Fresh and Filling, These 28 Meal-Prep Ideas Scream Summer
For Summer meal prep, you don't want to spend tons of time in a hot kitchen (or in the kitchen at all, for that matter!). You want to be outside enjoying the sun! Here are some quick meal-prep ideas that involve little to no cooking and offer light, fresh, and satisfying meals all week long.
Quinoa Black Bean Salad
So simple and delicious! Try this recipe for black bean corn quinoa salad, and serve it over a bed of massaged kale.
Rainbow Kale Salads
Layering the veggies makes it look so appealing!
No-Bake Bars
It's great to have a sweet treat on hand for snacks or desserts. Try this recipe for vegan no-bake brownie bars.
A Week of Meals!
Keep it easy with peanut butter overnight oats, fresh fruit and nuts for snacks, salad for lunch, and grilled veggies with sautéed tofu and brown rice for dinner. You can even buy Trader Joe's frozen brown rice so you don't have to turn on the stove!
Grilled Veggies and Chicken
Throw a bunch of veggies and lean chicken on the grill and you'll have lunches packed in no time.
Overnight Oats and Salads
These overnight oats are made with chia seeds for added protein and texture and topped with berries and green apples. They can be eaten cold or warmed up. Lunch is Mexican ground-turkey salads.
Taco Salads
These taco salads are made with seasoned ground turkey (or you can use tofu), guacamole, salsa, and veggies.
Kabobs
Grill up some kabobs with veggies and chicken, and store two skewers with some cooked quinoa or rice. Easy!
Mediterranean Salad Bowls
Make Mediterranean salad bowls with kale, farro, chopped red onion and cucumbers, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes (leave them whole), artichoke hearts, and lemon instead of dressing.
Fruit and Salads
Prep fruit for snacks and veggie noodle bowls for lunch.
Tofu and Rice
Buy tofu that's already marinated (I love Trader Joe's Teriyaki!), and add it to cooked rice, shredded carrots, cukes, and avocado. Fresh and filling!
No-Reheat Meals
These are some great meal ideas that can be eaten cold.
Dark Chocolate Bark
Melt dairy-free dark chocolate and pour it in a pan. Add freeze-dried fruit and nuts, cool it in the fridge, break it up, and enjoy it all week for a sweet treat!
Chickpea Salad
Make up a batch of vegan chickpea salad and divide it into a few containers. When it's lunchtime, spoon it into a whole-wheat pita with meal-prepped veggies for a fresh and satisfying meal.
Greek Salad
Prep Greek salad for the week in mason jars.
Mango Summer Salads With Avocado Dressing
This just screams Summer!
Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
Get creative with different fruit and toppings each day of the week. If you're dairy-free, use almond, soy, or coconut milk yogurt.
Vegan Burrito Bowls
Sauté or grill green peppers and broccoli; add black beans, corn, and some cooked quinoa; and top it with fresh avocado.
Veggie Burgers
Nothing tastes like a homemade veggie burger. Sauté a big batch and freeze the leftovers for later.
Hard-Boiled Eggs With Salad
Boil up a big batch of hard-boiled eggs to add protein to salads or to eat as snacks.
Quinoa and Veggies
Love this layered quinoa and veggie lunch idea!
Pasta Salad
Use chickpea pasta for added protein.
Mango Black Bean Salad
The fresh cilantro gives it a zesty, summery flavor.
Pad Thai
Doll up this basic pad thai recipe with carrot noodles for added veggies.
Fruit Salad
The perfect Summer meal, any time of the day.
Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad
Simple and delicious, the pecans and mandarin oranges make this light salad sweet and nutty.
Grilled Chicken
Forget baking your chicken for the week — grill it up!
Veggie Noodle Bowls
Mix whole-wheat noodles with carrot and zucchini noodles to cut down on carbs.