01.18.25 * CONTAINS AFFILIATES post featured image post featured image

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas: Week of January 12th

I love to spend a few hours at the beginning of the week planning healthy meals, creating a grocery list, and meal prepping for the upcoming week. This is one of the best things I do that helps me stick to my goal of eating healthier and at home more often. I also find the time in the kitchen can be relaxing when I have a plan and am not in a rush or tired after a long work day. Here are some tips on how to meal prep efficiently and the healthy recipes I prepped for this week!

Jump to Recipe

I love to spend a few hours at the beginning of the week planning healthy meals, creating a grocery list, and meal prepping for the upcoming week. This is one of the best things I do that helps me stick to my goal of eating healthier and at home more often. I also find the time in the kitchen can be relaxing when I have a plan and am not in a rush or tired after a long work day. Here are some tips on how to meal prep efficiently and the healthy recipes I prepped for this week!

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas for the Week

Step One: Planning

First you’re going to pick your meals for the week.

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

What I’m prepping this week:

  • Greek meatballs with tzatziki sauce, Greek cucumber tomato salad, and pickled onions
  • High protein egg bites
  • Greek yogurt chicken salad

I like to change it up a lot so we don’t get bored of eating the same foods! If you want to browse more meal prep ideas, check out my meal prep plan from August:

Step Two: Grocery List

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas grocery list

Next, it’s time to go shopping! I like to plan my grocery list according to the store’s sections so I don’t miss anything. If you’re planning to make the recipes above, then this grocery list is perfect for you.

The app I use to make my grocery lists is called PlanTo Eat, and it’s so helpful.

Bakery:

  • Pitas

Condiments:

  • 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar
  • Hummus
  • Tzatziki (Trader Joe’s has my favorite one!)

Dairy:

  • 1 cup Cottage cheese
  • 8 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Plain Greek yogurt

Dry Goods:

  • 2 tablespoons chopped or sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • Gluten free crackers

Frozen:

  • Frozen brown rice

Meat:

  • 1 pound Lean ground beef
  • 2 cups Shredded chicken (I like buying a rotisserie chicken to save time)
  • Breakfast Sausage

Produce:

  • Arugula
  • Avocado
  • 1/2 cup Chopped celery
  • Fresh chives
  • 9 Eggs
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 6 Lemons
  • 1/4 cup Mint
  • 3 tablespoons grated white onion
  • 3 Red onions
  • 1 cup Red bell pepper
  • 2 cups Persian cucumbers
  • 2 cups Roma tomatoes

Items you probably have already:

  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground coriander
  • Ground cumin
  • Dried oregano
  • Dijon mustard
  • Olive oil
  • Black pepper
  • Sea salt

Step Three: Food Prepping

1. Breakfast: High Protein Egg Bites Recipe

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas
Ingredients for 12 egg bites:
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt 
  • Pinch of black pepper 
  • 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
  • Fresh chives, roughly chopped
Directions:
  1. Mist the cups of a silicone muffin pan lightly with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  2. In a blender, blend together the eggs, cottage cheese, feta, salt, and pepper until smooth.
  3. Divide the egg mixture into the cups of the muffin pan filling each about 3/4ths full. Sprinkle in spinach, mix. Top with the chopped chives. You can add any other mix-ins, such as veggies or bacon, to the cups at this stage. 
  4. Bake for 20-22 min or until muffins are slightly firm to touch in the center. Remove the muffin pan from the oven. The egg bites will be puffed up but they will settle down into the cups a bit after removing from the oven. Let the egg bites cool a few minutes before removing them out of the pan.
Recipe Notes
  • Store in airtight container for up to 5 days
  • Reheat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
  • You can add more veggies, chopped ham, bacon or another protein option you like!
Click to Shop Equipment:

2. Lunch: Healthier Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Recipe

Healthier Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups shredded chicken
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped or sliced almonds
  • ½ Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Gluten-free crackers (for serving)
Directions:
  1. Add chicken, celery, onion, Greek yogurt, almonds, mustard, parsley, pepper and salt into a large bowl.
  2. Toss to combine. Taste and add more yogurt, salt and pepper, if needed.
  3. Place salad in an airtight container in the fridge. The salad will keep for 3-5 days.
Recipe Notes
  • I like to eat mine with gluten free crackers but you can also make a sandwich, lettuce wraps, eat in a pita or over greens.
  • If you want a sweeter taste, add honey and/or grapes.
  • I doubled this recipe to have enough for the week! I like to eat a larger portion of this to increase my protein intake at lunch!
Click to Shop Equipment:

3. Dinner: Greek Meatballs from Recipe Runner

Served with tzatziki sauce, greek cucumber salsa, pickled onions and hummus.

