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How To Meal Prep Exactly Like Snoop Dogg

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This might not be a phrase you ever thought you'd encounter--how to meal prep exactly like Snoop Dogg--but the man knows a few things about prepping. Must be all that time hanging out with Martha.

Snoop Dogg Meal Prep Challenge

If you've ever caught an episode of Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, then you already know that Snoop Dogg is pretty comfortable in a kitchen. And because of that, we're going to tell you how to meal prep exactly like Snoop Dogg.

Now trying to live his best life, Snoop says: "I never knew how good working out was for you. Gotta take care of your body, man you just gots to." Part of that caretaking involves eating good food, and planning for it. He also explained how motivation and inspiration, together with protein shakes and meal preps for weight gain, have made him "try to be better." You can try to be better, too, if you could master How To Meal Prep Exactly Like Snoop Dogg.

Shoot... we could all take a lesson or two from Snoop!

It just goes to show you: Inspiration can come when you least expect it and from the most surprising sources.

Breakfast Meal Preps Like Snoop Dogg:

Snoop starts his day with egg, sausage, lettuce, tomatoes, and English muffins. Try it!

 

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

That's a pretty solid breakfast, but if you want to switch it up... here are some of our Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes that can also get you going!

Lunch Meal Preps a la Snoop Dogg:

We are pretty stoked to see that Snoop's lunch prep follows along with our recommended Protein + Carb + Veg combo for the perfect meal prep. He prepped chicken, brown rice, and seasoned carrots for lunch.

 

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

Here's some advice. When someone else preps for you, it's wise to not ask questions. Just eat it and be thankful! K? Gratitude: another way to prep exactly like Snoop Dogg. (And isn't this a lesson we should have learned as kids? Lol!)

 

Meal prep

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

Not into meal-prepping lunch exactly like Snoop Dogg? Check out some of our original lunch meal prep recipes!

Dinner Meal Preps like Snoop Dogg:

 

Meal prep day. 10

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

You got that asparagus, salmon, greens, and biscuits for dinner?

READ MORE: 'Cause we all need more salmon, try 35 Simple Salmon Meal Prep Recipes

Without further ado, we bring you the ultimate meal prep exactly like Snoop Dog with this recipe. Are you ready?

Snoop Dogg's Baby Back Ribs Recipe:

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 2-2 ½ hours
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

  • 2 racks baby back ribs
  • 2 Tbsp. onion powder
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp. Johnny's salt
  • 2 Tbsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
  • 2 Tbsp. ground black pepper
  • 4 cups BBQ sauce (Reo's)
Snoop Dogg's Baby Back Rib Recipe
Photo: Thrillist

Meal Prep Snacks, Exactly like Snoop Dogg:

Believe it or not, fresh fruit is a great way to stay hydrated-and get those vitamins in! That's why it tastes so good when it's hot out.

 

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

Snoop Dogg's Perfect Cheat Day:

And when you've been going hard all week and you want to relax for breakfast, we feel your pain. Here is how to Meal Prep Exactly Like Snoop Dogg for breakfast:

 

Breakfast

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

Bet you weren't expecting that twist?

What's Snoop Dogg taught you here today? Share in the comments below!

Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

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This zesty gluten-free Chex Mix gets its ranch flavor from dried buttermilk and herbs such as garlic, dill, and chives. Heart-healthy almonds add a dose of good-for-you fats that satiate.

Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

Do you remember Chex Mix? Did you have this as a snack growing up? It was such a popular snack, with pretzels and peanuts and sometimes even things like cashews and chocolate chips, depending on who's putting it together. Are you surprised they even still make Chex cereal? Are we asking too many questions? Ha!

Whatever your answer to these questions, this isn't your mom's Chex Mix. No way. Or not even your grandma's! This is a zesty, gluten-free Chex Mix for a new age! 

How to Make Zesty Gluten-Free Chex Mix

Chex Mix is easy to assemble, that's for sure. But this one takes on a ranch flavor. And it feels a little bit retro and also kinda grown up, too at the same time. All you need is gluten-free Chex and a big bowl to start. Keep in mind that all Chex cereals are gluten-free (rice and corn, we're looking at you), with the exception of the wheat version.

Toss it with some melted butter, dried buttermilk, gluten-free pretzels, and dried herbs such as dill and chives. A smidge of salt and garlic powder go a long way toward a really tasty snack. 'Cause sometimes you want fruit and veggies, and other times you want a savory, salty crunch-fest for a snack. 

Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

Substitutions and Alterations

Anything that's tiny, salty, and gluten-free would work in this mix. But we're definitely partial to it as written.

  • Swap out other nuts if desired. Almonds are heart-healthy, but you could also use cashews or peanuts, or a combination of both. Or all three.
  • Turn this into a vegan snack by using a vegan butter such as Earth Balance or something similarly plant-based. Use a vegan-based dried buttermilk if need be.
  • People also sometimes add Cheerios or a similar round oat-based cereal to this recipe. They're gluten-free, naturally! (Did you know?)
  • Conversely, use whatever kind of pretzels you have on hand if you don't need this snack to be gluten-free.
Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

Tips for Chex Mix

You can easily double or triple this recipe. Just make sure you've got enough rimmed baking sheets to accommodate the increase.

Of course, this is a great snack, but you might consider also giving some out as gifts around the holidays, or doubling the recipe when you're having a party. People will wonder how you got it to taste like ranch dressing, but without a bit of dressing in sight! 

If you have never used powdered buttermilk before, you can usually find it in the baking aisle. Barring that, it's available online. (But then again, what isn't?)

How to Store Zesty Gluten-Free Chex Mix

This tasty snack will keep in meal prep containers for 4 or 5 days. You'll want to store it at room temperature. It might be tempting to just put it all in one airtight container instead of prepping it, but unless you've got incredible willpower, prep it and forget it! 

READ MORE: Because snacks are life, try Candied Nut Mix for the Holidays (or anytime, really!)

Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

Zesty Gluten-Free Chex Mix Ingredients:

  • 2 cups gluten-free Chex cereal
  • 1 ½ cups gluten-free pretzels
  • ½ cup raw almonds
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon powdered buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon dried chives 
  • ¼ teaspoon dried dill 
  • ¼ teaspoon salt 
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix
Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix
Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

This crunchy snack mix is gluten-free with zesty ranch flavor made from dried buttermilk, dill, and chives. Heart-healthy almonds add a dose of good-for-you fats that satiate.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten free, snack, vegetarian
Servings: 4
Calories: 314kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gluten-free Chex cereal
  • 1 ½ cups gluten-free pretzels can use regular pretzels if not gluten free
  • ½ cup raw almonds
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted melted butter sub with vegan butter, if needed
  • 1 teaspoon powdered buttermilk use a vegan alternative, if needed
  • ½ teaspoon dried chives
  • ¼ teaspoon dried dill
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 250ºF and line a 9x13 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add Chex cereal, pretzels, and almonds to a medium bowl. Stir together melted butter, buttermilk, salt, dill, chives, and garlic powder in a separate small bowl. Pour butter mixture over Chex mix and stir with a rubber spatula to coat.
  • Spread mixture evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes to make sure it's toasted evenly. Cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.
  • Divide Chex mix among 4 snack containers. Snack to your heart's content!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Zesty Gluten-free Chex Mix

Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumstick Recipe

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Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumsticks are an inexpensive slam dunk of a dinner for adults and kids alike. Serve with green beans and quinoa for a high-protein meal.

So, we have to admit that chicken breasts and, to a lesser extent, chicken thighs get a lot of attention. But drumsticks are fun to eat, kids tend to like them, and they're inexpensive. Way inexpensive. There's plenty to go around for this meal! And honestly, sometimes simple meals are the best meals. This lemon pepper chicken drumstick recipe is a quick and easy meal prep for lunch or dinner, because it relies on two things: freezer and pantry staples.

Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumstick Ingredients

  • 1 to ½ pounds chicken drumsticks
  • 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen green beans
  • 2 cups quinoa, uncooked
  • Lemon-pepper seasoning (Yeah, we like Mrs. Dash. It's old school, but it works!)

How to Make Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumsticks

This recipe comes together easily using a lot of things you may have on hand-assuming chicken drumsticks is one of them. Regardless, if your freezer is well stocked, we especially like this dish with green beans.

We've written this for the grill if you're game to fire it up, but you can also cook this on a very hot grill pan right inside your house. Your call!

Is this surprising to you, that we're saying to GRILL? If you think you can't meal prep on the grill, think again!

While the chicken cooks, you can cook the green beans (which you've defrosted) in a skillet with some olive oil. We kind of like them to get a little bit of a char on them if you turn the skillet it up to medium-high; it's up to you. You can cook them right from frozen. The quinoa cooks in about 10 to 15 minutes, so you can start that after the chicken hits the grill.

But the best part? The lemon chicken seasoning! We're using an old-school seasoning that used to go by the name Mrs. Dash (now it's just . . . Dash???) but it imparts the same great lemon-pepper flavor. These blends are often without salt, so just read the label carefully and add a little salt if you'd like. And that's how you get lemon chicken drumsticks. Easy!

