10 Easy No-Cook Meal Prep Recipes

10 Easy No-Cook Meal Prep Recipes

You asked, we listened. We know that our FitFam is made up of talented, fun-loving women, which means that our lives are oftentimes jam-packed with all the things: exercise, work, friendship, parenting, and more. 

Busy lifestyles sometimes call for recipes that are fast, easy, and nutritious. It’s so tempting to abandon our nutrition goals when we’re busy, but you’ll feel so much better taking just a couple of minutes to prep some of these delicious, healthy, no-cook meals. 

Not only do our favorite, easy, no-prep meal recipes save you time and effort, but they also save you money and are generally more nutritious than fast food or takeout.

Advantages of No-Cook Meal Prep

There are so many reasons to experiment with no-cook and easy, no-prep meals. 

First, they’re easy to make. There’s no need for fussy meals. Simplified meals are the secret to achieving your fitness goals. Simply put, easy recipes with no cooking save TIME and EFFORT.

They are good for you. Easy, no-prep meals tend to be good for you, with healthy whole ingredients like fresh vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. These plant-forward superfoods will fill you up with more fiber, fewer calories, and less fat than unhealthy, processed meals. 

They’re affordable. Prepping easy recipes with no cooking can save you money, especially when the alternative is dining out. Takeout is convenient, but can seriously break the budget when you rely on it too often. 

They help you get fit. Eating healthy meals (of all types) can support your fitness goals! Before heading to your next Jazzercise class, make sure to fuel up and hydrate properly. 

All of our meals are vetted and approved by our incredible FitPros from Simply Plated by Jazzercise, our guided nutrition program that helps you plan and prepare meals that are designed for optimal fitness, energy, and long-term health. Check it out! 

Essential Tools and Supplies for No-Cook Meal Prep

One of the greatest things about no-cook meal recipes is that you don’t need much to make them. Just have on hand some prep bowls, a sharp knife, something to stir with, and a cutting board. If you plan to batch-cook meals (well, batch-NO-cook, that is), reusable food storage containers are also recommended.

Prioritize Your Protein! Why It’s a Fitness Must-Have in Every Meal

Just ask the experts — protein is a powerhouse nutrient with SO many benefits that support your health goals. Most nutritionists and doctors believe that the vast majority of people could benefit from significantly increasing their protein intake. Here’s why:

Protein makes you feel full longer. Out of the three macronutrients — fat, carbs, and protein — it’s protein that most significantly affects your appetite. When you up your protein intake, your body releases less of your hunger hormone, so you don’t battle cravings all day long. This reduces your desire to snack in between meals, which means you save your appetite for the meals that actually pack a nutritious punch and act as fuel for your next workout. 

Protein is the building block of muscles. Building muscle is an incredible way to help with overall health and fitness as we age. Our muscles are made primarily of protein, so prioritizing protein in your meals is a great way to feed your body the fuel it needs to continue growing and sustaining your desired muscle mass. 

Protein boosts your metabolism. Not all food is digested equally. When our bodies digest protein, our metabolism is boosted significantly, which means your body is burning more calories throughout the day. That’s how powerful your food choices can be. 

Want more ideas for ways to include protein in your meals and snacks throughout the day? Check out our guided nutrition program, Simply Plated., for easy protein hacks to get you started! 

10 Easy No-Cook Meal Prep Recipes

With all the other things you need to get done each day, why spend hours in the kitchen? Here are 10 easy and healthy meals — no cooking required. 

Chia Pudding with Fresh Fruit
Let’s start with breakfast! Want to wake up to pudding? Yes, please! Chia pudding can be made the night before with only three simple ingredients: chia seeds (obviously), plant-based milk, and a small amount of sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup. After this combo thickens in the refrigerator, add your favorite toppings. We love Delish’s Best Chia Pudding recipe — just whisk the simple ingredients together and top with sliced fruit, granola, jam, and nuts. Yum!

Easy Overnight Oats
Another breakfast fave is Minimalist Baker’s Peanut Butter Overnight Oats. This cheap and healthy no-cook meal takes only five minutes to prepare. All you need is plant-based milk, chia seeds, peanut butter, maple syrup, and oats. If you’re looking for a better breakfast to fuel your morning workouts, this one’s a surefire way to get your sweat on! 

