Fast and Easy Meal Prep recipes are where it’s at to save moms. I remember when I first started meal prepping, I spent hours researching the meals, making my list, grocery shopping, prepping my foods and cooking. You know what? It took way too much time and the worst part is I didn’t even eat most of it. It was wasted. None of my meal prep back then could be described as fast and easy meal prep recipes.
When I started working on my PhD and then had my son, my life changed drastically and I suddenly needed to find fast and easy meal prep recipes to save me. I no longer had the luxury of spending hours working on, preparing for and cooking meal prep and you know what it still worked and it was better than before. I was able to find fast and easy meal prep recipes that were delicious that I was actually eating.
The biggest thing I had to change was my mindset about finding fast and easy meal prep recipes. I had somehow convinced myself that for the meals to be nutritious all of it had to be done by hand. Wrong! Now, I will not hesitate to buy pre-cut veggies, as long as they are reasonably priced and I feel confident that the nutritional quality is still good.
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Another shift I had to make as I started moving to more fast and easy meal prep recipes was my feelings about frozen and canned products. To be clear: it is best for your health and nutrition to eat fresh food (whether that be meat, vegetables or fruit), but if the choice is between a frozen or canned vegetable (within reason and not stripped of its nutrients) and a fried or heavily processed anything, then the frozen or canned vegetable wins.
When you are in a situation when you are trying to become healthier, but you’re dealing with limited time or even a fixed budget , be gentle with yourself as you find fast and easy meal preps that will work for you. Start small, with gradual changes, and then expand as you are able. Be sure to avoid these meal prep mistakes that will wreck your success. I’ve lived at all ends of the spectrum with a meal prep lifestyle, for 8 years, and I believe that as long as you are being conscious and aware of what goes into your body and you’re trying to put the best, fast and easy meals into your body, then you’re making a step in the right direction.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s jump into my 8 best, fast and easy meal prep recipes to save moms, and really anyone trying to eat healthier. I have been adding more detailed recipes for each of these suggested recipes, so check back often or comment below if there’s a specific fast and easy meal prep recipe you’d like to try, but need more information to actually prepare it.
Cauliflower fried rice has become one of my favorite fast and easy meal prep recipes to save moms. I love that it is healthy, filling and filled with vegetables. I also love that I can vary the proteins I use in my cauliflower fried rice to make it seem like a completely different meal. You definitely need to add cauliflower fried rice to your list of fast and easy meal prep recipes for moms.
2. Ground Turkey Spaghetti with Spaghetti/Zucchini Squash
Next on my list of the best, fast and easy meal prep recipes to save moms is my ground turkey spaghetti. I love this meal prep because I can easily change what I am pairing it with. My go to favorites are spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles (zoodles).
This fast and easy meal prep recipe is filling without leaving you feeling stuffed or unhappy. It also fits the bill of being fast and easy. I have prepared this entire meal from start to finish in less than 10 minutes. Simply:
1. Brown the ground turkey.
2. Add your preferred seasonings (My go to are salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika).
3. Next, add your preferred spaghetti sauce.
4. After that, all you need to do is to prepare your spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles {You can buy these frozen and follow the package instructions to prepare these (which is what I do on tough weekends) or make them from scratch (which will increase the amount of time it takes. Spaghetti squash can be baked in the oven or buy fresh zucchini and use a spiralizer to make your zoodles. In the beginning, I made both of these sides from scratch and I sometimes still do, but now I also buy the premade version when I need a fast and easy meal prep recipe to come to the rescue.
3. Ground Turkey Burger
This fast and easy meal prep recipe was one that I stumbled across when I was trying not to ruin my weekday progress on the weekend. One of the things that we do in my family is to grill out on the weekend, when the weather allows. Typically, my husband prepares burgers and bratwursts and other delicious treats. Not wanting to be left out completely, I started looking for a fast and easy burger meal prep recipe that I could eat without feeling too full or guilty after eating it.
To my rescue came this fast and easy meal prep idea of ground turkey burgers. Even better, this fast and easy recipe is quick if made from scratch and even quicker, if purchased from a respectable ground turkey burger company. I have used Jennie-O and am pleased with them. I eat this fast and easy ground turkey meal prep with lettuce, in place of a bun and some delicious oven roasted sweet potatoes.
To round out this fast and easy meal prep recipe, you can also use other bun substitutes, such as mushrooms. You can also choose to simply use healthier breads or starches, such as whole wheat or whole grain burger buns. What you choose to eat this fast and easy ground turkey burger with really just depends on your goals.
4. Crockpot Chicken
Now, I debated adding this recipe to my fast and easy meal prep recipe list, since it technically isn’t very fast. However, I decided to go ahead and add it because what it lacks in speed, it makes up for in how easy it is to make, how versatile it is and how much you will enjoy it. On weekends when I don’t have much time to stand over a stove, check an oven or be very active in the meal prep process, my go to is this crockpot chicken recipe.
