Published: by Lyndsey Piccolino · This post may contain affiliate links
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Healthy make-ahead meals make busy weeknights a breeze! Here are 25healthy make-ahead meals that your family will love - many of them are freezer meals you can meal prep ahead of time!
Make-Ahead Recipes for Busy School Nights
There is nothing better than having a home-cooked meal! Make-ahead dinners are great for meal prep on the weekends and then to heat individual portions later in the week!
Grocery budgeting can go over when eating out too much or stopping at the store every day! So, healthy make-ahead meals are the perfect solution to help your family eat together and stay on top of our grocery budget!
Whether it's casseroles or soups, bowls or meats and veggies, all of these healthy make-ahead meals are great because they feed a crowd. Some are also vegetarian!
Many of these can be made ahead of time and frozen for busy weeknight dinners. They are easy to heat up in the microwave and you can adjust quantities to make them for two or for a large family.
If you like fall flavors be sure to check out these 25 healthy fall dinners! Looking for light and easy meals? Check out these 25 easy summer meals for a hot day.
Prep and freeze these keto fat bombs for a healthy dessert everyone will love!
HOMEMADE TAQUITOS
Air fryer homemade taquitos made healthy with shredded chicken and tasty ranch Greek yogurt dip!
Air Fryer Homemade Taquitos
These air fryer taquitos are a kid-friendly, healthy recipe that is great for picky eaters (and includes hidden veggies!) Make straight from the freezer to the table inless than 25 minutes!
CROCK POT CHICKEN THIGHS
Paleo crock pot chicken thighs slow-cooked with honey, soy sauce, and garlic are deliciously tender!One of the best healthy make-ahead meals that tastes even better the next day.
Honey Garlic Paleo Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
This easy paleo slow cooker recipe is family-friendly and better than take out!
CROCK POT ENCHILADA SOUP
Thrown together in less than 5 minutes, this healthy crock pot enchilada soup is a hearty soup recipe with chicken breasts and black beans that tastes so good on a busy weeknight.
Crock Pot Enchilada Soup
Full of flavor and topped with shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, and tortilla chips, this slow-cooked classic Mexican soup will be in regular family dinner rotation.
HEALTHY HAMBURGER HELPER
A healthy instant pot hamburger helper is a great way to make an easy weeknight meal your family will love!
Healthy Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
Made with ground turkey, cheese, noodles, and spices, this homemade cheeseburger macaroni tastes even better than the box classic and will be a weeknight dinner winner! This is one of the easiest healthy make-ahead meals!
CROCK POT ROAST WITH POTATOES AND CARROTS
Crock pot roast with potatoes and carrots is a delicious & flavorful meal your entire family will love!
Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
This fall-apart, tender beef roast has simple, wholesome ingredients that are easy to make. An old-fashioned favorite that is perfect for any night of the week!
CROCKPOT SANTA FE CHICKEN
Crockpot Chicken Santa Fe is an easy slow cooker recipe that is super versatile! Use in tacos, soups, and more for one of the most versatile healthy make-ahead meals!
Chicken Santa Fe
This healthy dump-and-go meal is super easy to prep injust a few minutes! Made with just a few simple ingredients like bell pepper, salsa, and chicken, this is a delicious meal to have at the end of a long day.
MEATLOAF WITHOUT BREADCRUMBS
Meatloaf without breadcrumbs is the perfect healthy recipe your family will love!
Topped with a healthy, sugar-free ketchup and mustard sauce, this breadcrumb-free recipe is Whole30, Paleo, and Keto. Perfect for any dietary restriction and delicious for the entire family.
HEALTHY TURKEY BURGER
The BEST juicy healthy turkey burger recipe you've ever had! Quick to prep and ready to grill inless than 10 minutes!
Healthy Turkey Burger
The most delicious moist spinach and feta turkey burger recipe you'll find!
SLOW COOKER SWEDISH MEATBALLS
Slow Cooker Swedish meatballsmade at home in the crock pot are better than Ikea!
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Whole30 and keto-friendly, these Swedish meatballs will be a family favorite!
Low-calorie Italian Casserole made with zucchini, brown rice, and artichokes is one of the most simple healthy make-ahead meals.
A nourishing, healthy dinnerthat’s filling and bursting with Italian flavorings. Gluten-free, and low-calorie!
This recipe can be customized for your family's taste or dietary restrictions. If you are a vegetarian, just replace the protein with lentils and the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Stock your fridge or freezer and prepare dinner ahead of time to have this hearty Southwestern Shepherd's Pie any night of the week.
Late summer usuallymeans loads of summer squash and zucchini. Make this healthy zucchini recipe to use up zucchini from your garden.
Cheesy, summer squash! Loads of zucchini in the best lighter fare comfort food dish.
Authentic Tex-Mex beef enchiladas featuring ground beef, homemade beef gravy, and a freshly grated cheese blend.
The key to a perfect Tex-Mex Beef Enchilada is a combination of multiple factors: A good authentic enchilada gravy, a flavorful ground beef filling, and melty cheese.
This small batch gluten-free Vegetable Lasagna is vegan, top 8 allergy-free, packed with veggies, and homemade tomato sauce, and on the table in 30 minutes!
A quick and easy, healthy and lightened up version of a classic Italian dinner! A recipe the whole family will love for those busy weeknight meal dilemmas!
This easy and cheesy cowboy casserole recipe is the perfect delicious dinner for busy nights. A fun twist on one of the most kid-friendly healthy make-ahead meals!
A simple, hearty casserole made with layers of ground beef, veggies, spices, a creamy mushroom sauce, crispy tater tots, and lots of cheese.
The whole family will love the cheesy chicken bacon ranch casserole recipe!
