25 Easy Meal Prep Ideas For Weight Loss That You’ll Love

Making the lifestyle change to eat healthily and lose weight may seem like a commitment, especially to your time.

Though it may be a common misconception that eating well requires hours of cooking per night, you can get the number on the scale down without dedicating your downtime to your stove or oven. 

All of the recipes we have listed will help you shed those pounds, and the best part is that you can get them all ready at the beginning of the week!

These Easy Meal Prep Ideas don’t fall short on the flavor, don’t take too long to prep, and will ensure you’re eating well seven days a week. 

Quick Table: Easy Meal Prep Ideas

Recipes	Calories Per Serving	Preparation Time
Salmon and Asparagus in Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce	609	10 Minutes
Beef Stir Fry	186	10 Minutes
Healthy Roasted Chicken and Veggies	524	10 Minutes
Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls	415	10 Minutes
Edamame Salad	530	20 Minutes
Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato Bowls	268	10 Minutes
Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs	296	5 Minutes
Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice	320	10 Minutes
Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls	483	10 Minutes
Chili Lime Chicken and Rice	560	10 Minutes
Skirt Steak and Veggies	735	20 Minutes
Korean Chicken Bowls	520	15 Minutes
Chickpea Salad	417	25 Minutes
Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta	331	45 Minutes
Lemon Roasted Salmon and Sweet Potatoes	282	15 Minutes
Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken	534	20 Minutes
Steak Bites and Mashed Cauliflower	411	15 Minutes
Chicken Cobb Salad	438	10 Minutes
Garlic Butter Steak Bites and Zucchini Noodles	675	10 Minutes
Glazed Chicken and Potatoes	403	10 Minutes
Butter Chicken with Rice and Naan	360	15 Minutes
Peanut Chicken Power Bowls	709	15 Minutes
Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls	656	20 Minutes
Greek Chicken and Veggies	270	15 Minutes
Honey Sriracha Chicken and Broccoli	455	15 Minutes

1. Salmon And Asparagus In Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce

When it comes to eating healthy proteins, perhaps the most luxurious-tasting option you can have on your plates is salmon- especially this one, which is basted in a delicious garlic lemon butter sauce that’ll have you looking forward to the dinner hour every single day of the week.

Perfectly cooked, the flaky salmon in this dish is only complimented by an array of spices that’ll tantalize the taste buds with each bite, including chili, lemon, and hot sauce.

On top of those spices, you’ll also enjoy the crunch of veggies like asparagus and cherry tomatoes, which cut the richness of the sauce and offer some variety to the palette!

Calories Per Serving: 609

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

2. Beef Stir Fry

For those who are truly in a pinch for time each week, there’s truly no easier dish to prepare than stir fry– which can be customized with all of your favorite vegetables and proteins so it can make the meal rotation every single week.

This beef stir fry is packed full of energy and nutrients that’ll get you through the day without feeling heavy.

Perhaps the best part of this meal prep is that it helps use up any leftover vegetables and meats you have in your fridge! 

Calories Per Serving: 186

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

3. Healthy Roasted Chicken And Veggie

If you want a low-carb meal on the ready, try out this healthy roasted chicken and veggie dish! This meal is super easy to prepare, requiring only a couple of basic ingredients that are easy on the wallet and easy to prepare.

All that matters is how you season your dish, which doesn’t add any unnecessary calories in the long run.

Also, if you’re a cooking novice (or just not confident with your skills on the stovetop), you’ll be a big fan of the fact that your oven does all the hard work for you! 

Calories Per Serving: 524

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

4. Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls

Meal prepping may be a healthy choice, but it doesn’t mean that the food falls short on flavor! When it comes to eating balanced, there are few meals more satisfying to the tastebuds than a good old-fashioned burrito bowl!

The rice in this dish is packed full of flavor on its own, but when you add the colorful combination of tex-mex veggies and the subtly spicy kick of the seasoned chicken into the mix, you’re in for a treat come every lunch hour!

Calories Per Serving: 415

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

5. Edamame Salad

If you’re vegan, meal prepping is always a great decision to make! When you meal prep with vegetables, they don’t lose their snap, crunch, and flavor throughout the week- so the meal tastes freshly made even by the time Friday rolls around!​​

The star of this meal is certainly the edamame, which balances out the salad with the protein you need to get through the day.