The Meatballs

Meatballs ingredients | Healthy Meal Prep Ideas
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 3 tablespoons grated white onion
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the panko, parsley, grated onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, egg, spices, salt and pepper, and feta.
  3. Add the ground beef to the mixture and combine.
  4. Form tablespoon sized meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
  5. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Serve with the tzatziki (I love Trader Joe’s!), hummus, pickled onions and tomato cucumber salad. I like to eat mine over a mix of brown rice and arugula. You can also eat them in a pita.

Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad from Lillie Eats and Tells

Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad | Healthy Meal Prep Ideas
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups Persian cucumbers, diced
  • 2 cups Roma tomatoes diced; remove any juicy, seedy inners
  • 1 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ cup feta
  • ¼ cup mint 
  • 1 juiced lemon 
Directions:
  1. Chop all of your vegetables with your veggie chopper or knife.
  2. Place the chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl.
  3. Top with mint, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt & pepper.
  4. Stir to mix.

Easy Pickled Onions

Easy Pickled Onions ingredients | Healthy Meal Prep Ideas
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 medium red onion sliced thinly

Directions:
  1. Add thinly sliced red onion and soak for at least 1 hr at room temp. Then store in the refrigerator.
  2. Mix vinegar, sugar and salt together in a jar.
  3. Add warm water, making sure sugar and salt dissolve.
soak sliced onions
Click to Shop Equipment:
Food Storage:

Printable Recipes

Breakfast:

High Protein Egg Bites

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Servings 12 egg bites

Ingredients
  

  • Cooking spray
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1 cup spinach roughly chopped
  • Fresh chives roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • Mist the cups of a silicone muffin pan lightly with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  • In a blender, blend together the eggs, cottage cheese, feta, salt, and pepper until smooth.
  • Divide the egg mixture into the cups of the muffin pan filling each about 3/4ths full. Sprinkle in spinach, mix. Top with the chopped chives. You can add any other mix-ins, such as veggies or bacon, to the cups at this stage. 
  • Bake for 20-22 min or until muffins are slightly firm to touch in the center. Remove the muffin pan from the oven. The egg bites will be puffed up but they will settle down into the cups a bit after removing from the oven. Let the egg bites cool a few minutes before removing them out of the pan.

Notes

Store in airtight container for up to 5 days
Reheat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
You can add more veggies, chopped ham, bacon or another protein option you like!

Lunch:

Healthier Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups shredded chicken
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped or sliced almonds
  • ½ Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Gluten-free crackers for serving

Instructions
 

  • Add chicken, celery, onion, Greek yogurt, almonds, mustard, parsley, pepper and salt into a large bowl.
  • Toss to combine. Taste and add more yogurt, salt and pepper, if needed.
  • Place salad in an airtight container in the fridge. The salad will keep for 3-5 days.

Notes

I like to eat mine with gluten free crackers but you can also make a sandwich, lettuce wraps, eat in a pita or over greens.
If you want a sweeter taste, add honey and/or grapes.
I doubled this recipe to have enough for the week! I like to eat a larger portion of this to increase my protein intake at lunch!

Dinner:

Greek Meatballs

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 3 tablespoons grated white onion
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the panko, parsley, grated onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, egg, spices, salt and pepper, and feta.
  • Add the ground beef to the mixture and combine. Form tablespoon sized meatballs.
  • Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Serve with the tzatziki (I love Trader Joe's!), hummus, pickled onions and tomato cucumber salad. I like to eat mine over a mix of brown rice and arugula. You can also eat them in a pita.

Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 6

Equipment

  • veggie chopper

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Persian cucumbers diced
  • 2 cups Roma tomatoes diced (remove any juicy parts)
  • 1 cup red onion diced
  • 1 cup red bell pepper diced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ cup feta
  • ¼ cup mint
  • 1 juiced lemon

Instructions
 

  • Chop all of your vegetables with your veggie chopper or knife.
  • Place the chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl.
  • Top with mint, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt & pepper.
  • Stir to mix.

Pickled Onions

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 medium red onion sliced thinly

Instructions
 

  • Mix vinegar, sugar and salt together in a jar.
  • Add warm water, making sure sugar and salt dissolve.
  • Add thinly sliced red onion and soak for at least 1 hr at room temp. Then store in the refrigerator.

leave a comment leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *