60 Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

Busy week? These meal prep ideas are here to help! With tips and recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they make eating healthy, delicious meals easy.

Meal Prep Ideas

Is anyone else trying to get in a new meal prep routine this fall? Jack and I took some time off last week for an end-of-summer trip to Michigan. It was so fun and relaxing, but when we got back, I realized just how busy the next few months are going to be. Thankfully, I have a full arsenal of healthy meal prep ideas to help us get through it. 🙂

In case you’re also having a busy fall, I’m sharing over 60 of my healthy meal prep ideas today. They include meal prep recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and they cater to a variety of meal prep styles and preferences. Do you like to prep components on the weekend to use in different ways throughout the week? Plenty of these meal prep ideas will catch your eye. Do you prefer to make a full recipe and reheat it when you’re ready to eat? I’ve got meal prep ideas for you, too! No matter your style, I hope these tips and recipes help you save money and eat well this season. Bon appétit!

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas for Breakfast

On a busy morning, there’s nothing better than having a healthy breakfast prepped and ready to go. P.S. Many of these breakfast meal prep recipes can also double as snacks!

Four jars of overnight oats

Overnight Oats
Don’t have time to make hot oatmeal in the morning? Mix up these overnight oats the night before! Stored in a Mason jar, they’re a perfect grab-and-go breakfast.

Hard boiled eggs

Hard-Boiled Eggs
Left unpeeled, hard-boiled eggs keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make a big batch on Sunday, and you’ll have a protein-packed breakfast ready for every day of the week!

Healthy meal prep ideas - Chia Seed Pudding

Chia Seed Pudding
This easy pudding is packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Before you eat, pile on fresh fruit, coconut flakes, and granola to take it over the top.

Easy meal prep recipes - Breakfast Egg Muffins

Breakfast Egg Muffins
Store these egg and veggie muffins in the fridge for up to 3 days for a quick, healthy breakfast.

oatmeal breakfast cookies

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
I love starting my day with one of these soft, nourishing breakfast cookies. They keep well at room temperature for a few days, and they freeze perfectly for up to 3 months!

Healthy meal prep ideas - homemade granola

Homemade Granola
Serve it with your favorite yogurt or a splash of almond milk and fresh fruit.

Healthy Banana Bread

Healthy Banana Bread
Store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. After that, freeze slices to have on hand for busy mornings. ~30 seconds in the microwave are all it takes to thaw a piece of this moist, warmly-spiced bread.

Vegan breakfast burritos - healthy meal prep ideas

Vegan Breakfast Burrito
These vegan breakfast burritos are filled with my tofu scramble instead of scrambled eggs, which makes them 1) super flavorful and 2) freezer-friendly! Reheat one in the microwave for a delicious, satisfying breakfast.

pumpkin muffin recipe - easy meal prep recipes

Pumpkin Muffins
Freeze a batch for quick, cozy breakfasts.

Salad and Bowl Meal Prep Recipes

These healthy meal prep recipes are my favorite ones to pack for lunch. They’re filled with fresh veggies and herbs, so they’re light and flavorful, but ingredients like whole grains, beans, chickpeas, and/or avocado make them substantial enough to fill me up.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Roasted tomatoes, olives, and Italian dressing fill this hearty salad with complex flavors. You can prep the whole thing in advance – just hold the herbs until right before you eat.

Black bean and corn salad recipe

Black Bean and Corn Salad
This zesty salad actually improves as it sits in the fridge, so it’s a great one to make on a Sunday and enjoy throughout the week.

Broccoli pesto quinoa salad in meal prep containers

Broccoli Pesto Quinoa Salad
This healthy quinoa bowl is fresh and filling, topped with lemony pesto, crispy chickpeas, and crunchy veggies.

Healthy meal prep ideas - Orzo salad in a glass bowl

Orzo Salad
I had this one on repeat throughout the summer! Serve it as a side dish with dinner one night and save the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Easy meal prep ideas - Sesame Soba noodles

Sesame Soba Noodles
This recipe is one of my all-time favorite meal prep ideas. The nutty dressing tastes fantastic on a wide variety of veggies. Toss in whatever you have on hand!