For carbs, the meal uses a blend of rice and chia seeds- the mixture of which adds fiber and fullness to your lunch and keeps you full for longer so you hold off on any snacking!

Calories Per Serving: 530

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

RELATED: What Are The Best Low-Carb, High-Protein Recipes For Meal Prep?

6. Spicy Chicken And Sweet Potato Bowls

Potatoes aren’t intrinsically bad, but a lot of people losing weight tend to avoid them.

If that sounds like you, then you’ll be happy to hear that you can enjoy potatoes in a different way by substituting them with the sweet potato– which is just as filling and delicious, but isn’t going to leave you feeling heavy- nor will it compromise your weight goal!

This meal is oven-prepped, so it’s super easy to prep and get ready, and the flavorful mixture of spices you’ll use to season your chicken and the other veggies in this dish are truly what elevates it to unbelievable levels!

Calories Per Serving: 268

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

7. Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs

If you haven’t yet hopped on the sriracha train, consider this your sign to join the rest of the world! Sriracha is an extremely versatile sauce to add to your food- it’s rich, spicy, but doesn’t overpower the dishes it’s on.

Due to its great flavor profile, we had to add these honey sriracha meatballs to this list!

The meatballs in this recipe are full of healthy proteins, and when balanced with the great vegetables you’ll cook up, this meal is a super balanced way to get all the nutrients you need for a meal.

Make sure you use low sodium soy sauce for the healthiest possible food experience!

Calories Per Serving: 296 

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes

8. Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice

The thing that strikes us the most about this dish isn’t how incredible it tastes, nor is it the ease of preparation, nor is it even how simple the ingredient list is.

Nutritionists always say that the best meals for you are those with the most color, and with the yellows, reds, greens, whites, and pinks in this meal, you can easily tell that you’re eating a dish packed full of nutrients and energy. 

Though shrimp is the protein of choice, feel free to swap out the protein with another meat (or protein-packed veggie, like beans). 

Calories Per Serving: 320 

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

9. Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls

Here’s another stir-fry recipe that’s sure to please, especially if you have a bit of a sweet tooth! You’re probably familiar with the fried rendition of side dish, but this healthy take on it is just as satisfying, increasingly so if you like sticky, mildly sweet sauces.

This meal relies heavily on the sweet sesame sauce that the chicken is tossed in. A bulk of the calories in the meal are in this sauce, so it’s entirely up to you how saturated you want your protein to be. You can even toss the rice in the sauce for extra flavor. 

Calories Per Serving: 483 

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

10. Chili Lime Chicken And Rice

When it comes to meal-prepped meals, you want to find a dish that tastes great all week, doesn’t fall short on flavor, and keeps your time in mind, and this dish is definitely one that embodies all of those and more.

Every single ingredient in this list- from the rice to the veggies, is seasoned with the perfect mix of spice and tang, so that each bite you take is chockful of flavor. 

With just a couple of minutes in the microwave, you’ll have a meal in your hands that looks and tastes freshly made!

Calories Per Serving: 560 

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

RELATED: 21 Meal Prep Recipes With Less Than 300 Calories

11. Skirt Steak And Veggies

There’s something about a well-cooked steak that will have you feeling like you’re eating like a king, and why would you want to turn that feeling down for an entire week?

This skirt steak and veggies dish is near foolproof, and with the addition of brussels sprouts and carrots on the side, it makes for a healthy meal that will leave you satisfied every day. 

If you’re not a fan of brussels sprouts, but don’t want to fall short on your daily intake of veggies, we suggest subbing the sprout for another green more suited for your taste- like shredded lettuce, green bell peppers, or broccoli!

Calories Per Serving: 735 

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

12. Korean Chicken Bowls

It’s incredible how much a quick marinade can change the flavor of a simple protein like chicken, and these Korean chicken bowls are so indicative of that!

The sauce is made up of low-sodium soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. They may be simple ingredients, in fact, you probably already have them in your fridge as we speak, but how flavorful they are when mixed together will leave you surprised!