How to Store Lemon Chicken Drumsticks

The grill is your friend here! These will easily keep for meal prepping for 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze meat that's been grilled. Just defrost it overnight in the fridge and then transfer to moderate oven to heat it up and crisp it through. Or, take it right from the freezer and reheat it in a low oven, wrapped in aluminum foil. It's a good idea to then take it out of the foil once it's heated through, turn up the temperature to about 400, to crisp it up all the way around!

Substitutions and Alterations

Feel free to use chicken wings and thighs, or a combination of different chicken parts; it'll still be lemon chicken. Consider this recipe a template for the protein itself. You can even use chicken breasts; you'll just need to make sure the chicken doesn't overcook because dark meat like thighs and drumsticks is more moist.

Broccoli is always great with chicken for some mysterious reason, so if you've got a bag of frozen florets kicking around in your freezer, by all means pull it out.

Tips

You can cook the veggies right from frozen if you like; the heat of the skillet will cook off any extra moisture if you cook them at medium-high

If you want to grill the green beans, put them all in a grilling basket and do it that way. This piece of equipment can be very handy if you grill frequently and don't want to lose your veggies in between the grill grates!

If you love lemon, serve these lemon chicken drumsticks with a couple of lemon wedges alongside, to boost the flavor.

READ MORE: More drumsticks, please! How about these Caribbean Drumsticks?

Lemon Chicken Thighs
Lemon Chicken Thighs
Lemon Chicken Thighs

Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks

Fellow preppers, check this awesome Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumstick recipe🤤🤩 It's great for lunch or dinner🙌🏻
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken
Servings: 4 Meals
Calories: 314kcal
Author: Meal Prep Mondays

Ingredients

  • 4 ea chicken drumsticks
  • 12 ounces green beans frozen (1 bag)
  • 2 cups uncooked quinoa
  • Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper seasoning

Instructions

  • Heat the grill to 450°F and season the chicken thighs with Mrs. Dash Alternatively, heat a grill pan or nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
  • Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
  • While the chicken cooks, heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, and season with a bit of salt nad pepper. Heat a cooking pan with olive oil and add the green beans, season with salt and pepper and cook until desired tenderness.
  • Following the directions on the quinoa package, cook the quinoa in a covered pot until the water has been absorbed. This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Once everything is cooked, divide it out into meal prep containers and enjoy throughout the week.

Notes

This recipe makes four meals.
To increase your protein intake, add an additional drumstick to the recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 481mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Lemon Chicken Thighs

Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls

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Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls are incredibly juicy and full of flavor thanks to a zesty citrus marinade and the use of a slow cooker. Layer the shredded pork over cauliflower rice, and add on your favorite burrito toppings!

Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Meal Prep

The slow cooker is the ultimate set-it-and-forget it meal prep helper. But whether your call it a slow cooker or a Crock-Pot (that's the brand name!), it's worth having this appliance. And it does such amazing work with all different kinds of cuts of meat, turning them incredibly flavorful and moist over the course of several hours. Plus, let's not forget the incredible smell, too, wafting around your kitchen as this cooks away.

This pork dish is no exception, and it's ideal for a keto diet. There's nothing in here that's off-limits for those on this plan.

Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls 2

Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls Ingredients

For the carnitas

  • 2 lbs pork
  • ¼ cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed
  • 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon oregano

And the Cauliflower "Rice" . . . 

  • 1 cauliflower
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh squeezed
  • Sea salt, to taste

Who can forget the toppings. . .

  • 2 cups baby greens
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • ½ cup black olives
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese
  • Salsa, to garnish
  • Diced jalapeno, to garnish

How to Make Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls

It's just a matter of assembly, really. Sear the pork in a hot pan and then transfer it along with all the carnitas ingredients right into the slow cooker. While it does its thing (it'll take hours!), you can go about your business. Then, about a half hour before you're ready to serve these (or meal prep them and stash them away), make up the cauliflower rice, which comes together thanks to a food processor and your skillet, along with some seasonings. 

READ MORE: Can't Get Enough Carnitas? Chicken Carnitas Nachos Are Amazing!

How to Serve Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Bowls

When you're ready to assemble these bowls, add on as many delicious toppings as you want, such as baby greens, cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese, peppers, olives, and salsa. Oh, and avocado too, if you want. Because we at MPOF just loooove recipes with avocado. 

How to Store Pork Carnitas Bowls

These will keep just great for 4 to 5 days in their meal prep containers. You can also freeze the meat all by itself, as long it's in a sealed container that's ideal for the freezer. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat, or simply pop the frozen meat in a saucepan over low heat. Alternatively, you can reheat the meat in the oven. Just be sure to cover it a bit with foil so it doesn't dry out. You can even freeze the cauliflower rice, too, if you want. This frozen meal should keep for at least 3 months.

Tips for Cauliflower Rice

The key to making fluffy and not watery cauliflower rice is to cook it over very high heat, and to only cook it for a few minutes, so the moisture doesn't begin to come out of it.

Substitutions and Alterations

You can use pork shoulder if you like, even though this recipe calls for a roast. A typical pork shoulder will yield more than 2 pounds of meat, so just keep an eye out as you're putting it together. You might need to up the rest of the ingredients that go with the pork. No biggie, though! 

If you're not following a keto diet, you can use regular rice (white or brown) and serve the carnitas right over the rice. Or, pile all the ingredients into a tortilla and roll it up like a burrito! 

READ MORE: Try our Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep-it's crazy flavorful! 

Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls 1
Keto-Pork-Carnitas-Bowls-Meal-Prep
Slow Cooker Carnitas Bowls Meal Prep Recipe

Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls

This pork roast comes out juicy and full of flavor thanks to a zesty citrus marinade and the use of a slow cooker. Layer the shredded pork on cauliflower rice, and top with your favorite burrito toppings!
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: Carnitas, keto, Slow Cooker
Servings: 6 meals
Calories: 554kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

Carnitas

  • 2 pounds pork
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon oregano

Cauliflower Rice

  • 1 large head cauliflower
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • Sea Salt

Toppings

  • 2 cups baby greens
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • ½ cup black olives
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese
  • salsa optional
  • jalapenos optional

Instructions

  • Heat a skillet over high heat, and add olive oil. Quickly sear the outside of the pork roast on all sides.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the rest of the carnitas ingredients for the marinade.
  • Add the browned pork and the citrus marinade to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
  • When the pork is tender, remove from the slow cooker, and shred with 2 forks. Return the pork to the slow cooker to soak up the marinade.
  • Chop the cauliflower into small pieces, and transfer to a food processor bowl. Process the cauliflower in pulses until it resembles rice, but don't overprocess it. Otherwise, it will get mushy while cooking.
  • Heat a large frying pan on high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil or cook in batches in smaller skillets. Season with sea salt, cumin, and lime juice. Cook the cauliflower rice quickly, stirring regularly. It will soften a bit and absorb the flavors, in a matter of a few minutes.
  • Transfer to meal prep containers with the rice, pork, and toppings in separate sections, or serve immediately over rice with the toppings alongside.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:9  Blue:9  Purple:9
__
 
Macros for 1 out of 6 servings (without optional toppings)
41g Protein || 11g Carbs || 38g Fat || 554 Calories

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 38g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Slow Cooker Keto Pork Carnitas Bowls meal prep recipe

Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce

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Popcorn chicken is lightly fried Korean chicken served with a spicy sauce over brown rice noodles. Healthier than takeout and just as delicious!

Popcorn chicken isn't popcorn at all. A bit of a misnomer, yes! It's bite-sized pieces of chicken lightly fried to crispy perfection. If you're looking for something different for dinner, make this easy meal prep recipe tonight. The chicken gets tossed in a popular Korean cooking condiment called gochujang, which is a savory, sweet and spicy fermented red chili paste. (Most grocery stores have this, in case you haven't seen it before!) Make this dish made gluten-free (swap out the soy sauce for tamari) if needed. 

 

Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce

Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 3 chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch pieces (about 1 ½ pounds)
  • 8 ounces brown rice noodles
  • 2 cups tapioca flour
  • 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. ginger powder
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 cups sesame or canola oil for cooking
  • Green onions, sliced for garnish
  • Sesame seeds for garnish

For the Sauce:

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 3 tbsp. coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp. gochujang (Korean chili paste) 

How to Make Popcorn Chicken

The chicken gets cooked in sesame oil with a bunch of awesome spices including paprika, garlic, and ginger. Then you toss it in tapioca flower (making this dish gluten-free!) and quickly pan fry it. Remove to a paper towel to drain.

Meanwhile, your noodle will cook in another pot. You can make the sauce ahead of time if you like, as it just consists of ketchup, coconut sugar, soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free), and gochujang. Play with the amounts if desired to get your ideal balance of flavors.

Substitutions and Alterations

  • Not sure how you feel about gochujang? Simply reduce the amount you add to the sauce and increase the amount of ketchup. 
  • Use shrimp or pork if you don't have chicken. Popcorn steak could work, too. 
  • Use regular pasta (spaghetti would work) instead of rice noodles, or soba noodles if you don't have rice noodles but need to keep this gluten-free. 
  • Double this recipe and freeze the chicken for future use! 