This quick and easy low-carb chicken casserole has just 7 common ingredients, 5 minutes prep, and 2 ways to make it.
The dish makes the perfect meal solution for your family on busy evenings!
Here’s a delicious keto chicken cordon bleu casserole recipe that’s quick and easy to make. It's filled with layers of chicken, melted cheese, and diced ham.
CHICKEN BROCCOLI AND RICE BAKE
Hearty and delicious, this chicken broccoli and rice casserole will satisfy all appetites! This is a perfect casserole for making ahead of time and then baking for dinner.
Make an extra dish and place it in the freezer for later!
Whip up a big batch of White Chicken Chili! It’shearty, warming and comforting.
You will love this Instant PotWhite Chicken Chilirecipe. It is so easy to make from pantry staples and includes a regular, Instant Pot and slow cooker version.
This velvety, rich, and healthy carrot soup has a unique and perfectly balanced flavor!
Easy and delicious Vegan Roasted Carrot Soup with lentils and Moroccan spices.
It’s an easy one-pot meal that’s ready in less than half an hour. Vegan & gluten-free.
Three-bean chili recipe with pinto, black, and Great Northern beans – the perfect warm-you-up dinner.
This easy taco soup recipe comes together in minutes, is inexpensive, and makes a great freezer meal.
Cooked on the stove, in the slow cooker, or your Instant Pot…it’s the perfect weeknight meal.
This Slow Cooker recipe is easy to make and is ready in 5 hours! It’s made with a dry onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup to make a comforting gravy your entire family is going to love!
Serve this simple weeknight meal over egg noodles or with mashed potatoes!
Ready to eat in 20 minutes and perfect to stash in the freezer.
A fast and easy shrimp stir fry starring shrimp and fresh veggies!
FAQs
What can I make ahead of time for dinner?
The list above is just a sampling of the best healthy make-ahead meals!
Generally, soups are one of my favorite recipes to make ahead for an entire week of healthy dinners.
Soups are the perfect easy freezer meals to make in batches and freeze for later. A freezer bag works well to store make-ahead freezer meals you cook in batches.
Or, you can make a batch of soup to store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It's great to grab a pre-made meal on a busy day!
Check out the full library of healthy soup recipes and give some of my favorites like southwestern chili and corn chowder a try!
Is meal prep for a week healthy?
Sometimes it takes a little bit of planning, but the result is worth it. If you're in the mood to get your weeknight meals ready, get shopping and cooking and you can have dinner for a month!
Meal prepping can be a pain. No one wants to spend hours on a weekend in the kitchen making dinner recipes!
Spending just a little bit of time on meal planning and making healthy meal prep recipes is really the best way to achieve healthy eating despite school activities and busy weeknights.
With the simple and easy dinner recipe ideas in this post, you will be able to find the perfect recipe to make the dinner hour less chaotic.
I've also found that I tend to eat better and spend less money when I meal prep healthy meals for the week!
What food can you meal prep for a week?
Your future self will thank you for prepping an easy weeknight dinner ahead of time!
Some of my favorite foods to prep for a week include salads, and air fryer chicken tenders I can put on salads or in a quinoa bowl with whole grains, or burrito bowl.
Casseroles like walking taco casserole, delicious lasagnas, or pressure cooker hamburger helper are a few delicious meals you can make ahead of time.
Veggie sides like air fryer sweet potatoes are versatile to use as side dishes, or as a base for a healthy breakfast.
You can even meal prep an easy breakfast like baked oatmeal with protein or overnight oats with protein.
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5 from 9 votes
Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
This recipe is a delicious & flavorful meal your entire family will love! This fall apart, tender beef roast has simple, wholesome ingredients that are easy to make. An old fashioned favorite that is perfect for any night of the week!
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 8 hours hours
Total Time 8 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 402kcal
Author Lyndsey
Equipment
Slow Cooker or Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef chuck roast
- 2 cups potatoes baby or fingerling potatoes sliced in half
- 3 large carrots roughly cut into large chunks
- 5 cloves garlic grated
- 1 small shallot sliced
- 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 cups beef bone broth
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoon horseradish
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Place potatoes, carrots, shallots, and garlic into the slow cooker. Add ½ of the fresh herbs.
2 cups potatoes, 3 large carrots, 5 cloves garlic, 1 small shallot, 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoon fresh thyme
Season beef roast with salt and pepper and place on top of veggies.
3 lb beef chuck roast, salt and pepper
Mix beef bone broth, red wine vinegar, and dijon mustard and pour over beef and veggies. Rub horseradish into the roast. Add the other half of the fresh herbs to the op. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the beef is tender and falls apart.
2 cups beef bone broth, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoon horseradish
To thicken gravy, heat 1 cup of cooking liquid on stove until bubbling. Add 1 teaspoon arrowroot mixed with 1 teaspoon water to gravy and pour over beef roast.
1 teaspoon arrowroot
Notes
Instant Pot Directions: Follow the same directions for assembling and pressure cook on high for 60-80 minutes depending on the size of your roast. You may want to sear your meat prior to cooking with this method.
Oven Directions: How long to cook a roast at 350F will depend on the size of your roast. For a 3-lb cut you will cook it in the oven anywhere from 2 to 2 ½ hours.
Storage: store cooked beef and vegetables in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Freezer Directions: Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.7g | Protein: 47.1g | Fat: 15.9g
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About Lyndsey Piccolino
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Comments
Kelly Anthony
This is a great roundup every momma should have in their back pocket! Thank you for taking the time to put it together, and especially for including a couple of my recipes! 🙂 Love this!!!
Reply
mommafitpgh@gmail.com
of course! Thank you for contributing!
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