Sharing some of my favorite lunchbox ideas for teens!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re having a lovely morning so far. I’ve packed this week with podcast interviews and client calls – here we goooooo – because the Pilot is home and can take over homeschool duties.

For today’s post, I wanted to share some lunchbox ideas for teenagers. I make the girls’ lunches every day, and I love putting them together. Liv’s school offers hot lunch, which is takeout from different fast food restaurants, but it’s super expensive (like $20 for Chick-Fil-A) and they don’t even keep the food warm before serving it to the kids. So for quality and cost reasons, I keep making their food here at home.

Last year, I would sometimes open Liv’s lunchbox to wash it, and quite a bit of it would still be sitting in here.

“Why didn’t you eat lunch? Aren’t you hungry at lunchtime?”

“I’m a little hungry but sometimes I don’t really want a bagel or a sandwich… I’d love a meal.”

“A meal? Like what do you mean?”

“Like ramen, or chicken, or salad or something like that.”

This blew my mind. I was still kind of packing her “little kid lunches.” Don’t get me wrong, they still looked good and had lots of tasty and healthy components, but she wanted an actual meal instead of a bagel or PB&J. It was a huge lightbulb moment for me because I’d feel the same way. I don’t like eating the same cold things every day, and for lunch, I often prefer a *meal* instead of a bagel or PB&J.

[And for the friends out there who might be wondering why she didn’t pack her own lunch, she was dancing 10+ hours a week last year across town and had hours of homework each night. It’s also one of those things that I’m happy to do for them – I enjoy it!]

I started asking her for lunch ideas, and taking her to Costco and Whole Foods with me to pick out things that look good to her. Now I make her *meals* for lunch that are still just as fast as making a PB&J or bagel, but they’re more satisfying and enjoyable.

Here are some of the things that are in the rotation:

Packed lunch ideas for teen

Main course:

Pasta salad

This is the best pasta salad in the world and you can make it in advance to enjoy throughout the week.

Chopped salad with homemade dressing

Liv loves a chopped salad and I’ll usually add different types of greens, a protein (like leftover chicken or sliced deli turkey), garbanzo beans, edamame, poshi artichokes or asparagus, grated cheese, olives, veggies, and a homemade dressing.

Jennifer Aniston salad

We all LOVE this salad and it’s so easy to pack for lunch with grilled chicken on top.

Egg bites

These can also be made in advance and frozen. We all love these

Sharing a roundup of meal prep ideas you can make on the cheap.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a great day so far! I have a morning packed full of appointments and am looking forward to family dinner tonight.

Today, I wanted to chat a bit about meal prep, because it’s been savin’ my bacon lately.

Meal prepping is one of my favorite ways to stay on track with healthy eating goals but also save money at the same time. When life gets hectic (which it always does), having budget friendly meals ready to go is a total gamechanger. I feel like whether you’re feeding a family, trying to eat healthier, or just want to spend less at the grocery store, meal prep can seriously simplify your routine.

Today, I wanted to share a roundup of cheap meal prep ideas that are delicious, super easy and quick to make, and won’t break the bank. I love that meal prepping helps eliminate the “what’s for dinner?” stress and keeps us away from pricey takeout. Most of these meals use pantry staples or affordable ingredients, and they make enough for leftovers.

Cheap Meal Prep Ideas

These recipes are perfect for weekly planning, batch cooking, and making sure you always have a friendly meal ready to go.

Whether you’re new to meal planning or a seasoned pro, I hope this post gives you fresh inspiration (and saves you a few bucks! Let’s be real, groceries are a million dollars right now.)

What Is Meal Prepping

Meal prepping is the practice of preparing meals or ingredients in advance to save time and money throughout the week. It could mean chopping veggies, cooking proteins, or assembling full meals in containers. The idea is to have meals ready to eat or cook quickly, so you’re less tempted to grab something unhealthy or expensive.

Meal prepping can help reduce food waste, streamline your grocery shopping, and make your week smoother overall. Plus, it often leads to healthier choices since you’re planning meals in advance.

Is Meal Prepping Cheaper?

Absolutely! When you plan ahead and prep your meals, you can make the most of grocery sales, buy ingredients in bulk, and avoid impulse purchases or last-minute takeout. By cooking in batches, you also use your ingredients more efficiently and waste less food.

Some people think healthy eating is expensive, but meal prepping shows that you can eat well without spending a fortune.

How To Meal Prep On A Budget

Shop Your Pantry First

Before you plan your meals, take inventory of what you already have. It’s easy to overlook canned goods, grains, or frozen items that can make great foundations for a meal.

Choose Budget Friendly Proteins

Think beans, lentils, eggs, canned tuna, organic sprouted tofu, organic ground beef, and chicken thighs. These are nutritious and often cheaper than other protein sources.

Buy Seasonal Produce

Fruits and vegetables that are in season are usually cheaper and taste better. Bonus points if you can find them at local farmers m

Today I’m sharing a dairy-free and gluten-free recipe for Mediterranean egg bites. Try this as a high-protein meal prep option!

