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Hi Friends,
It had been a while since I did a proper meal-prep session, and I finally carved out the time today — I’m so glad I did. Meal prep works because it reduces the effort required to stay on plan. When choices are decided ahead of time, you don’t need to rely on motivation or willpower.
Most off-plan eating happens when we’re tired, busy, or mentally drained. Staying on track becomes far easier when the lowest-effort option is already the right one.
This week I kept breakfast, lunch, and snacks consistent, and varied dinner around chicken and rice. Here’s what I prepped:
- Chicken tenders (brined for 2 hours and cooked on a skillet)
- Oven-baked chicken thighs
- Costco rotisserie chicken for quick meals
- Rice and sweet potatoes cooked and frozen in 1/2-cup portions (stored in small containers)
- Dozen boiled eggs — I used an egg cooker that makes peeling effortless
- Vegetable snack packs and a whipped cottage cheese dip
- Chopped greens from my indoor garden for quick salads
Breakfast (368 calories)
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES
Lunch (350 calories)
Green salad with chicken & a side of sweet potato (with homemade ranch)
Homemade low calorie ranch
Snack
Egg salad in lettuce + veggies and whipped cottage cheese dip
Dinner Ideas (about 500 calories, based on chicken and rice)
Day 1: Sheet Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken
- 5 oz chicken breast
- 1½ cups broccoli and carrots
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper
- Calories: ~420
Day 2: Chicken Veggie Stir Fry
- 5 oz chicken breast
- 2 cups mixed stir-fry vegetables (broccoli, peppers, snap peas)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Soy sauce or coconut aminos to taste
- Calories: ~450
Day 3: Balsamic Chicken & Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- 5 oz chicken breast
- 1½ cups Brussels sprouts
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar and garlic powder
- Calories: ~430
Day 4: Chicken Zucchini Skillet
- 5 oz chicken breast
- 2 cups zucchini and mushrooms
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper
- Calories: ~400
Day 5: Chicken Taco Veggie Bowl
- 5 oz chicken breast
- 1 cup sautéed peppers and onions
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- Taco seasoning and 2 tbsp salsa
- Calories: ~450
I hope you enjoy these ideas — simple, satisfying dinners that pair well with prepped rice or roasted sweet potato portions.
— Amy Roskelley
P.S. I keep an Amazon list of the tools and containers I used for this meal prep.
My Discount Codes
- MY SHOP! Weight-loss meal plans and digital cookbooks
- Clean Simple Eats: Code HEALTHBEET
- Feast Mode Seasonings: Code HEALTHBEET
- Built Bar: Code HEALTHBEET
- Skinny Syrups: Code HEALTHBEET
- Gardyn (indoor garden): coupon code IRL37QK8XWR
- My Amazon Must-Haves (shopping list)