How to Store Popcorn Chicken

We've got you all set for this chicken dish as an easy meal prep recipe. Portion the chicken into one side of the container and the noodles in the other. Done and done! This keeps in the fridge for 4 or 5 days provided the containers are sealed properly. Reheat in the microwave or right in a hot pan to which you've added a smidge of oil (just so the noodles don't stick or dry out!). 

We also love to double the chicken for a recipe like this and freeze it. You can freeze the chicken before or after cooking. Just transfer to a zip-close plastic bag and label it with the contents and date, so you know what's what when it's time to excavate that bag from the freezer! Defrost in the fridge (overnight if you can, it's very helpful!) before cooking it, and defrost before reheating. 

How to Serve Popcorn Chicken

This meal prep recipe is a complete dinner in and of itself. However, you can add a few things if desired.

  • A bright and crunchy green salad with an orange-ginger dressing works well. 
  • Coleslaw is a great balance-cooling, raw and crispy-to the heat of the popcorn chicken.

Need more inspiration: Find 30+ more meal prep recipe videos here!

Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce
Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce
Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce
Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce
Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce

Popcorn Chicken with Rice Noodles and Gochujang Sauce

Lightly fried Korean chicken served with a spicy sauce over brown rice noodles. Healthier than takeout and just as delicious!
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: Chicken, Meal Prep
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 481kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

For The Main

  • 3 medium Chicken Breast cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 8 ounces brown rice noodles
  • 2 cups tapioca flour
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 cups sesame oil for cooking
  • green onions for garnish
  • Sesame Seeds for garnish

For The Sauce

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoon Coconut Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 3 tablespoon Korean chili paste

Instructions

  • Place oil in a large sauté pan and bring to a high heat until bubbling.
  • While the oil heats, place the cut chicken in a bowl with vinegar, paprika, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit 10 minutes.
  • Prepare a large plate with the tapioca flour.
  • Place the chicken on the place and coat generously with the flour.
  • Place ¼ of the chicken in the pot of oil. Cook 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels then add another ¼ of the chicken to the skillet. Repeat until all the chicken has been cooking.
  • While the chicken is cooking, prepare a pot of boiling water and cook the brown rice noodles until tender. Drain the water and run under cold water.
  • Place the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and mix together.
  • Once the chicken is done, place it in a new skillet with the sauce and bring to medium heat. Cook 5 minutes until warm.
  • Add sliced green onions and sesame seeds and serve with brown rice noodles.

Video

Notes

Nutrition for 1 out of 5 servings (*Please note that the macronutrient values on this recipe are a very rough estimate since the oil called for in frying the chicken will leave quite a bit after. Please do not use these values as a steadfast set of numbers, but instead as an awareness tool)
18g Protein | 50g Carbs | 23g Fat | 481 Calories
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 23g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Paleo Chicken Soup with Kale

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Paleo Chicken Soup with Kale combines the benefits of a comforting soup with the nutrition of kale, all in your Instant Pot!

It's wintry cold and you want something warm and cozy to eat ASAP. You also want to stick to your nutrition goals. What do you do? Pull out your Instant Pot and make paleo chicken soup with kale! This is a recipe for exactly what you need: a delicious comfort food soup that is loaded with flavor and nutrients. Kale makes this paleo chicken soup even better, adding a touch of bitterness, along with lots of nutrition. With any luck, you may find yourself reaching for seconds. We think this soup is auditioning for the role of "new favorite comfort food for the colder months." Give it a try!

We love it just as it is, because it's so delicious, but if you want more veggies, a green salad is never a bad idea alongside some soup.

Paleo Chicken Soup Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 ½ cups medium onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups carrots, chopped
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 8 celery stalks
  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp dried oregano
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 whole chicken

How to Make Paleo Chicken Soup in the Instant Pot

The beauty of a pressure cooker such as the Instant Pot is that everything cooks right in the same pot and it happens more quickly than it would take otherwise if you were just simmering a soup on the stove.

You start with the saute function and add the avocado oil and veggies, along with seasonings. Add the whole chicken, set the Instant Pot, and walk away! Once it's ready, release the pressure and remove the chicken to a cutting board. Then, remove as much meat from the bones as possible. It's as easy as that!

How to Store Paleo Chicken Soup

Soup is one of those things, like stew, that tastes better the second or third day. Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freeze any leftover soup. As we like to say around here, future you will be so happy you did that. Freeze in individual servings if that makes the most sense for you, or in 2 or 4-cup increments, which can also be helpful depending on the size of your household. It should keep for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight and reheat on the stove, or use the microwave to speed things along.

Benefits of Kale

Often referred to as a "superfood," kale offers high levels of many vitamins and minerals, which are essential for normal body function. The nutrients in a serving of kale will support your immune system, brain, eyes, skin, muscles, heart, and many other pathways within your body. Kale has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, making it helpful for preventing and fighting many diseases including heart disease and cancer. Kale contains iron, too, which is doubly important for vegetarians and vegans.

As with most vegetables, kale is low in calories and high in fiber, which helps you stay full and helps digestion, and contributes to healthy cholesterol levels. Did you know adults need at least 25 grams of fiber per day? Many of us fall short. Eating something like this paleo chicken soup with kale makes it easier to get your good green veggies into your diet-and the fiber they bring, too. (Sources Dr. Axe; National Institute of Health, Arthritis Foundation, Healthline)

Substitutions and Alterations

Feel free to use chicken parts, whether that means chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks and/or some combination of any of those pieces.

If you're not a fan of kale, spinach works great here, and so does Swiss chard. In a pinch, beet greens would do, too. Anything dark green and leafy is a nutritional win!

Tips for Paleo Chicken Soup

You can take the leftover chicken carcass and use that to make stock if you like. Kitchen efficiency at its best. Then, transfer it once it's cool to containers you can label with the date and contents. Freeze if you like, or leave it in the fridge to make more soup-paleo chicken or something else.

READ MORE: Set it and forget it with this Slow Cooker Lentil Soup!

paleo chicken soup

Paleo Chicken Soup with Kale

Need something to warm your belly? Pull out your Instant Pot and make paleo chicken soup with kale!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: dinner, Soup
Cuisine: American
Diet: Low Fat
Keyword: Chicken, soup
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 543kcal
Author: Meowmeix

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 ½ cups medium onion chopped
  • 1 ½ cups carrots chopped
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 8 celery stalks
  • 1 teaspoon salt or more, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper or more, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 whole chicken

Instructions

  • Place the oil, onion, carrots, kale, and celery in the Instant Pot, along with the salt and pepper. Turn on the "saute" function and cook for a few minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
  • Turn off the saute feature. Then, add the chicken, 4 cups of chicken broth, and 4 cups of water.
  • Seal the lid and set the timer for 25 minutes.
  • Release the pressure when it's finished cooking. Then, transfer the chicken from the pot to a cutting board. Remove the meat from the bones and add the meat back into the pot.
  • Stir the soup to recombine the ingredients. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 1646mg | Potassium: 787mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 11682IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli

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Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli is a delicious way to use ground beef and it's loaded with protein!

This hearty Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli meal prep is bursting with flavor! Packed with protein from both lean ground beef and chickpeas, this is one meal prep recipe that will keep you feeling satisfied and fueled all afternoon long! No 3pm slumps around here, thanks to the good balance of fats, protein, and carbs. It's also easy as far as a make-ahead meal prep is concerned. You can break this down into as many steps as you like since they're pretty distinct.

Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli

Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli Ingredients:

For patties:

  • 16 oz lean ground beef (I used 85% lean)
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • 1 handful chopped parsley
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • Cooking spray (optional)

For the rice and the rest:

  • ½ cup long-grain white rice
  • ½ cup canned chickpeas 
  • ⅔ cup chopped peeled tomatoes
  • 1 large head broccoli
  • 1 teaspoon ghee

How to Make Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli

You first make the patties by combining the ground beef, onion, and seasonings in a large bowl. Scoop them into evenly-sized small patties and set aside. Cook the patties over medium heat in a skillet and then take them off the heat. Finally, cook the rice in a deep skill or a saucepan until the water has been absorbed, and add in the tomatoes and chickpeas. Meanwhile, as the rice cooks, you can steam the broccoli and it's all ready around the same time. 

If you want to break this down further into its own steps, making the broccoli ahead of time is an easy step. Prepping the beef patties is smart, too; just keep them in an airtight container after you cook them. Sometimes you have to get really granular with meal preps, and that's ok. Whatever it takes to get a good meal on the table. 

How to Serve Tomato and Chickpea Rice

This is a great meal prep because everything fits neatly into prep containers and can store for up to 4 or 5 days in the fridge. Simply reheat it all wrapped in foil in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. You could even eat the beef patties cold if desired. It's pretty complete in terms of a meal as is, but if desired, add a salad or some crusty bread if those items fit with your dietary plans. You can also freeze every part of this dish in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight or in the microwave, or right in a hot skillet with a bit of butter or olive oil.

Substitutions and Alterations

You can make this dish with other ground meat such as turkey, chicken, or pork. They might not be as moist as beef, thanks to the lower fat content, but the dish will still taste great. 
Similarly, feel free to use white beans of any kind, which will complement this dish well. 

You can also vary the types of dried seasonings, too. Oregano is great with beef, and so is rosemary. Paprika would pair well along with the cumin and chili powder, and maybe even a little dried coriander, too. 

