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Meal Prep Made Easy: Pick a Few Foods. Build a Week of Meals.

If meal prep feels like a second job, it’s time to simplify.

You don’t need seven different recipes, matching containers, or an entire Sunday in the kitchen. You need a few basics you enjoy…and a plan to mix and match them.

At NV, we call this plug-and-play meal prep. Prep the ingredients, then build meals based on what you’re in the mood for.

Start With 2–3 Protein Sources

Choose a few proteins to have ready for meals and snacks. For example:

• Grilled or shredded chicken
• Ground turkey or lean ground beef
• Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or eggs

Keep it easy. Rotisserie chicken, canned tuna, and precooked options count, too. Convenience can help you stay consistent.

Pick 2–3 Vegetables

Choose vegetables you actually like eating:

• Roasted broccoli
• Sliced peppers
• Salad greens

A mix of cooked and ready-to-eat vegetables gives you options. Frozen veggies and prewashed salad are perfectly good shortcuts.

Add 2–3 Fruits

Keep a few fruits washed and easy to grab:

• Berries
• Apples
• Oranges

Add them to breakfast, pair them with yogurt, or pack them alongside lunch. Fruit doesn’t need a complicated recipe to earn a spot in your day.

Choose 2–3 Starchy Carbs

Pick a few options that work with your proteins and vegetables:

• Rice
• Potatoes or sweet potatoes
• Oats, whole-grain pasta, or wraps

Carbs belong in your meal prep. They help fuel your workouts and give you more ways to build satisfying meals.

Now, Plug and Play

With those basics ready, meals can look like this:

• Chicken rice bowl: Chicken, rice, broccoli, and your favorite sauce.
• Turkey taco wrap: Ground turkey, peppers, greens, and salsa in a wrap.
• Loaded potato: A baked potato topped with ground turkey, broccoli, and a little cheese.
• Chicken salad: Greens, chicken, peppers, and dressing, with an apple and a wrap on the side.
• Quick breakfast: Greek yogurt, berries, and oats.

Same ingredients. Different meals. Less daily decision-making.

Change the Flavor

A few seasonings, sauces, and toppings can keep your basics interesting. Try taco seasoning and salsa, lemon and garlic, or a little barbecue sauce. Add fats you enjoy, such as avocado, olive oil, or nuts, and adjust portions to your needs.

You don’t have to cook a completely different dinner every night to have variety.

Make It Work for Your Actual Life

Check what you already have before shopping. Prep enough for the next few days, then do a small refresh midweek if needed. Keep a few easy backup foods available for the days your schedule goes sideways.

The goal is to make your next meal easier.

Pick your proteins. Pick your produce. Pick your carbs. Then build from there.

Consistency gets a whole lot easier when your food is ready and your plan is simple!!

This oatmeal bake is one of my favs, I make a double batch and have it for the whole week!

Enjoy!

Xo Jen 

Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Bake

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats gluten-free if needed
• 1 cup quick oats gluten-free, if needed
• 1/2 cup granulated sweetener of choice * See notes
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 2 large eggs – for a vegan version, sub for 2 flax eggs
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup almond butter Can sub for any nut butter, coconut oil, or butter

For the Cinnamon Roll Glaze:

• 4 tablespoon coconut butter melted

For the protein-packed Cinnamon Roll Glaze:

• 1-2 scoops cinnamon protein powder
• 2 tablespoon milk of choice to thin out
• 2 teaspoon Cinnamon 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and almond butter. Whisk until combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until fully combined. If the mixture is crumbly, add a dash more milk until a thick batter is formed. 
4. Transfer the cinnamon roll baked oatmeal mixture to the lined baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. 
5. Remove baked oatmeal and allow to cool for 5 minutes, before glazing, if desired.

Truth is I made this kind of by default and it came out amazing!

I broke my glass pie pan and decided to give this bad Larry a shot, it is SOOOO good!!

Enjoy!

Xox Jen

SHEET PAN FRITTATA

INGREDIENTS

* 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
* 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 cups small broccoli florets (about 8 oz.)
* Kosher salt
* 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
* 12 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled
* 5 oz. baby kale
* 10 large eggs
* 1 cup whole milk
* 2/3 cup heavy cream
* 1 oz. Pecorino Romano, finely grated (about 1/2 c.)
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 8 oz. farmers’ cheese or part-skim ricotta
* 2 tsp. chili crisp

Directions

* Step 1
Arrange a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°. Grease a baking sheet with butter.
* Step 2
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Cook broccoli, stirring occasionally, until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add kale and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 1 minute more. Let cool slightly.
* Step 3
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cream, and Pecorino; season with salt and pepper. Pour vegetable mixture into prepared sheet.
* Step 4
Pour egg mixture over, making sure all corners are covered. Dollop farmers’ cheese on top. Drizzle chili crisp over.
* Step 5
Bake frittata until eggs are firm to touch, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly.

These 3-ingredient cottage cheese bagels will be your new obsession!

Enjoy xo Jen

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup full fat cottage cheese

1 large egg

Everything bagel seasoning

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 and position the rack to the top position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Blend cottage cheese: Place the cottage cheese in the food processor or blender and pulse or blend on high until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

• Add flour: Transfer it to a medium bowl and add the flour. Mix until completely combined and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface and knead the dough 8-10 times, until smooth. Add more flour to the work surface as needed until the dough is no longer sticky.

• Shape and season: Roll the dough into a ball and divide it into 4 equal balls. If you want them to be the exact same size you can weigh out each piece of dough to approximately 80g. Roll each ball out into a 6-7-inch rope, about 1-inch thick. Join the ends to make a circle and pinch the seam tightly to seal. Brush the tops with a beaten egg and the everything seasoning

• Bake

• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Bagels stay fresh in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4 days.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium Onion diced
4 cloves Garlic minced
1 pound Uncooked Lean Ground Turkey
¼ cup Chili Powder Blend
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 can crushed tomatoes
⅓ cup tomato paste
3 cans of Beans
2 cups Chicken Broth

Instructions:

So simple it’s silly!

Throw everything into a crock pot , stir and cook for 6-8 hours !

These cottage cheese bowls are packed with protein and take three minutes to throw together!

Enjoy Xo Jen

Ingredients

• (2 cups) of cottage cheese
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Avocado – sliced
• 8 Cherry tomatoes – sliced
• 2 Baby cucumber – sliced
• 2 teaspoon of Everything Seasoning

Instructions

I pre-boil about 20 eggs per week so they’re easy to grab and go!

Put the cottage cheese into a bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and season.

These little egg muffins are a perfect on the go version of my egg white quiche! And soooooo simple to make! You will have them prepared in no time flat!

Enjoy! xo Coach Jen

Simple Mini Quiches

Ingredients:

• Egg Whites
• Spinach
• Turkey Pepperoni
• Cheese (Any of your favorite types works!)
• Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a muffin pan with Pam or any non-stick cooking spray.
3. Layer fresh spinach in the pan and pour egg whites over top.
4. Add a few slices of turkey pepperoni and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake for 18 min at 375.

Listen, guys… back to school means QUICK dinners!

I mean 1 pan to clean? Sign me up!

This one was a fan fave in our house and I will definitely be making this again

(This recipe called for red and yellow potatoes, but I chose to swap them out for sweet potatoes.  So feel free to use whatever you have on hand.)

Lemon Dijon One Sheet Chicken & Veggies

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 medium), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts (about 4 cups), quartered
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Coarsely ground pepper, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients; gradually whisk in oil. Reserve 1 tablespoon mixture. Add vegetables to the remaining mixture; toss to coat.
2. Place chicken and vegetables in a 15x10x1-in. pan coated with cooking spray. Brush chicken breast with reserved mustard mixture. Roast 10 minutes.
3. Turn chicken and stir vegetables; roast until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165° and vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes longer.
4. If desired, sprinkle with pepper.
5. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Healthy lunches for your kids don’t have to be complicated. 🙌🥪🍓

One of my favorite hacks? Separated lunch containers.

They make it SO easy to build a balanced lunch without overthinking it:

🥩 Protein: turkey, chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt
🍓 Fruit: berries, grapes, apples
🥕 Veggies: cucumbers, carrots, peppers
🥨 Carbs: crackers, pretzels, wraps
🧀 Something fun: cheese, a little treat, whatever they love!

Fill the compartments, close the lid and DONE. 👏

Healthy eating doesn’t need to mean Pinterest-perfect lunches or hours of meal prep. Keep it simple, give them variety, and pack foods they’ll actually EAT.

Because the healthiest lunch is the one that doesn’t come home untouched. 😂💗

Try this recipe next time you’re invited to a cookout!

The perfect blend of salty and sweet

Xo Jen

The Watermelon and Feta Salad With Basil
– 3 sprigs fresh basil – stems removed and coarsely chop
– small/ medium watermelon balled
– 8oz or less fresh feta – cubed
– 1/4 c or less balsamic reduction
– 
salt and pepper

Either toss together as a salad or place on skewers!