Meal planning doesn't have to be expensive or take up your time

Meal hacks to remember with some help from the microwave

Remember the big three in your daily meals - fiber, healthy fat, and of course, protein.

FOX 2 - You might want to stock up on some frozen vegetables maybe for a college kid - or even busy adults.

The backstory:

Trying to make healthy meals can be expensive and time-consuming, but there is a way to simplify it.

"Prep once, eat often - we like that," said Shanthi Appelo.

Appelo is a registered dietitian and is talking about chopping up some cucumber, slicing strawberries and boiling eggs - then you're ready to eat for days.

"You can store it in Ziploc bags, you can incorporate into a little snack box like this or put it into a salad, put it into a full meal," she said.

For example, here's a power bowl that's very easy to assemble with the help of a microwave.

"We've got whole grains from brown rice, frozen veggies, a little bit of black beans and avocado for those healthy fats," she said.

No matter what combo you throw together, remember the big three of fiber, healthy fat and of course, protein.

"We don't need to overdo it, we don't need to add protein powder to everything, right?" she said. "But keeping Greek yogurt, milk is even a good source, black beans, rotisserie chicken, Tofu, things like that."

There are a lot of recipes and good ideas at  ahealthiermichigan.org