Fall Harvest Veggie Wraps
Veggie wraps are one of our go-to lunches, no matter the season. You can make them with tortillas, hummus, and fresh veggies. We love using whole wheat tortillas, store-bought hummus, avocado, mixed salad greens, shredded carrots, and sliced cucumber — but you do you! For a fun autumnal spin, include leftover roasted veggies like sweet potato, butternut squash, eggplant, or brussel sprouts. Just spread your picks onto your tortilla, wrap it all up, and enjoy! If you’re craving an extra protein boost after your Jazzercise class, add some lean turkey slices.

Bistro Boxes
When you’re ready to break for lunch, you’re gonna love Sweet Peas and Saffron's Easy Bistro Lunch Boxes, another easy, no-prep meal idea. You know those cute little bistro lunch boxes from Starbucks? Same idea. Go ahead and keep them simple with your favorite cheese, fruit, veggie sticks, and nuts, or get fancy with veggie dip, bean salad, or turkey slices. The world’s your bistro!

Classic Tuna Salad Sandwich
Sometimes, a classic, healthy, no-cook meal does the trick. And who doesn’t love a tuna salad sandwich? You don’t even need a recipe for this one; just open a can of tuna and add your favorite mix-ins. Popular options are mayo, celery, and relish — but you won’t go wrong with cucumber, avocado, or fresh herbs either! To include some heart-healthy whole grains, sandwich your tuna with whole wheat bread.

Zesty Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Break out a can of heart-healthy chickpeas for Downshiftology's Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. After draining and rinsing your chickpeas, just add diced fresh tomato, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, and parsley. Toss together with crumbled feta cheese and a light vinaigrette — and get ready to shake at the nearest Jazzercise studio!

Nutty Quinoa and Kale Salad
For a healthy, no-cook meal, RecipeTin Eats’ Kale and Quinoa Salad combines quinoa, marinated kale, and roasted almonds with a dijon vinaigrette, fresh herbs, and feta cheese. (Okay, technically, quinoa does need to be cooked, but you can purchase pre-cooked quinoa.) The “secret” to this salad is massaging the raw kale with olive oil and salt. Get ready to absolutely crush your next workout after fueling up with this superfood combo!

Salad in a Jar
We’re not gonna lie — salad tastes even better when you present it in a mason jar! Make your salad ahead by pouring dressing into the bottom of a wide-mouthed jar and adding (in this order) chopped veggies, beans and grains, cheese, proteins, fruit, seeds and nuts, and your favorite greens. When you are ready to eat, shake it all out into a bowl and get ready to feast! 

Creamy Avocado and Tomato Pasta
If you like creamy pasta but want to skip the Alfredo, we’ve got you covered. Inspired Taste's Easy Avocado Pasta demonstrates how to make a dairy-free cream sauce out of avocado! Just combine any type of pasta, a ripe avocado, tomato, green onion, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Easy-peasy! 

Easy No-Bake Energy Bites
Healthy no-cook meals — and snacks! — can benefit your health and boost your workout performance. Fortunately, just about every recipe developer online offers their version of easy, no-bake energy bites. We especially enjoy AllRecipes' No-Bake Energy Bites, which call for oats, chocolate, flax seeds, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. While these satisfying snacks never last for long around here, theoretically, you can freeze them for future use. 

Tips for Successful No-Cook Meal Planning

We don’t think that you’ll have any trouble making these easy, healthy meals. No cooking means less room for error! Plus, easy, no-prep meals don’t involve much planning, so you’ll have time to head over to your favorite Jazzercise class! (New to dance fitness? Start here.)

To fuel up, stock your pantry with basics like beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Then, pick up fresh ingredients (i.e., fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products) weekly. With the above supplies and recipes, making healthy, no-cook meals will be a breeze. 

Budget-Friendly No-Cook Meal Prep Ideas

For cheap and healthy no-cook meals, choose easy recipes with simple, plant-forward ingredients. Budget-friendly grocery items like beans, seeds, and whole grains are usually cheaper than meats, poultry, and seafood. These savings will quickly add up — and so will the benefits of eating healthy, plant-based meals! 

To learn more about how eating right can fuel your workouts, talk to our FitPro team about Simply Plated.! It’s our patented nutrition program that provides recipes, nutrition hacks, and tips from our FitPros. You also get community and accountability to help you meet those goals. 

Follow Jazzercise on Instagram for more healthy lifestyle tips.