The vegetable slaw mix adds a nice refreshing touch to each bite, and is just as easy to prep as the protein!

Calories Per Serving: 520 

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

13. Chickpea Salad

Here’s a great Meal Prep Idea for those who want to keep things light and refreshing!

This chickpea salad is jam-packed of healthy, colorful vegetables, and with the incredible array of seasonings and sauces they’re tossed in, you’ll be in for a yummy bite with every raise of your fork!

Just because this salad has a ton of different vegetables doesn’t mean you’ll fall short on carbs! It also has couscous, which keeps the meal super filling on top of being super good-for-you!

Calories Per Serving: 417

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes

14. Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta

You may think that pasta would do the opposite of helping you lose weight, but that statement couldn’t be farther from the truth!

The gorgeous vegetables and the incredibly seasoned chicken in this dish not only give vibrancy to this dish, but also give it balance- so you can eat it with the confidence that you’re getting all of the nutrients you need in a single meal.

The blistered tomatoes in this dish add a flavorful punch per bite, so you don’t need to add a sauce or dressing (which would add unnecessary calories!).

Calories Per Serving: 331

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes

15. Lemon Roasted Salmon And Sweet Potatoes

Salmon may seem like one of those dishes that you’d need to slave over and coddle on the stove to get it ready to eat, when really it’s one of those proteins that you can prep fast and just forget about!

Paired with the smart carb of sweet potatoes, this dish is low in calories and time it takes to prep, but high in flavor and nutrients. 

This meal holds well in the fridge, so you don’t need to worry about storing each piece of it in separate containers. Customize the dish with the seasonings of your liking to keep it fresh!

Calories Per Serving: 282

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

RELATED: 21 Macro-Friendly Meal Prep Recipes That You’ll Love!

16. Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

If you’re planning on meal prepping and you haven’t yet got your hands on a crock pot, you’ll be running to the store to get one solely so you can try out this next dish!

Teriyaki chicken may seem like a complex dish, and the sweet sauce may have you thinking it would do anything but help you lose weight, but this dish is definitely an exception to your expectations!

The teriyaki sauce in this dish is homemade so you know exactly what you’re putting on your plate, plus, you’ll have the lovely crunch and color of green peas and other veggies to give some life and balance to your meal.

Calories Per Serving: 534

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

17. Steak Bites And Mashed Cauliflower

Perhaps one of the most missed side dishes, when one is attempting to lose weight, is mashed potatoes. The starchy carb is filling, delicious, and the perfect pairing to steak- so what say we find an alternative that won’t put a dent in your weight loss progress?

Mashed cauliflower may seem kind of strange at first, but we promise that the second you give it a try you’ll forget about your mashed potato woes and not turn back! It’s a simple recipe to make, all you need is cauliflower, seasonings, and a food processor!

When paired with perfectly cooked steak bites, this is a meal-prepped dish that you’ll look forward to day after day.

Calories Per Serving: 411

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

18. Chicken Cobb Salad

This salad is beloved by nutritionists and health-food lovers for its ease of preparation and great taste! Thankfully, it also stores incredibly well, making it the perfect dish to Meal Prep on Sunday night and enjoy for the rest of the week.

The best part about salads is that they’re super customizable, so you can switch out ingredients and proteins to your liking while keeping the base of the salad the same. For example, if you’re not a fan of pork bacon, switch it out for turkey, etc. 

Calories Per Serving: 438 

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

19. Garlic Butter Steak Bites And Zucchini Noodles

For those who aren’t quite sure about introducing pasta or noodles to their weekly meal preps, you have an incredible alternative at your fingertips that don’t involve loading up with carbs!

These zucchini noodles can be made in a pinch, and act as the perfect dupe to their heavy counterpart.

Just like real pasta, these zucchini noodles pair incredibly with steak- but you’d have to be crazy not to love the taste of these garlic butter steak bites on their own!

For an extra flavorful punch, make sure to marinate your steak overnight (or at least for a couple of hours) to make the most of the spices used in this dish. 

Calories Per Serving: 675 

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

20. Glazed Chicken And Potatoes

Chicken is one of those proteins that are the meal-preppers best friend. Not only is it an easy meat to prepare and handle, but it’s incredibly versatile and reheats like a dream- even when they’re glazed in a sweet and tangy sauce like in this dish!

