Week 2: Everything I Meal Prepped This Week (Without Spending $5 Million on Groceries)

If you’re trying to eat well during a busy week, a little meal prep can make everything easier. This Week 2 meal prep plan focuses on simple, nourishing meals that cook once and stretch into multiple dinners, lunches, and breakfasts. With cozy recipes like chicken soup, slow cooker pot roast, pasta salad with homemade sun-dried tomato dressing, and make-ahead overnight oats, you’ll have a fridge full of real food ready to go for the days ahead.

This week’s meal prep focuses on:

• Make-ahead breakfasts

• Easy lunches that hold up well

• Cozy dinners with built-in leftovers

• Stretching proteins to save time and money

Let’s get into it.

What I prepped this week:

• Pasta Salad (lunches & sides)

• Overnight Oats (grab-and-go breakfasts)

• Chicken Soup (with peeled chicken for a second meal)

• Beef Pot Roast

• Scalloped Potatoes

• Peeled Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (second meal)

Breakfasts

Overnight Oats

Balanced breakfasts with zero morning effort

Serves: 4-5

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (per jar)

• ½ cup rolled oats

• ½ cup Greek yogurt

• ¼ cup milk of choice

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• ½ cup berries or sliced banana

• 1–2 tsp maple syrup or honey

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a jar.

2. Stir well.

3. Refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days

Notes: Keeps well for up to 4 days. Add a splash of milk before eating if thicker than you like. Toddlers can eat a smaller portion without protein powder if preferred.

Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

A simple, flavour-packed lunch that holds up all week

This pasta salad is intentionally minimal — just a few vegetables, feta cheese, and a creamy sun-dried tomato dressing that coats the pasta perfectly. It’s one of those meals that tastes even better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Pasta Salad Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked short pasta (rotini or bowtie)

• 1 cup cucumber, diced

• 1 red pepper, diced

• ½ red onion, thinly sliced

• ½ cup feta cheese

Homemade Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing (Kraft-Style Copycat)

This dressing is inspired by the classic Kraft sun-dried tomato dressing — creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and perfect for pasta salad — but made with real ingredients.

Dressing Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 clove garlic (or ½ tsp garlic powder)

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• ¼ tsp salt (more to taste)

• 2–4 tbsp water (to thin)

Dressing Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.

2. Blend until smooth and creamy.

3. Add water a little at a time until the dressing is pourable and coats the back of a spoon.

Pasta Salad Instructions

1. Add cooked pasta to a large bowl.

2. Add cucumber, red pepper, red onion, and feta.

3. Pour dressing overtop and toss gently to combine.

4. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

Meal prep tip:Start with about ⅓ cup dressing per 4 cups pasta. Add more just before serving if needed.

Storage:Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Chicken Soup

One pot, multiple meals

This simple chicken soup feeds you now and sets you up for an easy second dinner later in the week

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken or 2–3 lbs bone-in chicken thighs

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 bay leaves

• 8–10 cups water

• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a large pot.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

3. Cook uncovered for 60–90 minutes.

4. Remove chicken, shred meat, and return some to the soup.

5. Reserve 2–3 cups peeled chicken for another meal.

6. Season soup to taste.

Beef Pot Roast

A slow cooked, nourishing dinner

Ingredients

• 2½–3 lb beef chuck roast

• 1 onion, sliced

• 3 carrots, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 cups beef broth

• 1 tbsp tomato paste or balsamic vinegar

• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Season roast generously with salt and pepper.

2. Place vegetables in slow cooker.

3. Add roast, broth, and tomato paste.

4. Cook on low for 8 hours (or oven at 300°F for 3–4 hours).

5. Shred and serve.

Dinners

Scalloped Potatoes

Comfort food that reheats beautifully

Ingredients

• 4–5 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

• 1½ cups cream or milk

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper

• Optional: shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Layer potatoes in a baking dish.

3. Pour cream overtop, add garlic, salt, and pepper.

4. Cover and bake 45 minutes.

5. Uncover, add cheese if using, bake another 15 minutes.

Peeled Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Leftovers that don’t feel like leftovers

Ingredients

• 4–6 medium sweet potatoes

• 2–3 cups peeled cooked chicken

• 1–2 tbsp butter or olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 400°F for 45–55 minutes until soft.

