Hi guys!
I am going to post a week of my "healthy meal prep plan" I hope It can give you some good ideas! Please note: I do not post calories but if you want to, I used to use an application called "Lose It."
**I'll be adding stuff gradually + printable recipes**
Why meal prep? Well for me it was because I was tired of eating out all the time, wasting money and not knowing what was in my food. Also, I don't know about you guys but when i'm hungry.. I AM HUNGRY. The HANGRY monster hits hard. So, knowing WHAT and WHEN I can eat is awesome. Now, some people meal prep, but I mean is a slice of pizza in a ziploc bag for 5 days good for you? Ha! Meal prep doesn't have to be time consuming, or boring! I mean, I whip out my computer and watch movies while I cook!! I'm not going to lie, Sunday is my meal prep day (the 2nd half) and my hubby usually has to pull me out of the kitchen if I get "too involved." You all can also laugh at the fact my kitchen used to be orange! It matches the carrots! ;)
**See links to suggested meal prep containers - glass is the best!**
2 Compartment
3 Compartment
Single Compartment
Menu: 5/10/2020
Breakfast:
Veggie/Meat Egg Cups (Make as many as you want, good for 4 days in refrigerator)
So, my go to recipe for breakfast is usually egg cups! If you cannot eat eggs, I have some other suggestions underneath!
Shopping List:
Pam spray
Dozen Eggs (depending on your weight and calorie intake you might want to make more, I usually eat ONE egg cup and either a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or yogurt with it.)
Milk (any kind will work, If you can't have milk, you can still make these, they will just be less fluffy)
Veggies (I usually have a ton left over from the week before so you can throw in whatever you have)
Mushrooms
Spinach
Red or Green Peppers
Tomato or sun-dried tomato
Onion
Potato
Kale
Broccoli
Feta Cheese
Shredded Cheese
Basil
Meat
Sausage of any type
Ham/Ham Chunks
Bacon
Chicken
Some Veggie Suggestions:
Tomato/Spinach/Mozarella
Mushroom/Onion/Green Pepper
Potato/Onion/Green Pepper/Shredded Cheese
Spinach / Sun-dried Tomato/ Parmesan Cheese
Broccoli/Cheese
Some Meat Suggestions:
Ham/Cheese/Broccoli
Ham/Cheese/Onion
Bacon/Tomato/Mozarella/Spinach
Chicken/Broccoli/Cheese
Sausage/Potato/Green Pepper/Onion
Egg Free Suggestions:(I will post some of these recipes when I have time)
Breakfast bowls
Yogurt bowls
Cottage Cheese bowls
Smoothies
Lunch 1: (Makes 4, good for 4-5 days in refrigerator)
Strawberry quinoa chicken mason jar salad
Shopping List:
1/2- 1 cup (uncooked) pre-rinsed quinoa (otherwise you need a fancy strainer to rinse it)
5 oz container of Spinach OR arugula, OR both
1 pint strawberries
1 pint blueberries
1 Lg avocado
1-2 lb of chicken breast or tenderloins
1 small log of Goat OR container of Feta cheese
Sliced OR whole almonds (small pack in baking aisle will do if you are only making 4)
Store-bought raspberry vinaigrette
4 wide mouth mason jars and lids
Step 1:
Rinse your quinoa if not pre rinsed. It is the same as making rice, 1 cup of quinoa and two cups water. You can make a smaller amount (1/2 cup) and that will suffice for this recipe. I had extra. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil, and cover for 20 minutes.
NOTE: Remove quinoa when done and put in the fridge to cool off!
Step 2: Start up your grill! You can make these in the oven but they won't have the fancy grill marks ;)
I usually heat up to 400-450 and depending on the thickness of your chicken (I used tenderloins) It was about 5 minutes per side. Make sure you check the temp for 165 F!
NOTE: Feel free to season the chicken with herbs or pre-made seasoning. I just make it plain because it clashes with the fruity flavor. In addition....I was moving fast and forgot to spray the grill, I use grill PAM. **I won't judge if you use frozen grilled chicken if you don't have the time. ;)**
Step 3:
Slice your strawberries! You will probably want to cut 2/3 -full case of strawberries.
Step 4:
Cut your avocado in half and cut into cubes. Roughly chop your spinach (if you want.. I hate the stems so I cut them off). I do not chop the arugula. I used a 50/50 mix.
Step 5:
Get out the rest of your ingredients and make your assembly line! I put in order the layers going UP! Please note you just need to evenly distribute the ingredients, I did not measure with cups or anything. The only thing I DID measure was 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
- Dressing
- Strawberries
- Quinoa
- Blueberries
- Cubed Chicken
- Cheese
- Avocado
- Arugula/Spinach mix PACKED TIGHT
- Almonds
- Lid ;)
When ready to eat, find yourself a large bowl and tip over and tap until everything falls out. Enjoy!
Lunch 2 (Vegetarian): (Makes 5, good for 4-5 days in refrigerator)
Chelsea's OG Greek Mason Jar Salad - **NEW**
I whipped this baby up due to the overflow of lettuce in my garden right now, and this can of beets I have been staring at for months.
Shopping List:
~ 8-16 oz Green lettuce - I used buttercrunch and spinach, any type will work.. romaine, iceburg, etc.
1 can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
1 can of beets - drained and rinsed
1 store bought Greek dressing (I used Newman's Own)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 medium red onion
1 can black/greek olives
1 greenhouse cucumber - the skinny ones
1 small container of feta cheese
1 small baggy of sunflower seeds
Steps:
Cut cherry tomatoes in halves
Chop the cucumber into slices, then quarter
Chop your onion into thin slices or chopped, up to you!
Make sure you rinse your lettuce if it just came out of the garden ;)
Rinse the chick peas and beets, I put the beets in plastic wrap so they wouldn't dye the whole salad.
Get layering! Start with dressing, then divide the rest of the ingredients among the 5 jars.
2 tbs dressing < chickpeas < cucumber < olives < red onion < tomatoes < beets in plastic < 2 tbs feta cheese < lettuce tightly packed < sunflower seeds
EASY! :) Enjoy!
Snack:
Hummus & pita chips OR veggies
Shopping List:
Pre-made hummus OR homemade... ingredients below
Chick peas 15 oz
1-2 lemons (1/4 cup of juice)
Tahini - (this is tricky to find in the store but check the "world foods" aisle, sometimes by peanut butter.)
Garlic head (you only need one clove for the recipe)
Olive oil
Cumin (optional)
Salt/pepper (to taste)
Paprika (for seasoning after)
2-3 tablespoons of water
Small food processor (I have a $30 processor off amazon)
This recipe is actually a top hit on google and for instructions you can check it out below:
TIP 1: You don't have to peel the chickpeas, but you will want to rinse with a small strainer.
TIP 2: The recipe says you have to blend it for a LONG time... but you just blend it until it is to your liking. I don't like listening to a blender for 3-5 mins straight...
TIP 3: This is definitely better than store bought, It is nice and creamy!
TIP 4: After all the chickpeas are added, you will add 2-3 tablespoons of water, just add one at a time and blend. You don't want it too watery.
TIP 5: Add some color! You can add pine nuts to the top, roasted red peppers, etc.
TIP 6: Serve with pita chips or if being health, carrot slices, celery, tomatoes, or some tabbouleh.
Dinner: This is always my favorite part of the week! I am not consistent with dinner recipes, BUT I always make enough for a couple days, I need some flavor during the week. In this case, all you have to do is find the best foods that will hold up in storage containers, but also DELICIOUS the next time to heat them up!
6/15/2020