Healthy eating is a goal we all could learn how to do better with, whether you have ambitions to lose weight or simply to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy is a primary factor for ensuring our bodies function properly and to see improvements in our overall health and wellbeing. 

Preparing a healthy meal could feel overwhelming and exhausting though… before even getting started. Today, we will explore some no-cook meals to eat healthier on a no-cook diet or days when you simply don’t want to cook or can’t for whatever reason.

Below is how to eat healthy without cooking.

How To Eat Healthy Without Cooking

Contrary to popular belief, eating healthy without cooking doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have to be limited to only eating a raw foods diet. In fact there are so many different approaches that can be taken when you’re not going to cook —some of them you’ll still be able to enjoy your hot and protein packed meals, especially if you’re a meat lover. We will explore a few options and meal ideas below.

Can You Eat Healthy Without Cooking

So can you eat healthy without cooking? Absolutely! There are plenty of recipes you can make and food you can eat without cooking that’s good for you and tastes delicious too. 

What you’ll want to consider when choosing ready to eat meals is getting a good balance of your macronutrients and micros, ensuring to lean more on 

How To Eat Healthy When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

Meal Planning

If you don’t feel like cooking, but looking to eat healthier there are a few options you can choose. The first is to plan ahead. Take inventory of what you already have at home that’s healthy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert. You’ll want to access what ready to eat protein you have in stock as well as any vegetables and fruit you can grab and go.

From there, you can search for recipes of no cook meal ideas and ingredients you’ll need to  build a shopping list and create your brand new meal ideas. We’ve shared a few tried and true ideas below. Some examples of precooked ingredients you can reach for include rotisserie chicken, premade grains like brown rice, boiled eggs, and shrimp.

Getting groceries delivered

If you want to know how to eat healthy when you don’t feel like cooking, another thing you can do is get your groceries delivered. It’s so easy to end up eating poorly when you don’t feel like cooking due to junk food and fast food that may be so easily accessible at home. However, with thoughtful planning and shopping, you’ll thank yourself for ordering convenience foods like a rotisserie chicken, tortillas, salads, shredded cheese, salsa, smoked salmon, bagels, cream cheese, bread, nut butter, jam, deli meat, sliced cheese, and of course vegetables and fruit when you’re in a jam. 

With these ingredients, you’ll be able to make simple and easy meals that can be quickly put together like a salmon and cream cheese bagel for breakfast, pb&j sandwich for lunch and a shredded chicken wrap for dinner to name a few. 

Get pre-made meals

Most grocery stores also have a selection of dietician approved, pre-made meals from their in-house chefs for heat and eat lunches and dinners for the whole family. I’ve seen everything from lasagna, chicken dinners as well as steak, broccoli, and rice for example. Check it out for yourself and see what healthy no cook meals you’ll be able to find in a jiffy.

Using frozen / canned food

Some canned food options to add to your list of no cook ingredients include tuna, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, corn, and black beans. Some great frozen veggies like peas, which thaw out nicely on salads or frozen fruit which taste great in a parfait or smoothie. 

You can freeze yogurt to make yogurt bark or enjoy other frozen treats like protein ice cream. Other no cook meal ideas you can try include tuna salad, Southwest salad, overnight oats, and more.

Using meal delivery services

Eating healthy when you don’t feel like cooking could be as simple as using a meal delivery service. Different from picking out meals at the grocery store, using services like Blue Apron and Eat Clean are a great start for getting fresh, healthy no prep meals regularly delivered to your door. You may also be able to find meal prep services in your area where you can purchase a variety of fresh or frozen pre cooked meals that are ready to heat and eat according to your dietary preferences. I like that with services like these, it helps the average person access healthy no cook meals prepped by the pros.

Getting easy healthy snacks, etc. 

When you’re shopping for healthy meals, you can’t forget to shop for a healthy snack (or a few). Some good ideas for a healthy snack include protein bars, granola bars, seaweed snacks, trail mix, cured meats, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, yogurt, applesauce (unsweetened), hummus, guacamole, already boiled eggs, dark chocolate chips to name a few.

Try these no cook meal ideas

Fast Buffalo Chicken Dip with Veg

Ingredients

¾ cup Cottage cheese, 2% – 135 calories

5 oz Rotisserie chicken – 250 calories

2 Tbsp Cheese, shredded, cheddar (Tbsp) – 60 calories

¼ tsp Ranch Seasoning – 2 calories

1 tsp Hot sauce (tsp) – 0 calories

½ cup Celery stalks, chopped in half – 8 calories

½ Cucumber, medium – 21 calories

Directions

1. Optional: blend cottage cheese in a blender
2. Mix together cottage cheese, rotisserie chicken, ranch seasoning, and hot sauce
3. Top with cheddar cheese, microwave for 1-2 minutes
4. Dip with veggies, enjoy!
5. No chicken? Use white beans, or swap this meal out for another

Black Eyed Peas Peanut Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

4 Lettuce leaves for lettuce wraps – 8 calories

¼ cup Peanuts (cups) – 192 calories

½ Avocado, medium – 161 calories

½ cup Carrots, shredded or julienned – 23 calories

½ cup Cabbage, shredded – 8 calories

½ cup Beans & legumes, cooked – 110 calories

1 Tbsp Peanut sauce – 40 calories

¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories

⅛ tsp Red pepper flakes – 0 calories

Directions

1. Chop cabbage if not already chopped, cube avocado
2. Mix peanuts, avocado, carrots, cabbage, beans, peanut sauce, and seasonings in a bowl
3. Fill lettuce wraps
4. Note: I like Whole Food’s Peanut Sauce best, but any store will have their own version! If you want to make your own (100% not necessary!) here one: minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-peanut-sauce/

Cream Cheese & Smoked Salmon Cukes

Ingredients

1 Cucumber, medium – 42 calories

4 oz Smoked salmon – 133 calories

4 Tbsp Cream cheese, whipped (Tbsp) – 132 calories

¼ tsp Everything bagel seasoning – 0 calories

Directions

1. Cut off ends of cucumber, slice lengthwise.
2. Spread cream cheese on top.
3. Add smoked salmon.
4. Top with seasonings.
5. No dairy? Use guacamole.
6. No everything bagel seasoning? Use salt & pepper.

Greek Inspired Pita

Ingredients

1 Pita bread – 200 calories

1 Tuna, canned (1 can) – 120 calories

½ cup Artichokes, canned in water (cups) – 30 calories

¼ oz Olives, sliced – 13 calories

½ cup Tomatoes, grape – 16 calories

½ cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 4 calories

¼ cup Cheese, crumbled, feta – 100 calories

1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar (Tbsp) – 3 calories

¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories

¼ tsp Pepper, ground – 0 calories

Directions

1. No gluten? Use a gluten-free pita. No dairy? Use more olives instead of feta.
2. Dice onion, halve tomatoes, and slice artichokes into smaller pieces.
3. In a bowl, combine all ingredients (aside from pita). 
4. Stuff pitas with mixture. Serve any leftovers on the side.