Meal prep ideas for when you are bored of chicken and rice
Change the sauce, the format or the cuisine and keep the same method. Ways to vary meal prep without learning new skills.
Photo by Ratul Ghosh on Unsplash
Boredom is the main reason people stop meal prepping. You do not need new skills to fix it, only variation in the right place.
Can you change just the sauce?
Yes, and it is the easiest fix. The same chicken and rice becomes a different meal with a different sauce.
- Soy and honey: garlic chicken and rice bowls.
- Tikka spices and yogurt: chicken tikka with rice and peas.
- Fajita seasoning: chicken fajita bowls.
- Lemon and oregano: Greek chicken bento boxes.
Make two sauces and split one batch of chicken between them.
Can you change the format?
- Bowls one week, wraps the next.
- A cold bento box in place of a reheated meal.
- A soup in place of a grain dish.
- A pasta salad in place of rice.
Format changes how a meal feels more than the ingredients do.
Can you change the protein?
Swap chicken for ground turkey, tofu, lentils or canned tuna. Each one changes the dish, and several cost less. See the cheapest high-protein foods.
What is ingredient prep?
Cook parts, not finished meals: a grain, a protein, two vegetables and two sauces. Combine them differently each day. It takes the same time and gives four different lunches. It is sometimes called buffet-style prep. See batch cooking or meal prep.
What can you add on the day?
A squeeze of lime, fresh herbs, a handful of nuts, a spoon of yogurt, hot sauce or pickled onions. One fresh thing makes prepared food taste freshly made.
Should you cook two dinners?
If one dinner for four nights is too repetitive, cook two smaller ones and alternate. Or cook one fresh and take one from the freezer. A stock of frozen meals is the best cure for repetition. See freezer meal prep for beginners.
Which recipes are furthest from chicken and rice?
- Cold peanut noodle salad
- Coconut chickpea curry
- Crispy tofu and vegetable stir-fry
- Sheet-pan salmon and potatoes
- Chicken enchilada bake
How often should you change recipes?
Every week for dinner and lunch. Breakfast can stay the same for longer, because most people mind repetition less in the morning.
How do you find something new from what you have?
Pick the ingredients in your kitchen in the recipe generator. It ranks every recipe by how much of it you can already make, which often suggests something you would not have chosen.
Where to go next
Browse all recipes and sort by quickest or cheapest, or pick a different category each week.
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Write what it is and the date it was cooked. Tape and a marker are enough. What to write, where, and how to use food in order.
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Batch cooking or meal prep: what is the difference?
Batch cooking makes a lot of one dish. Meal prep portions complete meals for the week. Which suits you, and how to combine them.