Our best Meal Prep Recipes to get you through the week, plus meal prep and meal planning 101 tips! All vegetarian!

Montage of healthy dishes with text over it.

Hello friend, if you’re wondering if this post is for you, it definitely is. Maybe you’re curious about starting meal prep, or you want to get better at it, or you just need some new recipes. No matter what position you’re at in life, meal prep is definitely for you. I wanted to share my fav meal prep recipes with you. They are all vegetarian and gluten free, so feel free to customise to your liking. Best of all, they are ALL filling (yes!!). I also threw in a great dessert for you (double yes!!) read on for the recipes and some of my fav meal prep tips and tricks.

WHAT IS MEAL PREP?

So what exactly is meal prep/meal planning? It’s when you prepare your meals in advance, be it a week or even a month ahead of time. This could be preparing anything from full on recipes or sticking to prepping your veggies, proteins and carbs for your meals. Jessica in the Kitchen features a lot meal prep recipes. I love making meals ahead of time. Personally, and I know a lot of people who do the same, Sunday is that day that seems to slow down a bit and as such, is the perfect day to meal prep for the week ahead.

Why should you meal prep?

Personally, when I meal prep I feel in CONTROL of my life. It helps me with decision fatigue (one less decision to make). It gets pretty crazy sometimes, and I hate to say it but I often miss meals because I just don’t know what to eat, or the thought of going to prepare a full on meal when I only have an hour to do so is so daunting.

Other reasons for you may include sticking to certain eating lifestyle. Maybe you’re just so tired when you come home from work that it’s so much easier to order a pizza than cook a meal from scratch. Or, you want to bring lunch to work instead of all buying it. P.S. – I did an entire post on meal prep salad lunches. All of these reasons are why meal planning and prepping steps in to save us. Prepping all your meals/foods ahead means being able to stick to your plan/schedule/manage your crazy lifestyle. It means achieving balance.

Here are the recipes I consider the best meal prep recipes I’ve got. Speaking of, if you need a quick guide/cheat-list as to how to determine whether a recipe will be great for meal prep, use this:

Quick Guide/Cheat-List to choose Meal Prep Recipes

  • Has a lot of servings – can easily last days
  • Can be easily reheated AND will taste great
  • Can be frozen. SO important if you want to prep ahead.
  • Will keep fresh for at least a few days in the fridge.
  • You can switch up the elements. This is why I adore bowl foods. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Switch out here and there for your fav recipes!

By the way, in my opinion, one of the easiest things to prep are roasted veggies. They go with any protein, last long, taste even better than raw veggies. I’ve included my grilled balsamic veggies but you could easily roast them instead. Enjoy and happy recipes!!

Meal Prep Breakfast Recipes & Snacks

Pumpkin overnight oats

Pumpkin overnight oats in a jar with a spoon and a carton of almond milk in the background.

7 Quick & Easy Banana Smoothies

Overhead shot of smoothies in a mason jars with berries around them.
I recommend these smoothies because you can put all the ingredients into a zipped freezer friendly bag, and pull it out whenever you need it. Talk about prepping ahead! They offer lots of flavour variety and taste amazing.
 
 

Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal Cups

A stack of three oatmeal cups on a white table top.
 

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Overhead shot of breakfast cookies on a wood board.
 
 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies

A plate of breakfast cookies with chocolate chips.
 
 

Mexican Breakfast Burritos

A mexican breakfast burrito cut in half on a white plate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites 

An orange bowl full of energy bites.
 
 
 

Brownie Energy BitesTop down shot of brownie bites in a coconut.

 
 

Meal Prep Lunches & Dinners Recipes

Loaded Sweet Potato Skins

Two loaded sweet potato skins on a grey plate with lime wedges on the side.

Roasted or grilled vegetables (PERFECT for sides)

Top down shot of grilled vegetables in a foil container.
 
 
 

Creamy Coconut Spinach and Mushroom Quinoa

Spinach and mushroom quinoa in a black skillet being stirred with a wooden spoon.
 
 

Coconut Chickpea Curry

Top down shot of vegan coconut chickpea curry in a black skillet on a black table top.
 
 

Quinoa enchilada skillet

Quinoa enchilada skillet being stirred in a black pan.
 
 
 

Vegan Quinoa Cauliflower Burgers

Side shot of quinoa burger with fries on the side.
 
 

Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Side shot of two veggie burgers on parchment paper.
 
 

Tropical Quinoa Salad Bowl with BBQ Chickpeas

Overhead shot of quinoa salad bowl.
 
 
 

Nourish Buddha Bowl with Harissa Tahini Dressing

Top down shot of a buddha bowl with a wooden fork on the side.
 
 

 Cuban Quinoa Bowls with Pineapple Salsa 

Overhead shot of a cuban quinoa bowl with a wooden fork on the side.
 
 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Bowl

Overhead shot of Mediterranean salad bowl with a wedge of lime on the side.
 
 
 

Fajita Bowl

Top down shot of a fajita bowl with a wooden spoon on the side.
 
 

Chickpea & Beet “Meat” Balls

 
Chickpea and beet balls on a bed of pasta.
 
 
 

BONUS – Dessert!

Peanut Butter Cups

Stacks of vegan peanut butter cups on parchment.

You’ll love to always have some of these in your freezer! Let it thaw a bit first before biting in.

BONUS TOPIC: How To Meal Prep and Plan – 5 Steps

  1. Choose delicious meal prep recipes – see all the yummy recipes above.
  2. Ensure you have the correct tools. All you really need are the tools to make the dishes, and the correct meal prep containers to store the food in. I use these tupperware containers for products going in the fridge, and these Ball plastic freezer jars for foods going into the freezer (the shape works for pretty much anything). You can also use zipped freezer safe bags for freezer items, such as the burritos.
  3. Make it easy for yourself – prep on a light day. If that’s Sunday, do it then, if it’s another day, choose that. Make it customisable for you!
  4. Cook/bake like products at the same time. Roast similar veggies at the same time in the oven, and if baking something else at that same temperature, stick it in also and just set different timers. Put foil or silicone mats on baking sheets for easy clean up. Also, if you’re doing it week by week (I recommend) choose recipes with similar products to save on expenses and to make life easier. For example, the coconut chickpea curry, spinach and quinoa skillet, quinoa enchilada skillet and the chickpea beet meatballs all use a combination of coconut milk, chickpeas and quinoa. This way you get variety, but you aren’t using a ton of different ingredients.
  5. Lastly – eat! Ensure to eat meals with the freshest ingredients first to avoid waste and to ensure you get the full nutritional value.

My Fav Meal Prep Recipes Products

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If you try any of these, or have any more questions, definitely ask and let me know! Happy Meal Prepping and Eating! Please let me know in the comment section below, or tag me on instagram with the hashtag #jessicainthekitchen! For more exclusive recipes follow me on Instagram AND on Snapchat: jessinkitchen.