21 Day Fix Lazy Meal Prep | Low Maintenance Recipes to Prep in Little Time (2024)

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Completely lost on where to start with food prep? These 21 Day Fix Lazy Meal Prep ideas will help you prepare either breakfast, lunch, dinner, or sides for the week without feeling like you’re spending hours in the kitchen. This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.

21 Day Fix Lazy Meal Prep | Low Maintenance Recipes to Prep in Little Time (1)

Confession- I’ve gotten away from doing a ton of meal prepping. I mean, since I became a work from home mom, having a fridge full of prepped food all week just hasn’t been a huge priority. I have some flexibility in my schedule, so I can cook things throughout the week. Plus, I am always testing recipes and love being able to try new dishes on whim.

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But, as life get busier, it does make the week go more smoothly if there is at least some food prepped ahead of time. Read: we’re less likely to order take out for dinner or pull up to the drive thru for a breakfast sandwich on the way home from preschool drop off.

Ican’t be the only one.

Here’s my secret: lazy food prep. Yes, you heard me, lazy.

While I don’t think of myself as lazy, you know I’m all about lazy recipes, like in my21 Day Fix Lazy Zucchini Enchilada Skillet,21 Day Fix Lazy Butternut Squash Lasagna {Gluten-free, One Skillet}, and21 Day Fix One Skillet Lazy Zucchini Lasagnarecipes. Because I need SOMETHING in my life to be lazy.

My favorite food prep is something I can do while I have 5 minutes here, or 20 minutes there. I love to food prep things that don’t require lots of babysitting, chopping, or standing near the stove. I like my recipes to be lazy so I can do all the things.

Food prepping while I make dinner is extra helpful, especially when I use my Instant Pot 21 Day Fix Lazy Meal Prep | Low Maintenance Recipes to Prep in Little Time (3)to pull double duty.

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The bottom line? You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to get ahead with some meal prep. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite easy to prep/ low maintenance recipes so you can sneak in a little prep here and there to help you stay on plan without a ton of time in the kitchen!

Breakfast

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Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats using the Delay Start Button– Game changer! Literally throw water, oats, and salt in the IP, push some buttons, and you have a hot healthy breakfast waiting for you when you wake up. Double the batch and you have breakfast for multiple days!

Healthy Sheet Pan Breakfast with Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts, and Bacon (21 Day Fix)– Prep this ahead of time but top with a runny egg when you’re ready to eat. It’s perfect and requires minimal chopping.

21 Day Fix Overnight Oats– Your future (busy morning) self will thank you for taking the 5 minutes to set these up the night before.

21 Day Fix Baked Oatmeal Jars– Get the kids to help with these oatmeal Mason Jars21 Day Fix Lazy Meal Prep | Low Maintenance Recipes to Prep in Little Time (6)! So simple and portable for the whole family. Or make this Instant Pot Baked Oatmeal version!

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs – Hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot couldn’t be easier! They are a dream to peel and so quick and hands off to make!

Lunch/Dinner

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21 Day Fix Salsa Lime Chicken (Instant Pot/Slow Cooker)– I’m not sure if this could get any easier. “Dump and go” in either your Instant Pot 21 Day Fix Lazy Meal Prep | Low Maintenance Recipes to Prep in Little Time (8) or Crock Pot, and of course I use it as the filling in my Healthy Instant Pot Airfryer Chicken Taquitos (Slow Cooker | Oven Friendly | Gluten-free)

Shredded Mexican Chicken| Carrie Elle – Cook your Mexican chicken from frozen in the Instant Pot!

Freezer Prep Taco Meat |prep a TON of taco meat in just one minute of cook time! And when you want to defrost it, you can do so in just ONE minute!

Crock Pot Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce | Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce – cook your squash and sauce TOGETHER with a homemade sauce that requires almost no prep!
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Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup {21 Day Fix}– This requires minimal chopping and is an amazing make ahead for lunches for the week. It also freezes great!

21 Day Fix Salsa Verde Pork {Slow Cooker/Instant Pot}– Just as ridiculously easy as the chicken, this pork is so yummy!

21 Day Fix Instant Pot Asian Chickenor21 Day Fix Asian Style Crock Pot Chicken– using pantry items, you can whip up the marinade for these chicken thighs. Then “dump and go” and come back to a delicious tasting meal- use the IP to make it one pot! Also great withFreezer Friendly Instant Pot Brown Rice

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How To Make Taco Meat From Frozen| The Foodie and the Fix – Cooking from frozen = ultimate lazy 😉

21 Day Fix Homemade Tomato Sauce– I put a pot of this on the stove while I am making another dinner. Whatever doesn’t get used within a few days, I freeze for later! Then, use it in things like21 Day Fix Spinach and Sausage Lasagna Roll Ups,21 Day Fix Lazy Butternut Squash Lasagna {Gluten-free, One Skillet}orover top of21 Day Fix Make Ahead Meatballs (Gluten-free)and zoodles!

