The Meal Prep Recipes You Need to Try
By Sarah Waddington
Meal prep has become the trend favored by people with packed schedules everywhere because it saves you time, money, and helps you control the ingredients that go into what you’re eating. Between classes, exams, and jobs, it’s hard to find time during the week to make anything for lunch, let alone something healthy and balanced.
With these recipes, all you need to do is put in some extra time cooking every Sunday night, and you’ll have a week’s worth of delicious lunches that you will feel good about. There isn’t a better time than winter break to try out these new recipes, so you can get ready to be your most productive self this spring semester.
Harvest Salad
If you can’t bring yourself to spend $10+ on a salad from honeygrow or sweetgreen, this hearty salad with homemade maple tahini dressing is perfect for your lunch hour.
For this recipe, you’ll need to toss brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes in olive oil and cook them in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. While they are cooking, combine tahini, maple syrup, lemon juice, and minced garlic in a blender for the homemade maple tahini dressing.
When it comes to lunchtime assembly, place the spinach in a glass container, like these from Amazon (let’s leave plastic in 2019), and top with diced chicken, the sweet potato and brussel sprouts, feta cheese, and diced apple. Shake in the dressing, or keep it on the side until lunchtime. And, just like that, you have made a beautiful and filling salad for about a quarter of the cost of buying one, and we all know everything tastes better when you’ve made it yourself.
Mediterranean Couscous with Tuna and Pepperoncini
If you have not tried a Mediterranean meal yet, this is your wake-up call. This relaxed and well-balanced diet has spread from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and has become known for its fresh ingredients and rich taste. The best part about this specific recipe? It only takes 15 minutes to prepare. All you need to do is cook the couscous on the stovetop, toss it with tuna, tomatoes, pepperoncini, parsley, and capers, and drizzle with olive oil (I also like to add olives, but that’s a personal preference). Voilà! A meal that looks totally fancy, but takes almost no effort to make.
Pesto Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Veggies
Here’s another Mediterranean meal because let’s be honest, we all need more colorful vegetables in our lives. This bowl is not only beautiful, but it’s also packed with protein to keep you going all day. The assembly is also relatively simple! For this recipe, simply drizzle all of the vegetables in olive oil, arrange them on a single pan, and cook for 25 minutes. While that’s in the oven, cook the quinoa on the stovetop and fluff in pesto to take this bland grain to the next level. If your local grocery store doesn’t sell labneh for the sauce, you can sub in greek yogurt mixed with garlic, lemon juice, and herbs. To put together the bowl, arrange the vegetables in rows with a dollop of labneh on the side, and snap a pic to be the lunchtime envy of all your Insta followers.
Roasted Veggie Bowl
This bowl is so satisfying as the weather gets colder and everyone starts craving a more filling meal. Start by roasting chopped sweet potato, brussel sprouts, radishes, red onion, and chickpeas together in the oven. While they are cooking, you can cook the brown rice on the stovetop and mix the ingredients for the honey dijon dressing in a small bowl.
Fair warning that the recipe lasted me about seven days (most of the other recipes only make four servings), but I needed to make more dressing halfway through the week. So, if you want to save time, I would recommend doubling the dressing ingredients. When it comes to putting the bowls together, simply pile the roasted vegetables on top of the brown rice in a glass container, and top with crushed almonds and the dressing. Simply reheat in a microwave to have a nourishing bowl for lunch as the weather outside becomes oh-so frightful.
Taco-Seasoned Chicken and Rice Bowl
Mexican food is one of my favorites and this taco chicken recipe has become something that I make almost once a month in the Crockpot. If you don’t have one and are looking to save some serious time on cooking at home, I would highly recommend it (this one is $35 at Home Depot). The great thing about this chicken is that it reheats really well, still keeping the same flavor two to three days after you have made it.
For a lunchtime chicken and rice bowl, make 4 servings of Mexican rice on the stovetop and separate it into four different glass containers. Top with the taco chicken and sprinkle with Mexican shredded cheese. When you reheat it in the microwave, the cheese will melt all over the chicken and rice, and it tastes soooo good. If you’re feeling really fancy, add your favorite guac or salsa. Just like that, you have completely revamped your leftovers.
Gone are the days of dropping your hard-earned money on every lunch at Chipotle or sweetgreen, or eating a sad peanut butter sandwich in front of your laptop in the Charles. Now you have the recipes that will make your body and wallet feel good. Try out one or two for the New Year, and prepare to be the lunchtime envy of all your coworkers or friends. Happy cooking!