5 Easy Meals to Meal Prep Throughout the Week

Everyone gets tired of the whole "chicken and broccoli" meal prepping dish and I don't blame you!

Don't know how to start meal prepping? Here are 5 steps to get you started!

Here are 5 easy meal variations that you can make for Monday-Friday. Just pick one for whatever week you would like and make 5 servings for those weekdays!

1. Chicken Breast, Baked Sweet Potato, & Sesame Green Beans

This is an easy one. For the chicken breast, season as you would like (I love fresh lemon juice, cracked pepper, and a tiny bit of salt!) and bake at 350 degrees until juices run clear. You will want to pack one chicken breast per meal prep meal, along with one baked plain sweet potato, and sesame green beans (my favorite side dish!). Therefore, you will need at least 5 chicken breasts and sweet potatoes for the week. When packing this meal, distribute the green beans evenly among the containers.

Here is the recipe to my Sesame Green Beans:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. green beans, washed
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
• salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss green beans with sesame oil in a bowl, coating evenly.
3. Add sesame seeds, salt, and pepper.
4. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

2. Grilled Sirloin, 1/2 cup of Quinoa, & Lemon Garlic Asparagus

This is another easy meal. Grill (or bake) your sirloin at your desired wellness (I love medium rare!) while cooking up about 3 cups of quinoa. As will the chicken, you will need at least 5 cuts of sirloin for the week (4oz-6oz depending on your lifestyle). Assemble about 1/2-2/3 cups of quinoa per container. Distribute Asparagus evenly among your containers for the week. 

Here is the recipe for the Lemon Garlic Asparagus:

Ingredients

• 3 bunches of Asparagus, washed and trimmed at the bottoms
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• Salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Assemble asparagus on cookie sheets.
3. Brush asparagus with lemon juice.
4. Sprinkle garlic powder.
5. Salt/Pepper to taste.

3. Meatloaf Muffins, Half an Avocado, & 1/2 cup of Steamed Brown Rice

Meatloaf muffins are easy to make and easy to take on the go. Also, you can create a bunch of them at one time, if you wanted!

Here is the Meatloaf Muffins recipe:

 Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 cup Annies Organic Ketchup
• salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for the ketchup, mixing well.
3. Pack mixture into each of the muffin tin slots.
4. Bake muffins for 20 minutes or until beef is browned. Top each muffin with 1 tsp of Annie's organic ketchup.
5. Place back into the oven for ten more minutes. Take out and let sit for 10 minutes.

Pack 3 or 4 meatballs for each of your meal prep meals, along with half an avocado, and brown rice.

4. Balsamic Chicken Salad in a Jar

You will need 5 large  mason jars for this recipe. In order to make your salad in a jar, you will place your balsamic vinaigrette at the bottom, following 4oz. of baked or grilled chicken (I cut mine into cubes or pieces). Next, you will place bulky veggies in the jar, such as green bell peppers, onions, avocado, tomatoes, etc. Then you will top with the lighter stuff such as seeds or nuts, cheese, even eggs (if you like the cobb style. Last, you will top your jar with your salad leaves. When you are ready to eat your salad, just shake the jar for 1 minute!

5. Turkey Meatballs, 1/2 cup Steamed Brown Rice, & Half an Avocado

This is another easy while on the go meal.

Here is how to make the Turkey Meatballs:

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup oats
• 1 packet Italian dressing mix
• salt/pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients together; stir well in a bowl.
3. Form around 20 balls out of the mixture. Put them on a broiler pan.
4. Bake around 15 minutes or until a cut meatball shows no pink inside.

Pair 3 or 4 of these Turkey Meatballs with half an avocado and 1/2 cup of steamed brown rice.