We’ve all had those weekends, right? We had family in town, spent some time traveling, or were just too lazy to get our butts off the couch on Sunday. It happens.

While the goal is always to prepare fresh food to fuel you for the week, it’s not always realistic. That’s why we’ve put together a guide for meal prep that doesn’t require any actual cooking.

What do we need?

This is how we break it down: Protein, Starch, Veggie, Snacks.

Where do we go?

Now, this guide can generally apply to any local grocery store but Trader Joe’s does it the best. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s around you, you should probably consider moving. Kidding…but not really.

What’s the game plan?

The easiest way to tackle this is to pick up two different kinds of proteins, two starches, two veggies, and then as many snacks as your heart desires. Let’s say you get:

Protein: Grilled Chicken Strips / Turkey Burgers
Starch: Brown Rice / Roasted Potatoes
Veggie: Fire Roasted Peppers and Onions / Misto Alla Griglia

Then, lunch becomes chicken strips, roasted potatoes, and misto alla griglia. Dinner becomes turkey burgers, brown rice, fire roasted peppers and onions. You can add fats as needed. Some of these things already have a good source of fats. Otherwise, you can top your meal with olive oil, nuts, avocado, etc. Simple, right?

So, here are suggestions for things you can pick up for meal prep that require little to no cooking or prep!

Protein

It can be hard to find protein that requires no prep but Trader Joe’s has tons of options. Some include:

• Grilled Chicken Strips (they sell these refrigerated or frozen)
• Gluten-Free Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets (frozen)
• Cooked Shrimp (frozen)
• Chili Lime Chicken Burgers (frozen)
• Premium Wild Salmon Burgers (frozen)
• Simply Seasoned Tuna Burgers (frozen)
• Mahi Mahi Burgers (frozen)
• Turkey Burgers (frozen; uncooked – so there’s a bit of cooking involved)
• Grass-Fed Angus Beef Burger (frozen; uncooked)
• Ground Buffalo Burgers (frozen; uncooked)
• Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burger (frozen)
• Cowboy Quinoa Veggie Burger (frozen)
• Hi-Protein Veggie Burger (frozen)

Starch

• Organic Jasmine Rice (frozen)
• Organic Brown Rice (frozen)
• Brown Rice (frozen)
• Sprouted Red Jasmine Rice (frozen)
• Rice Medley (frozen)
• Roasted Potatoes with Peppers & Onions (frozen)
• Country Potatoes with Haricot Verts and Wild Mushrooms (frozen)
• Shredded Hash Browns (frozen)
• Asparagus Risotto (frozen)
• Mushroom Risotto (frozen)
• Butternut Squash Risotto (frozen)
• Spelt Risotto (frozen)
• Cauliflower Gnocchi (frozen)
• Gnocchi al Gorgonzola (frozen)
• Sweet Potato Gnocchi (frozen)
• Organic Superfood Pilaf (frozen)

Veggies

• Grilled Cauliflower (frozen)
• Mashed Cauliflower (frozen)
• Organic Riced Cauliflower (frozen)
• Riced Cauliflower Stir-Fry (frozen)
• Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers & Onions (frozen)
• Misto Alla Griglia (frozen)
• Organic Broccoli Florets (frozen)
• Stir-Fry Vegetables (frozen)
• Organic Kabocha Squash (frozen)
• Haricots Verts (frozen)
• Mushroom Medley (frozen)
• Organic Shredded Green & Red Cabbage with Orange Carrots (refrigerated) & Carrot Ginger Miso Salad Dressing(refrigerated)

Snacks

• Protein-dominant:
  • Organic Beef Jerky
  • Wild King Salmon Jerky
  • Fage Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
  • Low-Fat Kefir
• Carb-dominant:
  • Steelcut Oatmeal (frozen)
  • Mediterranean Hummus Snack Pack
  • Roasted Plantain Chips
  • Ranch Seasoned Crispy Chickpeas
  • Inner Peas (crunchy, baked green peas)
  • Popcorn with Herbs & Spices
  • Beet Chips
  • Dried Wild Blueberries
  • Just Mango Slices
• Fat-dominant:
  • Organic String Cheese
  • Nuts (various)
  • Trail Mix (various)
  • Coconut Strips