Most of the calories in this particular recipe comes from the baby potatoes, so feel free to swap them out with another vegetable for a dish that’s lower in calorie count. 

This particular meal prep lasts a maximum of four days in the fridge, so if you’re super pressed for time, you may need to prep again half-way through the week for maximum freshness. 

Calories Per Serving: 403

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

RELATED: 21 Easy And Delicious Meal Prep Salad Recipes

21. Butter Chicken With Rice And Naan

This dish has it all: flavor, a low-calorie count, easy preparation, and of course, naan! Butter chicken is one of those dishes that’s always a crowd pleaser, and with this one taking only 30 minutes to prepare, you’ll find yourself cooking it week after week!

We know that rice is one of those carbs that you may find yourself fearing, but this dish uses Basmati rice- a super light version of the rice you know and love, that won’t have you feeling sluggish (nor will it stray you far from your weight loss goal!).

Calories Per Serving: 360

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

22. Peanut Chicken Power Bowls

Quinoa, chicken, and peanuts, oh my! Power bowls are named as such because they fill you up, leave you feeling energized, and are full of enough nutrients and calories to have you going through the day without a moment of rest!

Peanuts are one of those magical little ingredients that add more than just a hearty crunch to your lunch, they’re also an excellent source of healthy fats and flavor. 

Though there are a lot of different ingredients in this power bowl, all of them add a dynamic flavor to this dish, and all of them hold well throughout the week. Keep the dressing on the side to keep your food from getting soggy!

Calories Per Serving: 709 

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

23. Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls

Here’s the thing about this dish- it’s just as delicious warm as it is cold! Making it the perfect meal choice for those who are constantly on the go. It cooks easy, is quick to prepare, and is anything but short on flavor!

The star of this meal is the adobo spice, which adds a complex flavor to the dish that other burrito bowls just can’t compare to! Plus, the colorful look of all the vegetables topping the quinoa makes this dish look as appetizer as it tastes.

Calories Per Serving: 656 

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

24. Greek Chicken And Veggies

The flavors of the Mediterranean aren’t just incredible in taste, but due to the number of vegetables and colors in each dish, you can rest easy knowing that you’re fueling your body with only the best that the world has to offer!

The inspired tzatziki sauce is just as incredible as the richer, more calorie-packed versions you would find in the store, and it’s super easy to make and packed with probiotics.

We’d suggest storing each ingredient separately in its own Tupperware to extend the longevity of this dish, so you can put it all together on your own come mealtime. 

Calories Per Serving: 270

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

RELATED: 10 Healthy Simple Meal Prep Recipes For Weight Loss

25. Honey Sriracha Chicken And Broccoli

We’ll end this list on a high note by introducing you to this incredibly yummy, yet super simple take on honey chicken!

The inspired Asian flavors in this dish are complex, original, and so intricate that you won’t believe it takes less than 20 minutes of prep time to get ready for cooking!

This dish does use flour, but for a lighter, healthier substitute, you could always use tempura batter in place of the egg+flour mixture. It’ll lower the calorie count without sacrificing the crunch. 

Calories Per Serving: 455

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Meal Prepping A Good Way To Lose Weight?

For those who are serious about their health, meal prepping is a fantastic way to lose weight! However, it can also be used to maintain or gain weight as well.

It helps you regulate what you’re putting in your body and refrain from snacking throughout the day. Not only that, but you can eat with the confidence that you know exactly what you’re putting in your body, from the ingredients to the calorie count.

Is Meal Prepping Each Week Healthy?

As long as you’re keeping a healthy mindset about what you’re eating, and doing it for the benefit of your health, meal prepping each week is a completely acceptable way to go about preparing your food for the week.

Another thing to keep in mind is the proper storage of your food for the week! Keeping food for later in the week in the freezer rather than the fridge will ensure you’re eating the freshest meal possible. 

How Many Meal Prep Meals Should You Eat Per Day?

As previously mentioned, if you have the proper mentality around your meals and ensure that you’re eating the correct amount of calories per day to maintain your energy and weight loss, eating a meal-prepped meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner won’t cause any problems or issues!