10 Healthy Meal Prep Recipes

Our mission is to help you spend less time in the kitchen so that you have more time to do the things you love which why we’re sharing our 10 favorite Healthy Meal Prep Recipes with you in hopes of inspiring you to do a little meal prep, too! Taking the time to meal plan and prep each week can be one of the most effective tools for eating healthy, sticking to a budget, reducing food waste and spending LESS time in the kitchen during the week.

Meal prepping is time well spent

While the idea of spending 2-3 hours each week planning, shopping, chopping, and cooking each week may not initially light your fire, once you give it a go you’ll see that it’s often worth it. Prepping for easy grab and go breakfasts sets you up for starting your day off with a nourishing meal, and having your lunch ready in the fridge may keep you from the drive-thru, and having dinner prepped at the end of a busy day will surely eliminate that frustrating feeling of “what to make for dinner”.

We share 10 of our favorite Healthy Meal Prep Recipes with you that will inspire you to do a little prep work for a big payoff. Starting – or ending – the week with a fridge full of meals that are ready to be reheated or tossed in the oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot to cook means you’ll spend less time in the kitchen each day and you’ll reduce the temptation to dine out, take out, or call for delivery thus saving you money while eating healthier.

Do we walk the talk? You bet we do. Each week we commit to carving out time for planning and prepping, and there are certain recipes we find ourselves making time and time again. Here you’ll find our best meal prep ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and can’t forget snacks!), all in one place.

Meal Prep Meatballs

These are by far one of the most versatile recipes for meal prep thanks to the fact that you can make them with any ground meat and change up their flavor by using different types of dressing in the meat mixture. Try them on a salad, with a side of roasted veggies or a baked sweet potato, or tossed into a pot of your favorite marinara sauce. They’re also freezer-friendly so it never hurts to make a double batch so you always have an easy thaw-heat-eat protein option on hand.

Rectangular glass dish filled with meatballs (drizzled with dressing), squash, broccoli and green beans resting on striped napkin with fork and knife on the side — *Photo Credit: Jess of Plays Well with Butter*

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

These Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls have become a staple in our weekly meal prep sessions. The popular duo of peanut butter and chocolate come together with whole grain oats, flax, and chia seeds to make the best meal prep recipes. They’re the perfect sweet treat and easy to make using pantry staples. Try them right out of the freezer for an extra special treat.

Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Vegan | Vegetarian

Plate filled with peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls with chocolate chips and coarse salt on the side — *Photo Credit: Jess of Plays Well with Butter*

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One-Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

It hardly gets any easier than this One-Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables! It’s the ultimate prep-ahead meal for those times when you prefer a hot, fresh meal with next to no fuss. It’s also great for lunches when packed into our favorite glass meal prep containers for pre-portioned, grab-and-go convenience.

Sheet pan filled with baked chicken thighs and a rainbow of vegetables — *Photo Credit: Jess of Plays Well with Butter*

Sweet Potato Turkey Sausage Egg Bake

Start the day off right with a protein-packed meal that’s guaranteed to get you out the door fast and keep you satisfied for hours. One of the best things about an egg bake such as this one is you can easily switch up the veggies and meat to make use of what you have on hand in the fridge and freezer. For a hearty meal that’s ready in minutes, we recommend serving this egg bake with fresh fruit and/or sliced avocado.

Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Paleo | Whole30

Waldorf Chicken Salad

Chicken salads are perfect for meal preps and come together quickly when you use leftover chicken, a rotisserie chicken, or our Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipe. Serve it as an accompaniment to a salad or scooped up with cucumbers or bell pepper slices to make this meal Whole30-friendly. For a heartier meal, you can enjoy it with your favorite crackers, as a sandwich, or in a wrap.

Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Paleo | Whole30

Plate filled with a bed of greens topped with chicken Waldorf salad garnished with cucumbers, grapes and lemon over a checkered napkin — *Photo Credit: Jess of Plays Well with Butter*

Instant Pot Turkey Mushroom Bolognese

A satisfying Instant Pot Turkey Mushroom Bolognese makes a great dinner for the family and is the epitome of meal preps. Like most tomato-based meat sauces, this one is even better the next day or two after the flavors have had time to mingle aka perfect for your meal prep. Serve it over spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles for a hearty Whole30-friendly meal or with your favorite pasta and a sprinkle of cheese for an unforgettable meal the whole family will love.

Bowl of turkey mushroom bolognese over noodles in a bowl with silverware in the bowl, two drinks in background — *Photo Credit: Jess of Plays Well with Butter*

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

A freezer-friendly meal that is great for meal prep is our White Chicken Chili. While it was originally written for the slow cooker, we’ve adapted it for the Instant Pot for near-instant gratification. Try adding a can of drained and rinsed white beans for a boost in fiber and protein! It’s optional, but we love to add cilantro, lime, and sliced avocado for the full ‘experience’.

Bowl of white chicken chili with jalapeño and avocado garnish, resting on a wooden cutting board with a striped napkin surrounding it — *Photo Credit: Jess of Plays Well with Butter*

Skillet Sweet and Sour Chicken

When the urge for takeout hits, try this Skillet Sweet and Sour Chicken instead. Prepping all of the ingredients up to the point of cooking makes it easy to put a meal on the table that your whole family will love – in under 30 minutes. Try it served with rice or cauliflower rice for a side of steamed green beans for a meal that everyone can agree on.

Buffalo Chicken-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

THIS. This is the meal that brings so many fans to our site! Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is packed with veggies and flavor it’s a great way to use up leftover or rotisserie chicken while getting all the flavor of Buffalo wings without the mess (or the fuss). Add this delicious meal to your meal prep and you’ll thank us!

Two spaghetti squash halves stuffed with buffalo chicken, spaghetti squash and blue cheese crumbles on a sheet pan — *Photo Credit: Jess of Plays Well with Butter*

Instant Pot Veggie-Loaded Turkey Chili

This is another freezer-friendly and Instant Pot go-to for an easy meal prep session. Instant Pot Veggie-Loaded Turkey Chili is packed with protein, fiber, and veggies. It’s hearty and filling and can be topped with a number of tasty toppings to fit your preferences. Don’t have an Instant Pot? Get the Stovetop and Slow Cooker directions here.

Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free

Mastering your healthy meal prep to set you up for success

Needing a few more tips on exactly HOW to meal plan and meal prep? We’ve got you covered with our 7 Steps for Mastering Meal Planning. Create your menu and knock out your meal prep in just a few hours on the weekend (or any day that works best for you). You can find our top 10 meal prepping tip here.

Grab your copy of our FREE Meal Prep Plan that includes tasty recipes, a done-for-you grocery list, a step-by-step prep checklist, a meal plan example, AND a printable template for your future meal prep planning!

Want something a little MORE? Grab our FREE 4-Week Healthy Meal Plan (with grocery list!) AND a workout challenge, because good nutrition and a workout routine go hand in hand.

What are the best Meal Prep Containers?

This is a question we get asked often. Here are some of our favorite meal prep containers:

Meal Prep Naturals One Compartment Glass Containers (30 oz.) – great for storing individually portioned mixed dishes like many of the recipes in this round up.
Meal Prep Naturals One Compartment Glass Containers (36 oz.) – great for storing several servings of a dish or we like this size of a container for big salads.
Meal Prep Naturals Two Compartment Glass Containers (29 oz.) – great for store dishes you want to keep separated but enjoy together.
Anchor Hocking Glass Containers (2 cups) – great for storing and freezing individual portions of soup, stews and chili.
Snapware Glass Container (6 cups) – great for storing and freezing larger amounts of prepped food or leftovers.

There you have it, our 10 healthy Meal Prep Recipes that show up in our own meal preps on the regular. We hope you’ll give them a try too.

If you make a recipe please leave a comment on the blog post, and tag us @therealfoodrds on social media!

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What’s your go-to recipe for meal prepping? Share in the comments below.

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Meal prepping is time well spent