Meal Prep Ideas and Life Hacks

Between work, classes, extracurriculars, and everything else that fills up a student’s daily schedule, it can feel nearly impossible to prepare healthy food for the whole week. It doesn’t have to take an entire evening to meal prep, though.

After years of trying different meal prep recipes and techniques, I’ve found ways to not only cut down the time that it takes to prep all of it but to also ensure that I don’t get tired of the food after just a couple of days. Here are just a few recipes and lifehacks that can streamline the meal preparation process so that it doesn’t feel like a waste of time and money.

Avoid Foods That Don’t Make Good Leftovers

After countless times trying to meal prep grilled or baked chicken breast and getting grossed out by it after the second time I eat it, I finally decided that white meat chicken is incredibly undesirable after it spends time in the fridge. By now, most people know which foods are still good after being warmed up and which ones aren’t, so think about what kind of foods you get excited about when you have them for leftovers and use those for meal prep.

Time-Saving Tips

For the times when it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, the crockpot is a lifesaver. For many crockpot recipes, all you have to do is throw the ingredients in, turn it on, and wait. Being able to cook 5-7 days’ worth of food on autopilot can save hours of time compared to cooking all of it on the stove. Another way to save time is by using recipes that don’t require you to cook at all. Some of my favorite no-cook recipes include things like chicken salad (using canned chicken), peanut butter protein balls, and overnight oats.

Easy High-Protein Recipes

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken: 8 servings – 27g protein per serving

• 2lb chicken breast

• 1 cup buffalo sauce

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• 2 tbsp dried parsley

1. Blend up the cottage cheese and buffalo sauce until smooth.

2. Put the sauce into the crockpot and then put in the chicken and parsley on top.

3. Cook on high 4-8 hours.

4. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken once cooked.

Chicken Salad: 6 servings – 20g protein per serving

• 3 cups of canned chicken

• 1 teaspoon of celery salt

• ½ cup of mayo

• 3 tbsp minced onion

• Any add-ins you want (I like dried cranberries and nuts)

Combine all ingredients!

Peanut Butter Protein Snack Balls: 10 snack balls – 14g protein per ball

• 2 cups of rolled oats

• 1 cup of softened peanut butter

• 2 scoops of protein powder (I recommend peanut butter, vanilla, or unflavored.)

• ¼ cup chia seeds

• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Combine all the ingredients until you can roll them into balls.

2. Split it into tenths and roll into balls. (Each ball is around 14g of protein if your protein powder has 24g per serving)

These are perfect as a pre-or-post gym snack or anytime some protein and carbs are needed!

After considering things like ways to cook meals on autopilot or finding no-cook recipes, meal prep isn’t as daunting of a task as it’s often made out to be. By implementing some of these recipes and lifehacks, fitness goals will seem far more in reach. Remember, health and wellness start in the kitchen.

Be Well, Auburn.