Rainbow Kale Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Kale Salad
Unlike tender lettuces, kale holds up nicely once it’s dressed, making this salad perfect for meal prep. Dried cranberries, toasted seeds, and the bright carrot ginger dressing pack it with fun textures and flavors.

Meal prep lunch ideas - Mediterranean chickpea salad

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
I especially love making this salad in late summer and early fall, when tomatoes, peppers, and fresh herbs are at their best.

Burrito bowl

Burrito Bowl
Meal prep all the components on the weekend, and you’ll look forward to lunches all week! For a fun veggie twist, substitute cauliflower rice for regular rice.

Best Buddha bowl - vegan meal prep ideas

Best Buddha Bowl
A sunny turmeric-tahini sauce takes this veggie and brown rice bowl over the top.

Packable Sandwiches, Wraps, and Rolls

Most sandwiches are best on the day they’re made, so I like to prepare just the fillings in advance. That way, I can quickly assemble the sandwich on the day I plan to eat it, either in the morning before I head out the door, or, if I happen to be home, right before I eat.

If you’re taking a sandwich on the go, wrap it tightly in foil or a reusable sandwich wrap so that it holds together until lunchtime.

Best meal prep ideas - Egg Salad Recipe

Best Egg Salad
My bright, briny egg salad keeps well for up to 3 days in the fridge. Layer it into a delicious sandwich with watercress or pea shoots and poppy pickled onions.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Chickpea Salad Sandwich
A vegan twist on a pan bagnat, this sandwich is loaded with a hearty chickpea salad, olives, basil, and lots of fresh veggies.

Caprese sandwiches on focaccia bread - vegetarian meal prep ideas

Caprese Sandwich
Replace the mozzarella with sliced avocado and slathers of vegan pesto to make this recipe vegan.

Hands holding sliced healthy meal prep lunch wraps

Healthy Lunch Wraps
These zingy wraps are one of my go-to meal prep recipes right now. Fully assembled, they’ll keep for a day or two in the fridge, but if you prefer to prep for the entire week at once, you can store the components separately and put the wraps together throughout the week.

Chickpea Shawarma Wraps tied with string on a tray

Chickpea Shawarma Wraps
This recipe has a number of components, so it takes some time to meal prep, but, trust me, it is SO worth it. Stuffed with creamy hummus, pickled onions, spiced roasted chickpeas, and more, these satisfying plant-based wraps are bursting with flavor.

Fresh spring rolls - healthy meal prep ideas

Fresh Spring Rolls
Good news! You can assemble these spring rolls entirely in advance, so they’re great for busy workdays. Served with peanut sauce for dipping, they’re such a fresh, yummy lunch.

Soups and Stews

If you ask me, soups and stews are some of the best easy meal prep ideas. Here’s why:

  1. They’re great for both lunch and dinner.
  2. They often taste better on the second or third day, after the flavors have had a chance to mingle.
  3. And they freeze super well.

Get ahead on your weekly meal prep by making a double batch of soup this weekend. Eat half this week, and freeze the rest for a busy week down the road. (These are my favorite containers for freezing soups and stews. They’re also perfect for prepping salads and bowls! Win-win.)

Vegetarian chili

Easy Vegetarian Chili
This smoky chili is a perfect one-pot meal! Thanks to the beans, it’s packed with protein, and it’s also filled with veggies like corn, onion, and peppers. If you like, top it with avocado and pickled red onions.

Easy Curry Recipe - healthy meal prep ideas

Easy Coconut Curry
If you’re looking for easy meal prep recipes, add this curry to your rotation ASAP. It’s super simple to make, and it tastes just as good on day 3 as it does on the day it’s made.

Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup
Adapt this recipe to use whatever veggies you happen to have on hand. Squash? Spinach? Bell peppers? They’d all be great here.

