Meal prepping is a great way to gain control over what you eat while saving time and money. With a little bit of advance planning and time set aside, you can breeze through the rest of your week with healthy, delicious, low-carb diet recipes! Check out our favorite low-carb meal prep ideas and tips that are sure to keep your healthy eating goals on track.
1. SWAP OUT TRADITIONAL RICE FOR CAULIFLOWER RICE
Low-carb diet recipes can still taste delicious! Make-ahead burrito bowls are great for a vibrant workday lunch or a quick dinner. Swapping out traditional rice for riced cauliflower, such as Birds Eye® Riced Cauliflower, makes this Mexican favorite a great low-carb option. Finish your bowls with shredded chicken or ground beef cooked up with sliced bell peppers and taco seasoning, a small scoop of black beans, sliced red onions, chopped tomatoes, and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend. Keep things interesting throughout the week by customizing your bowls with fresh avocado, different salsas, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. And when you don’t have time to make your own bowls, try these delicious and hassle-free Grain-Free Power Bowls from Healthy Choice®, or this Birds Eye Steamfresh® Bowl. Your taste buds will thank you!
2. REPLACE NOODLES WITH VOODLES
“Voodles” are vegetable noodles that can be made from a variety of veggies, and they’re a super-hot trend right now! Low-carb, low-cal, healthy, and delicious, “zoodles” (zucchini noodles), “squoodles” (squash noodles), and “swoodles” (sweet potato noodles) are just a few of the many options for enjoying your favorite pasta-inspired dishes in a fresh new way. Voodles are made by running the raw vegetable through a spiralizer or using a mandoline or vegetable peeler to create very thin, long slices. Try making a batch of Zucchini Noodles with Mushroom marinara, and have quick, easy dinners for days! (Tip: Vegetable noodles do best when cooked right before eating, so store your voodles raw and cook them up quickly at dinnertime. They only take a few minutes!)
3. SALADS: FILLING, PROTEIN-PACKED, AND EXCITING!
Talk about vibrant low-carb diet recipes! That same old big salad filled with lettuce and a few limp veggies is, well, let's just say it—BORING! Welcome salads back into your life by making them a hearty and bold meal, perfect for even the hungriest low-carb meal prepper! Set out your containers and construct *your* perfect salad.
- Start with your greens: Crunchy romaine, fresh spring mix, baby spinach, a wedge of iceberg—it’s up to you!
- Add your protein: Sliced rotisserie chicken works wonderfully here—it’s fast, easy, delicious, low-carb, and chock-full of protein to keep the 3 o’clock slump at bay. Other great options include cold, cooked shrimp, canned tuna (drained), or salmon. Vegetarian? No worries! Simply substitute sliced hard-boiled eggs or Gardein® Chick'n Strips!
- Don't skip the veggies! Let's keep it interesting, though. Sliced red onion, juicy cherry tomatoes, radishes, mushrooms, cooked and cooled asparagus, and beets are all great options to mix and match!
- Cheese for the win! Sprinkle on some Feta, shredded cheddar, or crumbled blue cheese to give your salad an extra helping of yum!
- Dress it up! So many options here, but try Wish-Bone® Light Italian Dressing to add that extra zip and tang that will take your salads the extra mile.
4. DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST!
Can’t think of any low-carb meal prep ideas for breakfast? We got you covered! It's easy to claim we’re too busy to eat breakfast, but that first meal really does set the tone for the rest of the day. It's especially important when following a low-carb diet to balance your meals throughout the day to avoid hunger and drooping energy levels! Eggs are a wonderful source of protein in the morning, but they don't always fit well into meal-prep recipes. (Scrambled eggs made 3 days ago? No, thank you!) However, we've got a delicious and easy way to keep eggs a staple in your morning, even when cooking ahead. These Ham, Broccoli and Cheddar Egg Muffins can be made in advance and reheated easily in the microwave!
5. WRAP IT UP!
Who doesn't love a good low-carb diet recipe for wraps? They're compact, filling, yummy, and satisfying. But using traditional wraps, pitas, or tortillas can add too many unwanted carbs to the meal. There's an easy solution—wrap up the goodies in lettuce instead! Take chicken salad, tuna, or deli meat and pop it into your meal prep containers side by side with some cheese and a large leaf or two of crunchy romaine or iceberg lettuce. Then when lunchtime rolls around, simply assemble and eat! Try our Asian Tuna Lettuce Wraps and you'll be a believer!
