Walking into the kitchen, hungry at 6pm, and needing to figure out what to cook for dinner is stressful. On the flip side, arriving home after a long day knowing that you have a healthy and wholesome meal prepared can make you feel relieved and excited for dinner. Make-ahead meals take some planning and intentionality, but it’s worth the effort. Not only does meal preparation help people eat healthier, but it can also provide a stress-free evening. Knowing that you don’t have to wait for food to cook is great. Here are 5 easy make-ahead meals that can provide delicious and carefree dinners throughout your week.
- Lasagna. Not only is it a crowd-pleaser, but it’s easy to assemble and provides excellent leftovers. Making any style of lasagna on a Sunday night can provide several meals for the week. Give our Mexican Lasagna or Meat and Veggie Lasagna a try!
- Soup or Stew. A vegetable and meat-packed soup is a wonderful one-pot meal. Plus, stew typically tastes even better the next day after the flavors have blended. Dig into our Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup or Classic Organic Chili!
- Crockpot or Pressure Cooker Meals. The beauty of these kitchen appliances is they only require a few minutes of prep to add ingredients. Then you let the machine do the work of cooking and blending the flavors. Most pressure cookers and crockpot recipes make enough for at least 4-6 servings. Chow down on our Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry or Pressure Cooker Creamy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice!
- Egg Bakes. A high-protein egg dish can be enjoyed over the weekend. While during the week, the rest of the pan can be lunch or dinner for several days. Dish up our Overnight Egg Bake or Veggie and Cheese Egg Bake!
- Sheet Pan Meals. A single sheet pan can be loaded with sweet potatoes, veggies, and marinated chicken. After roasting at 400°F, you have a flavor-packed healthy meal, like our Easy Sheet Pan Meal with Chicken and Veggies. Choose your favorite vegetables, potatoes, and meat to create your perfect sheet pan meal.