2. Warm chicken gently with butter or olive oil.

3. Slice potatoes open and fluff.

4. Stuff with chicken and add toppings as desired.

Week 2 Grocery List

This grocery list includes everything you need to prepare the Week 2 meals:

• Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

• Overnight Oats

• Chicken Soup

• Beef Pot Roast

• Scalloped Potatoes

• Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Shredded Chicken

Produce

• 2 cucumbers

• 2 red bell peppers

• 1 red onion

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 head garlic

• 2 celery stalks

• 3 carrots

• 4–6 sweet potatoes

• Fresh parsley (optional garnish)

• 1 lemon

Fruit (for overnight oats)

• 1 container strawberries

• 1 container blueberries OR 2 bananas

Meat & Protein

• 1 whole chicken or 2–3 lbs bone-in chicken thighs

• 2½–3 lb beef chuck roast

Dairy

• 1 container feta cheese

• 1 container Greek yogurt

• 1½ cups cream or milk (for scalloped potatoes)

• Optional: shredded cheese for potatoes

Pantry Staples

• Short pasta (rotini or bowtie)

• Rolled oats

• Chia seeds

• Honey or maple syrup

• Olive oil

• Red wine vinegar

• Dijon mustard

• Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

• Dried oregano

• Bay leaves

• Beef broth (2 cups)

Optional Pantry / Flavor Extras

• Garlic powder

• Dried thyme or parsley

• BBQ sauce (for sweet potato variation)

Estimated Ingredient Totals

This list makes approximately:

• 4–6 breakfasts

• 4 lunches

• 3–4 dinners

• Leftovers for additional meals

Perfect for a family of 2–4 or one person meal prepping for the week.

How to Prep Everything in About 60 Minutes

Your step-by-step game plan for Week 2 meal prep

The goal of meal prep isn’t to spend your entire Sunday in the kitchen. It’s simply to get a few foundational meals ready so the week feels easier.

Here’s a simple workflow that allows you to prep everything in about an hour while letting the oven and stovetop do most of the work.

Step 1: Start the Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Start with the meal that takes the longest.

Season the beef chuck roast with salt and pepper and place it in the slow cooker with:

• sliced onion

• chopped carrots

• garlic

• beef broth

• tomato paste or balsamic vinegar

Set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours. This will cook throughout the day while you prep everything else.

Active time: 5 minutes

Step 2: Start the Chicken Soup

While the pot roast is cooking, begin the chicken soup.

Add the following to a large pot:

• whole chicken or bone-in chicken thighs

• carrots

• celery

• onion

• garlic

• bay leaves

• water

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.

Let this cook 60–90 minutes while you prep the rest of the meals.

Active time: 10 minutes

Step 3: Assemble the Overnight Oats

Grab 4–6 small jars or containers.

Add to each jar:

• ½ cup rolled oats

• ½ cup Greek yogurt or protein milk

• ¼ cup milk

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• berries or banana

• 1–2 tsp maple syrup or honey

Stir well and place in the fridge.

Breakfast is now ready for the next few days.

Active time: 5 minutes

Step 4: Make the Pasta Salad

Cook your pasta according to package instructions while you chop the vegetables.

Combine in a large bowl:

• cooked pasta

• diced cucumber

• diced red pepper

• thinly sliced red onion

• feta cheese

Blend the sun-dried tomato dressing and toss everything together.

Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Active time: 15 minutes

Step 5: Bake the Scalloped Potatoes

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Layer thinly sliced potatoes in a baking dish and pour over:

• cream or milk

• garlic

• salt and pepper

Bake covered for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes until golden.

Active time: 10 minutes

Step 6: Finish the Chicken Soup

Once the soup has finished simmering:

1. Remove the chicken.

2. Shred the meat.

3. Return some chicken to the soup.

4. Reserve 2–3 cups shredded chicken for the sweet potato dinner later in the week.

Active time: 5 minutes

Step 7: Bake the Sweet Potatoes (Optional to Prep Now)

If you want dinner ready later in the week, bake the sweet potatoes now.

Bake at 400°F for 45–55 minutes until soft.

Store in the fridge and simply reheat and fill with shredded chicken when ready to eat.

Active time: 5 minutes

Your Fridge After Meal Prep

At the end of this prep session you’ll have:

• Overnight oats for breakfast

• Pasta salad for lunches

• Chicken soup ready to heat

• Pot roast cooking for dinner

• Scalloped potatoes ready to reheat

• Shredded chicken for stuffed sweet potatoes

A little preparation now means fewer decisions and easier meals all week.

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