Do You Have a Simplified Meal Plan for Those of Us Who Don't Like to Cook or Prepare Meals?
15 Dec 2025 · 6 min
JJ Virgin offers a no-fuss approach for people who hate cooking: stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer with specific items, then assemble meals in 15 minutes using protein, healthy fats, vegetables, and slow carbs. Cook extra and batch salads to eat for days.
Questions this episode answers
Up to 40% off plus free gifts on first order (earlier in episode: 'try Earth Breeze for up to 40% off with free gifts@earthbreeze.com').
Code 'Virgin' for 50% off the first year at monarch.com ('half off your first year... 50% off your first year@monarch.com with code Virgin').
Monarch, described as "the Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025" in the ad read.
Chapters
Hey, it's J.J. here. You know, I've been talking about environmental toxins forever, and laundry detergent is a sneaky one. A lot of them contain harsh chemicals like dyes, preservatives, and even UV brighteners. Those brighteners don't actually clean anything. They just coat fabric so your eyes think things look whiter or brighter. That's more chemicals I don't want on my family's sheets or skin. And if you've got sensitive skin or allergies around the house, this can be a big problem. That's what got my attention about Earth Breeze. It looks like a dryer sheet, but it's actually laundry detergent. You toss one in the washer and that's it. No pouring, no mess, and no heavy plastic jug. Their packaging is lightweight cardboard, which helps reduce plastic waste. And if you choose the fragrance free option, it's gentle, hypoallergenic, non irritating and non sensitizing. I really like how simple it is and how fresh and clean everything comes out without those unnecessary chemicals. Right now you can try Earth Breeze for up to 40% off with free gifts@earthbreeze.com virgin that's earthbreeze.com virgin for up to 40% off plus free gifts on your first order. Hey JJ here. Every year around this time, I get the urge to make my home feel a little extra special. A space that feels just like the holidays. And Wayfair is my go to for that. Think cozy textures, twinkly decor, warm lighting, and all those little touches that make you want to curl up with a good book and a blanket. You'll usually find my book stacked on a great little end table I got from Wayfair, proof that function and style can coexist. Now, whether you're adding last minute hosting essentials, picking out gifts for loved ones, or refreshing your decor for the season, Wayfair makes it easy with beautiful finds, great prices and fast delivery. And when the holidays wind down, Wayfair has everything you need to tuck it all neatly away. Smart storage solutions for every room from the kitchen to the closet. Plus, with free shipping for any order over $35, that's fast delivery and a total peace of mind. It's the perfect mix of joy and order, bringing the holiday spirit in, then storing it all with EAs ready to make your home feel as good as it looks. Get organized, refreshed and ready for the holidays. For way less, head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair Every style, Every home that's W A Y F A I r dot.
Com this episode is brought to you by Corona. When you're on a beach with a nice cold Corona in hand, how can you not feel centered? But did you know you can get that vibe anywhere? That's because whether after work, at barbecues or at a bar with just a squeeze of lime, Corona Bricks brings you La Playa mentality. Because while we all want the beach life, paradise doesn't always have palm trees. Corona La Playa awaits. Get yours@orderkorona.com Relax responsibly. Corona Extra Beer Imported by Crown Import.
Chicago, IL how about a simplified meal plan for those of us who don't like to cook? This is JJ Virgin, four time New.
York Times bestselling author, celebrity nutrition expert.
And and Fitness hall of Famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions, and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert. Ann Marie asked recently in one of my masterclasses. How about a simplified meal plan for those of us who don't and don't as in big bold capital letters like to cook or prepare food or meals? I got you, Annemarie. Stay tuned for the answer.
Hey, it's JJ here. Now, let's be honest. The holidays are basically a financial ambush. Travel, hosting gifts, surprise holiday school things. Suddenly you're wondering how December turned into a spending spree. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch. It's rated the Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface on your laptop or your phone. What really grabbed my attention is how fast those little holiday expenses pile up with Monarch. Seeing everything in one place makes it a lot harder to accidentally overspend. And honestly, I appreciate anything that keeps me from starting January with a money hangover. You'll love exploring the holiday spending category. Imagine how good it will feel to actually see what's happening before your credit card statement does that whole dramatic reveal thing. Monarch basically shows you exactly where the money is going in real time, and that level of clarity could change everything, right? Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use the code virgin@monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year@monarch.com with code Virgin. Ray Ban Meta glasses come with open ear audio so you can listen to Your favorite music without blocking out the world around you.
Hey, Meta, play Gorgeous. Here's Gorgeous by Doja Cat.
You can also ask Meta AI questions.
Hey, Meta, when's Doja Cat's next concert?
Doja Cat is playing at the Los Angeles theater next Tuesday.
Sweet Ray Ban. Meta glasses available at Ray Ban stores and other authorized retailers.
