If you’re a teacher (or just a tired human), you know the feeling: you drag yourself home after a long day, and the last thing you want to do is chop, sauté, and prep a “balanced dinner.” Most nights, dinner ends up looking like cereal, random granola bars, or takeout you didn’t really want.
I’ve been there. So many times.
And while there's nothing wrong with cereal and random granola bars and takeout, sometimes you may want something a little more substantial.
The truth? Meal prep doesn’t have to be an all-day Sunday event with 27 containers and a week of perfectly portioned lunches. It can be simple, fast, and actually realistic for real life.
Here’s how to meal prep when you’re too tired to meal prep.
Start With the “One Grocery Bag, Five Meals” Mindset
Instead of planning 10 different recipes with a million ingredients, stick to one simple grocery bag that can stretch into five dinners.
Example: A pack of chicken breasts + a few veggies = sheet pan chicken, tacos, wraps, a rice bowl, and soup.
Bonus: Less waste, less decision fatigue, and way less stress at 5 PM.
Check out some of my One Grocery Bag plans HERE.
Prep Just One Protein
Pick one protein, cook it once, and use it multiple ways.
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Shredded chicken → tacos, salads, wraps, or soup
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Ground turkey → skillet meal, pasta, burrito bowls
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Shrimp → fajitas, stir-fry, sheet pan roast
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Pulled pork → sandwiches, bowls, quesadillas
Cooking one big batch saves you from having to start from scratch every night.
Lean on Smart Shortcuts
Meal prep doesn’t have to mean chopping veggies for an hour. Use these tired-teacher-approved shortcuts:
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Frozen veggies (broccoli, stir-fry mixes, peas): no chopping, no waste
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Microwave rice packets or instant rice: done in 90 seconds
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Pre-washed salad kits: dump and serve
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Rotisserie chicken: shred and call it dinner
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Instant mashed potatoes: pair with frozen chicken strips for a no-brainer meal
Small swaps = big sanity savings.
When Meals Aren’t Perfect
Here’s the thing: your meals don’t have to be perfect. Some weeks you’ll eat frozen pizza and chicken nuggets. That’s real life.
What helps me feel good anyway? My wellness routine.
- Water before coffee = helps me to stay hydrated, mitigates coffee's diuretic effect, reduces the risk of a caffeine crash, and improves digestion
- Keeping "healthy*" snacks handy = helps me to not reach for the sugary stuff when I'm feeling peckish
- Hydrated peptides = keep bloat down, help me feel less sluggish when meals are heavier.
- Fit peptides = give me energy, reduce inflammation, and help my metabolism stay on track when I don’t have time to overthink macros.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about having tools that keep you moving forward even when life is messy.
*some examples include jerky sticks, crackers, whole fruits, nuts, seeds
Final Thoughts: Small Wins > Big Overhauls
Meal prep doesn’t need to be overwhelming. It can be as simple as:
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Cook one protein
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Use frozen shortcuts
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Stretch one grocery bag into five meals
Give yourself permission to keep it simple. Because at the end of a long teaching day, dinner should work for you, not stress you out.
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