With busy schedules and many employees back in offices after a year and a half of working from home, meal prepping is a great and cost effective solution for saving time and eating healthy throughout the week. Having a collection of well-balanced meals on hand will help you regulate what you eat and help you stay on track with your personal goals. However, meal prepping can get overwhelming for beginners, so here are some tips to help you meal prep like a pro:

1. Invest in High Quality Containers
   You’ll be using them week after week so they need to be durable. We recommend glass to plastic- and in multiple sizes. Also, get in on the mason jar trend! Great for containing salads, soups, and oatmeal.
   
   
2. Don’t Overdo it
   Meal prepping can take up an entire afternoon of cooking time- so stick to prepping just one meal for a certain amount of days. Just pick one- breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
   
   
3. Learn to Multitask
   To better avoid using an entire weekend day for prepping- multitask. This means cooking more than one item at a time. It may seem overwhelming to have multiple burners on, the stove running, and the air fryer cooking all at once, but when all of your proteins and veggies are done at the same time, you’ll be glad that you did it.
   
   
4. Check Expiration Dates
   You will be making food at the beginning of the week that needs to last for an extended period of time. Typically, you’ll cook on Sunday for meals Mon-Fri. So, you need to make sure all of your food will still be safe to eat after being cooked and refrigerated for 6 days.
   
   
5. Spice it Up
   Add plenty of spices to your food to up the flavor level and keep you wanting more day after day. This ensures you are still only cooking once, without totally committing to the same meal every night of the week

Source

Recipes

  Air Fryer Chicken + Veggies 

  A flavorful, healthy, keto, and low-carb fast meal

  Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: (portioned for 5 meals)
-5 Chicken Breasts
-1 cup chopped Bell Peppers
-1 cup chopped Zucchini
-1 cup chopped Broccoli
-1 Garlic clove
-1 tsp Olive Oil
-1 tsp Garlic Powder
-1 tsp Chili Powder
-1 pinch of Salt
-1 pinch of Pepper
-1 tsp Italian Seasoning or Cajun Seasoning
-*Optional: Squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Chop veggies and chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and combine into a large bowl
2. Mix together oil and seasonings and coat the chicken and veggies
3. Put chicken and veggies in air fryer for 5 minutes, then give them a shake
4. Continue letting chicken and veggies cook until the chicken is done

   Mason Jar Chickpea Pasta Salad

   A healthier and trendier twist on classic pasta salad

   Prep time: 50 minutes

Ingredients: (portioned for 4 meals)
-1 tsp avocado oil
-salt
-pepper
-1 8 oz box of chickpea pasta
-1 large butternut squash
-4 cups of baby spinach
-⅓ cup grated parmesan
-½ cup chopped red onion
-½ cup olive oil
-⅓ cup red wine vinegar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400° and grease the baking sheet with avocado oil. Add squash and season with salt and pepper. Toss until coated
2. Roast in a single layer until squash is golden (25-30 minutes). Transfer to bowl
3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta following box instructions
4. Add spinach, parmesan, salt, and pepper to bowl of squash
5. Make a dressing- in a separate bowl, whisk together onion, vinegar, and olive oil and season with salt and pepper
6. Divide dressing among mason jars and top with pasta salad. Flip upside down to let dressing coat salad

   Shrimp Tacos 

   Insanely delicious spicy loaded taco shrimp bowls

   Prep time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: (portioned for 4 meals)
-20 medium shrimp
-1 clove minced garlic
-½ tsp ground cumin
-½ tsp chili powder
-¼ tsp salt-2 cups cooked brown rice
-1 cup black beans
-1 cup diced tomatoes
-1 tbsps cilantro
-½ cup cheddar cheese
-1 lime

Directions:
1. Whisk together olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Add in shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 10 minutes
2. Heat sauce pan or cast iron skillet for 2 minutes. Add olive oil and shrimp. Cook shrimp on medium high until cooked through, about 5 minutes
3. Divide shrimp, rice, beans, corn, and tomatoes into containers and sprinkle on cheese, cilantro, and a slice of lime.