Weight Loss Meal Prepping Ideas for the Week – Beginners Guide
Meal prepping on Sundays has been my thing for a while. The week can get busy, off schedule and to have things pre-made in the fridge makes it easier to stay on an eating plan.
My only problem with meal prepping is the level of difficulty. Figuring out the meals for the week, cooking all of the food, sorting food out and counting macros (if you do that). It gets tedious and often times that will be the first thing that makes meal prepping undesirable. The key to making meal prepping a successful habit that will stick is to keep things easy!
My meal prepping is pretty basic and a little unconventional, compared to what you might find on Pinterest. But, it’s the amount of prepping that is perfect for helping me stay successful during the week with my eating.
Here are some of the basics that I will prep every week:
Protein – Grill or bake a few pounds of chicken and about 2 pounds of ground turkey
Beans – Black beans are my favorite right now and can be thrown into almost any dish for added protein, carbs and fiber
Potatoes – Roasted italian potatoes are my favorite to have on hand! You can add them to any meal and these potatoes are so delicious!
Other things I have on hand are:
- Egg whites
- Hard boiled eggs
- Fairlife milk
- Mushrooms
- Premier Protein Whey Protein Powder – Available in 2 delicious flavors – chocolate and vanilla.
- Cheese – Shredded and cubed
- Salad
- Wheat bread
- Peanut Butter
- Nuts
- Skinny Pop Popcorn
- Premier Protein 30g bars – They come in seven delicious flavors, including Chocolate Peanut Butter, Yogurt Peanut Crunch, Peanut Butter Crunch, New Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate Mint, New Dark Chocolate Almond and Double Chocolate Crunch.
- Lots and lots of fruits and vegetables
I cook up my meats and prep them in containers, rather than meals, because each day is different for me and I still prefer a little variety in my week.
For instance, the ground turkey I cooked up this week was seasoned with taco seasoning. I LOVE taco meat to make taco salads. When you are following macros, this kind of meal can be so customizable. Throw some meat into a bowl, lettuce, cheese, beans, black olives, a few tortilla chips etc… Your meal can be as little or as big as you want, depending on your eating goal for the day.
My favorite breakfast right now is scrambled egg whites. Again, this is totally customizable! I will often do 8 ounces of egg whites, 1 full egg, cooked mushrooms and cheese. If I need more carbs for this meal, you can take the breakfast scramble and wrap it up in a tortilla. So filling!
On my super busy days, I will make some wheat toast with my favorite pumpkin spice peanut butter and grab a Premier Protein shake to take with me.
I’m a snacker and like to keep it simple and portable. Premier Protein Shakes are packed with 30g of delicious protein to give you the good energy you need every day – they are low in fat, with 160 calories, only 1g of sugar, and 24 vitamins and minerals. Throw them in your purse or lunch bag and they are always there for a quick and filling snack.
I also love to have my white cheddar popcorn, nuts and fruits around. All great snacks!
We eat a lot of chicken around here and make many different meals with it. Throw it into a chicken dish or even sort it into a container with a vegetable and carb. When making a dish, cooking the chicken takes the longest amount of time. Having cooked chicken on hand cuts down on prep and cooking time, a win win in my book!
Meal prepping can be made easy and it all starts with the basics!
What are some of your favorite things to prep ahead for the week?
Disclosure : This post is part of an ambassadorship with Premier Protein. All thoughts are my own.
Hi Amanda! Great variety! It’s so good to have a plan, but be able to change it up a little so you’re not eating the same thing everyday! :)
Amanda, great ideas especially Roasted italian potatoes. I love anything potatoes.
My favorite prep includes fruits and vegetables. Smoothies are on the list too but I have planned the next week for fruits and vegetables.
Eddy
I have been wanting to meal prep for awhile now, but didn’t really know how to start. I am going to try your way.
This is a great way to make sure you are getting heathly meals! Would love to try these tips! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve never been great at meal prepping. I need more protein in my diet!
Meal prep is the way to stay healthy and on track. I love the tips.
Everything looks great! I need to learn to meal prep more. I know this would help out a lot.
I need to start meal planning. I end up getting takeout a lot because I forgot to take something out in the morning.
I have been meal prepping for a few months now and it has really made a big difference. I like that I do not have to worry about what to make for dinner every night.
These are all great tips. You should consider swapping the white potatoes out for sweet for the most bang for your nutritional buck.
Those are some great snacks you have there. Snacks are where I struggle to stay healthy!
Meal prep is something that I have been meaning to get into. It would save me so much time.
I’m liking these recommendations. I need to focus on cleaner proteins and more greens!
I recently browned 15 pounds of ground turkey meat and stuck it in the freezer to save time during the week! I love to prep and be ready to make healthy meals.
Taking the time to meal prep has always been a key to my past weight loss success!
I have actually been looking for something like this. Most of the freezer meals that I do are not as healthy as they should be. I am definitely going to bookmark and follow it.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I’m always on the go, so meal prepping would be a big help for me to save time and to keep eating healthy. When I’m rushed I just grab whatever.
I can’t believe I’ve never thought of doing meal prep for the week before! That is an awesome way to save a ton of time during the week.
Thank you so much for this. I have been seriously thinking about meal planning and this helps a lot.