Hey hey! How’s the week going? I hope you’re having a great one so far! It’s been busy as usual – but I’m looking forward to some weekend fun with the crew. 🙂

For today’s post, I’m so excited to share a recipe that we’ve all been enjoying lately: Mediterranean egg bites. I made a batch as part of meal prep and they made amazing quick breakfast and lunchtime staples. (I also love them in a Siete almond flour tortilla!) In addition, they freeze beautifully and the kids love them, too.

(I would be happy to say that Maisey didn’t try any of these, but she might have stolen one or four from the countertop.)

When I have a savory and protein-packed breakfast, I feel more satisfied throughout the morning and don’t feel like I crave sweets or sugar as much throughout the day. In fact, this is a great meal idea for metabolic flexibility. And you could just enjoy the egg bites first before heading into fruit or oatmeal as a full breakfast.

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Sharing tips on how to prep daytime meals and snacks in just two hours.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope your week is going well! Don’t forget to check out the amazing HigherDOSE Labor Day sale here! You can use FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off sitewide (excluding bundles and full-sized saunas).

Now that we’re back into school and activities for the kids, I’ve had to dedicate Sunday to prep, plan and clean. I get everything set up for the week, and since the weeknight evenings are so busy, I try to plan our meals and grocery shop around what’s going on. (For example, if I know Tuesday is a late night with activities, I feed the kids early, make something in the Instant Pot, or dedicate it a takeout night. We have takeout or restaurant meals 1-2 times per week max, so I try to make it count!)

Life gets busy, and finding time to prepare healthy meals can feel like a challenge. But with a little planning and a solid strategy, you can set yourself up for a week of nourishing meals in just two hours. In this post, I’ll walk you through how to prepare a week’s worth of healthy eats with a focus on efficiency, deliciousness, and balance. Grab your meal prep containers, turn on some music, and let’s goooooo!

(PS if you’re looking for more ideas, you can download my free Meal Prep Blueprint guide here!)

How to prep for a week of healthy eating in two hours

Why Meal Prep?

Meal prep isn’t just about saving time; it’s also about making sure you have healthy options on hand. This way you’re more likely to FUEL yourself with healthy eats (instead of getting busy and skipping meals), or choosing options that are simply convenient (like takeout or pantry snacks). When you have a fridge stocked with ready-to-eat meals and snacks, it’s easier to stick to your health goals. Plus, meal prepping can be a fun and creative way to experiment with new recipes and flavors.

Getting Started: Your Meal Prep Plan

The key to successful meal prep is organization.

Start by gathering your ingredients and kitchen tools. Then, follow this step-by-step guide to prepare a week of healthy meals in just two hours. I’ve attached the recipes below, but here’s how I would structure the timing to get everything finished in two hours:

HOUR ONE:

– Preheat the oven to 350

– Start boiling water for the eggs

– Put the chicken in the Instant Pot, spices, and turn it on so the chicken is cooking (recipe #4 below)

– Prep the chocolate protein oatmeal bake (#1 below) and put it into the oven

– Add the eggs to the boiling water (#2 below)

*While the oatmeal, eggs, and chicken are cooking, prep the meat for the meatballs (#7 below), and chop veggies for the raw veggie snacks (#6 below) and store in the fridge, and chop the veggies for roasted veggies (#3 below) and set aside. Toss the veggies for roasting with olive or avocado oil and salt and pepper.

* To finish up hour one, remove the chocolate protein oatmeal from the oven and allow to cool. Shred the chicken and set aside to cool before storing, and

Hi friends! Happy humpday! Looking for a booty workout? Check out this one; it’s one of my very faves. I hope you’re enjoying the week so far!

Spring Quinoa Salad with Artichokes, Feta, and Asparagus

When I first wrote this post, we had just gotten back from an awesome Vegas vacay. It was so good to get back into the swing of things and back in the routine of the girls’ classes and lessons, teaching fitness classes, and catching up on work stuff.  It also felt good to eat some home-cooked food! When we travel, I try to stick to one indulgent meal each day and go for my normal eats for the most part, but Vegas is a little different. It was easy for me to make healthy choices for breakfast, but you definitely have to take advantage of all of the fantastic entree and dessert options. 😉

I was also like, “I can’t wait to eat a vegetable when we get back” but then I looked in our fridge, it was pretty much empty, and I ended up eating coconut milk salted caramel ice cream for lunch. I guess I was still in Vegas mode. 😉 Once I was finally able to replenish the fridge, I created this little on-the-fly salad with some of the new grocery stash.

This salad is perfect for any upcoming spring parties or picnics, and includes two of the “great A’s”: artichokes and asparagus. It has fresh, flavorful, and bright lemon flavors from the lemon juice + zest, and since it’s quinoa-based, it’s sturdy enough to last a few days in the fridge so you can make it in advance! I made it as part of this week’s meal prep (along with some grilled chicken, amazeballs, and protein baked oatmeal) so I could easily eat it alone on top of salad greens or with grilled chicken or tuna for an easy lunch.

This salad is filling and satisfying, plus it’s gluten-free. Vegan friends can omit the feta cheese, or add in their favorite vegan cheese, for a vegan option

Plus it’s one of those, “toss everything in a bowl and forget about it” kinda recipes, which means I’m a fan.

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