Swap out the white rice for brown rice if desired, or cauliflower rice.

Make any other veggie instead of broccoli, such as green beans, Brussels sprouts (roasting them would be great), or even sauteed bell peppers. 

Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli

Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli

This hearty Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli meal prep is bursting with flavor!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beef, Chickpeas, Meal Prep
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 407kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

Patties

  • 16 oz lean ground beef 85%
  • ½ medium white onion chopped
  • 1 handful parsley chopped
  • ½ tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • ½ tsp. chili powder
  • cooking spray optional

Rice & Veggies

  • ½ cup long grain white rice
  • ½ cup chickpeas
  • ⅔ cup tomato chopped
  • 1 tsp. ghee
  • 1 large head broccoli

Instructions

  • In a large bowl combine ground beef, chopped onions, chopped parsley, and all seasonings. Mix with a spatula or your hand. Scoop evenly-sized small patties with a measurement scoop/cup/spoon.
  • Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and preheat the pan over medium heat. Cook the patties over medium heat, 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • In a deep medium-sized pan, combine ½ cup long grain white rice and 1 cup water. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rice absorbs the water.
  • In the nonstick skillet you used for the beef patties, heat the ghee over medium heat. Stir in the cooked rice and cook with the ghee for about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and chickpeas and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • 6- Distribute the food evenly among meal prep containers and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Notes

Approximate macros per serving: 407 calories, 28 g protein, 26 g carbs, 19 g fat.
_
Recipe Courtesy Of FitWomenEat

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 19g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Greek Egg Bake

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This Greek egg bake is so easy and a great way to get a lot of veggies and protein into one meal prep recipe. So good with fresh tomatoes, too.

It's not an omelet, and it's also not quite a frittata, but this Greek egg bake is an easy egg dish that delivers a lot of protein and veggies, too. We like this bake because it's a cool way to use up a lot of what's left in your fridge when it comes to vegetables; who doesn't love a good fridge clean-out recipe? Ultimately, a bake like this with eggs is a template that you can use to customize the dish to your liking.

And ultimately, we love any kind of breakfast meal prep that takes the guesswork and chaos out of the morning. But for real? We can eat this for lunch or dinner. Because eggs are always a winner for any meal. This recipe is gluten free and keto, and low-carb, too. Take out the cheese and it's both paleo and Whole30-friendly. 

READ MORE: 25 Grab & Go Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas

Greek Egg Bake Meal Prep --4

Greek Egg Bake Ingredients

  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 1 cup chopped kale
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • ½ cup feta cheese
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

How to Make a Greek Egg Bake

This Greek egg bake is fast! We love it. Whisk together the eggs in a large bowl and add the salt and pepper to taste, along with the dried oregano. Add in the chopped kale, tomatoes, and feta and transfer to a foil-lined baking dish. (The foil makes it easier for you to remove the egg bake when it's ready; it makes a little "sling" for the food so you can lift it out afterward and then slice it without it sticking to the pan.)

How to Store Greek Egg Bake

Once this is prepped it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. Just make sure it's in a sealed airtight container. Reheat in the oven (we like wrapping egg bakes in foil) or in the microwave, gently-sometimes eggs get rubbery in the microwave.

How to Serve Greek Egg Bake

We like this with a small side salad with fresh veggies. If you're a tomato lover, slice up some fresh multicolored grape tomatoes. You could also serve this with hash browns or roasted potatoes of some kind. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, quinoa or even cauliflower rice would work, too. If you're the sort who meal preps roasted or grilled veggies, just to have on hand, those can serve as a side if need be.

Substitutions and Alterations

Don't like kale? Spinach is a great substitute, and so is Swiss chard (just make sure you remove the stems from the chard first). You could even use arugula, although that would give the dish a bit of a peppery bite. 

Feta is a classic Greek cheese, but you could use goat cheese instead and it would impart a similarly tangy flavor. 

Chop up ¼ cup of kalamata (or other) olives to amp up the Greek flavors in this egg bake. 

Use fresh oregano if you've got it, by all means. Use about 1 ½ teaspoons of fresh herb to the ½ teaspoon dried specified here. 

Skip the sundried tomatoes altogether and opt for sliced fresh grape tomatoes, or roughly chopped heirlooms (if it's summertime).

READ MORE: Keto Pizza Frittata Meal Prep is calling your name

Greek Egg Bake Meal Prep --4

 

Macros for 1 out of 6 servings:
Protein: 15g, Fat: 11g, Carbs: 5g, Calories: 175

Nutrition Tip: SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
Contain 20 percent more lycopene per serving than their fresh counterparts. These intensely flavored, sun-kissed beauties are a concentrated source of nutrients. They provide vitamins C and K, iron, and lycopene, an antioxidant associated with a lower risk of certain cancers.

 

greek egg bake recipe

Greek Egg Bake

Or is it an oven omelette recipe? Or just a fancy-pants egg casserole? Whatever you want to call it, it's delicious and nutritious and super easy to prepare.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Egg, Meal Prep
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 175kcal
Author: Nick Quintero
Cost: 3.25

Ingredients

  • 12 ea eggs
  • 1 cup kale chopped
  • ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
  • ½ cup feta
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Whisk together eggs
  • Add in kale, tomaotes, feta and spice
  • Line a baking pan with foil (makes it easier to remove from the pan)
  • Spray with non stick spray
  • Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes
  • Slice and serve...or portion out for the week. Will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 11g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

How to Intermittent Fast with Meal Prepping

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Meal prepping can really help with your intermittent fasting goals. Here's how!

As it's most commonly practiced, Intermittent fasting is a method of only eating within certain windows of time. However, there are a few types of intermittent fasting including alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, and daily time-restricted fasting. People normally pick the option they can commit to, with the primary goal of fat loss in mind.

  • Nearly 42 percent of Americans suffer from obesity.
  • Anyone that wants to lose weight and improve their health can possibly benefit, while meal prepping can make it even easier.
  • In this post, we'll explain why intermittent fasting is important, explain how to intermittent fast with meal prepping, and provide 3 suggestions if you're new to intermittent fasting.

What is Intermittent Fasting, and Why Does it Matter?

Intermittent fasting is a diet plan that considers windows of time for eating, whether that be taking every other day off from eating, eating 5 days per week while taking two days spread out through the week to fast, occasionally fasting, or only eating within certain hours every day. We will even be as bold as to say that not everyone can or should use intermittent fasting. Some people can easily make it a day without eating, but most people prefer having an established daily window of time dedicated to eating.

The most popular hour ratios for intermittent fasting are as follows:

16:8 method, which is 16 hours of not eating and an 8-hour window that allows for limited eating.

20:4 method, which is 20 hours of not eating, and a 4-hour window for eating.

Should you try Intermittent Fasting?

People typically either use intermittent fasting to lose fat, control their blood sugar levels, feel rejuvenated, or as a spiritual or religious act. It is quite normal for those within a religious group to fast, and then donate the money they would have spent on those meals to a charity that feeds those in need.  

According to personal trainer (and meal prepper!) Airon Mallars, "I intermittent fast every day. I'd say the best time for fasting is before bed, it's easiest, too. Have your last meal at 8pm and don't eat until late morning or around 12 noon." He likes this idea especially for beginners, just because you're sleeping while you're doing it. "You don't have to worry about getting hungry while you're asleep!" he says.

He says a reduction in excess fat typically indicates a correlated reduction in the risk of cancer, diabetes, joint pain, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, immobility, better sleep, and more. Maintaining a healthy weight can also make us feel better, and provide inspiration to others as a positive externality. Intermittent fasting is an easy way to accomplish this weight loss, while meal prepping makes intermittent fasting even easier!

How to Intermittent Fast with Meal Prepping

Knowing your personal energy levels, blood sugar, and capability of accomplishing your goals is important for your success with intermittent fasting. Some people cannot do an every-other-day fast, or a 20:4 fast, but they might be able to do a 16:8, or another variation. If someone is active, working out a lot, using a lot of cognitive thinking in their daily life, etc., they especially may need to find a balance that works best.

Once you have the hours figured out, you'll want to balance your diet with the proper amount of macros and nutrients your body needs. Meal prepping while intermittent fasting makes the latter process easier: you give yourself the peace of mind that you are getting the right foods when it's time to break the fast.

When you understand how much energy you need per day to reach your goal, your meal prep planning and the Meal Prep on Fleek meal prep macros calculator will become invaluable.

Prepping your meals ahead of time allows you to eat easily without stopping to prep, when you are ready to break your fast. Cooking when you are hungry can be frustrating and torturous at times. Meal prepping while intermittent fasting can also help save additional money you'd normally be spending on those skipped meals, and it can save more time throughout the week. Using meal prep to your advantage can help deter spontaneous destructive eating choices or habits. It can also create a greater sense of personal responsibility while pursuing your goals.