Easy meal prep ideas - Cannellini beans and greens in a Dutch oven

Cannellini Beans and Greens
Make this recipe on a lazy Sunday when you’re hanging out at home. It takes some time, but it’s almost entirely hands-off.

Curry Lentil Soup - Easy meal prep recipes

Curry Lentil Soup
This soup’s lightly creamy broth and rich curry flavor have made it a Love & Lemons reader favorite. It keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge and freezes like a dream.

Two bowls of vegan meal prep black bean soup

Black Bean Soup
Take your weekly meal prep to the next level by baking homemade cornbread to pair with this soup. They’re a match made in heaven, and both freeze perfectly.

More Freezer-Friendly Meal Prep Recipes

Soups and stews aren’t the only healthy meal prep ideas that freeze well! Make casseroles, patties, and more in bulk and freeze them to reheat on busy weeknights.

Baked ziti - healthy meal prep ideas

Easy Baked Ziti
What’s better than saucy, cheesy comfort food on a chilly fall night?! To freeze this recipe, assemble the casserole up until the point of baking. Cover and freeze it in the baking dish. To reheat, bake, covered in foil, at 350°F for one hour, or until warmed through. Uncover it for the last 20 minutes of baking to brown the cheese on top.

Falafel wrap with pickled onions and herbs - healthy meal prep recipes

Crispy Baked Falafel
Jam-packed with herbs and spices, these homemade falafel balls are SO darn flavorful! Freeze them after baking. Then, reheat in a 400°F-oven for about 10 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.

Black bean burger - easy meal prep ideas

Easy Black Bean Burger
Freeze the cooked patties for up to 2 months. Reheat by baking them in a 400°F-oven until heated through, about 10-20 minutes. Then, pile them onto buns with your favorite fixings! I recommend pickles, onion, lettuce, tomato, and a big slather of chipotle sauce.

Vegetarian lasagna

Vegetarian Lasagna
Stuffed with roasted veggies, this recipe is a healthier version of the classic comfort food. To freeze and reheat it, follow the same method as the one listed for the baked ziti above.

Baked taquitos - easy meal prep ideas

Homemade Taquitos
A super-fun appetizer or light dinner! After baking, freeze them for up to a month. To reheat, pop them in a 400°F oven for about 25 minutes, or until crisp and warmed through. Enjoy them plain, or serve them with plenty of salsa and guac.

Basic Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

Up to this point, I’ve shared healthy meal prep recipes for complete dishes. But one of my favorite ways to meal prep is actually by preparing components – not full recipes – that I can use in a variety of ways throughout the week. A pot of rice, baked tofu, a flavorful sauce…

I recommend this method if you don’t want to eat the exact same thing every day of the week. Here are some of my favorite components to prepare, along with my go-to ways to use them:

4 types of Quinoa in wooden spoons

Whole Grains
Perfect for bulking up grain bowls and salads, serving with curries and stir-fries, or tossing into fried rice. These grains are the ones I meal prep most often:

Dry pinto beans in a jar

Plant-Based Proteins
Toss them into bowls, salads, stir-fries, noodle or pasta dishes, and soups! These are the protein sources I like to meal prep:

Roasted broccoli on a sheet pan - easy meal prep ideas

Roasted Veggies
Serve them as a side dish, add them to a salad or bowl, fold them into tacos or burritos, stir them into pasta, bake them into frittatas…the options are endless! These veggies all keep well if you roast them ahead of time:

4 types of Tahini Sauce in mason jars - healthy meal prep recipes

Flavorful Sauces
Use them on salads, grain bowls, tacos, burritos, sandwiches, and more! If you meal prep a flavorful sauce, it will punch up so many of your meals throughout the week. Here are some of my favorites:

More Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

Want more meal prep inspiration? Check out one of these posts next:

meal prep

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Meal Prep Ideas: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

rate this recipe:
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Serves 6
We love this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad as a healthy meal prep recipe. Many of the components - the quinoa, tomatoes, dressing, and the chickpeas - can be made in advance.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 recipe Roasted Tomatoes
  • 1 cup sliced Persian cucumbers
  • ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • â…“ cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1 recipe Italian Dressing, plus 2 additional garlic cloves, grated
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup roasted chickpeas
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1 cup mixed fresh basil and mint

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, roasted tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives, onion, and pine nuts.
  • Toss to combine, then drizzle with half the dressing and toss again. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes and toss again. Season to taste, tossing with more dressing as desired.
  • If you are meal prepping this recipe, add the roasted chickpeas, arugula, and herbs just before serving.

