One morning earlier this month, I woke up to a cold and uncomfortable feeling. It was a perfect day to stay cozy in my pajamas, and in that moment I was so grateful for spending a few hours the day before focusing on meal prep for the week. Our freezer is stocked with ingredients for some delicious meals: comforting chicken and rice soup, fresh and chopped veggies, creamy hummus, and a batch of morning glory muffins just waiting to be buttered. My weekly meal prep routine turns a stressful, unmotivated day into a day filled with nutritious, easy meals.
A friend of mine recently told me that, to him, happiness is a refrigerator full of food. It’s true, and there’s a certain comfort in knowing you have what it takes to make a delicious meal. Of course, the busyness of modern life means most of us don’t have time to prepare complicated meals.
When I get home from a long day, I want to prepare some healthy meals, and I promise, once your kitchen is stocked, you’ll be able to whip up nutritious meals much easier than ordering takeout. For me, prepping ingredients in advance is the only way I can stick to a healthy diet in my busy schedule. Enter: my weekly meal prep ritual.
My weekly meal prep routine
That’s where my simple meal prep strategies come in. Roasted vegetables can be paired with salads or sandwiches. A can of quinoa can be the base of a grain bowl or a comforting breakfast porridge. These basic recipes are so versatile and part of the fun is getting creative and finding different ways to use them.
Watch the video above to see how I complete these five meal prep tasks in about an hour, then read on for specific instructions. But first, some tips for successful weekly meal prep.
Be prepared with the seasons
How do I decide which ingredients to use in each basic recipe? For me, it’s all about being inspired by what’s in season. When you have fresh lettuce, deep orange sweet potatoes, or perfectly ripe strawberries, it doesn’t take much to turn them into a delicious meal. This also means you get the most nutrients from these natural, unprocessed foods so you can truly look and feel your best.
Practice mindful cooking
If you think you don’t have time to meal prep on Sunday, try thinking of it as a time for self-care – something you can take the time to do and enjoy the process. I like to pour a cup of kombucha, wine, or make a hot cup of tea, turn on some music, and make meal prep a ritual. What’s that amazing feeling when you open the refrigerator at the end of a long day and see healthy, delicious food? The ultimate reward.
keep it simple
You don’t need a ton of time (an hour or two is enough!) or any fancy equipment. Most of these recipes only require a knife, a cutting board, and a pan. I try to be productive and make the most of my time: While the veggies are roasting and the grains are cooking on the stove, I’ll be making the dressing and crunchy seed mixture. You’ll work at your own pace and ultimately won’t even have to look at any instructions. After you do this a few times, you’ll find your flow.
Friendly reminder
- Just leave clean.
- Write down a list of what you want to do ahead of time so you have a plan of action.
- Remember, even if you only do a few, it will still make a big impact throughout the week. Do your best!
boiled grains
A box of cooked cereal is one of the most versatile items in your refrigerator. Cooked grains like farro or quinoa make a great side dish to any protein, or use as a base for a grain bowl, top with an egg, or even warm it up and add nut milk and cinnamon for a breakfast porridge .
Today I used quinoa. I like its chewy consistency and plant-based protein, but you could use farro, buckwheat, rice, amaranth, or any other.
How to cook perfect quinoa:
- Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in a strainer and place in a small saucepan.
- Add 1 cup water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, immediately reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, fluffing with a fork halfway through to make sure the quinoa doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once cooked, I place a folded dish towel between the pot and lid while it cools to remove excess moisture.
Cooked quinoa will keep in the refrigerator for five days. To freeze cooked grains, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator for at least two hours. After the cereals are frozen, you can store them in freezer containers.
grilled vegetables
Almost any vegetable tastes better when roasted—high-heat cooking concentrates the flavor and creates the caramelization I love.
My favorite roasted vegetables:
- sweet potato
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- butternut squash
- beet
- baby red potatoes
- cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- tomato
- eggplant
Add spices and herbs so they always taste different and interesting. Sometimes I’ll throw my taco seasoning in, other times I might drizzle it with harissa or infuse it with vinegar, or even just plain add a little Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper are always a must. Once made, they’re perfect on salads, grain bowls, tacos, and sandwiches.
How to roast any vegetable:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the vegetables out in a single layer, leaving some space around them so they can bake rather than steam. You want the edges to be crispy and brown.
- Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper (and any other spices you’re using) and toss them all together. Bake until caramelized. (Cooking times will vary depending on the vegetable.)
Make dressings or sauces
This is the step that gets me excited about using prepared veggies throughout the week. Grains and vegetables able It would be a bit boring without a tangy sauce to drizzle everything over and make it tasty. Having a mason jar filled with seasonings on hand means you have salad dressings and sauces for bowls, tacos, and veggie sides. You can drizzle it over roasted sweet potatoes or use it as a dip for raw vegetables. It really is your best friend when you want to whip up easy and delicious meals quickly.
This week I’m going to make one of my favorites Ginger Butter Vinaigrette. It’s super easy to make – just add all these ingredients to a blender:
- 1 shallot, peeled and halved
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- squeeze honey
- teaspoon turmeric powder
- A big pinch of salt and pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Mix everything and store it in a glass bottle for a week.
Prepare salad greens and raw vegetables
Are you ten times more likely to eat your vegetables if they are washed and ready in the refrigerator? Same. So do my kids. I started keeping a covered container filled with chopped carrots, cucumbers, and green peppers in the refrigerator so I could point them to the lettuce bowl when they came into the kitchen looking for a snack before dinner. We always have guacamole, hummus, or my weekly salad dressing (pictured above), and they go great with the veggies as a dip.
Plus, when you prep fresh lettuce and other chopped veggies, you can easily throw together a salad for whatever dinner you’re serving. I prefer to do all the prep work at once rather than pulling out the salad spinner and cutting board over and over again.
How I prepare vegetables after my weekly trip to the grocery store:
- Wash and dry lettuce in a salad spinner, then wrap in paper towels to absorb moisture and store in the produce drawer of the refrigerator.
- Peel and slice carrots, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, and any other raw veggies I have on hand so I can easily include them in school lunches throughout the week.
Make the Spicy Seed Mix
I’m a fan of adding crunch to almost everything – sometimes just a handful of chopped nuts or seeds, but I like to keep a spicy seed mix in the fridge that I can sprinkle on anything from salads to bowls Vegetable garnishes on everything. It just gives it a little something, you know?
This recipe is perfect for any seeds, nuts, or spices you have on hand. Sometimes I sweeten it a little and add maple syrup or orange zest, but today I spice it up with sea salt and cilantro.
How to Make Chili Seed Mixture:
- Add pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds and sunflower seeds to a small sauté pan. Toast over low heat until it smells fragrant, then add sesame seeds, a pinch each of sugar and salt, and some coriander.
- Bake until everything starts to turn golden brown, then transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator.
