How To Eat Healthy Without Meal Prepping

Meal prepping is a go-to practice for so many trying to improve their health and focus on nutrition. In fact, #kitchenrestock has over 460 million views on TikTok. It's oddly satisfying to watch influencers clear out, prep, organize, and stock their kitchens. Perfectly lined up sparkling waters, clear containers brimming with pre-washed berries, fresh herbs sitting in glasses of water…but who has time for all of that? As a Registered Dietitian, I’ll share a few tips how to eat healthy without meal prepping that will keep your kitchen well-stocked for quick meals without such a time commitment.

I mean, who really wants to spend three hours prepping food on Sunday whilst battling the scaries? Here I’ll go through each of the major food storage areas of the kitchen—the pantry, freezer, and fridge—offering ways to prioritize nutrition, organization, and food waste reduction. I’ll also share some of my favorite foods to have on hand for quick, easy, and downright delicious meals. Let's jump in.

Of all the kitchen storage areas, the panty is by far the most notorious for housing foods years past their "best by" dates. To avoid this, move older foods to the front of the shelf, placing any new additions behind, otherwise known as "first in, first out." The pantry is a place where clear storage containers can actually be your friend, especially if you shop in bulk—helping you to keep an eye out for freshness or molding. Plus, they can help to stimulate appetite cues, increasing the odds that you’ll opt for the healthy foods you've stocked up on. Here are some favorite I like to keep on hand:

The freezer is your friend in the game of quick meal assembly on busy weeknights, but can also be a dark hole of no return for many foods. Utilize the same concept as the pantry in terms of moving older items up front so they’ll be used first to address this. Let's jump into some great go-to's:

Organization also really pays off when it comes to keeping your fridge tidy and odor-free. While I rarely pre-wash or cut my produce upon returning home from a grocery haul, I will usually wrap perishable greens, including herbs, in biodegradable paper towel and store them in an airtight container. Though I know storing herbs in glasses filled with water will increase their lifespan, that's one hack I simply can't be bothered with (nor do I have room in my fridge).

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I also go through any berries I’ve purchased—immediately freezing those that look banged up for smoothies, chopping the ones that look "eh" for breakfasts, and placing the ones that look great in an airtight container. This is because I’ve found fresh berries can mold quickly and are one of the most wasted produce items in kitchens.

Here's some other foods I usually always have:

So, while that was a lot of information, it just goes to show that when it comes to how to eat healthy without meal prepping, there are so many ways a stocked kitchen can pump out quick meals for you without a TikTok-level restock or extensive planning every week.

Having a mental rolodex of quick-cooking meals is also super helpful here—I have at least six recipes that I can always turn to if I’m exhausted and need to throw something together with foods I already have on hand, no special shopping required. Through learning these tricks of the trade, you can get food on the table fast that is tasty and healthy no matter how tired you are after a long day's work.