Meal Prep Recipes

Weekday cooking is hard. Whether you’re preparing full meals or just prepping ingredients all at once for quicker assembly during your busy week, meal prep meals are a tasty and curated way to keep your hunger and your budget in check. If you’re looking to save time, eat healthier, meet your nutrition goals, reduce food waste—and best of all, save money!—meal prepping is the way to go. 

We’ve got a lot of meal prep ideas, including easy ways to use Taylor Farms products straight out of the bag to make your life a whole lot easier.

For example, our salad kits or chopped salad kits are the ultimate pre-prepped healthy meals—requiring no effort on your part except to open the bag and do a little mixing.

What are the best types of foods to meal prep?

The best meal prep ingredients can be prepped in bulk, are versatile enough to be used in multiple dishes, and can last in the fridge for a few days. 

• For veggies, choose roasted vegetables that hold their shape and flavor for a few days, like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, or even roasted beets. 
• Then prepare cooked meats or proteins in bulk, like salmon, shrimp, pork chops, chicken, or beef. 
• On the side, add healthy grains like whole-grain pasta, rice, or quinoa. 
• A nice bonus? A sauce that you can prep early but add at the last minute to bring it all together, like a zesty pesto or chimichurri. 

Having these puzzle pieces on hand makes assembling high-protein and nutrient-dense meals super easy. 

The 4 Taylor Farms products you need for meal prepping

• Pre-washed, pre-chopped raw vegetables ready for roasting. Create a massive sheet pan assembly line including several pork chops surrounded by Brussels sprouts, cauliflower & broccoli, potatoes, and green beans. Season and drizzle with balsamic glaze, then enjoy all week.
• Roasting kits like the French Onion Green Beans Roast Kit or the Broccoli Caesar Roast Kit are your allies in meal prep strategy. Make them on the weekend while you broil some salmon or chicken, and portion them out for the week. Delish!
• Mini chopped salad kits and Salad bowls—stock up on these salads that are pre-chopped, pre-cleaned, and come with all the toppings and dressings. Ready to grab and go any time of day, alongside any type of entree, or all by themselves. This is us doing the meal prep for you.
• Baby spinach or chopped kale to toss into soups, stews, and casseroles—goodies that can be reheated all week.

What should you not use in meal prepping?

Skip foods that wilt or otherwise lose texture. For instance, don’t make a salad with dressing and expect it to last overnight. The same goes with crispy foods, like fried chicken, french fries, or croutons, which lose their crunch when stored for too long. If it’s sandwiches or wraps you’re craving, keep in mind that bread can get soggy if made too far in advance, so keep the fillings separate and assemble only when you’re ready to eat. Lastly, you might want to choose proteins that don’t develop a lot of odor—for example, seafood can develop a strong smell after a couple of days. 

What are the main steps to meal prepping?

Ready to prep meals? First, decide on some foods or recipes you’ll want to eat for a few days or through the week. Stock up on the ingredients in the necessary quantity, then set aside some time to prepare the food. 

Beyond that, there is more than one way to meal prep. 

• There’s full meal prep, where you cook complete meals, portion them into containers, and store them in the fridge or freezer. Then all you need to do is grab one container and go. All of those meals would look the same through the week. 
• There’s ingredient prep, where you cook staple ingredients like veggies, proteins, and a carb base (like rice, quinoa, or beans) ahead of time, and assemble your meals  each day, using different combinations if you want. 
• Then there’s batch cooking, which means making large portions of one dish like a big pot of chili or soup. Try something like our Tomato, White Bean and Kale Soup recipe or Miso Ginger Broth Bowls.

Do you lose weight by meal prepping? 

Meal prepping is a great way to stay on top of your diet plan. Prioritizing protein? Preparing healthy meats in advance of when you get hungry will help you pack a filling and healthy lunch and avoid rushing to the fast food line. Want to eat more greens? Having vegetables chopped or cooked at the ready makes earning vitamins and minerals as easy as reaching for a donut in the break room.