Roasted Pumpkin Sweet Potato And Brown Rice Pilaf
This colorful side dish packed with vegetables is hearty enough to be your main course.
Get creative and top it with a sunny-side-up egg, or serve cold as a topping on salad greens.
Everyone loves a good burger! Turkey patties are a great choice for meal prep because they can do double-duty as the protein in a salad or served with our Roast Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, and Brown Rice Pilaf recipe.
Pro tip: Double this recipe and cook half for one week and freeze the uncooked patties in individual plastic bags for another week.
Keto Chicken Enchilada Bowl
As the name implies, this is a healthy meal prep idea for all you keto diet people. Enchiladas are pretty much always a good idea, and this recipe comes complete with jalapenos. Great for a kick if you like spiciness, of course!
MmmGreek cooking is always so tasty. You can seldom go wrong when youre working with such delicious ingredients. Chicken, Tzatziki, and veggies a great, satisfying combination.
If you like Greek food , you cant miss this healthy meal prep recipe!
What Types Of Meals Are Best For Meal Prepping
The best meal prep recipes are those that are easy to store and reheat. Pick a favorite casserole, soup, pasta, or other dish you cook often that uses staples that are usually on hand.
Consider dishes that do not need cooking, as well as those that can be prepared in a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or air fryer. This will make the entire process much easier.
Another effective meal prep method is to make a big batch of grains, such as rice or quinoa, vegetables, and protein . Then, divide up everything into different containers and store in the refrigerator.
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Healthy Shrimp Meal Prep
Shrimp is a fantastic source of protein, so youre bound to enjoy this healthy shrimp dish! Its incredibly easy to prepare and has a high protein content. 29g of protein in total delicious and nutritious!
The dish is ideal if you like a little bit of spice because you can put it in a sweet and spicy sauce, but you can use whatever you like the best. You can even pair it with some cauliflower rice to get some more vegetables in. Even better is that its 345 calories!
Nutrient Timing Is Everything
Research shows that to get the best out of your training regime, its vital to consume enough protein and carbohydrates at the right time, in order to expedite muscle recovery and growth and prevent muscle catabolism 1.
Preparing your food in advance makes it so much easier for you to consume the food your body requires, at the correct time.
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You Can Stave Off Morning Hunger
Meal-prepping isnt just for lunch or dinner. It can make a huge difference for people who have busy mornings, too.
Overnight oats are an excellent breakfast that can be prepared the night before, says Kelly Krikhely, M.S., RD, CDN. You simply mix oats with Greek yogurt and almond milk or any milk of your choice, and store it in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, you can add nuts, nut butter or fruit to boost the nutrition value and add flavor.
If you prep overnight oats the night before, you have a filling healthy breakfast you can eat on the run instead of grabbing the croissant with eggs, bacon and cheese, or the sugar-laden muffin youre used to getting from the corner deli, Krikhely says.
Salsa Shredded Chicken Meal Prep
Broiled chicken breasts are good and all. But after a while, they can get pretty dull.
My Salsa Shredded Chicken Meal Prep really jazz up those chicken breasts. Thats because youre cooking the chicken breasts with salsa, paprika, and chili powder.
So youre getting lots of Mexican flavors. But it doesnt end there.
The red, yellow, and green bell peppers add more Mexican flavors. And instead of serving this with rice, youre adding cauliflower rice.
This balances out the carbs and adds extra nutrition.
Or you can spend a bit of time making your own cauliflower rice. Put some cut-up cauliflower into a food processor.
Then youll want to process until rice forms. This food processor can handle tons of cauliflower.
Per Serving:
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What You Need To Know About Eating Healthy To Lose Weight
Its fair to say many people in our information driven culture are familiar with macro-nutrients such as protein, carbs and fats. In fact theres several very popular movements in regards to no-sugar, no or low-carb, and the Ketogenic diet which is rising in popularity.
Its fair to say with all of this information, one can get quite confused and wonder what the hell to make for dinner? It has been an evolution for me as well over the past 6 years where my diet has gone from strict Intermittent Fasting with very high protein consumption and little regard for carbs/sugar, to now a more Keto-adaptive diet.
Basically I fast every other day for at least 16 hours, and sometimes up to 18 hours, which means remaining in a state of state of ketosis metabolic state in which some of the bodys energy supply is derived from ketone bodies in the blood, in contrast to a state of glycolysis in which blood glucose provides energy .
This approach yields loads of muscle building benefits which we wont be discussing on this article, but I encourage intermittent fasting with the following dinner recipes for muscle strength.
Diabetes Meal Plan: 1200 Calories
The simple meals and snacks in this meal plan feature some of the best foods for diabetes to help you keep your blood sugar in check so you can feel your best while you lose weight. Eating with diabetes doesnt need to be difficult-and its even easier with the meal-prep tips in this plan. Choose a variety of nutritious foods, as we do in this diet meal plan, and add in daily exercise for a healthy and sustainable approach to managing diabetes and losing weight.
Read Also: Recipe For Jalapeno Poppers With Bacon
Spinach And Broccoli Strata
Though it seems like a fancy brunch dish, this Spinach and Broccoli Strata doubles as an easy meal prep recipe.
Make it once to see how its done, and then mix things up with your different combinations of vegetables to keep your meal prep menus exciting.
Extra portions can be frozen and reheated in a microwave.
How To Plan Meals For Weight Loss
When meal prepping for weight loss, its important to know how to plan meals that are filling and nutrient-dense.
In general, aim to make most of your meals and snacks balanced, meaning they should contain a source of protein, fat, and fiber.
Getting adequate protein at every meal and snack is essential, as protein is the most filling macronutrient and helps keep you feeling satisfied between meals.
For example, eating an apple paired with natural peanut butter, a source of plant-based protein and fat, will be more satisfying than eating an apple on its own.
Adding more fat and protein to your meals and snacks adds more calories, but it also helps prevent you from being hungry and fuels your body with key nutrients.
Plus, a higher protein diet helps preserve lean muscle mass during weight loss, which is important for maintaining strength, as well as optimal energy expenditure (
| egg muffins made with broccoli, mushrooms, and goat cheese served with fresh fruit | |
| a cheeseburger and french fries from the local diner | a homemade spinach chicken burger served with baked sweet potato fries |
| a chocolate-covered snack bar | a bento box made with sliced apples, natural peanut butter, and a few pieces of dark chocolate |
Although its a good idea to prepare many of your meals and snacks from scratch, using some premade foods such as turkey sticks, hummus, whole grain crackers, salad dressings, and more can help make your life much easier and save time when meal prepping.
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Which Foods Contain Protein
Tracking macronutrients such as protein can seem like a bit of a difficult task at first, but you will be pleased to know that its actually pretty simple once you know what foods contain protein. You also dont need to worry if you have specific dietary requirements, as protein is present in both plant and animal sources.
Here are just a few of the foods that contain protein sources:
Greek Lemon Chicken With Tzatziki Sauce
Serves: 6Nutrition: 410 calories, 15 g fat , 670 mg sodium, 36 g carbs , 38 g protein
Store-bought tzatziki sauces are typically sodium bombs and are downright unnecessary when you see how easy it is to whip up this dip at home by using one of our pantry staples, Greek yogurt. We like serving our Greek-marinated lemon chicken and tzatziki Gyro-style: on a flatbread topped with lettuce and tomatoes!
Get the recipe from Recipe Runner.
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Chicken And Black Bean Burrito Salad In A Mason Jar
Theres lots of good stuff in this portable salad.
Putting the dressing and heavier ingredients at the bottom and the lettuce at the top ensures that this salad will stay crisp until you are ready to eat it just make sure to store the jar upright.
Buying rotisserie chicken makes this a cinch to put together.
If you have extra cherry tomatoes, jicama, and radishes, save them for a snack to dip in the White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus below.
Buffalo Chicken Ranch Whole30 Meal Prep
This healthy meal prep recipe is both Paleo and keto. And it doesnt it look too shabby, either. Cauliflower rice is actually a new one for me, but if you like cauliflower , its sure to be good.
With lots of healthy fats and a low carb profile, this one looks like a winner! Weve got some more whole30 meal prep ideas if you need them!
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Muscle Building Slow Cooker Meals For Protein Lovers To Devour
C.P. TeamThis post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.
All hail the mighty crockpot. For tis but a necessary tool in the dwelling of healthy Gods and Goddesses.
This simple appliance lets you create amazing muscle building slow cooker meals.
If you somehow forgot to pick one up for your kitchen, thats okay. People make mistakes all the time.
Just last week a guy named Mike made dinner for his date. He was proud of his work. During dinner his date remembered she needed to call her son to say goodnight. So she excused herself. After several minutes, Mike went to check on her. He couldnt find her. She was gone. He called her cell but it went to voicemail. Thats when it hit him
His date didnt have kids!
Poor Mike. Nothing ruins a date like a bad meal.
But you can avoid a similar dating experience by doing two things right now.
The first thing you need to do is get a slow cooker. If you already have one, skip this and scroll to the recipes.
However, if you need one, weve made it easy for you.
Here are three of the best slow cookers:
Rice And Beans Meal Prep For Weight Loss
You know what Rice and Beans combo is undefeated. This plant based meal is a source of complete protein and ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
This healthy rice and beans meal prep is the perfect breakfast meal on weekends.
This filling meal is best eaten as a pre-workout breakfast meal.
Get the recipe from fitnessfoodrecipes
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Setting Yourself Up For Long
Theres nothing worse than setting a health and fitness goal, then falling flat halfway through. This often happens because youre so damn exhausted from a brutal, over-the-top workout regime, and hard dieting. Youll slowly snap back to the way you were without even realising. The good news is, there is a better way. Meal prep is a very real tool we can use to create and sustain long-term body composition goals. It provides you with the ability to create tasty, filling meals that are full of nutrition and can effectively help you control what youre eating.
Whether you are wanting a meal plan to gain muscle, shed fat, or to simply maintain good health, meal prep is an important tool that can help you stick to a diet consistently.
Preparing your meals: Meal prep is one of the best ways to take control of your diet, and grasp success.
Save time, save money & get results with Australias fastest growing fitness app, The Clean 5.
Day Meal Plan For Muscle Gain
âHealthy Diet â A Guide to Weight Loss â
Here are some weight loss diet tips that can be followed anywhere, everyday:
Make sure that the right discipline is still practiced to promote consistency on the diet plan. This will lead eventually to a healthy life-style and a more fruitful living without the extra fat and extra pounds on the side. more info at
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
This looks delicious, and of course, pasta salad is always one of your more portable dishes. This salad isnt exactly low-carb, but its still relatively low in calories. That makes it a great addition to your healthy meal prep arsenal.
And, if you want to make this vegetarian, just leave out the chicken!
Bacon And Maple Blueberry Pancakes
When you think about healthy breakfasts, we doubt that you think about pancakes. To make your pancakes healthy though, its just a simple matter of turning oats into flour.
This is fairly simple to do so long as you have a blender simply put the oats required on their own into a blender for a few minutes until the oats begin to resemble flour. You can then continue with making your pancakes as you normally would.
Even better? These pancakes have half the calories of normal pancakes only 530! And with a whopping 42g of protein, they are perfect for before a workout.
In order to make this recipe part of your meal prep, you will need to allow the pancakes to cool and then refrigerate them where you can then leave them for around 3 days. It is not possible to freeze them. You simply need to put them in a microwave proof container for around 2 minutes in the microwave in order to reheat them.
Also Check: Make A Recipe With My Ingredients
Poppy Seed Chicken Asparagus And Wild Rice
Chicken’s a ubiquitous ingredient in the meal-prep world, so this list wouldn’t be complete without a delicious chicken recipe. This one’s about as simple and straightforward as they come, and it only takes 15-20 minutes to whip up.
Here are a couple tips: Reduce prep and cleanup time by purchasing asparagus spears that come in a microwave bag, and pull one of those precooked or microwaveable rice packages from the pantry.
Why Is Protein Important For Muscle Growth And Repair What Are The Other Benefits Of Protein
As weve already touched upon, protein is an important macronutrient. But what exactly does it do? Protein is important for so many reasons, but muscle growth and repair is by far the most crucial.
Essentially, protein consists of amino acids. When you are lifting weights and engaging in any exercise that puts strain on your muscles, you begin to make miniscule micro tears in the muscles. The protein then uses its amino acids in order to fix those tears. The amino acids will surround the tear and fill it, which results in the muscle getting larger and stronger as a result. It also means that you can prevent muscle loss when you are exercising, which is essential.
This isnt the only reason why protein is important, however.
To start with, protein helps to reduce your hunger levels and your appetite. Out of the three macronutrients , Protein has been shown to be the most filling of the three. The main reason for this is because protein can reduce the levels of a hormone called ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone. Furthermore, it also helps to boost the amount of peptide YY in the body, and this hormone is there to make you feel full.
As you may imagine, this often means that if you have a higher protein intakes the chances are that you will consume less calories because youll be full. This can be incredibly beneficial for weight loss. Its also great for weight maintenance for a similar reason.
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What Does Meal Prep Mean
Meal prep, short for meal preparation, is the process of planning and preparing your meals ahead of time. You can meal prep one day ahead, or take one day to prepare lunch and/or dinner for an entire week. While most meal prep only one or two meals, you can easily meal prep breakfast, lunch and dinner, even snacks for the week ahead. Its entirely up to you!
In this post today, Ive shared a 7 day meal prep for weight loss that includes all your meals and snacks to make it as easy as possible to stay on track.
Grilled Halibut & Tomato Salsa
Serves: 2Nutrition: 456 calories, 22 g fat , 245 mg sodium, 14 g carbs , 48 g protein
Halibut earned the #3 spot on our guide to every popular fishranked by nutritional benefits thanks to a combination of being high in protein, high in omega-3 fatty acids, and low in mercury. According to “The Satiety Index of Common Foods,” published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, halibut ranks the second most filling foodbested only by boiled potatoeslikely because it packs such an impressive protein punch.
Get the recipe from Foodie Crush.
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