27 Healthy Meal Prep Ideas For A Happier Life

Meal Prep Ideas: 27 Easy, Simple and Healthy Meal Prep Ideas and Recipes that you can cook for under 30 minutes at the weekend and enjoy all week.

These will free-up your time, reduce stress and help you live healthier and happier during the week.

Hi guys,

Mary here! 🙂

I’m taking over to share my love for easy meal prep ideas. We see this as an important part of creating a financially joyful life.

Eating healthy meals prepared for 30 minutes or less can be a challenge, especially if you want to do so on a budget.

The one thing that can make this easier if you’re busy is to plan ahead and make life easy using meal prep ideas.

We have previously shared with our readers how we live well on a £50 food budget (family of 4).

This has helped us hit our well-being goals, and key to that was planning ahead and cooking our healthy meals at the weekends.

Meal prep ideas not only help you make sure that you’re eating healthily, but they also help you save money.

I don’t know about you, but I love knowing that my meals are ones that I can get excited about and look forward to.

The meal prep ideas that we are sharing with you will not only keep life exciting, but they will keep you happier.

To make sure that you have enough to explore, we are splitting our easy to cook and healthy meal prep ideas into breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

And the best part is, you can cook all these meals in 30 minutes or less, giving you back time and a happier, healthier life.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MEAL PREP

1. Plan Your Meals

The important thing here is to carve out some time to actually think about what you want to eat and do the meal prep.

This can be a challenge as we’re all super busy, but what Ken and I find useful is to diarise a recurring slot in the calendar weekly to do this.

For us, it is usually on a Sunday afternoon.

What you’re doing here is:

• planning what meals you’d like to eat for the week, 
• Finding a meal prep recipe that you’d like to follow,
• and then make a grocery shopping list from it.

If you’re new to cooking to recipes, then start small and maybe aim to cook to 2 recipes for a week to start.

This meal planning can be done on a simple notepad or on a Board at home. We do ours on a whiteboard in the kitchen.

Here is an example of ours:

 

2. Use The Right Jars and Containers

One of the things that we worry about is microwaving anything in plastic.

So where possible, we always prefer glass. Here are two jars and containers that we recommend:

i) Ball Mason Jars

I love these because they are beautiful, sturdy and don’t take up a lot of space because of the shape.

Plus, it is very microwave friendly and you can store lots of different meals in a variety of them.

They come in different sizes – 16oz, 24oz, 32oz, 64oz and ideal for fresh preserving recipes such as fruits, vegetables, sauces, salsas, and syrups. 

Here is a Mason Jar in action:

 

ii) Meal Prep Containers (3 Compartments)

We love these because they are:

• High-quality glass (alternative to plastic) and don’t leak,
• The 3 compartments are ideal for portioning,
• Ideal for meal prep and eating on the go,
• Microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe,
• See through and you can see your food!

3. Choose a Handful of Recurring Recipes

Chances are, you might not be cooking totally different meals every week.

We have a set of meal prep recipes that we rotate every 2 weeks to keep things exciting.

As time passes, you’ll gradually know these by heart. 

But it is important to start with a set of recipes for meals that you like to eat.

4. Don’t Overdo The Meal Prep

Although we aim to bulk prep each of our meals, it is important not to meal prep for too many days.

We typically aim to meal prep and cook for 5 days max, because most meals won’t remain fresh.

The one helpful thing we do is to freeze our meals in the mason jars and multiple compartment containers.

Then the night before we have to eat the meals, we take them out of the freezer.

5. Cook Multiple Meals

Aim to do multiple things at the same time. For example, you could be cooking the sauce for potato and lentil pie, whilst also making a pasta bake in the oven.

OTHER MEAL PREP HACKS

1. Use Ready-made and Washed Vegetables to Save Time 

If these have been pre-cut, it is even better, although they usually cost a bit more.

2. Use Multiple Cooking Appliances 

For example, you could be roasting some potatoes in the oven, but also using the hub to stir fry some vegetables, whilst using the slow cooker for some rice.

This tip certainly speeds things up, especially if you can get your partner or kids to get involved.

3. Use Left-over Dinner Meals for Lunches

This has worked a treat for us as a way to save money – about £20 each per week on work lunches.

Meals that we have for dinners are usually then dished out for lunches the next day, typically 3 – 4 days a week.

This also helps to reduce the number of meals that we usually have to cook because lunch on some days are taken care of.

OUR SELECTION OF HEALTHY MEAL PREP IDEAS & RECIPES

Below is a curation of some of our favourite meal prep ideas and recipes. 