Notes

Note: the quinoa and roasted tomatoes can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use.
Make this recipe vegan by omitting the cheese.

 

27 comments

5 from 9 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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  1. Claudia from claudiaarmaniwellness.com
    03.31.2024

    This post is fantastic! So many great and yummy ideas for time-poor but health-conscious professionals!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.05.2024

      Hi Claudia, so glad it was helpful!

  2. Mike jackson
    09.23.2023

    Hi, excellent website. I also read cleaneatingebook.com and was amazed by the flavors a could taste with these recipes. I was amazed by the creativity and the hidden talent i had to cook and eat clean.

  3. Meal Prepify
    12.27.2022

    5 stars
    I’ve replicated your breakfast bowls this month, and surprisingly they all seem to love the sweet sesame tahini bowl

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.27.2022

      I’m so happy to hear the tahini bowls were a hit!

  4. Your pictures and recipes inspire me so much.
    I always forward your emails to me to friends who like to cook from scratch and in larger batches for many meals during the week.
    Thank you, Love and Lemons for your website
    I am planning to make some of the recipes in t he coming weeks. Esther Lue.

  5. Stacey
    09.13.2021

    Perfect timing on this post! I have class starting up next week and Id love to keep a healthy diet, if I can. Im excited to try these!

  6. Sarah
    06.19.2021

    All these look amazing. Thank you so much!!

  7. lisa
    02.13.2021

    How many radishes? 1 to 3?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.13.2021

      oops, it’s supposed to say 3 red radishes

  8. Laurie
    10.28.2020

    Avocado can’t be cut in advance as it oxidizes after being cut. So, I recommend updating this recipe to include adding the avocado on the day when this lunch will be served. Alternatively, omit the avocado or substitute it for a different vegetable.

  9. Marcella
    04.14.2020

    5 stars
    I love your recipes

  10. Lex
    02.01.2020

    Great recipes! Roughly how long in advance would you say these meals could be made?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.03.2020

      These can be stored about 3-4 days in the fridge.

  11. Scarlet
    08.20.2019

    I love all your ideas for healthy meal prep and how you break it down for prep and packing. That broccoli quinoa recipe looks fab too. Pinning to try soon!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.21.2019

      thank you! I hope you love the recipes!

  12. Sally from battlecreekcarpetcleaning.com
    05.29.2019

    Do you have any ideas on how to ‘fix’ a vegetable if its a bit older than you would like/bought some bad ones. Throwing them out would be a bit wasteful, but it’s not as good as fresh ones.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.29.2019

      Hi Sally, I love this idea for a whole new post – thank you, I’m inspired to come up with a group of ideas around this topic!

  13. Simone Athena Santollo David
    05.06.2019

    I really love broccollies its so yummy healthy tasty vegan preparation. Recipes and tips are fantastic! Thank you..

  14. Haley
    04.03.2019

    So many meal prep ideas. I love it!

  15. You made the boring food look wow! You inspired me to cook better and more importantly a healthy and yummylicious meal! Thank You, keep up the good work!

  16. Sarah | Well and Full
    02.06.2019

    Reading this article was perfect timing for me, because I’ve just recently started thinking about how I want to step up my lunch game. All of these were such inspiring ideas! 🙂

  17. Caoimhe
    02.06.2019

    This is exactly what I needed to see today, this is so great!

  18. Daniella from daniellamariedesign.com
    02.05.2019

    This post could not have come at a better time! Love all your ideas! Thank you.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.