Easy and healthy meal prep recipes WITHOUT CHICKEN (or turkey) that you’ll want to eat every day of the week!
Sick of eating chicken with broccoli? Well, you’re welcome! I found some awesome healthy meal prep recipes with no chicken in them that you’ll actually want to eat more than once. Yes, it’s possible.
What Is Meal Prep?
Meal prepping isn’t rocket science. You basically make a lot of food on Sunday or whenever you have one to two hours and then eat what you’ve made during the week. If you’re ambitious, you can meal prep breakfast, lunch and dinner. But this collection of meal prep recipes is just for lunch / dinner ideas to keep it simple, so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Why Meal Prep?
Does your cooking consist of putting some cheese on bread and grilling it for 2 minutes? Or heating up some food that was pre-packaged months ago by a machine, because you don’t have time or desire to cook during the week? Then maybe, it’s time to try making some healthy food ahead aka time to meal prep.
I myself wasn’t the biggest fan of meal prep and eating old food, but life’s gotten pretty busy lately and I kinda started adopting this habit of preparing my food twice a week (vs. daily!) and it’s helping me eat healthier.
Meal Prep Tips
- Make a Meal Plan You Like. Don’t want to eat at home every evening? Want to go out for lunch with your coworkers? Plan it out and make a grocery list, so you can stick to your goals and “meal plan”.
- Don’t Make Too Much. The one downside of meal prep for me, is that at some point you’ll be eating old food. So when making that meal plan, be very realistic and don’t make too much food.
- Keep Ingredients Separate. Either use different food containers or use containers with separate compartments. I like this way of making food, because I feel the food stays fresh longer and I can warm up whichever part of the meal I want.
- Keeping Ingredients Separate Allows Flexibility. You can use the same ingredients to make something different every day, so you don’t get bored and throw everything out (has happened to me!)
Now to help you out, this is a collection of fun, colorful, delicious, healthy meal prep recipes that don’t have chicken in them. These recipes also don’t take a million hours to make – in case you’re worried about it.
15 Healthy No Chicken Meal Prep Recipes
1. 5-Minute Mediterranean Bowl (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Probably one of my favorite meals, like ever, and something I make pretty much at least once a month. I’m not gonna lie to you – this is my recipe and it has a very special place in my heart.
2. Quinoa Fried Rice (Vegetarian & Gluten-Free)
Quinoa Fried Rice by Her Highness, Hungry Me
My sister shared this recipe on her blog and I can testify, it’s super tasty! It’s healthier than take out and the one time she made it for me, it was ready in about 15 minutes. So worth it.
3. Mediterranean Salmon Bowl (Gluten-Free, + Paleo & Low Carb Option)
There’s salmon in it, there’s hummus in it, what is it? A Mediterranean Salmon Bowl with greens on the side – and it’s pretty much the perfect dinner. Healthy, easy to make and absolutely delicous.
4. Black Bean Quinoa Bowl (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
This vegan recipe with cooked black beans, quinoa, guacamole and a simple tzatziki sauce is perfect for lunch or dinner.
5. Meal Prep Greek Couscous Salad (Vegetarian)
Meal Prep Greek Couscous Salad by Chelsea’s Messy Apron
I found this beautiful salad recipe on Pinterest and it just screams eat me, eat me. Like it’s completely something I would make, but probably use quinoa instead of the couscous.
6. Quinoa & Ground Beef Skillet (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Healthy Quinoa And Ground Beef Skillet by Her Highness, Hungry Me
You can make dinner for the next 3 days in 30 minutes, by using the recipe for this healthy quinoa and ground beef skillet. And yes, there’s really the one pan that does all the work.
7. Meal Prep Shrimp Taco Bowls (Gluten-Free)
Meal Prep Shrimp Taco Bowls by Gimme Delicious
Now, if my old food looks like this I would have it every single day of the week and never complain. This recipe is great if you want to have a delicious, balanced, gluten-free meal. And I think we do.
8. Lo Mein Meal Prep (Vegetarian)
Lo Mein Meal Prep by Damn Delicious
Can you imagine this lo mein recipe is actually skinny and good for you? And it looks like something I would happily eat every single day of the week. Plus it’s meatless, loaded with veggies AND high-fiber (yes, those are whole wheat spaghetti).
9. Meal Prep Greek Meatball Bowls (Low Carb & Gluten-Free)
Meal Prep Greek Meatball Bowls by Her Highness, Hungry Me
These Greek meatballs are made with ground beef and served with a simple tomato cucumber salad, some olives, feta cheese and garlicky yogurt sauce. Absolutely delicious and also low carb.
10. Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls by Eating Bird Food
I’ve never had tempeh, but I might just start with this recipe, because it looks so incredibly tasty. On top, it is vegan and gluten-free.
11. One Pan Baked Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
One Pan Baked Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables by Creme de la Crumb
Okay, so you know how “they” say meal prep should take hours? If you make this easy salmon recipe you’ll need only 30 minutes and one pan. This delicious healthy recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and a great way to get your omega-3’s.
12. Meal Prep Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dal (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Meal Prep Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dal by Simply Quinoa
…and if you thought: 30min? Who has 30min? Bam, here’s a 15-minute delicious vegan red lentil dal recipe that will help you eat healthy for a long time. Spend 15 min cooking some delicious lentils and have healthy dinner for 3-4 days? And they say dreams don’t come true…
13. Shrimp Fried Rice Meal Prep
Shrimp Fried Rice Meal Prep by Damn Delicious
Okay, so yes, this is shrimp fried rice. Is it the healthiest option? Maybe not. But is it healthy-ish? Yes. It’s got some vegetables in it, some brown rice in it, some shrimp, it’s good. Better than cookies for lunch, I’m telling you. And so much more delicious. Well, in a different way.
14. Meal Prep Italian Couscous Salad
Meal Prep Italian Couscous Salad by Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Alright, when I first saw Chelsea’s Greek Couscous Salad Meal Prep Recipe I thought: “This is it, it can’t get any better than this”. Then I take a look at her recipes again and there she is: this beautiful, majestic Italian couscous salad. I fell in love. Is this basil? You know how I feel about basil. Well if you don’t: I love it. Don’t think I will add the salami, but this healthy salad is definitely something I want to try for lunch AND dinner.
15. Lemon Roasted Salmon With Sweet Potatoes and Broccolini (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Lemon Roasted Salmon With Sweet Potatoes and Broccolini by Little Spice Jar
Oh my, this dish…it’s kinda perfect – simple, easy and pretty much everything a hungry girl could ever dream of. It’s gluten-free, again good source of omega-3’s and, well, I’m not a paleo expert, but I think this is also paleo. But do your research here if you need everything to be paleo.
Alright, I hope you love these recipes as much as I do and that if you, like moi, have been in a healthy eating/cooking slump lately – now crave healthy food and actually make these for the next week. Honestly, I’m not a fan of meal prep, but I can see myself eating each one of these for 2-3 days in a row without crying my eyes out and hating the world.
You Might Also Like:
- 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge And Meal Plan #1
- 7-Day Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Challenge (#5)
- 7-Day Vegan Challenge & Meal Plan (#4)
Thanks for the great meal prep ideas! I’m always struggling for lunch inspiration. I’m not vegetarian but I don’t each much meat, and sometimes I find it difficult to get the same flavour without it. I’ll definitely be giving these a go 🙂
So great, glad I could help, Flora!
Thank you so much for the recipes! I’ve been trying to find some healthy recipes I can take to work with me. I’m a nurse at a jail and everyone there eats the worst things ever!!
The ground beef skillet looks amazing. I’ve always found it hard to create healthy meals without chicken. Thanks for the ideas.