We love these because they offer a real variety for everyone. Our children love them too!

These recipes are suitable if you’re time poor! We’ve selected recipes that can be cooked in under 30 minutes.

They also cover plant-based diets (we love these!) – vegetarian, vegan; and also meat ideas to keep things balanced.

We hope you enjoy them and can find some meal prep ideas that will add the joy of food to your life. 

To keep things a little structured, we have looked arranged these by breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Easy and Healthy – Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas

1. HEALTHY BREAKFAST BOWL (GF) – WITH SWEET POTATOES AND BEANS

Suitable for: All, Vegetarian. Gluten-free.

Meal Prep Time: 15 minutes prep and 15 minutes cooking

This breakfast bowl is packed full of protein and designed to power you up in the morning.

In addition to protein, you have fibre, antioxidants, and nutrients (iron and calcium). It’s a perfect way to start the day with veggies.

Ingredients include sweet potatoes, frozen beans (e.g. Birds eye mixed beans), avocados and eggs.

Link to the full recipe for #1 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on The Work Top . Click for detailed recipe.

2. TUNA OMELETTE – LOW CARB, KETO, GF

Suitable for: All, Dairy free, Gluten free.

Meal Prep Time: 15 minutes or less

Perfect quick morning brekkie or ideal for a weekend brunch. You can even prep this from the night before.

The main ingredients include red and green peppers, eggs, and tuna. Tinned tuna works well with this.

I particularly like this breakfast because it is healthy and hassle-free to make.

Link to the full recipe for #2 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on The Work Top . Click for detailed recipe.

3. 5 MAKE-AHEAD FRUIT & GREEK YOGURT PARFAIT IDEAS TO TRY FOR BREAKFAST

Suitable for: All, Vegetarian

Meal Prep Time: 15 minutes

If you have no time in the morning but want something healthy and refreshing, then this mixed berry, fruit and yoghurt parfait is ideal.

It’s essentially heaven in a beautiful jar. I love the combo of sweet berries, yoghurt, and crunchy granola. 

Link to the full recipe for #3 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Project Meal Plan . Click for detailed recipe.

4. COTTAGE CHEESE BREAKFAST BOWL (KETO, LOW CARB, DIABETIC FRIENDLY)

Suitable for: All, Diabetic friendly.

Meal Prep Time: 5 minutes max

This recipe is so easy that you really don’t need a recipe to recreate it.

You simply need cottage cheese in a bowl, add in the toppings and voila! Beautiful breakfast!

We love this particular one because it is high in protein, keto, low carb and diabetic friendly. 

Type II diabetes is something that we’ve experienced in our wider family, so a recipe like this works well for our parents.

A good tip here is to make sure that you use the best cottage cheese that you can find.

To make this breakfast colourful and super crunch, throw in:

• Walnuts,
• Berries (frozen or fresh),
• Chia seeds,
• Flaxseed oil.

This is becoming my go-to breakfast option when I am tired of having my regular porridge, with banana and honey.

Link to the full recipe for #4 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on The Worktop. Click for detailed recipe.

5. BANANA PROTEIN PANCAKES

Suitable for: All.

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes (5 minutes pre-prep)

We typically aim to make something like this at the weekends and get out little boys involved with the process.

Fancy something special on a Saturday or Sunday morning? 

The main ingredients include – bananas, eggs, protein powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Link to the full recipe for #5 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Project Meal Plan. Click for detailed recipe.

6. OVERNIGHT CHIA SEED PUDDING WITH ALMOND MILK (VEGAN, GF)

Suitable for: All, Vegan, Gluten free

Meal Prep Time: 4 minutes 

A simple 2 ingredient recipe that anyone can make in under 1 min. 

All you need is Chia seeds and some almond milk, mix them together and pop it into the fridge overnight. Done!

Wake up and enjoy your yummy brekkie in the morning.

Link to the full recipe for #6 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on The Worktop. Click for detailed recipe.

7. BERRY PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

Suitable for: All, Vegetarian

Meal Prep Time: 5 minutes 

We have always loved smoothies and used to make a lot of it before we had kids.

This has become another alternative to our usual breakfast.

Mainly because it gives us the opportunity to use up fruits and vegetables, which might otherwise go off!

The triple berry chia protein smoothie only requires 5 minutes of your time. 

Main ingredients are – bananas, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and chia seeds.

I highly recommend the NutriBullet Magic Bullet – Affordable, easy to use, compact size and super powerful!

Link to the full recipe for #7 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Project Meal Plan. Click for detailed recipe.

8. Meal Prep Breakfast Sandwiches

Suitable for: All

Meal Prep Time: 15 minutes 

This is a great option if you’d like to batch cook some breakfast sandwiches.

You’d bake some eggs on a sheet pan, with spinach, bacon (or alternative), and eat them with an English muffin and cheese.

The cheese (or butter) are optional though. 

What I love about these is that they can be frozen too, providing you with breakfast options for the week!

Link to the full recipe for #8 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Pinch of Yum. Click for detailed recipe.

9. Flax and Blueberry Vanilla Overnight Oats

Suitable for: All, Vegetarian

Meal Prep Time: 5 minutes 

This is possibly the most healthy breakfast you could ever eat!

It is also filling, affordable and can be made on the go. A real family favourite.

All you need is water, oats and vanilla yoghurt in a dish. 

Other ingredients include blueberries, pecans or whatever you fancy!

Link to the full recipe for #9 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Pinch of Yum. Click for detailed recipe.

Easy and Healthy – Lunch Meal Prep Ideas

10. CHEESY BROCCOLI, CHICKEN AND RICE BOWLS (MEAL PREP)

Suitable for: Meat lovers 

Meal Prep Time: 20 – 30 minutes

Perfect and easy to make for lunch times or even dinners on those long weekdays.

Heads of broccoli, diced chicken and cheddar cheese and rice are the main ingredients for this popular dish.

Link to the full recipe for #10 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Gimme Some Oven. Click for detailed recipe.

11. Sesame Noodle Bowls

Suitable for: Chicken lovers 

Meal Prep Time: 15 minutes

This is the perfect desk lunch for work!

It brings together diced chicken, crunch cucumbers, tasty noodles in a creamy sesame sauce.

Not only can the sauce be shaken up in a jar, the noodles can cook in 2mins! Hence, a super easy lunch favourite.

If you like the look of the meal prep bowls below, buy them here.

Link to the full recipe for #11 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Pinch of Yum. Click for detailed recipe.

12. CARIBBEAN JERK SHRIMP WITH CAULIFLOWER RICE

Suitable for: All.

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes (with pre-prep)

We love Carribean Jerk spicy flavours and recently enjoyed this dish in St. Lucia!

This dish does require pre-prep to marinate the shrimps or chicken (alternative).

I’d probably add that this is a dish that you’d probably cook for dinner and then take into work for lunch.

Link to the full recipe for #12 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Eat Yourself Skinny. Click for detailed recipe.

13. HONEY SRIRACHA GLAZED MEATBALLS

Suitable for: Meat lovers

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes

Add a bit of personality to meatballs with a sriracha glazed spicy sauce. 

This works really well with brown rice or quinoa as an alternative. Top it off with some sliced carrots and sprinkles of sesame seeds (i love seeds!) for some crunch. 

Ideal for both lunch and dinner.

Link to the full recipe for #13 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Eat Yourself Skinny. Click for detailed recipe.

14. QUINOA SALAD (WITH AVOCADO)

Suitable for: All, Vegetarian

Meal Prep Time: 15 minutes (with 15 minutes pre-prep)

A fantastic superfood salad that is easy to prepare and filled with healthy ingredients.

Quinoa is one of those ingredients that we cannot believe that our 6 and 4 year old boys enjoy eating.

Although, saying that, avocado is taking some convincing, so we don’t always include this when we make this salad.

Link to the full recipe for #14 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Chelsea’s Messy Apron. Click for detailed recipe.

15. Spicy Chicken Meal Prep With Rice and Beans

Suitable for: Chicken lovers

Meal Prep Time: 10 minutes (with 10 minutes pre-prep)

The good old chicken just got a complete makeover! This spicy chicken meal prep coupled with rice and beans is an absolute winner.

You might already have a particular recipe for your chicken, but this one with cilantro sauce is worth checking out.

I love that this meal with all the other additions (nuts, black beans, sweet peppers, etc), can be made in 20 minutes or less.

The beautiful 3-compartment dishes below also make meal prepping for the week super easy and manageable.

Link to the full recipe for #15 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Pinch of Yum. Click for detailed recipe.

16. RATATOUILLE BARLEY SALAD

Suitable for: All, Vegetarian

Meal Prep Time: 25 – 30 minutes

A beautiful salad that’s ideal for sharing with friends or family at a gathering.

You can cook this with a variety of carbohydrates – Barley, rice, quinoa, farro, etc.

It can also be kept fresh in the fridge for about 5 days.

Link to the full recipe for #16 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Sprouted Kitchen. Click for detailed recipe.

17. Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry Meal Prep Lunch Boxes

Suitable for: Chicken lovers

Meal Prep Time: 25 – 30 minutes (with chicken marinated in advance)

This teriyaki chicken stir fry is easy to cook and fresh too!

It’s very easy to make your own teriyaki sauce at home with ingredients such as:

• Chilli flakes, 
• soy sauce, 
• honey, 
• ginger, 
• garlic and 
• Corn starch

Chances are, you probably already have these in your kitchen.

Don’t the meals below look better than expensive takeaways? Follow the link below the image to check out the recipe.

Link to the full recipe for #17 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on My Food Story. Click for detailed recipe.

18. TURKEY SANDWICH WITH CRANBERRY, BRIE & PROSCIUTTO

Suitable for: Meat lovers

Meal Prep Time: 10 minutes 

This sandwich is a brilliant way to use up leftover food to put together a classic.

What I love about it are the combo of cranberry sauce, rocket, and some brie cheese.

You can pop the brie into the microwave for 10 seconds just to melt it a little and give this sandwich even more of a sensational taste.

Alternatives to turkey or ham include chicken, for example.

Link to the full recipe for #18 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Eat Yourself Skinny. Click for detailed recipe.

Easy and Healthy – Dinner Meal Prep Ideas

19. Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dal

Suitable for: All, Vegan

Meal Prep Time: 20 minutes 

As a family-focused on eating a plant based diet, this dish is one of our favourites. It passes the test with our kids all the time.

Red lentils are highly nutritious and good for the soul!

If you’re super busy with a 9 to 5 job or business, then this meal is one you can knock out in no time.

Best of all, you can make it all in one pot and stockpile in your freezer even if you are off on work travels.

You can serve this with anything from brown rice to quinoa, cauliflower rice or flatbreads!

Link to the full recipe for #19 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Simply Quinoa. Click for detailed recipe.

20. Vegan Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

Suitable for: All, Vegan

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes (10 minutes prep time)

With just 5 ingredients, you can cook up a vegan storm of a dish!

This cherry tomato pasta sauce will become your new best way to cook pasta.

As a mother obsessed with making sure that my husband and children eat healthily, this dish is right up my street.

We tend to eat pasta dishes once or twice a week, and being able to knock this out with available ingredients is always a bonus.

Ingredients include:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Almond cooking milk
• Salt and Pepper

Throw in some colours and bring this dish to life with some kale or spinach.

Link to the full recipe for #20 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Simply Quinoa. Click for detailed recipe.

21. Moroccan Couscous Meal Prep Bowls With Chicken Thighs

Suitable for: All

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes (10 minutes prep time)

This dish can act as both lunch or dinner. It combines slices of roast chicken thighs with roasted cauliflower and green beans.

Ideal for busy people in need of something healthy, quick to cook and filling.

Moroccan Couscous is in many ways similar to pasta. 

So if you want an even more nutritious whole grain alternative, consider brown rice, quinoa or farro.

Link to the full recipe for #21 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Sweet Peas and Saffron. Click for detailed recipe.

22. CAULIFLOWER RICE BURRITO BOWL

Suitable for: All, Vegan, Gluten Free

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus with pre-prep time)

Fancy a mexican meal that you can knock together in no time?

This dish has a base of cauliflower rice, which gets steamed slightly and gets given flavour by salsa, spices, lime juice and cilantro.

It is packed full of vitamins, fibre, and protein (from plants), and minerals, thanks to the onions, black beans, and peppers.

Easy to cook, packed full of flavour, healthy, full of veg and absolutely yum!

Link to the full recipe for #22 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Minimalist Baker. Click for detailed recipe.

23. SHEET PAN MEAL: CURRIED SWEET POTATO & CHICKPEAS

Suitable for: All, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes (with some pre-prep)

This dish is made just on one baking sheet. Simples!

We love sweet potatoes and chickpeas. A great combo especially if you have kids. Throw in a curried sauce and you have a winner.

Other main ingredients include cabbage, fresh ginger, garlic, onion, and curry powder.

This is a simple, quick and wholesome meal that can be cooked on any weekday night for dinner.

Link to the full recipe for #23 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Minimalist Baker. Click for detailed recipe.

24. EASY TOFU PAD THAI

Suitable for: All, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free

Meal Prep Time: 10 minutes (20 minutes prep)

This is one of our favourite meal prep ideas.

Pad Thai is a favourite takeaway for a lot of our friends and used to be for us too.

We’ve, however, massively cut down on takeaways, and so it is great to see a recipe that we can recreate super quickly.

