Work-Week Meal Ideas
April 7, 2025
Having balanced meals that meet your nutrition goals can be difficult when life gets busy with work, school, taking kids to after school activities, or whatever else life throws at you. Here are some meal ideas that can be prepped ahead of time or made quickly so you do not have to spend long amounts of time every day cooking and cleaning the kitchen.
Breakfast:
Overnight Oats
These contain simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand and they can be prepped ahead of time.
Ingredients:
- 1/2c Oats
- 1/2c Greek Yogurt
- 1/2c preferred milk (cow, almond, oat, etc.)
- 1/2c fruit
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ Tablespoon preferred sweetener (maple syrup, honey)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Optional: nuts (almonds, walnuts) for topping
Add all ingredients, except for the nuts, into a mason jar and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, top with nuts and go! Pro tip: prep a few jars at once so you have breakfast ready for the next few days.
Lunch:
Bento Boxes
Who said lunchables are just for kids? Getting a bento box like this one makes lunch time fun and so easy: CLICK HERE
Here are some ideas of what to pack in your box:
- Carbs: whole wheat crackers, pretzels, chickpea salad
- Protein: hard-boiled eggs*, chicken salad, deli meat, cheese
- Fats: nuts, hummus, avocado mash
- Color: berries, baby carrots, sliced bell peppers
*Prep these ahead of time and you will have them ready to go for lunches or snacks!
Dinner:
BBQ Ranch Turkey Burger Salad
This meal takes less than 15 minutes to make but is so satisfying!
Ingredients:
- Frozen Turkey Burger (Applegate, Butterball, or Trader Joe’s brands are all great options)
- Lettuce base
- Whatever veggies you like: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onion
- Shredded cheese
- Avocado
- BBQ sauce
- Ranch dressing (can use light option or less fat)
Heat the turkey burger up on the stove, as directed. While the turkey burger is cooking, add all of the other salad ingredients in a bowl, aside from the dressings. Once the turkey burger is ready, cut it up and add it to the salad bowl, then drizzle with bbq sauce and ranch. To make this meal idea even more quick and simple you can use a salad kit and just add the turkey burger on top!
Snack:
Snacks are important to have on hand so you do not go long hours without eating and go into the next meal feeling hungry. Here are some quick snack ideas to have on hand:
- Apple and peanut butter
- Cottage cheese and berries
- Granola bar and banana
- Baby carrots and hummus
- Whole grain crackers and a cheese stick
