In the past, your dinner situation has not been the healthiest, with a mix of high-calorie take-out, pizza delivery, and not-so-glamorous bowls of cereal. But you're ready to make a change and do more nutritious home-cooked meals. Awesome! To stick with it, planning and prepping ahead of time is essential. Once you figure out what recipes you'll be making throughout the week, use these tips to ensure those healthy dinners are easier to make so they 100 percent happen.
Cut Up Veggies For Roasting
Get cauliflower, broccoli, squash, and sweet potatoes all cut up so all you have to do is add oil, salt and pepper, and throw it in the oven. Roasted veggies are great on their own, but you can also enjoy them in burritos, mixed in a hearty salad, or mixed with whole grains.
Cauliflower Rice
If you're a fan of cauliflower rice, make a huge batch of raw riced cauliflower to keep in the fridge to cook up later in the week. Then you don't have to waste a ton of time a few nights a week whipping out your food processor, and then having to clean it every time. It tastes amazing in this cauliflower and beans recipe [4].
Crockpot Beans
Beans are an excellent source of fiber and protein, and aside from rice and beans or burritos, you can also use them in your salads [5]. Making a big batch of beans in the slow cooker [6] encourages you to eat them, saves you money, and tastes much better than canned beans.
Lasagna
Since lasagna take a couple hours to pull together, make one or two pans ahead of time. This one is dairy-free [7], but you would never guess it! Freeze individual servings to save time when re-heating and to also keep tabs on portion sizes.
Cook Whole Grains
Make a big batch of quinoa or rice (or both!) to use in your salads, burritos, or stir-fries. Cook one cup of each and store in glass containers in the fridge, or make bigger batches and freeze in smaller portions [8] to use later.
Jar Up a Week of Salads
The ultimate time saver, making a week of mason jar salads all at once [9] takes about an hour to prepare, but you'll be psyched that you don't have to make a salad for dinner every single night.
Spaghetti Squash
Baking a spaghetti squash can take up to an hour so do it on Sunday night while prepping other foods. You can do it in the oven or use this slow-cooker hack for cooking a spaghetti squash whole [10]. These spaghetti squash recipes [11] are sure to inspire some healthy dinners.
Cut Up Veggies For Recipes
Wash and dice veggies you'll use for your stir-fries, curries [12], casseroles, and soups. These are also good to nosh on while cooking dinner instead of reaching for chips or crackers.
Spiralize
For lower carb meals, go for spiralized zucchini, carrots, squash, and cucumbers. Do them all at once so you only have to clean up once! Try these exciting spiralizer recipes [13].
Soups, Curries, and Stew
Soups [14], stews, and curries freeze well so you can make a big batch at once and freeze one- or two-cup servings in glass containers. In the morning, place one in the fridge, then when you get home, warm it up, and dinner is ready in minutes! This hack is great if you don't mind eating the same thing a few nights in a row.
Casseroles
The beauty of casseroles and shepherd's pie is that you can layer and mix a bunch of ingredients together and it tastes amazing. Try a new recipe like this vegetarian lentil shepherd's pie [15] or this baked quinoa with roasted kale and chickpeas [16]. Make two or three casseroles, and store them in the fridge or individual portions in the freezer so you'll have a healthy variety throughout the week.
Freezer Chicken Bags
For easy chicken dinners, make these chicken breast freezer bags [17] ahead of time, so you can bake, grill, or sauté later.
Burritos
Save money and make this favorite meal yourself instead of buying store-bought frozen burritos or ordering them out. You can make a huge batch of them at once [18], roll them in tin foil, and throw them in the freezer. Try this vegan roasted sweet potato and bean burrito [19].
Cut Up Veggies For Salads
If you want to get in the habit of having a small salad every night with dinner, pre-cut all the veggies so you can quickly throw salads together for you and your entire family. While you've got the cutting board out, prep fruit like melon or grapes you can grab after dinner for dessert.