To make my fast and easy crockpot chicken meal prep recipe, I
1. Get out my crockpot.
2. Wash my chicken breasts.
3. Put a crockpot liner in the crockpot.
4. Add my chicken breasts and the seasonings of my choice.
5. Pour in one cup of chicken broth or water.
6. Next, I cover the crockpot and set my crockpot timer to high for 3 hours or low for six.
After that, I walk away from this fast and east meal prep recipe happy to go and work on one of the other million things I need to be doing. When I return to this not so fast, but very easy meal prep recipe, there are delicious, fall apart chicken breasts waiting for me to add them to a salad, some mashed sweet potatoes, some broccoli, some rice or whatever I will be eating it with that week.
Yet another reason why I love this not so fast, but very easy crockpot chicken meal prep recipe is because you can dress it up and change it with very little effort. Just last week, after cooking my chicken breasts in the crockpot on high for 3 hours, I used 2 forks to shred them and then added salsa and some taco seasoning to the crockpot. My crockpot shredded taco chicken was the perfect addition to my shredded lettuce and carrot salad and corn chips. You could also use cauliflower or sweet potato chips. It was very easy to put a spin on this not so fast, but very easy, crockpot chicken meal prep recipe.
5. Air Fried Salmon/Tilapia
Lately, I have been in love with this fast and easy meal prep recipe of air fried salmon or tilapia. I’m seriously confused as to why I did not know about this before now. The steps for making this fast and easy air fried salmon or tilapia couldn’t be simpler and from start to finish it usually takes less than 20 minutes.
1. First, get out your tilapia or salmon.
2. Brush on some olive oil and add your preferred seasonings (I keep it simple: salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and paprika).
3. Spray the button of your air fryer to prevent sticking and then set it to 400 F.
4. Next, set the timer for 10 minutes and sit back and watch the magic happen.
When the timer goes off, you will have perfectly cooked salmon or tilapia ready to be added to your veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans) or starches (rice, sweet potato or pasta). This fast and easy meal prep recipe is one you will feel excited to eat.
6. Ground Turkey Chili
Next on the list of my fast and easy meal prep recipes is ground turkey chili. This is another fast and easy meal prep that can be easily made under 10 minutes.
1. First, brown your ground turkey in a pan on the stove.
2. While browning, add your preferred seasoning (see my suggestions above).
3. When the ground turkey is browned, drain any excess oil.
4. Turn the heat to medium low and then add (1) 14.5 oz. can of tomato sauce and a 4 oz. can of tomato paste. You can also add a packet of chili seasoning here, if it fits into your goals. At this step, I also add a 14.5 oz. can of dark kidney beans and stir well.
5. Allow everything to simmer together before removing it from the medium low heat (about 5 minutes).
I typically serve this fast and easy ground turkey chili with whole wheat saltines or corn tortillas. Sometimes, I’ll eat it on its own without adding the saltines or tortillas, but either way this ground turkey chili is fast and easy, not to mention delicious.
7. Steel Cut Oats
If you follow me on Facebook on Instagram, you know that steel cut oats is one of my favorite fast and easy meal prep recipes. It has been my breakfast of choice for several months now and I do not see an end in sight, lol. Why? It’s simple, easy to make and delicious. It is also very versatile, so I do not get bored with this fast and easy meal prep recipe.
The steel cut oats that I prefer for my fast and easy meal prep is the Quaker brand. For the recipe, which they include on the box or bag, you need water and salt. From start to finish it takes about 5 minutes.
For my weekly meal prep, I combine this fast and easy steel cut oats with the fresh fruit of my choice, usually strawberries or blueberries. In the morning, I move the strawberries on top of the steel cut oats and microwave it for about a minute and a half, which makes the fruit burst, creating this naturally sweet sauce. I then add in my secret weapon, which is Zego Mix-ins Apple Cinnamon seed and fruit blend. It adds the perfect crunch that makes me look forward to this fast and easy steel cut oats every morning. If you try my spin on this fast and easy steel cut oats meal prep recipe, let me know what you think.
8. Ground Turkey Salsa
You’ve probably noticed by now that ground turkey is a star in most of my fast and easy meal prep recipes. This recipe is a ground turkey salsa. Like the other ground turkey recipes, it starts with browning the ground turkey and adding your preferred seasonings. Then add your favorite salsa and if you want and if it fits your goals, you can add a taco seasoning packet.
Usually, I will eat this fast and easy ground turkey salsa with a spinach tortilla wrap or on top of a bed of brown rice with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. It has been a part of my fast and easy meal prep routine for at least 4 years and is very useful when I’m running low on time.
Before You Go
I sincerely hope you were able to find some fast and easy meal prep recipes to help you add more variety to your meal prep routine or to help give you the confidence to start your own meal prep routine. Still struggling? Maybe need ideas on the essential meal prep tools you would need for your kitchen? Add a comment below to let me know what I can do to help or what you’d like to see next on the blog. If you found this post on fast and easy meal prep recipes helpful, please pin and or share it with others who may find it useful too.
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