10 mini-meal prep hacks

Meal prepping is not for everyone, including myself. I actually don’t love the idea of making completely pre-made and tupperwared (making that word up) lunches and dinners to eat throughout the week. I just would get too bored! Don’t get me wrong, I know this works wonders for LOTS of people, but I like to have options/variety you know? SO instead of doing the hardcore – exact – already in the glass container – meals, I do little things to make assembling my meals throughout the week less of a to do. You dont need to spend more than 1 -2 hours on the weekend or a Monday doing small things that make meals come together just a little bit easier. These help me just enough to keep me motivated to cook healthy meals without it feeling daunting. Hope these help you too!

1. Wash and cut up berries and put them in mini containers for easy breakfast toppings for yogurt, oatmeal or overnight oats. Or buy frozen berries.

I love doing this with fresh strawberries! Wash them, cut them in half and put them in a glass container. Also, wash your blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries and put in containers. It makes putting together those breakfasts so much easier if you just can grab a mini handful of berries for toppings. I also love buying frozen berries, specifically blueberries, that I just sprinkle on breakfast right from the freezer.

2. Wash and cut carrots, peppers, celery, and cucumber for easy snacking. Oh, and have some hummus on hand for dipping.

I love having ready to eat veggies in my fridge that I can easily dip them in hummus for a snack! I am way less likely to spend the time cutting up cucumber at the moment that I want to snack on it. Just makes it so much more accessible and the decision easy!

3. Hard boil eggs (I love 8 min “jammy” eggs) for an easy snack or salad topping.

I love having eggs as a snack or for easy toppings on my salad/toast! Bring water to a boil, add in eggs (slowly so they do not crack), and let boil for 8 minutes. Immediately put them in a bath of ice water/rinse in cold water. Peel and store in the fridge. I love how jammy they are! You can also buy pre-hardboiled eggs at the store if you are really feeling lazy, no shame.

4. Buy squeezable individual packs of peanut butter/nut butter for snacking on the go or to add on top of breakfast without the mess.

I live on these. Sometimes I am in a rush in the car and literally, suck on a packet of peanut butter as a snack. They are amazing for travel, to bring to work, to put on fruit, or on top of your breakfast. I love Wild Friends and Justin’s packs.

5. Prewash and cut veggies and store in containers to cook easy sides throughout the week.

Think root and cruciferous veggies such as brussels, sweet potatoes, beets, squash, cauli, broccoli, and onions. I find it so much easier to toss already cut up veggies in a pan for sauteing or on a cookie sheet for roasting. Saves you a ton of in the moment prep time when cooking.

6. Portion out servings of yogurt (or buy individual containers) for easy grab and go breakfast or snack.

I am a big yogurt fan! If you portion it out into small containers or purchase the individual size containers, you can easily grab them for breakfast or a snack. I always buy whole milk and avoid the flavors (so much sugar). My faves are Siggis Dairy, Nancy’s Yogurt, and Fage. I also love Good culture whole milk cottage cheese. If you are dairy free – the Kite Hill Greek style plain is delish and also love Daiya coconut yogurts.

7. Buy packets of superfood seeds (chia, flax, hemp) – or make your own – to easily put on breakfasts and salads to get those key nutrients (fiber, omega 3s)

I literally put these three seeds on everything! Smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, salads and more. They are all nutritious powerhouses and add that extra fiber, omega 3s, and healthy fats to your meal. These are things that help satisfy you and keep you full longer. You can buy all three separately and make your own little packs. I also bring them with me when I travel!

8. Keep pre-portioned protein in the freezer. Or cook a few pieces ahead of time and store in the fridge.

If you get a big filet of salmon at the grocery store, ask them to portion it out for you and keep it in the freezer. Take out a portion the morning of and let it defrost in the fridge so it is fresh and ready to cook at dinner. You can also do this with chicken breasts, shrimp or beef. Or you can prep a few portions of protein in advance and keep it in the fridge. I love making Lemon Pepper salmon to keep in the fridge.

9. Buy whole fruit that you don’t have to prepare for on the go snacking. Apples, clementines, pears, and bananas.

These are awesome to keep at your desk for a snack when you are hungry because they take 0 prep. Also, if you have those mini nut butter packets, you can enjoy them with your fruit! One of my fave snacks.

10. Buy some good, clean salad dressing to have ready to go. Or make your own on Sunday for the week. The last thing you want is to be too lazy to have a salad bc you have no dressing.

I am all about dressings. I love Primal Kitchen foods salad dressings, Mother Raw dressings and Sir Kensingtons. The flavors are endless and the ingredients are incredible. They make my salads have so much variety and bring out different flavors in veggies. No more boring salads! Or you can prep your own dressing if you like doing that. Whatever you do – just have it ready to enjoy with greens. We don’t want your greens to go bad before you can enjoy them.

BONUS: Always have ripe avocados.

Because they are always a good idea.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed these tips!