109+ Easy and Healthy Meal Prep Ideas and Recipes

We preach meal prep here at Wholefully because it works! Since we love meal prep recipes so much, we have well over 100 healthy meal prep ideas below that you can use in your own kitchen today!

What is meal prep?

Meal prep is carving out a bit of time on the weekend (or whenever you have free time) and pre-making certain dishes and foods to help you cut back on cooking time when you’re busier later in the week. You’ll never stare at an empty fridge and wonder what to eat again!

How do I get started meal prepping?

We have a full tutorial for meal prep newbies that covers in-depth everything you need to know about getting your prepping started. Here are a few quick tips that’ll make meal prepping easy for you as you get started:

Start small. You don’t have to meal prep everything you’re going to eat for a week. Start by choosing one or two items that you can prep ahead to supplement “live” cooking.
Set a timer. No need to devote your entire weekend to meal prepping. Set a time for an hour, and see how much you can get done! Anything is better than nothing.
Prep foods you’ll actually eat. Think about the foods that make your body and soul happy, and prep those! Don’t like chicken and rice? Don’t prep chicken and rice!
Get the fam involved. In our house, meal prep is family time, and the whole family works on the food we’re going to eat. Add some tunes, and you’ve got a kitchen dance/work party!

What are the best containers for meal prep?

We cover this in-depth in our how to meal prep post, but we recommend sticking with glass or steel containers for packing preps.

Our most popular meal prep recipes:

Here are well over 100 healthy meal prep ideas to get you started with meal prepping. Enjoy!

Two divided glass containers filled with a meal prep lunch - chicken, berries, and vegetables.

Explore by topic :

School Lunches

Get inspired by this massive collection of zero-waste, healthy school lunch ideas for every type of eater. It includes vegetarian, gluten-free, grain-free, and paleo lunches, too!
Prep-Ahead Breakfasts

Get a well-rounded, filling breakfast on even the busiest of mornings with these meal prep breakfast ideas.
Prep-Ahead Lunches

No more sad desk lunches for you! These meal prep lunch ideas have something for everyone.
Prep-Ahead Dinners

Busy weeknights don't stand a chance against you with these meal prep dinner ideas.
Prep-Ahead Snacks

Keep these nourishing snacks on hand to beat the mid-afternoon slump or afterschool snack rut.
Freezer Cooking

Sometimes, we only have the time and energy to pull something out of the freezer at meal time. Stocking up on some of these frozen faves can save your day!

Start with these posts:

How to Meal Prep →

New to meal prep? No worries, we have all the tools and ideas to get you started
How to Make Overnight Oats →

Overnight oats are the gateway to meal prep! They are easy, incredibly delicious, and nourishing. We have over 15 flavors to try.
27 Simple Smoothies →

Smoothies are one of our go-to meal preps for breakfasts and snacks. Find all our smoothie recipes in one place here!
Homemade Salad Dressings →

Skip the bottled stuff, and use these healthy salad dressing recipes to make your own at home for a fraction of the cost!