You might be tired of the term “meal prep” being thrown around on blogs, social media posts, or in conversations with friends. It’s understandable ⎯ meal prepping has become a big trend. As lives get busier and the time in your day seems to get shorter, something as simple as making dinner may feel exhausting.
To be fair, meal prepping in itself can feel like just one more chore you have to do ⎯ but it pays off with lots of benefits and lots of yummy food. Whether you’re a carnivore, a vegetarian, a vegan, or like to switch it up, we’ll help you find delicious and nutritious recipes that fit your life.
Why Do People Love to Meal Prep?
Meal prep recipes are popular for a reason and it’s mainly because they are loaded with benefits which include:
- Saving money ⎯ planning ahead of time means less impulse buys;
- Saving time ⎯ shop and cook in one go so you can do less throughout the week;
- Making healthier meals ⎯ meal prep puts accessible and nutritious food at your fingertips.
Meal prepping makes your life easier in numerous ways ⎯ saving money, time, and energy. Skip an extra step by growing ingredients right in your kitchen! With Gardyn’s Home Kit 3.0, you can grow fresh veggies, fruits, and herbs in your own home.
Tips for Easy Meal Prepping
Getting started with meal prepping might feel like adding on to an ever-expanding to-do list. But it’s in the name – easy meal prepping should be, well, easy.
- Keep it simple ⎯ stick to basic recipes and use what’s in your fridge;
- Plan ahead ⎯ find a routine that works and finish your meals before the work week;
- On the move ⎯ invest in some high-quality storage containers to eat on the go.
Ease into Easy Meal Prep
Most importantly, your meal prep should make your life easier. Find routines and recipes that work for you, and you’ll see what a difference it can make in your daily life. Below, you’ll find easy meal prep ideas for every type of eater and every type of schedule.
With each recipe, it’s easy to swap in (or out) different types of proteins to fit different lifestyles. Similarly, you can swap out vegetables or grains with your preference, or whatever you have in your fridge! Season to your taste and choose flavors that will keep you excited to eat the same meal for even a few days in a row. Make it yours ⎯ but we’ll help get you started.
An easy way to upgrade any recipe is with fresh herbs. But store-bought herbs can be pricey and often spoil before you can even incorporate them into your dishes. You can grow your own herb garden year-round with Gardyn’s indoor systems.
Using the Home Kit 3.0 or the 2.0 version, you can grow oregano, mint, and other fresh herbs in your kitchen. With just a snip, you can add them to any prepped meal for some variety and flavor.
Easy Chicken Meal Prep Idea
Chicken is one of the most popular protein choices for a reason. Recipes with chicken are easy to meal prep while providing flavor and instant tastebud satisfaction. Read on for an easy chicken meal prep idea that can work for lunch and dinner.
How to Prep Roasted Chicken with Veggies and Orzo
To follow this recipe exactly, you’ll need:
- Potatoes;
- Bell peppers;
- Olive oil;
- Garlic;
- Orzo pasta;
- Fresh rosemary;
- Bone-in chicken thighs (or your choice of protein);
- Your preferred spices/seasonings.
Cooking instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Chop up a russet potato or a sweet potato and some bell peppers into cubes.
- Toss the vegetables with olive oil. Add garlic and herbs to taste. Once well-coated, transfer to a sheet pan lined with foil;
- Season the chicken with your choice of spices or sauce. Arrange chicken over the vegetables and roast for about 35 minutes;
- While the chicken and veggies are roasting, cook the orzo in a pot (or slow cooker) according to package directions;
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let it cool. Into food-safe storage containers, place a serving of pasta, vegetables, and a chicken thigh;
- Store your prepped chicken meals in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Easy Meal Prep Ideas for Vegetarians and Vegans
Aside from swapping out chicken for tofu, there’s lots of ways to incorporate protein and flavor to meat-free dinners. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, we’ll give you some options for a simple and satisfying meal prep.
For vegetarian and vegan diets, it’s all the more important to have a variety of fresh and local produce accessible to you. With so much of the fun in your diet relying on vegetables, you want to be able to try new things and experiment in the kitchen without breaking the bank. Enter Gardyn: Grow 100+ varieties of chemical-free produce in your home, regardless of the season. We’ll show you how to put Gardyn’s produce offerings to good use in the recipes below.
How to Prep Mediterranean Bean and Rice Salad
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Cooked brown rice (substitute quinoa or your preferred grain);
- Chickpeas or garbanzo beans;
- Cucumbers;
- Cherry tomatoes;
- Fresh dill and parsley;
- Lemon juice;
- Olive oil, salt, and black pepper;
- Optional: Feta cheese.
Cooking instructions:
- Slice the cucumbers and halve the cherry tomatoes;
- Strain the garbanzo beans and rinse them. After draining, add to a bowl with your vegetables;
- Add cooked rice to the bowl along with chopped parsley and dill;
- For a simple dressing, mix olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice;
- Toss all ingredients together with the dressing;
- Split up the salad into serving-sized containers and store in the fridge.
How to Prep Vegan Broccoli Stir Fry
This dish might be the simplest of all ⎯ a classic stir fry. In a frying pan, heat up some canola oil before adding broccoli, chopped peanuts, and your favorite spices. Separately, prepare your preferred noodles according to package instructions. For protein, you can add tofu or, if you’re not vegan or vegetarian, this dish is just as yummy when prepared with ground beef or chicken!
In storage containers or bowls, add a serving of your vegetables, noodles, and protein. You can also push your love for vegetables to the next level by accompanying your dish with a small bowl of soup. Within minutes, you have a well-balanced, easy, and delicious meal for all those around your table to try.
Easy Meal Prep Ideas for Your Morning Wake-Up
It’s easy enough to grab a yogurt or banana for breakfast, but it gets old skimping on the most important meal of the day. If you (like most of us) are in a rush in the mornings, but you still want a satisfying breakfast, breakfast egg muffins are the perfect solution. They’re a great way to use up leftover produce or proteins in your fridge.
For even more freshness and more choice, you can try Gardyn’s produce selection. From basil to bok choy, Gardyn provides maximum variety and quality veggies to choose from.
Egg muffin and vegetable mix
For the egg muffin, all you need to do is mix eggs and milk with seasonings and cook them in a muffin tin at 350ºF until they’re baked. But for the fun part? We’ll give you our favorite mix-in combinations:
The best part about these flavor combinations? Besides being delicious, they all feature one encompassing theme when you have a Gardyn Home Kit. When you have these bountiful veggies within arm’s reach in your kitchen, meal prepping literally can’t get any easier.
Easy Meal Prep Ideas Made Easier with Gardyn
Busy jobs, busy lives, busy days…Busy lines at the grocery store. With these easy meal prep ideas, you can get all your shopping and cooking done in one day. What’s even better? You still get delicious, healthy, and filling meals to look forward to every day.
To make your life even easier, try Gardyn. By investing in an indoor gardening system, you’ll actually save money in the long run (see just how much!). Gardyn’s Home Kits also offer a much more sustainable and fresh approach to produce ⎯ after all, you can’t get more local than your own kitchen.
What else can Gardyn offer you? You’ll get:
- The most-advanced home hydroponic system to date;
- A personal plant coach powered by AI;
- Easy cleaning with HydroBoost;
- Full spectrum grow lights;
- Smart sensors and cameras to monitor your plants’ vital signs;
- Vacation Mode to keep your produce fresh while you’re away on vacation.
All you need is 2 square feet of floor space and a Wi-FI connection; Gardyn will do the rest. Whether it’s for your food or for the planet, little changes go a long way. Find more about how Gardyn works and, in the meantime, don that apron and enjoy your meal-prepping!