The idea of meal prep conjures images of boring, uninspiring lunches in to-go containers. Maybe meal prep takes you back to fad diet days or maybe it just sounds like a lot of work. There are a lot of preconceived notions about meal prepping, especially because it sometimes takes the joy out of food. But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

When meal prepping to support your fat loss goals, you can still eat delicious, exciting meals. There’s no need to rely on plain grilled chicken, brown rice, and a pile of steamed vegetables. 

These meal prep ideas for weight loss will help you pack flavor so you can look forward to eating while still losing weight. 

Start with a Base & Add the Spice

Chicken and brown rice is a meal prep staple. It’s full of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Unfortunately, it is just kind of plain. Experimenting with spices and homemade sauces can transform your lunch so you look forward to every bite. 

One of the great things about a plain “base” for your prepped meals is the endless combinations you can create when you add spice and different vegetables. This allows you to play to your tastes and design enviable meals.

Building a great base is all about balancing a good source of protein with a healthy carbohydrate. Other proteins to explore include super firm tofu, beans or lentils, fish, frozen shrimp, and pork loin.  

For the carbohydrate portion, don’t just think brown rice. There’s also quinoa, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens.

Bring the Heat with a Cajun-Style Lunch 

The cajun-style lunch is so great because it’s full of in-your-face smoky flavor. For this lunch, make brown rice (or quinoa for extra protein) and season it with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, powdered mustard, oregano, thyme, and a little bit of salt and black pepper. 

If you choose to make all of your proteins in advance, make an easy, flavorful sauce for the protein with a little bit of olive oil, low sodium soy sauce, maple syrup or other natural sweetener, and some cajun seasoning. Drizzle this over the protein and dig in! 

There are so many vegetables you can add to this. With this lunch bowl, you can easily play to the seasons, incorporating fresh, local ingredients. This might look like zucchini, summer squash, and okra in the summer and carrots, brussels sprouts, and collard greens in the winter. 

Even with the added seasonings and cajun drizzle sauce, this meal is still perfect if you’re trying to lose weight. 

Mexican Night Meal Prep Style 

Your base can also work for a delicious Mexican-style bowl. Instead of buying a pre-made taco seasoning that may have additives, DIY your seasoning by mixing cumin (have a heavy hand with this one), paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Then, add your favorite taco toppings: chopped greens, salsa, corn, green onions, black beans, and tomatoes. Mix it all together and you have an easy-to-eat, delicious meal. 

You can also always add some enchilada sauce to the mix or a little bit of low-fat sour cream to really maximize flavor and tastiness. 

Greek Inspired Protein Bowl 

Greek-inspired bowls are easy to make and delicious. Use a spice blend of coriander, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, marjoram, dill, rosemary, and thyme to season your protein and carb. Add pickles, onions, bell pepper, zucchini, and olives to round out the veggies. 

For extra protein, you could add chickpeas or even try your hand at homemade falafel to add something new to your bowl. A Greek protein bowl is also great with a homemade hummus or homemade tzatziki sauce. Making sauces at home allows you more control over ingredients and can help you stay within your macro goals. 

Creative Sandwiches for Weight Loss 

Sandwiches don’t have to be lunchmeat and cheese on bland bread. Rethinking sandwiches is a great way to meal prep for weight loss because it allows you to get all the nutrients you need — and sandwiches taste great and are easy to pack, too! 

You will want to build your sandwich around your protein of choice. Instead of heading for the processed deli meat, try making sandwiches with grilled chicken, tempeh, tofu, or even mashed chickpeas! 

Putting new spins on old favorites is a great way to approach sandwich artistry. Love a BLT but need to hold off on the bacon? Try making tempeh bacon instead. It can be just as deliciously salty on your sandwich, but without all the grease and fat that comes with bacon. In the same vein, instead of using mayonnaise as the condiment for your BLT, try hummus or smashed avocado with a little salt and pepper. This will still give you the creaminess you crave. 

The biggest thing to remember about healthy sandwiches is if you can do-it-yourself, then do-it-yourself! Many of the health risks we see with different sauces or easy store-bought solutions (like the deli chicken salad) are the additives, sugars, and extra sodium. When we make these ingredients at home, we know exactly what we’re putting in them, so that makes it easier to pay attention to your calories and macros. 

Let Yourself Eat Something Sweet 

Just like meal prep doesn’t need to be boring, it doesn’t need to be restrictive either. You can still enjoy a sweet treat with your meal or even a full-fledged dessert. The key is planning for it and taking the time to include treats in your meal prep. Allowing yourself to have sweets makes it less likely that you will indulge or overeat sweets, thus contributing to your weight loss plan. 

Some of our favorite healthy sweet treats are peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, cut fruit with a homemade yogurt dip (just add a little vanilla extract and some honey or maple syrup), pre-made real fruit ice pops with no added sugar, a portioned bowl of no- or low-sugar cereal, or some pieces of dark chocolate. 

Hopefully these meal prep ideas for weight loss will help you make the perfect dishes. And as you continue to focus on your weight loss, you can use the ZOZOFIT app to monitor your progress along the way.