Meal Prepping Tips that Will Bring More Joy (and Less Sad Desk Lunches)

You’d like to eat more healthily, of course you would. It just always feels easier said than done. After all, the planning and prep work take so much time and energy. Except when they don’t.

At OXO, we believe in meal prepping that simplifies—rather than complicates—your weekly routines. Instead of the prep work overwhelming you, use it to help streamline tasks like making your lunch for work, saving you time in the morning (and money later in the day), and yielding delicious, good-for-you results. Because when are you most likely to make healthy choices? When it’s easy to do.

Faster, healthier, and more organized menu planning and meals, right this way…

Why Meal Prep Makes Healthy Eating Easier

It might be the end of a long day or the early morning before work. Either way, it’s tough to summon the motivation to come up with a creative, healthy meal. But when the fridge holds fresh, healthy options that you’ve prepped in advance, it’s a completely different story.

Suddenly, instead of fighting decision fatigue, you’re presented with a curated selection of ready-to-go possibilities. It’s easy to put together lunch or dinner quickly and affordably from these approachable choices. And when the options are good for you, it’s also easy to maintain a consistently healthy diet.

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas to Try This Week

So, what’s on the menu? The key here is to think simple and with enough variation that you don’t get bored. There are also a few prepping strategies that cut down on prep time and effort so both feel manageable.

Prep a Mix-and-Match Grain Bowl Base

• Pick a grain or two and cook a batch big enough to last a few meals. You might try couscous, quinoa, or different rices. Similarly, cut up and roast several different types of veggies. Good roasting options include squash, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and other root vegetables. Place on a sheet pan to roast together. Once roasted, cool and store in the refrigerator. You may want to group different veggies separately to give yourself more range for meals.
• To build a bowl, choose from your stored options. The variety will provide easy customization throughout the week.
• OXO tool kit: Slice and prep produce with the help of a good knife and slip-free cutting board. As you go, set aside already cut veggies in prep bowls, then place all on sheet pans to roast. Store in air-tight containers.

Portion Proteins Ahead of Time

• Protein provides welcome balance to meals, making them more filling and giving you a steady source of energy. Add protein to bowls, salads, soups, and more.
• Each week, choose one or two types of protein to prep, cook, and divide up into single-sized portions. Options include chicken, tofu, beans, eggs, fish and other seafood. Try grilling, baking, or poaching them.
• OXO tool kit: Keep proteins fresh in tight-sealing storage containers. Measuring cups and a food scale will help with portioning.
  
  

Chop Produce in Advance

• A ready-to-use supply of fruits and vegetables is a grand thing when it comes to healthy snacking or padding out a lunch or other meal.
• Depending on the season, try cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, celery, snow and snap peas, melon, and jicama. Wash and dry grapes, berries, and whole fruits that might brown if they’re cut too far ahead of time (apples, peaches, pears) so they’re easy to grab and go.
• OXO tool kit: Mandolines and sharp knives make slicing and dicing a snap. Keep produce crisp in OXO’s Produce Keepers and/or silicone storage bags.

Prep Simple Sauces and Dressings

• Dips, sauces, and dressings layer flavor and excitement into a meal without requiring a ton of extra work. Think hummus, yogurt-based sauces, tahini, and more.
• Pick up pre-made dips at the store or make your own for dipping fresh produce, putting on salads and sandwiches, or drizzling over bowls.
• OXO tool kit: Use measuring cups and spoons to make sure sauces come out just right. Drizzle neatly over foods and into portable containers with squeeze bottles.

Tools That Make Meal Prep Faster and More Organized

Stock up on a few essentials to streamline your prepping process. These tools will help you trim and slice foods safely and quickly and keep foods fresh and easy to find in the fridge.

Food Storage Containers

• Opt for containers with airtight seals and locking lids to keep food fresh for longer (important when you’re planning and storing several days of lunches/meals at a time). OXO’s Produce Savers allow air to circulate around berries, greens and more to help them last and reduce food waste. The baskets also double as colanders.
• Save on fridge space with containers that stack. Clear lids and/or sides let you easily see and remember what you have.
  
  

Prep Bowls and Cutting Boards

• As you prep, keep your work space organized and streamlined with prep bowls to put foods as and after you cut them. Non-slip cutting boards provide a secure home base.
• Keep a compost bin on hand for food odds and ends, simplifying cleanup.

Portable Solutions

• Make sure you have a spillproof, sturdy way to take lunches and snacks to work. OXO’s Prep & Go Containers offer a wide variety of different sized containers, some with divided compartments. Tote salads, sandwiches, dips, dressings, stews and more, then wash and use again.
• Stash even more in your lunch tote with OXO’s Silicone Sandwich and Snack bags. The latter are ideal for sliced veggies, fruit, pretzels, nuts, and other smaller foods.

Healthy eating doesn’t require perfection. It’s more about finding what works for you, strategies for prepping foods and planning menus that feel doable and organized so you stick with them. So, remember, you can always start small. Try one or two of the above ideas for a week, see how it goes, then prep more meals and snacks as your confidence builds. Get more inspo from these mise en place and refrigerator organization ideas. And check out these easy-to-prep-in-advance meals.