All right, Anne Marie and everybody else out there who doesn't want to spend hours in the kitchen, I so got you. Because I don't either. I mean, who does? But I also would prefer to eat at home than out because it's just better quality and I get what I like. So the trick for this is all in the prep. It's what you have on hand in your pantry, in your fridge, in your freezer, and then how you put this together that makes you able to put a meal together. Or me, rather. You can, too. If I can do it, you can do it. I can put a meal together in 15 minutes. So let me share with you what I keep in my pantry, my fridge, and my freezer. And then how I put it together to make the perfect plate. And then what I cook extra of so I'll have it for the next day, too. All right. So in my pantry and I actually expose this, exposed my pantry on social media. I have it in Instagram. You can probably still see it in IGTV if you want to see what's in my pantry, because I was showing my prep for the pandemic. And in my pantry, I have a variety of oils. Things like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil. Those are the main ones that I use. I also have ghee and then a ghee blend. So those are my oils. I do some walnut oil, too. I like to use that on salads. And then I have a variety of rices, wild rice and brown rice and white sushi rice. I have a variety of flours, white rice flour, brown rice flour, coconut flour, almond flour, cassava flour. I have a variety of potatoes, sweet potatoes and little. I like the little potatoes in different colors. I have some shelf stable broth and shelf stable nut milks. I have a variety of canned legumes. I would love to say that I am the human that does dried beans, but I don't. They're a pain. I do them for lentils, but I do not do them for black beans and garbanzo beans. Then I have tomato sauces, marinaras, et cetera. And I have them either septic packed or in jars, not cans. Then I have a Variety of pastas, lentil, rice, legume. So variety of different pastas. Dark chocolate. I have a lot of dark chocolate. Let's be real. And then a variety of vinegars like champagne and red wine. Little bit of a real balsamic. But I use those sparingly because it's more of a syrup. As we know. If you've read the sugar impact diet, nut butters. And then my shake mixes. And I have both my plant based shakes. I have my vanilla chocolate and chai plant based shakes, my green smoothie cleanse and then my paleo shakes, chocolate and vanilla. And then of course my collagen and extra fiber. And then I have all my bars. And I have all my bars. So I have my dark chocolate mint and dark chocolate cherry and dark chocolate mocha and dark chocolate coconut fiber and my keto bars and my chocolate brownie bars and then also my keto chews. So that's what's in my pantry. In my fridge. So in my fridge I keep hummus, I keep siete tortillas, I keep ghee and butter. If I've opened the ghee and I've got kerrygold butter, I've got ice cream tea, I like to make it fresh. And then I buy fresh vegetables. And that's the thing that I go and get. Fresh vegetables and berries. Berries. If my kids are here, I tend to not. I tend to only use frozen ones in my smoothie. And then nut cheeses, almond nut cheese. I do both the ricotta and the cream. And then also I do some of the different shredded cheeses and sliced cheeses. All nut cheeses. All right. Then in the freezer I keep berries and cherries. I freeze green bananas, I freeze chunks of avocado. I keep cauliflower rice and broccoli rice. These are like the most amazing inventions ever. I keep some gluten free pizza crusts. I keep some gluten free almond flour, capella's noodles and capello's crusts. And if you are not egg sensitive, these are awesome. Oh, my gosh. And I keep frozen peppers and onions, frozen mushrooms, and then I keep a variety of protein that I get from Butcherbox and Vital Choice. So grass fed meat, pastured pork and chicken and lamb and then wild salmon and wild halibut and wild scallops and then some shrimp. So keep all that stuff around. Okay, then. And bone broth. I also have bone broth in the freezer. Okay. And then I also have some other nut milks in the fridge. All right. So that's what I got in my pantry, fridge and freezer. So here's how simple it is. I always talk about putting things together from the plate. So that means on your plate you have some protein, some healthy fats and some slow low carbs that include lots of non starchy vegetables and a little bit of slow low carbs. So when I'm making a protein for dinner, wild salmon, again, you just heard the drill. We make extra to have for lunch the next day or dinner the next day. Cause you can always throw it into a stir fry the next day. Make it simple, easy peasy. When we're making wild rice and I like to cook it with bone broth, I make extra to have for a couple nights because you can throw it into the stir fry. So one of my easiest dinners is to take wild salmon. I literally pull it out of the freezer. I then sear it in the on the stove and we're done. I will then take cauliflower rice out of the freezer. I'll cook wild rice with bone broth. I will take cauliflower rice. I'll make twice as much cauliflower rice, like a two to one serving of cauliflower rice to wild rice. And now I've got my healthy fats and protein from the wild salmon. I've got the wild rice and cauliflower rice. I've got my veggies in the cauliflower rice and the wild rice is my slow low carb. And I add some ghee, so some more healthy fats. If I need a little something something afterwards, I have a little dark chocolate. You can save all of that the next day, heat it up, have it for lunch. But that is how easy it is. Another great example would be a grass fed steak. Roasting some potatoes, they're especially great the next day, cooled down for the resistant starch and some steamed broccoli with ghee, literally we do this stuff, we put it together in 15 minutes or less. It is all about having the right stuff on. And if I'm making a salad, I make a salad for a couple days in a row and seal it in airtight bags so that you know it's all in the prep, right? So that I have it around and it's easy for me to have for lunch and dinner. So again, it is all in the prep. And look at how you can make double and use it the next day. All right, hope that helps. So and the other thing I'd say is let's move it from I don't like cooking to I love to make healthy meals in minutes. This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribetojay.com.
Hello listeners, this is Anne Bogle, author, blogger and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016, I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week I tag all things Books and Reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their next read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately, and I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy, troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And of course, recommending books that meet the moment. Whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything, you'll learn something about yourself as a reader and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read, with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So join us each Tuesday for what Should I Read Next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast and visit our website what Should I Read Next? Podcast. Com to find out more.
More from JJ


Healthy Revisit: Heavily Meditated - Transforming Your Emotional Landscape with Dave Asprey