Easy & Delicious Buffet Style Meal Prep

3 Tips and Reminders for Intermittent Fasting

  1. Plan. Know your BMI, your goals, and calculate your macros. This requires you to step on a scale, plug in your basic information, and look into which meal prep recipes will work with your newly created plan to help hold yourself accountable.
  2. Patience. Patience is key to this body transformation process. When you beat yourself up because you ate something you weren't supposed to or splurged during the holidays, you discourage yourself. Handle yourself with care, understanding, and love; you'll naturally encourage your growth, stick to your goals, and signal to others that they can do it, too. All without judgment. Incremental success and delayed gratification are necessary components for any long-term success. Trust the process.
  3. Persist. Imagine yourself embodying these changes to ensure the results you worked so hard to achieve can actually stay. Think past the time frame required for weight loss. Perhaps the plan changes from losing fat to maintaining, or muscle gaining, but stick with it. Too many people go on diets and go through destructive cycles, which inevitably means their weight bounces back up to what it was-or worse. Shoot for the stars to reach the moon.

You've Got This!

Once you are ready to start your body transformation through intermittent fasting with meal prepping, be sure to check our recipes that are dedicated to your goal plans. Dieting does not have to cause suffering! It can be a legitimate step in the right direction of a healthier lifestyle that has you looking and feeling great, and living longer!

Understanding Hunger: Physical vs. Emotional

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Understanding hunger, physical versus emotional, can be tricky. There are a few ways to develop this skill.

For most of us, it is not easy to know the difference between physical and emotional hunger. Understanding our hunger can be hard. It can sometimes overwhelm us, but it's actually not very difficult, with a little bit of practice and some mindfulness put toward the effort. 

When you get home after a long day of work, and you see the cupcakes that you made on Sunday sitting on the counter calling your name, is it physical hunger or emotional hunger? Or maybe a little bit of both? Most of us don't know, because our tendency is to head straight to the cupcakes and dive right in. One, two, or three cupcakes later, and we are either feeling satisfied or upset with ourselves for eating them. Or maybe some mix of both? 

READ MORE: 10 Reasons Why You Are Having Food Cravings

But what would happen if you paused for a moment before eating the cupcakes and said to yourself, "Am I actually hungry right now? Or would those cupcakes just make me happy?" Is it hunger, or a craving? (Well, that's probably another topic for another post, right?) Would you be able to detect if you were physically hungry or were eating to satisfy an emotion? And if so, how?

Here's how to begin understanding hunger.

Understanding Hunger: Physical vs Emotional

Physical Hunger:

This is real hunger. The kind of hunger that makes you want to chew your arm off. Have you heard the term "hangry" before? Well, this is it. You don't care what you eat, you just need to eat. When you are physically hungry even boiled chicken and broccoli would taste good.

Some signs of physical hunger include:

  1. Comes on gradually
  2. It is a hunger that comes from your stomach
  3. It can be satisfied with any food
  4. You are able to stop eating when you are full
  5. Occurs out of a physical need
  6. Your eating is deliberate and is done with awareness

Emotional Hunger:

This is the kind of hunger when you crave something specific like homemade cupcakes. It is usually a craving for the foods that you don't allow yourself to have because they are on your "bad foods" list.

Some signs of emotional hunger include:

  1. It comes on suddenly
  2. It is a hunger that comes from your head or heart
  3. It is a craving for a specific food
  4. You continue to eat even after you are full
  5. Occurs out of an emotional need
  6. Your eating is automatic and absent-minded
  7. You feel guilty after eating

At the end of the day, it is not about the food. If you just found yourself saying, "This is me" to more than one bullet in the emotional hunger category then it may be time to start diving into your feelings and finding a healthy way to express them in a nurturing way. You can start by keeping an emotional eating journal to see if you have any patterns. Then begin by improving your relationship with food with these 5 tips. Finally, find support. It is the best thing you can do for yourself.

READ MORE: 5 Reasons Why Exercise Will Change Your Life

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafel with Avocado Cream Sauce

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Baked lentil sweet potato falafel (with avocado cream sauce!) is a healthy twist on a fried favorite. Pair with a big salad for a light lunch or dinner. 

Look at all the green in this recipe. So good, right? Falafel is so good, what with all the chickpeas and spices and fried goodness. But we gave traditional falafel a makeover, for a baked recipe that’s high in beta-carotene and iron.

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafels with Avocado Cream Sauce

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafel with Avocado Cream Sauce  Ingredients

For the Falafel

  • 2 cups lentils
  • 1 (15-ounce) can sweet potato puree
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper 
  • Salt and pepper, to taste 

For the Avocado Sauce 

  • 1 large avocado, pitted
  • 2 tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk 

How to Make Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafel

This recipe comes together fairly quickly. It requires you to cook the lentils, which can take a little bit of time. You can certainly make the lentils ahead of time and store them in the fridge if you want to break this meal prep into even smaller steps. Otherwise, make the lentils, and then drain them. Then, combine them with the sweet potato puree, along with some garlic, cayenne, paprika, coconut flour, salt, and pepper in a food processor or a high-speed blender.

Form them into patties and then transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment. While that's happening, make the cream sauce with the avocado and some unsweetened coconut milk. It's so delicious, you'll figure out ways to put it on all kinds of things other than as a bit of a garnish for this baked lentil sweet potato falafel.

How to Serve and Store Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafel

We've suggested a good salad alongside this baked falafel meal prep. We like it with kale or spinach, and some cut-up pieces of cucumbers, peppers, and grape tomatoes, for example.

Once it's been prepped and stored in containers in the fridge, it will keep for 4 days or so. You can eat all of this cold or even at room temperature, if desired, if you're taking the meal preps on the go with you. But if you'd rather, you can heat each falafel patty up in a hot skillet, or wrap them in foil and pop them in a 350 F oven for about ten minutes.

Substitutions and Alterations

Sometimes sweet potato puree can be hard to find. Feel free to substitute pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie puree).

You can make this with regular brown lentils, or use red lentils; the latter cook more quickly. The French kind, Puy lentils, will take much longer and may not puree as well as the other types; they tend to hold their shape longer and are best used for salads and room-temperature dishes.

Tips for Avocado Cream Sauce

You can use the canned coconut milk (just shake the can well, it's thick!) or the type that comes in the refrigerator section that's meant to be used more as a plant-based milk substitute. Either will work; the consistency will be a little different (i.e., thicker) with the canned milk. But it's up to you!

Double the recipe if desired and use the cream sauce on the salad you might eat alongside this healthy meal prep.

READ MORE: Easy Falafel Meal Prep

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafels with Avocado Cream Sauce

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafels with Avocado Cream Sauce

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafels with Avocado Cream Sauce

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafels with Avocado Cream Sauce

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafels with Avocado Cream Sauce

Baked Lentil Sweet Potato Falafels with Avocado Cream Sauce

Falafels get a healthy twist with this baked recipe that’s high in beta carotene and iron. Pair with a salad and vegan avocado cream sauce for a light lunch or dinner!
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Lentils, Meal Prep
Servings: 12 patties
Calories: 350kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

Falafels

  • 2 cups lentils
  • 15 ounces sweet potato puree canned or baked and then pureed
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt & pepper to taste

Avocado Sauce

  • 1 large Avocado pitted
  • 2 tablespoon unsweetened coconut milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place lentils in a pot of boiling water. Boil 10 until tender and drain.
  • Place the lentils in a high-speed blender or food processor with the other ingredients for the falafels. Blend on high until smooth.
  • Scoop ¼ of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet to form a patty. Repeat for the remaining batter until there are 12 patties.
  • Bake at 375 F 25-30 minutes until golden and edges are slightly crusty.
  • Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet while you prepare the avocado sauce.
  • Place the avocado and milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more milk to obtain desired consistency.
  • Serve falafels with avocado cream sauce over a salad with your favorite veggies.

Notes

Nutrition for  4 servings (1 serving = 3 falafel)
13g Protein | 57g Carbs | 9g Fat | 350 Calories | 15g Fiber

Nutrition

Serving: 3falafel | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 15g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Jalapeno Sliders With Sweet Potato Bun Meal Prep

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These Jalapeno sliders have a spicy kick! Made with diced jalapenos and placed on a sweet potato “bun” for Paleo-friendly meal on the go!

Hello, hello!

Watch as we 'slide' right on into your day with this Jalapeno Sliders With Sweet Potato Buns Meal Prep recipe. Just imagine kicking up your feet at lunchtime and relaxing with a container full of spicy burgers! It's like being at your best friend's summer BBQ, while working!

Ok, we are back from our daydream. But seriously, make these—regardless of the time of year.

This recipe is Whole30 compliant, gluten-free, dairy-free, and beyond easy. Plus, the spice is enough to give you an energy kick to finish out your afternoon!

Jalapeno Sliders With Sweet Potato Bun Meal Prep Ingredients

  • 1 large, thick sweet potato
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 small jalapeno, finely diced
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

How to Make Jalapeno Sliders with Sweet Potato Bun

This flavorful recipe for sliders comes together with just some lean ground beef, a small jalapeno pepper, and some seasonings. That's it. Grill it outside or on your grill pan. And instead of using a bun, make this paleo by cutting a sweet potato into slices that are thick enough to serve as a bun. The slices roast in the oven while the sliders cook.

How to Serve Sliders

We love these with the standard accompaniments such as lettuce, tomato, and maybe even a pickle. It's a pretty well-rounded meal as is, but a green salad is always a good addition to healthy meal prep. These burgers are pretty filling, though! You might not need anything else. A good paleo mayo like one from Primal Kitchen would be delicious if you like mayo on your burgers; the creaminess of mayo tastes great against the spice of these sliders.