I also love that this version is specifically plant-based, although feel free to customise it as you wish.

Plus, you can knock this together quicker than a takeaway meal can be delivered! 

The main ingredients include tofu, red chillies (or chilli flakes), garlic, bean sprouts, etc.

You can also recreate this with chicken if you're not vegan or don’t like tofu. 

Link to the full recipe for #24 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Minimalist Baker. Click for detailed recipe.

25. LEMON BAKED SALMON WITH GARLIC DILL SAUCE (20 MINUTES!)

Suitable for: All

Meal Prep Time: 20 minutes 

If you’re a fish lover, then this take on baked salmon is definitely one to try at home with your family.

Keep things simple with this dish, seasoning with only salt, pepper, little oil and fresh dill.

A slice of lemon gives it some colour and looks good on the eyes.

Once in the oven, you can prep a simple garlic dill sauce, which can be made by bringing together:

• Hummus,
• Lemon juice,
• Minced garlic,
• Fresh or dry dill,
• Some water.

A simple, quick, light and tasty dish for a weekday or weekend dinner.

Link to the full recipe for #25 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Minimalist Baker. Click for detailed recipe.

26. Garlic Herb Spaghetti With Chicken Meatballs

Suitable for: All

Meal Prep Time: 25 – 30 minutes 

Ever considered a combo of chicken meatballs (yup!!) with pasta and fresh green veg?

This recipe requires you to get stuck in though!

First, you make and bake your chicken meatballs. For this, you need ground chicken, bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and black pepper.

While that is baking, you start making your sauce.

The herb pasta is simple, light and fresh and requires:

Spaghetti, garlic, lemon zest, fresh spinach, fresh parsley, parmesan, and water.

Then you bring them all together in a pan.

In all, a light, fresh and healthy take on spaghetti.

Link to the full recipe for #26 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Pinch of Yum. Click for detailed recipe.

27. Garlic Butter Mushroom Risotto

Suitable for: All, Vegetarian

Meal Prep Time: 30 minutes (10 minutes prep time)

If there is one thing that we eat more than anything else in our home, it’s mushroom!

One of our favourites is mushroom burger and next is mushroom risotto.

This simple and delicious vegetarian meal is one that you can cook in 30 minutes max!

The main ingredients include:

• Butter,
• Arborio rice,
• White wine,
• Garlic,
• Portobello mushrooms,
• Parmesan cheese,
• Black pepper and rock sea salt,
• Spinach or preferred vegetables,
• Half a slice of lemon.

You start off by heating the butter over light heat, add in garlic cloves and 

Sauté for a couple of minutes.

Then you add in your measurement of arborio rice, mix it all in and add some white wine for more flavour.

Add in a cup of the chicken broth, stir and let the whole pot cook for about 15 minutes till the rice is nice, soft and creamy.

Whilst the rice is cooking for the 15 minutes, you can multi-task and use another pan to start pan-frying the mushrooms.

Start by heating a couple of teaspoons of butter over low to medium heat. 

Throw in some garlic and your sliced portobello mushrooms and let this cook for about 7 minutes till the mushroom goes brown.

At this point, you can add some more white wine too if you want, then gradually stir in your spinach or choice of vegetables.

Once the spinach has wilted, mix the contents of the pan with your risotto pot. 

You can either stir the whole thing in or leave the spinach and mushroom mix on top of the risotto.

At this point, I’d recommend crushing some black peppercorns over it, with some salt and Parmesan cheese.

There you have it, food heaven! 

Link to the full recipe for #27 of the meal prep ideas is below.

As seen on Pinch of Yum. Click for detailed recipe.

Conclusion…

Wow, that has felt like a marathon of meal prep ideas! 

Is Meal Prep for you?

It has completely changed the way we look at food and planning family life.

In addition, it has helped us ensure that we save money and actually shop to budget according to a meal plan.

What I’ve learned about prioritising well-being in our personal lives this year is that food plays such an important role for keeping us healthy and happy.

It’s an important ingredient for a life of financial joy and one that requires intention and planning for it to make a difference to your life.

Related posts to read:

• How We Live Well On a £50 Food Budget (Family of 4)
• 9 Tips for Living a Simpler and More Fulfilling Life
• 5 Reasons Why Self-care Is a Necessity and Not a Luxury
• How a Health Experiment Led Me To Financial Independence

Are you new to the idea of doing a Meal Prep? Which of the Meal Prep Ideas will you explore today? How do you currently plan your meals for the week? Please comment below.

Do please share this post if you found it useful, and remember, in all things be thankful and Seek Joy.