If you’re someone who feels meal prep is overwhelming, then keep reading. This meal prep guide is for those of us who don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen making healthy meals. Have you ever wanted to make a week’s worth of lunches with simple ingredients, but also be able to eat different meals every day? Well, with this guide, you can! Today, I am showing you how to meal prep six healthy lunches with just three main ingredients! Our main ingredients today are chicken, sweet potatoes, and frozen vegetables. However, if you’re not a fan of chicken or sweet potatoes, feel free to swap them out for a lean protein and healthy carbohydrate that you enjoy.
If you’re counting points with Weight Watchers, this meal prep guide is very easy to implement. The chicken and frozen veggies are zero points, so the only points you’ll need to count are for the sweet potato (2 points) and any sauce you choose to use.
Tips for Efficient Meal Prep
- My favorite way to keep meal prep easy and quick is to use a “protein, carb, veggie template.” I pick one protein, one carbohydrate, and a veggie and prep it for the week. The next week, I choose different ingredients, but keep the same template.
- You can speed up the process by buying pre-cooked meat and pre-cut vegetables. Yes, it’s more expensive but if that’s what gets you to stick to your meal prep, it’s worth it!
- To keep your meal prep varied and flavorful, you need to cook with protein with minimal spices. Stick to just salt and pepper for the base, so that you can flavor the chicken or lean protien in a different way for each meal. I love using sugar free G-hughes sauces or a low calorie dressing to add flavor to each meal without having to use the same one every day.
- You can mix and match different vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus to add variety and increase the nutrient content of your meals. Frozen vegetables are key for keeping meal prep quick but fresh! Produce is often frozen right when it’s most ripe, so don’t feel like you’re getting jipped if you have to use frozen over fresh.
1. Healthy Meal Prep Lunches: Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash
If your chicken is not already cooked, you can bake it, roast it, or pop it in the air fryer. Make sure to add salt and pepper – you don’t want the chicken to be completely bland. Chop a sweet potato, spray it with pam spray, and roast it or air fryer with salt and pepper. Once cooked, dice the chicken breast, and add it on top of the cubed sweet potatoes. Add a serving of the frozen veggies- bell peppers, onions, and spinach sautéed together is a great choice for this. Top with sugar free G-hughes BBQ sauce if desired. Or if you’re wanting this meal for breakfast, pop a fried egg on top!
2. Meal Prep Lunches: Chicken Fajita Bowls
Cut a sweet potato into wedges or small fries. Spray them with Pam spray, and add cumin, salt, and pepper. Air fry them until crispy. Now that your chicken is already cooked (from yesterday), you can slice a chicken breast and sprinkle it with taco seasoning. Place the chicken onto the crispy sweet potato wedges, and add the sautéed bell peppers and onions mix. Again, any frozen veggie will work for this, but the bell peppers and onions fajita mix will make it more like a fajita bowl.
3. Healthy Meal Prep Lunches: Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup
You technically need four main ingredients for this one, because you’ll need broth like chicken or vegetable broth. But most of us have that stocked in the pantry, so you may already have it! Add a diced sweet potato to a small pot, pour in some broth until it covers the sweet potato, then let it gently boil until the sweet potato is soft. Add in cooked, shredded chicken, and a cup of any frozen veggies you have. Kale, spinach, or broccoli work great for this. Make sure to flavor the broth with salt and pepper. If you want a creamy base, pop half of the broth/sweet potato mixture into a blender before adding the chicken and veggies. Blend it, pour it back into the sweet potato/broth, and then add the chicken and veggies. Pureed sweet potato gives it a creamy texture. Add fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley if you have it!
4. Meal Prep Lunches: Sweet Potato and Chicken Salad
This sweet potato chicken salad is fantastic, even though it’s simple! I love air fried sweet potatoes for this one. Spray a diced sweet potato with Pam spray, and add salt, pepper, cumin, and cinnamon. Air fry them until it’s crispy. Place baked chicken breast and the crispy sweet potatoes over a bowl of mixed greens. This is a great meal prep option if you have any fresh summer veggies to use up – throw them right onto the salad. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar if you want a simple dressing, or any extra sugar free G-hughes BBQ sauce you have. The zero point ranch dressing is also a good option!
5. Healthy Meal Prep Lunches: Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Bake a sweet potato in the oven or air fryer. Once it’s done, mix a sliced chicken breast with some salsa or taco seasoning. Stuff the baked sweet potato with the seasoned chicken. Top with your favorite taco veggies, or add avocado, bell peppers, and/or black beans. Whatever you’ve got on hand will normally work. Stuffed sweet potatoes are filling because of the high fiber and protein, so this meal should keep you full for hours. You don’t have to worry about an afternoon crash!
6. Meal Prep Lunches: Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry
For a healthy but quick meal prep option, use Kevin’s Thai Coconut Chicken, and all you have to do is warm it up and pour it over a baked sweet potato. If you want to add some vegetables for more bulk and micronutrients, frozen riced cauliflower or frozen spinach work well.
Meal prepping doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By using a simple “protein, carb, veggie template” and focusing on just a few key ingredients, you can create a variety of healthy, delicious meals for the week ahead.
Remember, the key to successful meal prepping is to keep things simple and efficient. Don’t be afraid to use pre-cooked meats, pre-cut vegetables, or frozen produce to save time. And by cooking your protein with minimal spices, you can easily customize each meal with different sauces, seasonings, or toppings.
With a little creativity and planning, you can enjoy a week’s worth of healthy, satisfying lunches without spending hours in the kitchen. So, give these recipes a try, and feel free to swap out ingredients to suit your tastes and preferences. Happy meal prepping!