How to Store Jalapeno Sliders With Sweet Potato Buns

Once these are prepped, they can stay in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You might want to reheat the slices of sweet potato just slightly to take the edge off the cold from the fridge. A skillet over medium heat would do the trick.

You can also make the elements of this meal, namely, the burger and the "buns," ahead of time and freeze them. Defrost in the fridge or wrap the items in foil and reheat in the oven. A microwave might make the beef "cook" unevenly when it defrosts unless you've got a good sense of how your microwave works. They can be unpredictable. Frozen, however, the sliders will keep well for 3 months along with the sweet potato slices. They will likely need some re-crisping up in a hot pan once they're defrosted.

Tips for Sweet Potato Bun

Make sure your sweet potato is large enough in diameter to accommodate a slider. It should be a few inches or so; it will shrink a little in the oven, but not much.

Tips for Burgers

Use your hands! It's never a bad idea to use your very clean hands to mix together seasonings and ground meat when you are forming burgers. It better distributes the seasonings within the meat, and it also helps to avoid overmixing, which can very easily happen when you're using a spoon or spatula. The end result? A more tender, juicy burger that doesn't taste tough.

Prep Ahead! Mix these burgers up the night before and keep them covered in the fridge until you're ready to cook them. Just bring them to room temperature beforehand so they cook more evenly once they hit the grill or your grill pan.

whole30 meal prep sliders

Paleo Jalapeno Burger

Jalapeno Sliders With Sweet Potato Bun Meal Prep

These sliders have a spicy kick! Made with diced jalapenos and placed on a sweet potato “bun” for Paleo friendly meal on the go!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beef, Meal Prep
Servings: 2 meals
Calories: 483kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 1 large cooked sweet potato (about 200g)
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
  • 1 small jalapeno finely diced
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • sides as desired

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare the sweet potato by washing the outside well then slice horizontally into thick slices.
  • Place the sweet potato on a medium baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • While the sweet potato is baking, heat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.
  • Combine ground beef in a large bowl with jalapeno, cumin, and garlic powder. Using your hands, break up the meat and mix the ingredients together.
  • Form the mixture into 4 patties and transfer to a plate. At this point you can cook them immediately, or cover and refrigerate until you're ready.
  • Grill them for 4 minutes then flip and cook another 4 minutes for a medium-well slider.
  • Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, and sliders from the grill.
  • Transfer to 2 meal prep containers and place 2 burgers in each one along with roasted sweet potato “buns” along with your desired sides!

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:16  Blue:16  Purple:11
__
Nutrition Per Meal:
48g Protein, 23g Fat, 21g Carbs, 483 calories

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 23g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

3 Easy Weekend Parfait Combos

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Parfait combos are endless and so much fun to come up with. It's all about layers of flavor!

Our family loves yogurt, granola, and fruit, at any time, and they love it even more when it all comes together in one delicious spoonful. And guess what? It only takes an extra few minutes to prepare it that way. It looks pretty and it's ready to eat when you're ready to enjoy it. You can customize this to your heart's content, too, and make it vegan and/or gluten-free if need be! It's an easy meal prep or a healthy snack. 

Here are 3 of our favorite go-to weekend parfait combos for on-the-go breakfasts.

What is a Parfait?

In the United States, parfait refers to either the traditional French-style dessert or to a popular variant, the American parfait, made by layering parfait cream, ice cream, and/or fruit, usually in a tall clear glass. (It can also be in a shorter glass, depending on how big your parfait wants to be). The clear glass displays the layers of the dessert, much like an English trifle bowl does for the layers of a trifle dessert. The topping is created with whipped cream, fresh or canned fruit, and/or liqueurs.

How to Make A Parfait

A yogurt parfait with granola is easy: You just layer yogurt with granola, nuts, and/or fresh fruits such as peaches, strawberries, or blueberries. This version is sometimes called a yogurt parfait or fruit parfait and is often served for breakfast. But you can eat it any time of day; it also happens to make for a great afternoon snack, thanks to the protein. 

Now I realize this looks nothing like a traditional French parfait. These parfait combos are sweet, bursting with flavor, creamy, vanilla-y, and crunchy, thanks to the granola. They're lightly sweetened. You can feel good about including this option in your weekend meal prep!

Parfaits make for some sweet grab-and-go meal prep, whether you eat this for breakfast, as a snack, as a light dessert, or even lunch. The ingredients in these combos are listed from bottom to top, and you just repeat the layers until the jar or glass is full. 

Yogurt with Granola, Strawberries, and Pineapple

  • Greek yogurt
  • Granola
  • Pineapple and sliced strawberries

Yogurt with Granola and Berries

  • Greek yogurt
  • Granola (or crushed up Clean Snax for extra flavor)
  • Blueberries and raspberries
 
 
 
 
 
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Mango + Raspberry + Chia Seed

This one's vegan and comes to us from Crazy Vegan Kitchen!

Vegan-Mango-Raspberry-Chia-Seed-Pudding-Healthy-Delicious-Refined-Sugar-Free

Ingredients for Mango, Raspberry, and Chia Seed Yogurt

1 ½ cups soy milk (or other plant-based milk)
2 tablespoons, plus ½ teaspoon maple syrup, divided
Pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons chia seeds
1 mango, chopped
½ cup fresh raspberries

(Full Recipe Here)

Substitutions and Alterations

Oh, parfaits are so easy to customize. We love fresh berries but frozen ones work great, too, especially if you are prepping ahead of time. They'll slowly defrost in the fridge. 

We like to stick with plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt because it has more protein and less sugar, and it's a good idea to have some dietary fat with your dairy. Not everything has to be so low-fat all the time.

Almost any kind of fruit works well here, but ones that are juicy get extra points, we think. Pears and apples will taste good, but we love berries and tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple, papaya, and so forth. And oh, dare we mention peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums? Their sweetness works so nicely against tart and creamy yogurt. 

If you're out of granola, you can use any kind of crunchy, sturdy cereal with a yogurt parfait, or even just a layer of chopped nuts. 

Tips for Parfait Combos

It's really easy for something like this to become very sweet and sugary, especially if you are looking at a granola that has a lot of sugar in it. If this is something you pay attention to, just be sure to read the label.  The same advice goes for yogurt; it's why we stick with plain yogurt as much as possible because your average fruit-flavored yogurt has upwards of 15 grams of sugar; granted, about 5 of them are natural milk sugars, but much of it is added. 

READ MORE RECIPES WITH YOGURT AND GRANOLA!

Greek Yogurt Cookie Dough Fruit Dip:

Easy Gluten-Free Fall Breakfast Granola

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Recipe--also gluten free!

 

A Beginner’s Guide to Mobility

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Food is part of the equation, without a doubt, but what about movement. Check out this guide to mobility--it can help you reach your health and wellness goals!

You are doing everything right, from meal prep to exercise and everything in between. But you just can't move the way you want to. Maybe it's a tight back, stiff knees, or locked-up hips.

Maybe you've even heard a little bit about mobility training, but you aren't sure what to do or even what it is. It has become somewhat of a buzzword in the health and fitness space, but what exactly does it mean? Are we talking about taking a weekly yoga class? Do chiropractor visits count? I'm sure you're hoping I don't tell you to touch your toes like you are in PE class again, right? 

And furthermore, you might even be thinking, I'm fine. Nothing hurts right now. Why should I care about this right now? Why do we even need a guide to mobility?

While all these things have their place and can be a part of a mobility program, simply put, mobility goes far deeper. 

It is worth noting that there are entire books written on mobility, so this is a condensed overview of what mobility is, why it matters, and how we can begin to improve it. 

So What Is Mobility?

Mobility is the ability to move your body pain-free through full ranges of motion. 

Mobility goes hand in hand with strength. We not only want to be able to reach the end ranges of our motion but want to be able to control our bodies in these positions. Having muscle control when, for example, you're in the bottom of a squat, means that you truly own that position. 

Just as with exercise, nutrition, and our health in general, this is all very individual. Mobility needs are dependent on the person, where they are at in their journey, and what they want to achieve. For some people, it means simply moving in basic exercise. For others, it may be active stretching or banded joint mobilizations. It may also include muscle strengthening using weights, bands, or even your own body weight. Mobility measures can be designed to tailor specific imbalances in the body, strengthen one area, and alleviate pain. It's complex! It can even help prevent injury.

This is why we need a guide to mobility.

Why Mobility Matters?

Simply put, mobility is movement. 

As we age, our mobility and muscle mass begin to decrease. We begin to lose the ranges of motion we once had access to as kids and even young adults. Think back to the last time you saw kids playing at a playground. Do they struggle to move? No, quite the opposite. Kids often are seen sitting in the bottom of a squat quite comfortably. However, at some point, whether we blame sitting all day or just getting older, we no longer have access to these positions in a pain-free way. This is where mobility training comes in. 

As mentioned above, mobility has two major components.

The ability to move. No matter how hard we try, many of us cannot get into basic positions, whether it's the aforementioned bottom of a squat or stretching our arms up straight over our heads. You may be thinking, "You're right, but does it really matter if my squat doesn't break parallel or my arms can't fully extend?"

