14 Healthy Make Ahead Meals and Snacks to Eat When You’re Busy

make ahead meals and snacksHey! We are back here to suggests you some more healthy recipes that are not only nutritious but guess what can be made without putting any hard efforts. My today post is specially dedicated to the women who work hard all day long and still wants to serve their family healthy and tasty foods.

It takes a lot of courage to move to kitchen after those hectic day spent in office and make a meal for your family.

So, here I have brought you my most favorite 14 make ahead recipes that are not only healthy but takes very less time and efforts. Let’s discuss them without wasting a single second.

As per my opinion I have distributed these 14 recipes into 4 categories i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner and my favorite snacks.

First of all we are going to discuss the most important meal – the Breakfast.

Breakfast Recipes:

For me breakfast is the top priority that needs to be healthy and fulfilling to keep me going throughout the day. Most of the women I meet usually tell me they had a toast or an apple in their breakfast because they were getting too late for their work.

But is it a valid reason to keep yourself starving and waiting for the lunch time or binge eating on those chips or biscuits that have null nutritive value?

I hope my today’s breakfast recipes will be motivating enough so that you could have a power pack breakfast without making a useless excuse.

1. Mini Ham and Cheese quinoa cups:

On the top of our breakfast list is the mini ham and cheese quinoa cups. These power pack cups loaded with protein are best for your morning meals. These are gluten-free and can be consumed by the celiac patients without any second thought.

Quinoa added in these cups is the world’s most popular health food. High in protein it is one of the few plants foods that are rich in nine essential amino acids. It contains fiber, iron, and vitamin B complexes and yes the favorite’s – antioxidants!

With only 47 calories per serving they are ideal to be served to the calories conscious people and you my dear ladies can carry out them with yourself while going to your office and consume them while traveling or walking and I am bit sure your children will also enjoy having them in their breakfast. Here is its recipe you were waiting for:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of cooked quinoa
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup zucchini
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup ham (diced evenly)
  • ¼ cup parsley
  • 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese (grated /shredded)
  • 2 green onions (finely chopped)
  • Salt and pepper to your taste.

Method:

  • Once you are done with collecting all the required ingredients start by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Till that let the oven get preheat at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  
  • After that start with the first step of baking, that is oil spraying the muffin tins and fill it with the mixture of ingredients.
  • Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until the sides of the muffins turns out to be golden. And stop! Don’t remove it from the oven; give it at least five minutes to cool in the oven.
  • You can freeze them and microwave them for 30 seconds whenever you want to have these cute little amazing muffins.

2. Paleo stuffed Peppers for breakfast:

If you are a bell pepper lover just like me you are going to love this recipe. This perfect on-to-go recipe is filled with the very nutritious elements like eggs, broccoli and mushrooms. If you are on a paleo diet then let me tell you that it is 100% paleo approved.

It usually takes around 45 minutes and can be microwaved before the consumption in breakfast. So, here is the recipe for stuffed paleo peppers:

Ingredients:

  • 2 bell peppers of your color choice
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup mushroom
  • 1 cup broccoli
  • ¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper as per your taste buds

Method:

  • Dice up the vegetables of your choice and until then preheat your oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Now take a medium size bowl and mix all the ingredients together except the bell peppers
  • Cut your favorite color bell peppers into 2 equal halves and clean up all their seeds
  • Fill them with the mixture in bowl and place them on the baking sheet.
  • Bake them for 35 minutes.
  • Serve hot whenever you want to have them. I like them more when they are served with little bit of hot sauce on the top.]

3. Oats Delight:

Oats are one of the best cereals loaded with all essential nutrients including protein, fiber, energy and calcium. What I like about this recipe is it contains all the colorful fruits I love to cherish in breakfast. Without any minute of waiting here is the recipe of my delightful oats:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Oats
  • 2 cups of milk
  • Sugar/ honey as per your taste
  • Seasonal fruits and berries you cherish
  • Nuts like almonds, walnut, etc.

Method:

  • You just have to add oats in milk and keep them in fridge overnight so that they could get soft.
  • Bring them out in morning and add fruits and nuts of your choice and sugar or honey or whatever sweetener you like.

4. Peanut Butter Sandwich:

Peanut butter is the tastiest and healthiest thing I love to have in breakfast. Specialty of this sandwich is you don’t require any stove or sandwich maker. You just need your butter knife and a simple knife to cut the fruits. Let’s find out the method to make the peanut butter sandwich:

Ingredients:

  • Whole wheat or multi grain bread
  • Peanut butter
  • Apple and banana
  • Chia seeds

Method:

  • Take a slice of bread and apply peanut butter on it.
  • Cut apple and banana into thin round slits and keep them on the buttered slice of bread
  • Sprinkle some chia seeds and close the sandwich with other slice of bread.
  • Here is your peanut butter sandwich ready. You can consume it with a glass of hot or cold milk.

With all these 4 recipes we are done with the breakfast part, now let’s get to the second important meal of the day – the Lunch

Lunch Recipes:

Lunch needs to be more nutritious and little less heavy as I am sure you don’t want to feel sleepy after having a heavy lunch meal in your office or at home. Let’s check out what we have to serve you in your lunch meal.

5. Vegetable and Chicken Rolls:

It’s an amazing recipe for the office going women as it is easy to pack and is not heavy at all. It is loaded with the goodness of veges like bell peppers, cilantro and carrots, and contains avocado rich in essential fatty acids. It takes around 45 minutes and can be readily packed in Tiffins.

So here is the recipe for tasty vegetable and chicken rolls:

Ingredients:

  • 500 gms of grounded chicken
  • ½ medium sized finely chopped onion
  • 4 Garlic cloves grated or minced
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 1-2 carrots
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
  • Rice paper wraps
  • 1 sliced avocado
  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 4 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 lime juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

  • Collect all the ingredients and heat the oil in a large pan and add the grounded chicken in it. Wait until it gets brown and add the onion, ginger, garlic, carrots and cabbage.
  • Cook all the ingredients until the cabbage gets soft and season it with salt according to your taste.
  • Assemble all the veges and slice them to make a wrap.
  • Soak the rice paper wrap in warm water and let it get soft. Bring out the wrap and keep it on a plain plate.
  • Add all the veges and wrap the roll tightly so that veges don’t get out of it.
  • Serve it with the dip of your choice.

6. Mix and Match Lunch Box Meal:

What is better than getting a packed lunch meal appropriate in all the nutrients? You can simply divide your lunch box into different portion sizes and add different types of food groups in it so that you can get all the nutrients together packed in one box.

It generally takes 10 minutes to make this mix-match lunch box. Now, Let’s see how to add all the healthy options in one box:

For the mix match lunch box meal you need:

  • A turkey and sprout sandwich
  • 5-6 cucumber slices
  • Salted edamame
  • Pretzels
  • 2 tbsp Hummus
  • 4 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 hardboiled egg
  • Few blueberries and strawberries
  • Few chocolate covered cherries for dessert

Method:

  • You need to put all these things in your lunchbox and your mix match lunchbox is fully ready to be taken to office. Same could be served to your children and hubby at office and school.

7. Chicken-bacon Salad jars:

Everything is just wonderful in a chipotle bowl except that butter and sodium that gets on your waist. Chipotle taste is what I can relish in each and every meal. Our salad jars are made in consideration of adding all the goodness of quinoa, chicken and sweet potato without adding any extra butter. Here is the recipe you were looking forward for:

Ingredients:

  • Boiled quinoa
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/4th cup of chopped cilantro
  • 2 chicken breast pieces
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
  • 2 pieces of bacon
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 3 cups lettuce, finely chopped
  • 5 tbsp greek yoghurt
  • 3/4the cup of cheese

Method:

  • Add fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro into boiled quinoa.
  • Dry the chicken breast from both sides with paper towel and season it with table salt
  • Heat the coconut oil in the large skillet and add chicken breast into it and cook for 4 minutes from both the sides. Notice that both sides should be brown in shade.
  • Cool the chicken and chop it into fine pieces of ½ square inch in size.
  • Cook the 2 slices of bacon properly until it is crispy enough to get crumbled.
  • Getting towards to the sweet potato, chop them into fine ½ square inch pieces
  • Cook them into heated bacon fat until they get brown from outside. Now cover the skillet with the lid and let the potatoes cook until they can be easily pierced using a fork.

Assembling the salad:

  • Let all the ingredients cool down, until that, add 1 tbsp of greek yogurt into every jar.
  • Top it with the cooked sweet potato cubes
  • On top of it add quinoa and bacon. Fill the rest of the jar with chopped lettuce and sprinkle some extra cilantro.

Here we are done with our chicken bacon salad jars. It was all about our lunch recipes. Next section is filled up with our yummy dinner recipes.

Dinner Recipes:

For me dinner should be fulfilling enough so I don’t get hunger pangs all night. Here are the most suitable recipes to control your overnight hunger pangs and will not take much of your time:

8. Vegetable Lasagna cup cakes:

Isn’t it sounds so amazing by its name?  I am sure you will love these cup cakes. So here is the recipe for the wonderful vegetable lasagna cup cakes just for you:

Ingredients:

  • ½ pack of lasagna noodles
  • 1 container of ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, plus some more for the topping
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
  • 1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese , sliced
  • 1 jar of your favorite Ragu
  • 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8″ rounds
  • 1 normal size Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/8″ rounds

Method:

  • Read the instructions and cook the noodles according to it.
  • In a medium sized bowl combine ricotta, egg, basil and Parmesan all together.
  • Coat the bottom of the muffin cups with the spoon filled of tomato sauce.  Cut lasagna sheets into 2-inch pieces and place each piece of lasagna noodle in a cup just over the sauce and top it with ricotta mixture. Once you are done with this, top the layer of ricotta mixture with a piece of zucchini and egg plant and mozzarella cheese. Cover it with a layer of tomato sauce.
  • Bake all the muffins at 375 degrees Fahrenheit till 35 minutes and let them cool for next 10 minutes in the oven.

Don’t throw the leftovers and utilize them into making some more cupcakes for the next meal.

9. Grilled chicken lettuce wrap:

This wrap will surely make you happier. It contains grilled chicken, the nutty almonds, and apple or grapes. Here is my recipe for grilled chicken lettuce wrap:

Ingredients:

For dressing:

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 4 tsp of  honey
  • 4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper according to taste

For salad:

  • 4 cups grilled chicken breasts, diced
  • 1/2 cup almonds, crushed properly
  • 1/2 cup of red grapes, sliced in half
  • 1 red apple, diced properly
  • iceberg lettuce pieces

Method:

  • Combine all the dressing ingredients including yoghurt, honey, and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and add salt and pepper.
  • Now add all the salad ingredients together in the dressing ingredients until they are properly covered with the dressing.
  • To prepare the wraps, keep an iceberg lettuce piece on plate and add the chicken mixture into it and make it in a shape of wrap and secure it using a toothpick.

And here you go with the grilled chicken lettuce wrap. I usually prefer it at night but you can have it in breakfast or lunch as per your choice.

Snacks recipes:

Snacks are the best options for those small hunger attacks. So, I have brought you some very easy and tasty snack options you can make at your home.

10. Roasted chickpeas:

Chickpeas are very good source of protein with essential amino acids. If you really want to have something healthy in between your meals, you can opt these munchies and keep them in your bag every time.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper according to the taste
  • Some special herbs

Method:

  • Pre heat oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Wash the chickpeas thoroughly and pat dry them properly.
  • Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs.
  • Roast the chickpeas in oven for 20-30 minutes
  • Pack them and enjoy whenever you want.

11. No-bake granola bars:

I really love to munch on these granola bars. They are far better than those granola bars available in market loaded with fats and preservatives. Here is my recipe for no-bake granola bars:

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

  • 1 and half cup of oats
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup roughly chopped roasted almonds
  • 2 roughly chopped medjool dates
  • 2 dried berries of your choice
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • A pinch of seal salt

Wet ingredients:

  • Brown rice syrup
  • 1 tbsp. coconut butter
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil

Method:

  • Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Mix the wet ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it till the butter and oil melts properly.
  • Now mix the wet and dry ingredients together and press them firmly to convert into granola bars.
  • Keep it in refrigerator to let them settle properly.

12. Energy bites:

This recipe is perfect for our busy ladies as it contains all the goodness of dry fruits, peanut butter and chia seeds. Here is the way to makes these energy bites at home:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup oats
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cups almonds or peanuts
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • ¼ cup wheat germ

Method:

  • Mix all the ingredients together until they are coated properly.
  • Cover the mixture and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours
  • Remove it from refrigerator and shape them in small sized balls.
  • You can consume them immediately or keep them in refrigerator for later consumption.

13. Apple chips:

Who don’t like munching on chips? No! No I am not talking about those potato chips. I have brought you the very tasty apple chips to substitute the unhealthy potato chips available in market:

Ingredients:

  • 2 apples
  • 1 ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon powder

Method:

  • Slice apples into thin round slits.
  • Now preheat the oven at 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Arrange the apples slices on the metal tray
  • Sprinkle cinnamon powder and sugar over the apples
  • Bake them for 45 minutes.

14. Avocado chips:

This recipe is especially for the keto diet people over here. So, here are the directions to make the tasty avocado chips:

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • ¾ cups of freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Italian seasoning
  • Salt and black pepper

Method:

  • Preheat the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Mash the avocado in a bowl and add grated parmesan, lime juice, garlic powder, seasoning and salt and pepper.
  • Place a scoop of mixture on oiled baking sheets.
  • Bake it for 30 minutes until they turn into golden brown.
  • Serve them with any spicy dip.

Yooooo!

So, these were our 14 make ahead meals and recipes for today. We will be back with some more exciting recipes that will be tasty as well as healthy.

Till that do try them all and let us know in the comment session which recipe you enjoyed the most. We will love to have your feedback.

And Don’t forget to share our hard work on social media and pin on pinterest! I would be thankful.

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