things i meal prepped to make my life easier (as a girl who EATS)

This post looks like a meal prep post. And it is.

But it’s also about learning to fuel yourself for long days, real work, and the kind of energy that doesn’t come from skipping meals or pushing through hunger.

I have two class days where I’m on campus from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and three clinical days — one 3 p.m.–11 p.m., and two 7 a.m.–3 p.m. days.

These are the foods I prep to support my body through classes, clinicals, and weeks that ask a lot.

And don’t worry, I love sweet treats. I’m not trying to optimize my life in a “clean girl” way. I absolutely prep dessert.
That said — I’ve learned (through trial, error, and being very cranky) that high-protein, nutrient-dense meals make a huge difference in how I feel both on the floor and in lecture.

This is what I prepped to make the week feel easier.

chicken salad (campus days + clinical lunch)

This is my reliable, easy lunch for long campus days. It’s easy to eat between classes, doesn’t need reheating, and actually keeps me full through an 8-hour day.

I use it for:

lunch between classes on campus
one of my clinical lunches

Recipe Below; I love pairing this with crackers + sharp cheddar cheese!

ground turkey bowls (clinical dinner)

These are my evening clinical dinners that keep me full until 11pm.

Ground turkey, rice, and prepped vegetables — corn, sweet potatoes, and broccoli — all ready to mix and match. I portion everything separately so I can adjust depending on how hungry I am. (And I use the sweet potatoes for breakfast too!)

I use these for:

my 3 p.m.–11 p.m. clinical
one clinical lunch

Bento boxes are the best! Easy to squeeze into a usually-very-full unit fridge.

cut fruit (because I’m lazy)

I cut up fruit ahead of time because I know myself.

If it’s already washed and chopped, I’ll grab it.
If it’s not, it will sit untouched while I reach for something less helpful.

This one small habit has made it way easier to snack between lectures or throw something quick into my bag before clinicals.

banana bread overnight oats (morning clinicals)

These are for my 7 a.m.–3 p.m. clinical days, when I need breakfast to be:

fast
filling
easy to choke down when I’ve got that early morning nausea

Banana bread overnight oats feel like a treat but still give me enough protein and energy to get through a morning on the floor without crashing. Also, you don’t need fancy meal prep containers…I reuse old jam jars!

TRUST me. Even if you’re not hungry you need something before clinical. The last thing you want is to hit the deck at the first sight of blood or poopy at 7:00am.

Recipe Below; If I’m eating at home, I put some caramelized bananas on top 🙂

sweet treats

I always prep something sweet because I need something to look forward to when I get home from my evening clinicals.

This week, it was:

Monkey bread with cream cheese frosting
Greek yogurt cheesecake (a longtime favorite)
Homeade TruFru (because we can’t afford the real thing in this economy)

Recipe Below; Not sure if this counts as meal prep bc I ate it in one sitting hehe

Meal prepping like this isn’t about control for me — it’s about support.

When my meals are planned, I have more energy in lecture and more patience in clinicals.

I’m not trying to eat perfectly. I’m just trying to make choices that help me show up in the best way possible and still have something sweet to look forward to at the end of the day.

If you take anything away from this lil post have it be this:

It can be hard to see influencers and celebrities with certain bodies and not project that onto yourself– especially when you’re tired and already asking a lot of your body. It’s easy to absorb messaging about what bodies are “supposed” to look like, even when you know better.

But I’m in nursing school. I’m learning how to keep people alive. And the body that’s fed enough to stand, think, move, and care for others through long days and hard work is already doing exactly what it’s meant to do.

I’d take a body that’s fueled to save lives over a so-called “perfect body” any day.
Because a body that’s happy, healthy, and well-fed is my perfect body. 🙂

recipes

chicken salad

This is my go-to when I need lunches that don’t require reheating, don’t fall apart by day three, and actually keep me full.

I make this for four days at a time and use it for campus days and at least one clinical lunch. It’s forgiving, adjustable, and doesn’t punish you if you eyeball everything.

ingredients

~1½–2 lbs cooked chicken
(rotisserie if I’m busy, or baked breasts/thighs if I’m not)
½–¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
2–4 tbsp mayo
(I prefer more yogurt for protein, but add more mayo if that’s your thing)
1–2 tsp whole grain mustard
Juice of ½–1 lime or lemon (to taste)
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
½ small red onion, finely diced
Salt, pepper
Oregano
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika or smoked paprika (optional but encouraged)

method

Prep the chicken
Shred or chop the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces. I like a mix of textures — some shredded, some chunkier.
Make the dressing
In a large bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, mayo, Dijon, citrus juice, salt, and spices. Taste it now — it should be a little brighter than you think, since the chicken will mellow it out.
Add the mix-ins
Fold in the celery and red onion.
Combine
Add the chicken and mix until everything is well coated. Adjust seasoning, acidity, or mayo/yogurt ratio as needed.
Chill
Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before eating. It gets better as it hangs out.

storage

Keeps well in the fridge for 4 days
Stir before serving if it settles
I split it into pre-portioned containers for easy grab-and-go

how i eat it (pairing options)

This is where it stays interesting all week.

