No recipes here…but in my opinion…this post may be more helpful. Because I’m sharing with you the list of my GO TO foods that I tend to always have in my kitchen. Year round. When I use them, they IMMEDIATELY go on the grocery list to restock. Because having these quick, easy meals is what helps me feel focused on my health & nutrition even when I don’t prep (yeah, I sometimes don’t plan well and miss it), or I’m extra busy, or something comes up, or I just get sick of the food I do have prepped…for whatever reason, there will be days when you are searching for something to eat at meal time. And take-out seems like the easiest option. But what if you had meals that could be ready in under 10 minutes with minimal clean-up for a fraction of the price of take-out? I’m not opposed to take-out, I go out or order take-out about once a week as a planned night. BUT…that is an intentional choice. I set myself up to not rely on that when I just don’t feel like cooking, or whatever other excuse I come up with.

**note that these can also be really great options if you are traveling and have access to a kitchen, but don’t want to buy a ton of ingredients…getting some of these can be an easy way to build meals that are already pre-seasoned/easy to mix/match to create meals.

So - below is going to be kind of a sneak peek into my freezer/fridge/pantry in how I make my meals so so so simple. And you can too!

LET’S DIVE IN STARTING WITH SOME PROTEIN!

Sheet pan meals like the chicken with Garlic Parm Potatoes…this is a ONE PAN MEAL. 25 minutes, zero brainpower…and you have a balanced meal. I will usually air fry some additional green beans to bulk this up - but it is super easy! As a house of ONE, I have also used this as a way to “meal prep” - I get the family size, cook it for dinner - then I have it for lunch & dinner the next day too (as sides or on salads, etc.

Chicken Meatballs - are they marketed as kids…but I get them as a grown up? Yes. I often have these as snacks - or on my bans pasta. 10 min in the air fryer and you’re good to go! (and no…the veggies in these meatballs do not count as your veggie serving lol)
Roasted Just Bare Chicken Bites - these are SO GOOD - and a great lower carb alternative to the breaded nuggets! These are ALWAYS in my freezer - 10 min in air fryer.
Chicken Breast Tenderloins - I either have these or the frozen breasts in the freezer. Spray some olive oil on them, sprinkle with garlic powder, s&p…then put in the air fryer FROZEN - 10 min on one side, flip, 8-10 min on the other and they are juicy perfection!

MORE PROTEIN COMING UP…

REALGOOD chicken nuggs/tenders/etc - are the GOAT for frozen chicken. Loaded with protein, DELICIOUS, have as a side, a snack, on a salad, in a wrap, etc…they are just really good. and the macros really cannot be beat for these breaded nuggets: for a 4oz serving: P23/C4/F7. YES PLEASE!

Kevin’s - I often get the chicken and the beef - they are quick to heat up, I will add them to instant rice with microwave veg and you have an easy meal with basically ZERO clean-up. I find that one package usually splits to two meals for me.
Protein shakes - this is fairly obvious…but having protein powder & pre-made shakes is a game changer for snacks, and to supplement your daily protein intake. This is also a great way to make sure you get your protein on-the-go. The pre-made shakes are great to add into iced coffees (And are shelf-stable - so they don’t need to go into the fridge - and can be taken on the road to add to coffee drinks), protein powder is great to add to smoothies, oatmeal, shakes, etc…and again - travels easily on car rides when you want to make sure you have more protein on the road.

I am a HUGE advocate for frozen veggies. I obviously get fresh produce each week…but having frozen veggies available to you at any time is a SUPER easy way to increase the volume of your meals (if you’re in a cut you know why this is so important), but also…a lot of these bring more variety into my meals. Again…as a house of ONE…I love veggies and want a ton of them…but If we just look at one of those stir fry bags above…if I got a head of broccoli, a bunch of carrots, bell peppers, edamame, cauliflower, and celery…I WOULD NEVER use up all of that before it went bad. A lot of these pre-seasoned ones also provide me with that need for big flavor that I crave…again, without having to buy all the sauces or ingredients to make the sauces.

Riced Cauliflower - great way to increase veggie intake - sometimes I will mix this with rice to double the volume without doubling the carbs. I prefer getting the flavored cauliflower rice because I sometimes think the plain tastes like an armpit lol.
All the frozen stir fry blends - I will throw these in a pain while I air fry those roasted chicken bites or the real good Chicken nuggs, then throw the chicken into the pan at the end to mix the sauce on it.
Grain Blends & Power Blends - I love these as sides, add them to a salad, or as a base to add protein to them…I will sometimes even just have them on their own! Again - a huge variety of delicious ingredients that you may not normally gravitate towards - giving you a ton of micronutrients, fiber, and veggies in one quick microwave bag!
Pre-cut veggies & fruit - okay - this one I sometimes get push-back on. Because you end up paying a lot more for this. BUT…for me? It means I will eat it, it cuts down on prep/effort/mess. And as weird as it is - I prefer shredded carrots to chopped carrots…so I will eat a whole bag of shredded carrots in a couple days…but whole carrots? I will find them in the fridge when they are getting sad and shriveled lol. Same with some fruit. Especially the ones that for me…are just a pain in the ass to cut up - and are messy - specifically - watermelon and pineapple. I will happily pay a little more and just be able to eat it.
The little potato co. - Are they just little potatoes in a container. Yes. Do I still prefer this to getting a big bag of potatoes because it comes with a little flavor pack and you just pop them into the microwave for 5 minutes and you’re good to go? ALSO YES. Again - it’s about what WORKS for you in times when you don’t want to do any of the work. If I make one of these containers of potatoes at dinnertime - I will have plenty to add to some scrambled eggs int he morning - or have with lunch the next day.

Last up…some pantry things that are ALWAYS in my house. ALWAYS.

Banza pasta - any style…but usually spaghetti or penne. Plain, sauced, add veg, or chicken…a great way to boost protein in a meal, and also…who DOESN’T just want to boil water on a night when cooking ANYTHING just feels like too much effort?? Pasta is always the go-to move when I’m having indecision around my meals.
Instant Rice - I always have a few Ben’s Original - White rice, Jasmine, Basmati…and a few of the seeds of Change packs as a mix of quinoa & rice that are flavored. Usually one pack will be great for 2 meals for me. 90s in the microwave. IT DOES NOT GET EASIER.
Rice Noodles - If you’re new here and you haven’t tried the peanut noodle salad…click here for the recipe…but honestly, sometimes I just have these with peanut sauce, shredded carrots, and the just bare chicken bites. THEY TAKE 4 MINUTES TO COOK IN BOILING WATER. SO FREAKIN EASY!
Popcorn - this is my favorite snack/dessert - Sometimes I get lightly salted, sometimes butter (not movie-theater butter style lol), sometimes plain…but always popcorn.

So while each week, I of course have fresh produce, and fresh meat & fish that I will cook up…I am a huge advocate for having some kitchen staples that you KNOW are there. That are such a fixture in your kitchen that you know no matter what - that you CAN have that as an option on those busy days/nights.

I hope this was helpful! Y’all are always asking me about busy weeks, about quick and easy meals…and even just this batch of staples, you have SO MANY OPTIONS for what you can make. For dinner, for lunch, etc…you CAN make meal prep easy, you CAN make meals simple, you CAN decide that it’s not either complicated or take-out.

MY LIST OF KITCHEN STAPLES FOR EASY BACK-UP MEALS

Chicken Salad