My Go-To, Meal Prep-Friendly Recipes

I like to keep this list of meal prep-friendly dinners handy, so even during the busiest weeks, I always have healthy weeknight dinners to fall back on.

If you’re feeding growing, active kids, having a plan makes all the difference. (If you need a starting point, I break this down more in my post on Feeding Growing Bodies.)

What Makes a Meal Prep-Friendly Dinner?

My criteria for easy meal prep ideas for busy nights are pretty simple:

• The ingredients can be prepped ahead and stored until I need them (cut veggies, sauces, etc.), OR

• The recipe is essentially dump-and-cook (I literally dump ingredients into a slow cooker and hit start), OR

• It can be doubled and frozen for a future quick family meal (these may or may not take a little more time on the front end, but usually pay off significantly down the road)

If you’re trying to stay consistent with healthy eating during busy weeks, this kind of flexibility is key. (I share more strategies for this in Simple Meal Prep Tips for Stress-Free Meals.)

My Go-To Meal Prep-Friendly Dinners

These are some of my favorite quick, healthy dinners for families:

• Chicken taquitos (prep & freeze the chicken ahead of time)

• Chicken burgers (great for batch cooking and freezing)

• Taco chicken

• Slow cooker pulled chicken

• Beef & broccoli

• Hawaiian chicken

• Meatballs (batch cook & keep in freezer) + jarred sauce

• Orange chicken

• Sloppy Joe chicken

• Baked pasta

When Meal Prep Doesn’t Happen (Real Life!)

Even with the best intentions, there are nights when meal prep just doesn’t happen—and that’s okay.

These are my go-to healthy shortcut meals for busy nights:

• Rotisserie chicken + boxed mac & cheese + frozen broccoli

• Tomato soup + grilled cheese + frozen peas

• Chicken nuggets + frozen fries + frozen peas

• Homemade freezer pizza + frozen broccoli (I keep all components in my freezer, thaw, assemble, and cook)

You’ll notice that even with a shortcut meal, I’m still aiming to include a vegetable. For families with active kids, this helps support energy, growth, and overall nutrition without overcomplicating dinner.

And when I’m completely tapped out? That veggie might look like sliced apples—and that still counts!