meal prep sounds, it can be daunting when you’re starting out. But you must keep going until it slowly slides into your daily life and becomes a habit.
To ensure that you don’t back off in the first few days, follow these tips:
- Dedicate some time to it: It’s better to dedicate a specific time in the day for meal prep. This way you won’t keep procrastinating about it the entire day.
- Create a small list of recipes: Finding a good recipe when you’re starting to cook can be exhausting, and can result in a loss of motivation. So it’s a good idea to create a simple list of easy recipes in the beginning that you can use during your meal prep.
- Buy your ingredients a day before: Finding out that you don’t have all the stuff you need before cooking can be extremely frustrating. So make sure you have all the items you need in advance to avoid this problem.
Now that you know a few tips to get started with meal prep, let’s discuss some healthy recipes that you can use in your meal plans.
Meal Prep Ideas For Breakfast
Here are some nutritious and quick meal ideas for your breakfast.
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Overnight Oats
Oats are an excellent choice for breakfast for a variety of reasons. First of all, they have numerous health benefits. They’re rich in proteins and provide you with a substantial amount of vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, they lower cholesterol, prevent constipation, and improve heart health.
Secondly, oats require almost no effort to cook – 5 minutes is all you need. Not only this, but you can also keep them in your fridge for up to 5 days! Use mason jars to store oats and simply reheat them in your microwave whenever you want to eat them.
Finally, the best thing about oats is that you can have them in so many different ways. Crazy about peanut butter? Add it. You can also try oats with different nuts, fruits, honey, or maple syrup. And for this reason, you can eat this meal multiple times a week without getting bored. Click here for different oats recipes that you can try today.
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Chia Seed Pudding
This is also a quick breakfast and it requires only a few ingredients. You can have your chia seed pudding with almond milk or you can try it with apple and cinnamon. People also enjoy it with blueberries. And the best part is that you can refrigerate this for about a week!
Moreover, chia seeds are excellent for your health. They help with weight management and reduce inflammation. Chia seeds are easily available at grocery stores, which means you won’t have to run around to find them. Here are some recipes that you can try today. For more inspiration, view the specials from IGA.
Meal Prep Ideas For Lunch And Dinner
Making breakfast is comparatively easier. But preparing lunch and dinner can be really tiresome. So here are a few simple and healthy meal ideas for you.
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Sesame Noodles
You can easily prepare sesame noodles in under 30 minutes. The meal is not only delicious but also healthy. The sesame in the dish is a good source of healthy fats, B vitamins, and antioxidants. If you eat sesame regularly, it can also help control blood sugar and combat arthritis pain.
You can store this meal in your fridge for up to 3 days if you’re using chicken. If you’re not using chicken, then you can keep this for 5 days. To make this meal healthier, you can add different veggies of your liking. Here is the recipe for this dish, so make sure to try it!
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Vegetarian Chilli
If you’re a fan of spicy and smoky dishes, this one’s for you. As the name suggests, this dish involves mainly vegetables, which makes it good for your health. And at the same time, the spices keep up the flavour, allowing no compromise in taste.
Furthermore, this meal is tomato-based. This makes it rich in vitamins A and C. Some of the other ingredients you’ll need for this dish are red bell pepper, onions, kidney beans, garlic, and corn.
You can store this for up to 4 days in your fridge. But make sure that the meal is airtight or it will spoil. Here’s a recipe for this meal that you can try. Combine it with Red Papaya Lassi for an even tastier meal!
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Greek Chicken Bowls
Last but not the least, Greek chicken is super easy to make – all you need are 6 ingredients! They are chicken, greek yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and oregano.
While you must be familiar with all the other ingredients, greek yoghurt might have caught your attention. So what is it? Well, it’s thicker and tangier than regular yoghurt. Moreover, it offers twice the amount of protein and half the amount of sugar for the same serving of regular yoghurt. However, this comparison is valid for only the low-fat versions of both yoghourts.
As a result, this meal is pretty popular among health enthusiasts. Besides, you can store this meal for 3-4 days in your fridge. We bet you’re going to love that tender chicken! You can read the recipe here. Bon appetit!
At the end of the day, it’s not always practical to meal prep. If you need to consider dining out alternatives, browse our top picks here.
