Grocery Market Grabs that make for Easy Meal Prep

Healthy eating simplified. This is my go-to list of ingredients that are always in my grocery cart for easy meal prep and quick, healthy meals.

I’m a big fan of meal prep. I encourage all of my clients to do some sort of prep work ahead of time – it saves time, money and calories.

But there’s one thing that I don’t like about meal prep: the anxiety of “getting it right”.

There’s this idea out there – probably from the millions of social media posts out there showing the perfect meal prep set up for a family of 18 including the family cat. The truth is that meal prep shouldn’t have that stigma. Any meal prep, imperfect and messy or color coded and macroed out, is going to make life easier during the hectic work/school week.

The trick is to use shortcuts where and when they’re worth it.

Here is my list of grocery store buys for easy meal prep, and less stress.

Grocery Market Grabs that make for Easy Meal Prep

Rotisserie Chicken

Protein is a key ingredient in a healthy diet. It also happens to be an ingredient that typically takes more work and more time to prepare. So hack it! Rotisserie chicken is the Fit Foodies ultimate easy meal prep hack. One chicken – endless meal options.

You want to grab a rotisserie chicken but not just any chicken. You want the best one! Here’s what to look for:

• Pick a heavier bird. Moisture tends to evaporate under the heat lamp so pick a chicken that still has some heft to it – that’s your best bet in making sure it’s not dried out.
• Choose the highest quality. Yes, you’ll pay a few bucks more for it but you’ll also be leaving added water and sodium behind. Speaking of sodium…
• Buy plain whenever possible. Boring? Nope. You can do whatever you want with a plain chicken (while rosemary garlic sounds great, it’s maybe a little weird in southwest tacos).

Frozen Cauliflower Rice

The freezer section is your friend (it contains frozen pizza). Seriously though…while I’m a huge fan of using fresh produce, sometimes that’s just not the best (read: easiest, or even healthiest), option. Frozen veggies are already washed and chopped for you. And they’re frozen at peak ripeness – which means they have more nutrients than their off-season, fresh counterparts!

You have plenty of options to choose from these days but these are my favorites:

• Green Giant Riced Veggies Risotto Medley – I’m going to go ahead and say that I wouldn’t exactly compare this to risotto, but the mushrooms actually give a really earthy flavor, and you don’t need the added heavy cream or cheese.
• Alexia Cauliflower Risotto with Parmesan Cheese and Sea Salt – this is a great addition to any meal that you want to add a little heft to. It’s cheesy enough, but so light on carbs. I like to use this as a grain bowl base and load it up with grilled BBQ chicken, cucumber salad and avocado (drool).

Surimi Packets

Would I eat tuna poke every day if it was available to me? Yes. Unfortunately, I live in Central Vermont and that’s not an option. So I rely on this easy meal prep seafood hack in a pouch. Surimi is essentially white fish made to look like crab. If you’ve ever eaten a California Roll, you’ve had surimi before. It’s mild, versatile and packed with protein!

I typically turn it into a seafood salad with Greek yogurt, lemon, pepper and lots of fresh herbs. I’ll make a big batch and use it through the week to top green salads, as taco filling, or even in a quesadilla!

Shelled Edamame

Edamame is a low-calorie legume with tons of health benefits. And when you get the shelled pack from the produce section, it’s an incredibly tasty and easy meal prep option.

Edamame is the whole soybean. So while yes, it’s “processed” because it’s already shelled, the processing is minimal and additives at a round zero. In one cup of edamame you’re eating 18 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, 20% of your daily recommended value of iron and 100% of your daily recommended value of folate!

Personally, I eat edamame by the handful. But they’re a great addition to any salad – grain or green. You can throw them in at the end of cooking up a big batch of stir-fry (meal prep for lunch and dinner for days!). And they work perfectly with every protein from tuna and salmon, to chicken and pork, to shrimp and beans!

Roasted Beets

I love beets. But the prep can be…a lot. From the long cooking time, to the stain on your finger tips, cutting board, containers and clothing!? All of that is why pre-roasted beets from the produce section are on this list!

Love Beets is my favorite brand (but there are other options). They’re simply roasted, slightly sweet and honestly pretty cute. These are a great option for salads, grain bowls, sandwiches, and wraps! Or just toss them in vinaigrette and add them as a lunch side dish.

Spiralized Zucchini

Spiralized zucchini is a go to in my house, especially as the weather warms up and I’m looking for ways to lighten up lunches. Most grocery stores offer spiralized zucchini, summer squash and even sweet potatoes (also an easy meal prep store hack, by the way).

A couple of tips for buying, storing and using pre-cut zucchini:

• Look for what was packed the day that you buy it – that’s guaranteed to be the freshest and keep the longest.
• Store raw, in the fridge, if you want it to hold it’s texture for multiple days. Add a paper towel to the container or bag to soak up any moisture.
• Pat dry before cooking or tossing in a salad!

Pre-Shredded Slaw Mix

Cabbage is one of those vegetables that can hold it’s integrity for days. So why not skip the prep and make it easier on yourself by buying pre-shredded slaw mix?

If you’re thinking: really, slaw for days? Get creative!

• Toss with lime, Greek yogurt, cilantro and cumin and top tacos and taco bowls
• Throw a handful or two into your stir fry mix
• Add to pasta salad for some low-cal bulk and texture
• Make a Chinese chicken salad (with your rotisserie chicken and edamame!) for lunches

Ranch and Onion Dip Packets

Flavor can make or break your healthy diet. Bland diets suck. They’re hard to stick to because there’s nothing to get excited about. No one wants steamed broccoli and chicken. Borrrrrrrring. We want flavor! And nothing adds more flavor than a packet of ranch or onion dip seasoning.

Now yes, there’s some salt in there. But you won’t be eating the entire packet in one meal so simply exclude or decrease the salt you add elsewhere and you’re good to go.

My all-time favorite way to use these packets (yes, both at once), is in Mississippi Pot Roast. Throw it in the InstantPot and in just a couple of hours you’ve got enough food to feed a family for a week!

I also make healthier versions of store bought Ranch by using Greek yogurt instead of mayo and sour cream. This is a great calorie and time saver for meals throughout the week. And you can get wild with the basic dressing by adding sriracha, or lime and cumin, or even BBQ rub!

Canned Beans

Beans are a protein-rich, humble but lasting diet staple in my house. And luckily, they’re fantastic for meal prep – they hold they’re texture, can be eaten hot, cold or room temp, and actually tend to pick up more flavor the next day! I’ll be honest, I’ve never cooked dried beans. I buy low-sodium varieties and I always just keep a variety of beans and legumes in my pantry. Chickpeas, black beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans…

Want to make the prep work even easier? Thrive Market will send you beans and full bean dishes right to your door! They’ve got Refried Black Beans, Creole-Style Red Beans with bell peppers and garlic, and Mexican Pinto Beans just to start with!

At the end of the day, you’ve already got enough on your plate (foodie joke, my apologies). Why not make life and dieting easier when and where you can?