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TIP – freeze sauce in muffin tins or silicone molds!

Sides

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How to Prep Spaghetti Squash [+ Recipes!]– spaghetti squash prep 4 ways- and all while you are doing something else in the kitchen!

Freezer Friendly Instant Pot Quinoa– use the Instant Pot to prep a big batch of quinoa and freeze it for when you need it.

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How to Meal Prep Sweet Potato Toast– a healthy alternative to a bun, sweet potato toast is prepped in minutes! Or just use your Instant Pot to bake up a bunch of Sweet Potatoes for your week (thanks, Carrie Elle!)

Freezer Friendly Instant Pot Brown Rice– use the Instant Pot to prep a big batch of brown rice to freeze and use whenever.

I LOVE my Instant Pot for meal prep…check out this Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep post from The Foodie and The Fix for more easy ideas!

Dressings and Spice Mixes

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Maple Cider Vinaigrette

Simple Strawberry Balsamic

21 Day Fix Salt Free Taco Seasoning

21 Day Fix Lazy Meal Prep | Low Maintenance Recipes to Prep in Little Time (2024)

FAQs

How do you meal prep with little time? ›

Meal Preparation For People with No Time
  1. Start small and keep it simple. If you're new to meal prep, it may seem like a lot to prepare a week of meals all at one time. ...
  2. Have the right tools. ...
  3. Choose recipes with similar ingredients. ...
  4. Keep a routine. ...
  5. Go easy on yourself.

How can I reduce meal prep time? ›

20 tips to save time preparing meals
  1. Find passive cooking recipes. ...
  2. Cook multiple ingredients in the same pan. ...
  3. Use pre-prepped foods. ...
  4. Label your food. ...
  5. Organize your fridge. ...
  6. Prepare fresh produce as soon as possible. ...
  7. Double your protein. ...
  8. Make enough for leftovers.
Nov 7, 2023

What not to do when meal prepping? ›

How to meal prep: 6 mistakes to avoid
  1. USING CHEAP PLASTIC CONTAINERS. ...
  2. YOU PREP WAY TOO MUCH. ...
  3. YOU'RE MAKING THINGS TOO COMPLICATED. ...
  4. BATCH COOKING ONE THING FOR A WHOLE WEEK. ...
  5. NEGLECTING TO SEASON. ...
  6. OVER OILING.
Sep 11, 2023

What food lasts the longest for meal prep? ›

Meal-prepped soups and stews can last up to four days in the fridge. Chicken and rice can last up to five days in the fridge.

What foods can you meal prep for a week? ›

Foods that work well for meal prepping:
  • cooked grains & pasta.
  • cooked beans.
  • cooked meat.
  • roasted vegetables.
  • hearty fresh vegetables (think celery, carrots, peas, bell peppers, kale, cabbage, radishes, etc.)
  • whole fruit (apples, oranges, stone fruit)
  • nuts & seeds.
  • cheese.
Jun 6, 2018

How do you meal prep to lose weight fast? ›

Meal prep for weight loss includes using cooking methods that experts recommend for a balanced diet. This entails broiling, baking, grilling, and roasting instead of frying. People can also season their food with herbs, spices, and lemon juice instead of store-bought sauces.

How can I save time on meal prep? ›

Dedicating a specific day and time, cooking in batches for convenience, doing meal prep in advance and using smart cooking tools like slow cookers and sheet pans can help save time, money and maintain a healthy diet.

How do I keep my meal prep from being boring? ›

Not only could you try to switch up the toppings, but you could also try and swap out the base sauce. For example, you could spice things up by trying BBQ sauce instead! Adding new and different sauces to your favorite dishes helps you create different meals and add some variety to your freezer meal planning.

How to meal prep when you have no time? ›

Keep it simple.

Try planning dinner for each meal of the week, and make enough so that there are leftovers for lunches all week long. From there, you can keep a good inventory of snacks and simple breakfast ideas until you find recipes you're comfortable with and know you love.

How do you portion food when meal prepping? ›

The basic portion sizes that we want to aim for are this: 4 oz of protein, 1/2 cup of grains and 2 cups of veggies per meal. I use containers that hold 3 cups of food. My containers always contain around 2 cups of veggies, 1/2 cup of protein and 1/2 cup of grains — and that's enough for ME, a 5'3” woman.

How long does meal prep usually take? ›

Depending on what you're cooking and prepping, it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours. If you're new to meal prepping, I recommend padding your time a bit at first until you find a system and know how long it takes you to get your prep done. You can also simply do as much as you have time for.

How do I meal prep while working full time? ›

Meal Prep Tips
  1. Keep it simple. If you just don't think you can plan out three meals a day, that's okay. ...
  2. Use the same ingredients more than once. ...
  3. Prepare ingredients ahead of time. ...
  4. Keep a well-stocked pantry and spice drawer. ...
  5. Keep a well-stocked freezer. ...
  6. Go easy on yourself.

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