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On a sunny summer Sunday, the last thing I want to do is spend the entire day prepping seven perfect meals. I love my family. I love good food, but I also love my sanity. That’s why I created what I call Half-Assed Meal Prep—because sometimes, doing one thing really well (like prepping your proteins) is more than enough to save your week.
Table of Contents
Today, I’m showing you how to prep three different, flavor-packed proteins—salmon, chicken thighs, and skirt steak—that’ll carry you through three days of dinners, lunches, or whatever chaotic schedule you’re wrangling.
❤️ Why You’ll Love My Meal Prep- Protein Edition
This is a smarter, no-fuss approach to meal prep: pick one part of the meal—like protein—prep it ahead, and mix-and-match with fresh veggies, grains, or whatever you’ve got on hand. In less than an hour, you’ll have three delicious, beautifully marinated proteins ready to cook throughout the week.
- It saves your sanity during the midweek dinner scramble.
- It gives you the flexibility to mix things up without starting from scratch every night.
🍲 Ingredients
🍓 For the salmon, you’ll need strawberry jam, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and crushed chili flakes—this sweet-and-spicy marinade is sticky, tangy, and totally irresistible.
🍋 For the chicken thighs, fresh parsley, lemon juice and zest, Calabrian chili paste, and Greek yogurt come together in a herby, creamy, slightly spicy marinade that tenderizes and flavors every bite.
🍊 For the skirt steak, orange and lime juice, garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika create a citrusy, smoky marinade with just the right amount of kick. It’s bold, bright, and made for grilling.
👩🍳 How to Meal Prep-Protein Edition
Meal prep the chicken: Add all the chicken marinade ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Meal prep the salmon: Add all the salmon marinade ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth (yep, jam goes in—trust me).
Meal prep the steak: Add all the steak marinade ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Storage: Place each protein into a food-safe container or resealable bag. Pour the appropriate marinade over each one and seal. Let the proteins marinate in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
Time to Cook!
- When you’re ready, cook the salmon in a 400°F oven for 15–20 minutes.
- When you’re ready, bake the chicken at 375°F in the top third of your oven for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
- When you’re ready, grill the steak on high heat for 3 minutes per side. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice it against the grain into strips.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Use parchment paper for easy cleanup. The goal is to work smarter, not harder
- Marinate overnight if you have time—the flavor payoff is huge.
- Don’t overcook the steak! Pull it early and let it rest to keep it juicy.
- Double the recipe and use the extra protein for grain bowls, wraps, or salads
🗒 Variations
- Use salmon filets or a whole salmon tail filet, depending on how you like to portion.
- Swap chicken thighs for chicken breast if that’s more your speed—just don’t overcook.
- Try flank steak instead of skirt if that’s what’s on sale or in your freezer.
🗒 Substitutions
- No strawberry jam? Use peach, apricot, or even a spoonful of honey.
- Can’t find Calabrian chili paste? Use harissa or a little chili oil.
- Don’t love cilantro? Skip it or sub in flat-leaf parsley for the steak marinade.
- No Greek yogurt? Sour cream works in a pinch for the chicken.
- Missing citrus? Use bottled lemon or lime juice if needed (we won’t tell).
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store cooked proteins in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. Keep them separate from your sides so you can mix and match throughout the week.
How to Reuse Leftovers
- Slice the chicken and serve over salad or tuck it into a wrap with veggies and tzatziki.
- Flake the salmon into a grain bowl with arugula, cucumbers, and a drizzle of yogurt dressing.
- Add steak strips to tacos, rice bowls, or a quick quesadilla for the kids (or you).
🤔 Common Questions
Do I have to cook everything at once?
Not at all! Cook one each night—or batch cook and use them in different ways all week.
Can I freeze the marinated proteins?
Yes! You can freeze them in the marinade and thaw when ready to cook. It’s like meal prep time travel.
How long should I marinate?
At least 1–2 hours, but overnight gives the best flavor.
Meal Prep Salmon
Equipment
- 1 blender or food processor
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup strawberry jam
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2.5 pounds salmon
Instructions
- Add the first 6 salmon ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Place the salmon in a food-safe storage container and cover with the marinade. Let the salmon marinade for at least one hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the salmon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on how you like your salmon cooked.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Meal Prep Skirt Steak
Equipment
- 1 Blender of Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 8 tablespoons oranges juice
- 1/3 olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1.75 pounds skirt steak
Instructions
- Add the first 9 steak ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Place the steak in a food-safe container and cover with the marinade. Store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to cook.
- Preheat the grill to high. Add the steak to the grill and grill for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing (against the grain) into 1/2 inch strips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Meal Prep Chicken
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of 2 lemon
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- 2.5 pounds chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
Instructions
- Add the first 8 chicken ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Place the chicken in a food-safe container and cover with the chicken marinade. Store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Chicken can sit in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the chicken thighs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the top 3rd of your oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I would not even know where to begin.. But I want to say I follow an insane amout of peOple who cooks… and I Always find myself coming back to you.. I Love your personality.. your So relatable.. your family is beautful.. and of course your recipes are original.. creative,not to mention delicious. I myself have a love for cooking.. iam italian and I Love Everything about you.,and can’t Wait for your Book. Thank you so much For Creating this platform and I wish you health, happiness, and much success👍🏼❤️
Rosemarie, you have no idea how much your kind words mean to me. Mark my words, you will be one of the first to get the book!
Hi- you said not to marinate chicken or steak more than 24 hours- so if you prep on a wednesday you coukd make the salmon on friday but WOULD have to cook both the chicken & steak on thursday? Im so confused!! Help!!! Lol
My apologies, that was a mistake. I marinated both for more than 24 hours, and they tasted great! I prepped on Sunday, ate the salmon on Monday, chicken on Tuesday, and Steak on Wednesday. Just be sure to use the freshest protein you can find and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
Absolutely loved the chicken. Going to try the salmon tommorrow. Im beyond excited for the day you put your cookbook out. My grandparents immigrated from Italy ( the Calabria region) and I always enjoy seeing your Sicilian recipes. I’ve never made anything I didn’t like from you.
Thank you Jennifer! Can’t wait to hear what you think about the salmon.
THAnk you for making meal prep that much easier!
my pleasure!
Thank you! Looks really yummy!