Healthy eating is one of the most important (if not the most important) things you can do for your overall health and well-being.
It’s the key to feeling and looking your best.
However, there are days when you just don’t have the time and energy to prepare elaborate meals. You want to eat healthy foods that will give you all the nutrients, minerals, and energy you need, but you can’t spend hours in the kitchen. If that’s been stopping you from eating healthy, keep reading.
Nourishing and healthy meals don’t have to take up most of your time, so I’m sharing roundup of healthy meal ideas that require zero to minimal prep time. You can also make most of these meals for meal prep, and then have them ready to eat throughout the week.
6 No Prep Healthy Meals
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
413 calories
Ingredients
6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
1½ cups Broccoli – 46.5 calories
2 Tbsp Peanut sauce – 80 calories
⅛ cup Peanuts (cups) – 96 calories
1 Red pepper flakes, dash – 0 calories
Instructions
Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
Spray a pan with an oil spray, add in garlic.
Cook for 7-8 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently.
Add in broccoli, peanuts, and red pepper flakes for ~5 minutes on low heat.
Add in peanut sauce at the end.
BBQ Chicken Skillet
537 calories
Ingredients
4 oz Rotisserie chicken – 200 calories
1 Bell pepper, green – 27 calories
1 cup Broccoli – 31 calories
½ cup Corn, canned – 62.5 calories
¼ cup Beans & legumes, black beans, cooked – 57 calories
6 Tbsp Barbeque sauce – 45 calories
¼ cup Cheese, Mexican, shredded – 114 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
Instructions
Slice chicken, pepper, and broccoli into small pieces
Spray a pan with an oil spray
Stir fry chicken, pepper, broccoli, beans, and corn for ~6 minutes on medium heat, until veggies have softened
Mix in barbecue sauce and garlic salt, and top with cheese
Cover you pan with a lid and let the cheese melt on medium-low heat, another 5 minutes
No chicken? Use extra beans. No dairy? Top with diced avocado after cooking, or use oil instead of an oil spray
Note: If available at your store – use Primal Kitchen for an unsweetened barbecue sauce that’s 15 calories per 2 Tbsp
Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Bagel with Avocado
374 calories
Ingredients
½ Bagel, regular, whole wheat – 155 calories
1 Tbsp Cream cheese, whipped – 33.33 calories
3 oz Smoked salmon – 99.75 calories
2 cups Leafy greens, lettuce, raw – 10 calories
1 Tbsp Vinaigrette, light (less than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp) – 17.5 calories
¼ Avocado, small – 58.25 calories
Instructions
Toast bagel
Top bagel with cream cheese, salmon, and avocado
Mix lettuce and dressing
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cream cheese, or extra smoked salmon
Note: I like Trader Joe’s fat free vinaigrette – but Paul Newman, Whole Foods, etc. all have good light dressings.
Gluten free? Use gluten free bagel or bread.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken with Brown Rice and Broccoli
This is such an easy dinner or lunch recipe that doesn’t require almost any prep. If you have an instant pot, you’ll love this one.
431 calories
Ingredients
6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
1 tsp Butter (tsp) – 36 calories
½ Onion, yellow – 27.5 calories
½ cup Broth, chicken or beef (cups) – 17.5 calories
2 Tbsp Garlic, minced (Tbsp) – 0 calories
¼ Salt – 0 calories
¼ Paprika, dash – 0 calories
¼ Pepper – 0 calories
¼ tsp Parsley, dried – 0 calories
4 Tbsp Lemon, juice – 8 calories
0.4 Tbsp Almond flour/Almond meal – 16 calories
½ cup Broccoli – 15.5 calories
½ cup Rice, brown, cooked – 120 calories
Instructions
Arrowroot flour is another flour option
Set Instant Pot to sauté mode. When it’s hot melt butter.
Add onion, garlic, paprika, parsley, and pepper to melted butter, and sauté until onions soften.
With your Instant Pot still set to sauté, sear the chicken on each side for about 3-5 minutes. The chicken should be a caramelized brown color.
Pour with lemon juice and salt over chicken and stir.
Lock lid into place and close steam valve. Set Instant Pot to poultry setting and cook for 7-8 mins if chicken is thawed and 12-15 minutes if it’s frozen.
If you’re going to be making pasta, rice or veggies to serve with this chicken, start making it now while your chicken cooks.
Once done, let depressurize naturally – it shouldn’t take very long.
Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot, but leave the sauce in the pan. Gradually stir in flour to thicken sauce.
If you’re serving chicken on top pasta, mix cooked pasta in with thickened lemon sauce. Otherwise drizzle sauce over chicken.
Chia Seeds and Yogurt
Here’s a great breakfast recipe that only requires greek yogurt, strawberries, chia seeds, and milk. It’s the easiest breakfast you can make, plus, you just make it at night, and have a delicious breakfast ready to eat in the morning.
343 calories
Ingredients
1 cup Strawberries, fresh – 50 calories
1 Yogurt, flavored (<15 gm sugar/ serving), 2%, Greek, single-serving container – 150 calories
2 Tbsp Chia seeds – 120 calories
¼ cup Milk, skim, non-fat – 22.5 calories
Instructions
Combine chia seeds, yogurt, and milk in a mason jar & refrigerate overnight.
Add strawberries (halved or quartered) in the morning.
Avocado Salad Lunch
Here’s a great no-prep recipe you can make at home and bring to work (or eat at home, of course). It takes less than 15 minutes to make, and it’s nourishing and delicious.
426 calories
Ingredients
½ Avocado, small – 116.5 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, crumbled, feta – 133 calories
2 cups Leafy greens, lettuce, raw – 10 calories
1 Tomato, medium – 22 calories
3 Tbsp Nuts (Tbsp units) – 141 calories
1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar (Tbsp) – 3 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
Instructions
Cube avocado and chop tomato.
Mix avocado, tomato, feta, lettuce, vinegar, and garlic salt for the salad.
Have nuts on the side – or you could mix them into the salad if you like!
Note: Add chocolate if you want to (track it!) – it’s not included in this recipe.
No nuts? Use seeds. Roasted & salted nuts/ seeds are fine! No dairy? Use extra nuts or crumbled bacon.