It absolutely does. As we age, we lose mobility. So, as you grow older your problem can go from not being able to sit at the bottom of a squat to not being able to do a quarter squat. Maybe you're asking, what is even a quarter squat? Think about simple everyday tasks like using the restroom or getting off the couch. If your mobility is impaired, doing those simple tasks is considerably more difficult. 

The ability to move without pain. This is the goal. We want you to move fully and without pain. Pain is different than discomfort and it is important that you determine which one you are feeling day-to-day when performing a mobility routine. Mobility training can be difficult at times, but it should feel similar to exercise discomfort or even mild pain-definitely not sharp pain. 

How to Improve Mobility?

I know you are sold at this point on this whole guide to mobility and amping it up!

For the vast majority of people, rather than spending ten minutes touching your toes or doing a chest stretch, mobility should begin with full ranges of movement in your exercise training. Whether it is an air squat, pushup, or pull-up, be sure to control the entire movement and move through the full range, without pain. 

So much of what we do with our bodies is connected, whether it's our diet, mental health, exercise, or stress. Some of your mobility issues could be partially due to inflammation in the body.

READ MORE: Fight inflammation and improve mobility with the top ten inflammation-fighting foods. 

Mobility training can be daunting to start and we certainly don't want to leave you high and dry. Here are some specific mobility routines for some of the most common problem areas:

Try these out and let us know what you think. We are here for you in your health, fitness, (and now mobility) journey! 

Sources

Eriksson, Keenan. "How to Master Your Mobility in 15 Minutes a Day." Medium, Better Humans, 12 Oct. 2021, https://betterhumans.pub/how-to-write-yourself-a-15-minute-mobility-pres cription-c6c0067b926f. 

Vegan Minestrone Soup

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Vegan minestrone soup is loaded with beans and lots of veggies for a high-protein and healthy lunch or dinner.

Minestrone on its own is healthy, but if you make it vegan it can be even healthier. It's hearty and one of those soups that taste good all year round, but like most warming foods, is best in the winter. Vegan minestrone is also endlessly adaptable, a soup to make with a few key ingredients but a recipe that is good with other veggies as you see fit.

Vegan Minestrone Soup Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 (14-ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 18 ounces steamed red kidney beans
  • 18 ounces steamed garbanzo beans
  • 1 cup elbow pasta

How to Store and Serve Vegan Minestrone Soup

This soup is easy to make (watch the video below); it's a simple assembly job with some simmering. But once you've made it, you can serve it right away of course, with a great salad and maybe a nice hunk of crusty bread.

You can certainly keep this in the fridge for 4 to 5 days and it will freeze well because there is no dairy. Soup like this will be good in the freezer for up to 6 months. It's helpful to freeze it in serving sizes so you can just defrost what you need quickly and reheat and eat; two-cup increments tend to work well.

Substitutions and Alterations

Minestrone is awesome because it can be so easily adapted. This recipe calls for pre-cooked/steamed kidney beans and chickpeas, but you can use canned if need be, or cook your own beans from dried. (Hint: cook a big batch and freeze some for future recipes!)

Feel free to use fresh parsley instead of cilantro if desired; we know how divisive cilantro can be.

You can also add some freshly chopped spinach, kale, or Swiss chard into this soup, but be sure to stir it in toward the end and not the beginning because it will wilt too much and lose its flavor. Fresh greens cook quickly!

Use any kind of onion if you like; red works well here and adds some sweetness.

Make this gluten-free by using a plant-based pasta such as rice, corn, quinoa, lentil, or chickpea. The latter three types will also bump up the protein considerably.

If it doesn't need to be vegan, sausage would be really tasty here. You can cook it in a hot skillet while the soup simmers and then set it aside briefly. Slice it thinly and add it to the soup so the flavors can meld. Leftover shredded chicken also works great here.

MORE SOUP! SOUP IS GOOD FOOD!

minestrone soup ingredients breakdown

minestrone soup in a red cup

Minestrone is my fave soup, especially for a gloomy day. It's a classic recipe that leaves you feeling full and warm. It comes together easily with some onions, carrots, and celery in a large pot, with oil. And then everything gets added, bit by bit, afterward. Watch how to make it here:

Recipe adapted from Feel Good Foodie

minestrone soup in a red cup

Vegan Minestrone Soup

Minestrone is one of our favorite soups, especially for gloomy days! It's a classic italian recipe that leaves you feeling full and warm.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Chickpeas, Meal Prep
Servings: 8 large bowls
Calories: 272.06kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 14 oz No-salt-added diced tomatoes, canned
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes, canned
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 18 oz steamed red kidney beans
  • 18 oz steamed garbanzo beans
  • 1 cup elbow pasta

Instructions

  • In a large pot, heat olive oil, add onions, carrots, celery, herbs, salt/pepper and sauté for a few minutes.
  • Add garlic and mix with veggies for 1 minute.
  • Add diced and crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  • Stir in beans and pasta and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Serve with fresh parsley and croutons (optional)

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 272.06kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.05g | Protein: 11.33g | Fat: 5.68g | Saturated Fat: 0.78g | Sodium: 1204.21mg | Potassium: 797.71mg | Fiber: 10.25g | Sugar: 10.55g | Vitamin A: 3715.08IU | Vitamin C: 17.48mg | Calcium: 114.57mg | Iron: 3.79mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

One Pan Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs

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One-Pan Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs makes a quick and easy weeknight meal! Serve over cauliflower rice for a full ‘take-out’ style meal any night of the week. 

We love a good sesame chicken recipe, and it's a go-to for a lot of people for takeout. But if you are following a paleo diet you know that takeout means can be a minefield of unknown and likely forbidden ingredients that will get you off track. With this sticky chicken thigh recipe, you can make your own paleo sesame chicken recipe at home and control the ingredients.

One Pan Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs, cubed
  • 6 tablespoon cassava sweetener or sweetener of choice
  • 3 tablespoon coconut aminos
  • 1 ½ tbsp. ketchup or bbq sauce
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tbsp. sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp. coconut flour
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish, optional

How to Make Paleo Sticky Chicken Sesame Thighs

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

This easy, quick and flavorful meal comes together with only a few simple ingredients that you can find at any local grocery store. If you aren't following a paleo diet, then feel free to use any brand of these products that you would like!

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

Add your chicken and oil to the pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

Next, mix together the coconut aminos, sweetener, and ketchup. Add the sauce to the chicken.

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

Cook the chicken for an additional 2 to 3 minutes and then stir in the coconut flour to thicken.

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

Mix and let the chicken sit, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes while the sauce thickens.

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

Mix well and serve over cauliflower rice.

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

How to Store and Serve Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs

We love this right over cauliflower rice but you can serve it with plain white rice, jasmine rice, or try one of these other rice alternatives. Serve it right out of the pan for dinner (recipe yields 4 generous servings, or 6), or divide it into your containers for a take-out style lunch all week.  

You can freeze the chicken very easily and even the rice, too, if you like. Transfer to a zip-close bag and press out all the air, or store in the freezer. Defrost in the microwave, in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in a hot skillet.

You might consider serving these sticky sesame chicken thighs with a side of steamed broccoli. Drizzle it with a little bit of sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. Steamed green beans would also complement this dish well, or perhaps sauteed bell peppers.

Substitutions and Alterations

This sauce is adaptable very easily to other proteins. Try this paleo sticky sauce with tofu or shrimp, or some lean pork or steak. Tofu and shrimp will cook much faster than chicken, though, so keep that in mind.

You can make this sticky sesame chicken recipe without the paleo-leaning ingredients if you need to. Swap the coconut aminos for soy sauce, for example, or regular flour for the coconut flour. Agave would work in place of honey or cassava.

RELATED: More Sticky Chicken Dishes! Lighter Mango Chicken Sticky Rice Meal Prep! Or how about Sesame Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry Meal Prep!

Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs_

One Pan Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thighs

A Paleo Sticky Sesame Chicken Thigh recipe that is made in one pan for a quick and easy weeknight meal! Serve over cauliflower rice for a full ‘take-out’ style meal any night of the week. Or make a big batch and divide it into your containers to meal prep.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: Chicken, Meal Prep, paleo
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 233.15kcal
Author: Sarah Kesseli

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, cubed
  • 6 tbsp. cassava syrup or honey
  • 3 tbsp. coconut aminos
  • 1.5 tbsp. ketchup
  • 0.5 tbsp. sesame oil
  • 1.5 tsp. garlic powder can sub crushed garlic
  • 2 tbsp. coconut flour
  • sesame seeds optional

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in diced chicken thighs and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together sweetener, coconut aminos, ketchup, and garlic powder. Add the sauce to the chicken and cover, cooking for 2 to 3 more minutes.
  • Stir the coconut flour into sauce if you'd like it to be a little thick; if not, you can skip this step. Let it sit for a minute or two to combine.
  • Sprinkle the dish with sesame seeds. Serve as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 233.15kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.65g | Protein: 22.4g | Fat: 6.17g | Saturated Fat: 1.67g | Cholesterol: 107.73mg | Sodium: 310.65mg | Potassium: 309.51mg | Fiber: 0.93g | Sugar: 18.24g | Vitamin A: 46.45IU | Vitamin C: 0.15mg | Calcium: 10.21mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Breakfast PRO Power Bowl

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Table of Contents

Loaded with protein and produce (see what we did there?), this breakfast PRO power bowl will fill you up!