Sharp cheddar cheese on the side (non-negotiable for me)
Crackers — I love Mary’s Gone Crackers
Rice cakes for something lighter but still crunchy
Sourdough toast if I want it to feel more like a real lunch

I’ll rotate these depending on the day and how hungry I am, which keeps me from getting bored.

banana bread overnight oats

I usually portion two jars for clinical days and keep the other two servings in a container for eating at home.

ingredients

2 super ripe bananas (tbh I use black bananas from the back of my fridge and it’s still fire)
2 cups rolled oats
1½ cups milk of choice
(I use oat milk)
¾ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
(or whatever yogurt you have)
1 tbsp maple syrup (to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
A couple pinches of sea salt
2 tbsp chia seeds

method

Mash the bananas
In a large bowl or container, mash the bananas until mostly smooth with some texture left.
Mix everything together
Add oats, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and chia seeds. Stir well to fully hydrate the oats and chia.
Adjust texture
The mixture should be thick but spoonable. Add a splash more milk if it feels too dense.
Chill
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Portion
Spoon into jars for clinical mornings and keep the rest in a sealed container for at-home breakfasts.

storage

Keeps well in the fridge for 4–5 days
Stir before serving

optional warm banana topping (for at-home days)

When I’m eating this at home and want something extra, I do this — and it’s worth the two minutes.

you’ll need

½ banana, sliced
Teeny bit of avocado oil
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Drizzle of honey

how

Heat a small pan over low. Add oil, then banana slices, cinnamon, and honey. Cook for 1–2 minutes per side until warm, caramelized, and very comforting.

Spoon over the oats and call it a good morning.

monkey bread

The cinnamon roll dough, filling, and frosting I use are from Mxriyum’s cinnamon roll recipe — and I’m not exaggerating when I say I will never touch another one.

I usually tweak recipes to make them my own. This is the rare exception. The dough is soft, the filling is balanced and a little spiced, and the frosting is exactly what it should be. No notes.

When I make mini monkey bread, I’m usually doing it with leftover dough and filling from a batch I’ve already made for someone else.

That said, we are busy bees. And sometimes we want something warm and sweet without making dough from scratch. So, I have an easier option for you with canned cinnamon roll dough, and all you really need to do is scale down the filling and frosting recipe from mxyrium.

option 1: from scratch (mxriyum’s recipe leftovers)

Once you’ve made cinnamon rolls using Mxriyum’s recipe, I almost always have some dough, filling, and frosting left over. That’s usually how this mini monkey bread comes to be.

Sometimes I run low on filling — in that case, I’ll just whip up a small batch using the scaled-down version from below in option 2. No big deal.

how

Cut the leftover dough into bite-size pieces
Toss the pieces in the cinnamon sugar filling until coated
Pile everything into a well-buttered mini ceramic dish

Bake at 350°F until puffed, bubbling, and deeply golden — about 20–30 minutes, depending on the size of your dish.

Once it’s out of the oven, top with any leftover cream cheese frosting.

saving it for later

If I’m making this to eat after clinical:

I keep the bread and frosting separate
Reheat the bread until warm
Then add the frosting right before eating

Here are the cinnamon rolls I made along with the monkey bread!

option 2: busy-bee version (canned cinnamon rolls)

If you don’t want to make dough from scratch, that’s totally fair!

you’ll need

1 can cinnamon rolls (use the dough; icing optional)
mxyrium’s scaled down cinnamon sugar filling:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft (not quite melted)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1–1½ tsp cinnamon (to taste)
- Sprinkle of nutmeg and cloves if you have it
mxyrium’s scaled down cream cheese frosting
- 2 oz (¼ block) cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar (sifted if possible)
- 1–2 tsp milk or cream
- ⅛–¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt

Combine filling ingredients
Cut up cinnamon rolls into quarters
Toss with cinnamon sugar filling
Pile into a buttered mini ceramic dish
Bake at 350°F until puffed, bubbling, and golden (about 20–30 minutes)
Combine frosting ingredients or use canned icing
- Butter and cream cheese, then sugar, then the rest.

saving it for later

If I’m making this to eat after clinical:

I keep the bread and frosting separate
Reheat the bread until warm
Then add the frosting right before eating

greek yogurt cheesecake

This is my go-to when I want something creamy and sweet without turning it into a full baking project.

ingredients

for the filling

¾–1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
(I use Fage; Siggi’s is another great option)
1 tbsp pudding mix
(vanilla or cheesecake; sugar-free or regular both work)
1–3 tbsp milk of choice
(I use oat milk)
½ tsp vanilla extract or 1–2 tsp maple syrup (my fav!)
Pinch of sea salt

for structure

8 vanilla wafers
(Biscoff or graham crackers also work!)

method

Make the yogurt mixture
In a bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, pudding mix, milk, vanilla or maple syrup, and salt until smooth and thick.
Add milk a little at a time — you want it thick to hold the wafers.
Assemble (important part)
Spoon the yogurt mixture into a small jar or dish.
Take the whole vanilla wafers and push them vertically into the yogurt, standing them upright around the container. The bottom of each wafer should touch the bottom of the dish, and the top should stick out slightly above the yogurt. Space them evenly so they’re distributed throughout.
Chill
Cover with saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (I make it in the morning and don’t eat til after clinical).
As it chills, the wafers absorb moisture and soften, creating a built-in crust throughout the cheesecake.

to serve (highly encouraged)

When I’m actually sitting down to eat it, I like to top it with:

extra vanilla wafers or crumbs
a dollop of Cool Whip
strawberry or raspberry jam

Enjoy these recipes, and try to take your time with them. Meal prep should be fun.

— sloth in scrubs 🦥

slothinscrubs