How to Meal Prep and Not Get Bored

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I have to admit, I’ve become addicted to the satisfaction of opening my fridge on Sunday evenings to the pristine rows of ready-to-eat glass containers prepped for the week to come. However, lately, the sweet delight of delving into a prepared meal has become a lot less satisfying. In fact, it has become pretty boring…

Instead of chucking the idea of meal prep, I decided to switch things up a little – yes, while still sticking to a healthy regimen. There are several game-changing tricks that help keep meal-prepping fun, healthy, and delicious.

7 Ways To Keep Meal Prep Fun

Prevent becoming bored of meal prepping with inspiration from in-season ingredients, switching up carbs and proteins, and preparing ingredients in various ways. Then, include all the food colors and experiment with spices, sauces, and herbs. New tools and appliances also make meal prep fun.

We often fall victim to autopilot – buying the same groceries and prepping the same meals every week. It’s finally time to spruce up your meal prep Sundays. Here are my 7 top tips for meal prep without getting bored.

Get Inspiration from In-Season Ingredients

We often get stuck in a rut with the same recipes week in and week out. Planning what to cook for the week ahead is arguably the most challenging part of meal prep.

If you find yourself bored and stumped on what to prepare, rely on in-season produce and ingredients to lighten your decision-making. You’ll also be doing yourself and the environment a favor. Studies show that eating seasonal foods contribute to health and environmental sustainability.

For example, spring and summer boast fresh ingredients like celery, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, and peaches. And the fall and winter call for produce like beets, brussels sprouts, turnips, potatoes, and an array of squash and pumpkins.

I like to use the UDSAs Seasonal Produce Guide to explore in-season fruits and vegetables. While most veggies and fruits are available at the store, it doesn’t mean they are in season. I sometimes randomly pick an item and find a recipe based on that ingredient.

Rotate Your Protein and Carbs

Turkey sandwich again? Nope, way too boring – try something new this week.

Irrespective of your lifestyle, including high-protein meals and healthy carbs in your diet, is critical to keep your body functioning optimally. Rotating your protein and carbs each week will refresh your palate and make your meals seem more attractive.

Switch chicken or eggs for sirloin or salmon. Other healthy options include turkey, beef, tuna, shrimp, and lamb. If you’re plant-based, try swapping your usual tofu for chickpeas, lentils, tempeh, quinoa, amaranth, or black beans.

The same applies to carbs. So why not take a break from brown rice and alternate between pasta, potatoes, wild rice, or different grains, like include bulgur, oats, quinoa, farro, teff, buckwheat, and sorghum?

Mix and Match

None of us likes getting to Thursday and pulling out the fourth bowl of chicken, rice, and broccoli for the week. Creating various options is the best way to prevent meal prep from becoming boring.

Prepare batches of various proteins, carbs, veggies, and fruit. Then, instead of preparing and packing your completed meals into containers, keep them separate to “mix and match” – think mini salad bar in your fridge.

Simply grab an empty container and assemble your meal with the pre-prepped ingredients throughout the week.

A weekly meal prep that I never get bored with includes roasting sweet potatoes and squash and preparing some soba noodles, quinoa, and grilled chicken pieces. I prepare my meals in different combinations throughout the week and top them off with avocado, fresh greens, and lemon juice. Gone are the days of last-minute takeouts.

Prepare Core Ingredients In Various Ways

If the whole “mix and match salad bar” idea sounds a little too high maintenance, consider preparing a staple ingredient in various ways. You’ll be using the same “building blocks” during your weekly meal prep, but the different cooking methods still keep things interesting.

You can use different cooking methods to prepare your staples for different tastes and textures. For example, use a whole roast chicken and create various meals like:

• Roast chicken, wild rice, and roasted veg
• Wild rice salad with shredded chicken, roasted veggies, fetta, walnuts, and avo
• Wild rice soup made with chicken broth and shredded chicken pieces. 

And adding several “add-ons,” like nuts, herbs, and spices, can also transform your core ingredient into something seemingly unique.  

Eat the Rainbow

“Eating the rainbow” involves incorporating an array of different colored fruits and vegetables into meals.

Plants contain different phytonutrients, giving them their vibrant colors. Different-colored fruits and vegetables are linked to increased levels of specific nutrients and benefits.

Not only will they offer a range of nutrients and health benefits, but the bright colors are fun to play with and make your meal prep more enticing.

Here are some ideas on what to add to your meal prep for something a little more exciting than a beige chicken breast on a bed of brown rice.

Red	Tomatoes, tomato paste, red peppers, strawberries, grapefruit, watermelon
Orange & Yellow	Carrots, sweet potato, corn, pumpkin, orange and yellow peppers, squash, banana, pineapple, tangerines, oranges
Green	Spinach, kale, broccoli, green beans, avocado, brussels sprouts, herbs
Blue & Purple	Purple cabbage, beets, eggplant, blueberries, blackberries, plums
White, Brown, & Beige	Potatoes, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, onion, mushrooms, parsnips

Spice Things Up

Never underestimate the power of spices, sauces, and dressings. They can transform a bland meal prep into a dish that will dance on your tastebuds for hours.

Get to know the spices sitting at the back of your pantry, and use a blend of sauces to prevent your meals from getting monotonous.

You can chop and change from a vinaigrette to tartar or a zesty garlic sauce for white proteins. Try a tomato, BBQ, or chipotle sauce to transform pasta, sliders, tacos, meatballs, and more.

Stock up on Tools, Appliances, and Meal Prep Containers

Healthy cooking and meal preps are easy and enjoyable when your kitchen is stocked with the right tools and appliances. 

There are tons of easy-to-use kitchen appliances that are fun to use and transform your meals. Consider investing in an air fryer, rice cooker, instant pot, salad chopper, poached egg maker, slicer, spiralizer, or bread maker.

Then, storing your meal prep in old, random containers screams “boring leftovers.” Stock up on high-quality functional meal-prep containers to create visually appealing and organized meals for the week.

I recently upgraded to the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL. It’s a real game changer – handling is a breeze, and its functions include max crisp, air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, and dehydrate. Note: Ninja is currently offering a 10% off promo code.

Related Questions

Conclusion

These top hacks allow you to keep meal prepping healthy, simplistic, and non-repetitive all week. Remember to maximize and reuse base ingredients and build on them with fresh, vibrant side dishes and fun spices, sauces, herbs, and toppings.