Make breakfast count with a Breakfast PRO Power Bowl loaded with produce and protein!  What does this mean? It means this breakfast meal prep is guaranteed to jumpstart your day. With eggs, quinoa, avocado, and veggies, it's a healthy meal prep recipe.

Breakfast PRO Power Bowl

Breakfast, hands down, is our favorite meal of the day. Especially when it starts with a Greek egg bake, waffles or this breakfast pro power bowl.

This breakfast pro power bowl recipe is power packed for you with healthy fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates that will equip your body and mind with what it needs to face the day. It contains everything you need, macro wise, to stoke your digestion and keep you satiated until lunch. (Or dinner, if you're eating this for lunch!)

How to Make Breakfast Pro Power Bowl

This is a simple assembly job at its best. If you've already prepped hard-boiled eggs, you're part of the way there. Batch cooking lentils and quinoa helps, too; whatever you have left over from making this dish you can freeze. Or maybe you've got some frozen lentils or quinoa you can pull out like a magician to help speed up this healthy meal prep.

How to Serve Breakfast Pro Power Bowl

This meal prep recipe can quickly be made ahead of time. It's good either warm or cold, depending on your preference, for breakfast or lunch. Heat up the lentils and quinoa if desired; otherwise, this meal prep is perfectly delicious at room temperature or chilled.

Breakfast PRO Power Bowl

How to Store Breakfast Pro Power Bowl

It'll keep in airtight containers in the fridge for 4 or 5 days. You can freeze some elements of this dish, if needed, with the exception of the egg and avocado. They won't really freeze well.

Substitutions and Alterations

Add in 3 ounces of cooked chicken breast (we love a good rotisserie for this reason) and you have a second meal option, also ready in minutes.

Use any kind of lentils you like, but the French green ones will hold their shape the best in cooked salad situations like this.

Serve this over a bed of greens if cabbage and carrots aren't your things. Cauliflower rice would work, too, as another veggie to load up on in the morning.

Drizzle some high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (or even avocado oil) over this breakfast pro power bowl before serving. It perks up all the flavors and adds a little bit of fat, which will help your body absorb all those nutrients.

Top with a handful of chopped almonds or walnuts, or a couple of tablespoons of hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds for extra nutrients.

Tips for Prepping

For this easy meal prep recipe, make the hard-boiled eggs ahead of time, along with the quinoa and the lentils. Hard-boiled eggs can sit right in your fridge, unpeeled, in a bowl, until you're ready to use them. Keep the quinoa and lentils in airtight containers in the fridge.

READ MORE: We love a good bowl! 3 Easy Power Salad Bowl Meal Prep Recipes!

Breakfast PRO Power Bowl

Ingredients:

  • 6 large eggs, hard-boiled
  • 2 cups quinoa, cooked
  • ½ cup lentils, cooked
  • 1 cup red cabbage
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 avocado
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
Breakfast PRO Power Bowl

Breakfast PRO Power Bowl

Make breakfast count with a Breakfast PRO Power Bowl loaded with produce and protein. Guaranteed to jumpstart your day and easy to meal prep. Substitute the veggies for any green.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Egg, Lentils, Meal Prep, Quinoa
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 439kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs hard boiled
  • 2 cups quinoa cooked
  • ½ cup lentils cooked
  • 1 cup red cabbage shredded
  • 1 cup carrots shredded
  • 1 medium avocado sliced
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa and lentils with garlic powder and cumin.
  • Divide the mixture in half, among three meal prep containers. Do the same with the cabbage and carrots.
  • Halve the hard-boiled eggs and top the prepped containers with the halved eggs and sliced avocado. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

Nutrition for 1 out of 3 servings:
23g protein, 44g carbs, 19g fat, 439 calories

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 19g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Beef Patties-Sweet Corn Rice and Sautéed Veggies

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Beef Patties-Sweet Corn, Rice, and Sauteed Veggies: Do you need more than that for a balanced meal prep loaded with veggies and protein?

The key to successful meal prep is to have a plan, keep it simple and make it taste good! This Beef Patties-Sweet Corn, Rice, and Sauteed Veggies meal prep does just that!

With just a handful of wholesome ingredients, you can be enjoying one of the summer's favorite foods - burgers with a balance of healthy carbs and the freshest veggies! We love these for so many reasons, but mostly they're delicious and versatile, and the recipe yields about 16 patties. 

Beef Patties-Sweet Corn Rice and Sautéed Veggies Ingredients

For the patties:

  • 16 oz lean ground beef (I used 93 percent lean)
  • 1 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 handful chopped parsley
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin

The rice:

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • ¼ cup sweet corn (frozen/canned)

And the veggies:

  • 4 to 5 medium size mushrooms
  • 4 handfuls baby spinach
  • 8 to 10 cherry tomatoes
  • Coconut oil

How to Make Beef Patties-Sweet Corn, Rice and Sauteed Veggies

Simply combine the ground beef with the onions, garlic, parsley, and all the seasonings. Then you portion them out with a measuring spoon. They're cooked quickly in a nonstick pan (no oil needed), for about five minutes per side. Very easy. The rest of the prep involves cooked brown rice, corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach. 

How to Store Beef Patties with Sauteed Veggies 

This meal prep keeps well for the usual duration in an airtight container for four to five days in the fridge. You can also freeze the patties ahead of time and even the veggies and rice, too, if desired. (Yes, you can freeze rice). Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. 

Beef Patties-Sweet Corn Rice and Sautéed Veggies

Substitutions and Alterations

Lean ground beef is what this recipe calls for (about 93 percent), but feel free to combine beef, veal, and pork, or some combination thereof if you want some savory diversity. If you opt for something like turkey or chicken, just know that the fat content won't be quite as high and they might not be quite as moist. They'll still be good, though! 

A bit of garlic or onion powder will amp up the flavor. 

Use white rice instead of brown, or skip it altogether and boil up some quinoa if desired. These beef patties with corn and rice will be delicious even if you're not using rice, but some other grain or grain-like ingredient (quinoa isn't actually a grain but a pseudograin!).

Tips for Making Beef Patties

You can use a spatula or a spoon to combine the ingredients for the beef patties, but we suggest using something else: your hands. Using your hands for patties (or meatballs!) means you're less likely to overmix the ingredients, and it's more likely the ingredients get combined evenly. Overmixing can result in tough patties.

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover rice because it calls for cooked rice.

Canned or frozen corn can be used. If using canned corn, drain and rinse it first, though. 

If you've never grated garlic, use the smallest holes in your box grater, or try a microplane grater instead to get the garlic nice and grated.

READ MORE: Tomato and Chickpea Rice with Beef Patties and Steamed Broccoli is calling your name!

Beef Patties-Sweet Corn Rice and Sautéed Veggies

Beef Patties-Sweet Corn Rice and Sautéed Veggies

The key to successful meal prep is to have a plan, keep it simple and make it taste good! This Beef Patties-Sweet Corn, Rice and Sauteed Veggies meal prep does just that!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beef, Meal Prep
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 297kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

Beef Patties

  • 16 ounces lean ground beef 93%
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic grated
  • 1 handful parsley
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cumin

Rice

  • 2 cups brown rice cooked
  • ¼ cup sweet corn frozen or canned

Veggies

  • 5 medium mushrooms sliced
  • 4 handfuls spinach
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  • Coconut oil as needed

Instructions

  • In a large bowl combine ground beef, chopped red onions, grated garlic cloves, chopped parsley, and all seasonings. Mix with a spatula. Scoop the mixture into small patties evenly sized; you should get about 16 altogether.
  • Preheat a large nonstick pan (no oil needed) and cook the patties over medium heat, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Wipe out the same nonstick pan with a paper towel and add the cooked rice with corn. Cook over meidum heat, about 5 minutes.
  • Preheat about 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until both sides are brown, just a few minutes until tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Melt 1 more teaspoon coconut oil for baby spinach. After the coconut oil is melted, toss baby spinach in the pan and turn the heat off. Salt to taste. Serve this dish slightly warmed.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:8  Blue:8  Purple:5
_
Approximate macros per serving: 297 calories, 28 g protein, 23 g carbs, 5 g fat.
_
Recipe Courtesy Of FitWomenEat

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 5g
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Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatball Meal Prep

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Spaghetti squash and turkey meatball meal prep will give you all the cozy feels of the classic dish it's inspired by, spaghetti and meatballs, but with lower carbs and fat.

Cutting out starchy pasta is a great way to save calories, but you need to replace those noodles with something that's like noodles, but also tasty! Spaghetti Squash is one of the simplest healthy swaps you could make for traditional pasta if you are looking to reduce carbs and/or eat more veggies in general. (Spaghetti squash contains about 10 grams of carbs per cup, a fraction of pasta's typical carb count.) This squash can be used in sweet and savory dishes, but the most common use for meal prepping? Well, it just so happens to be with meatballs, or even with some meat sauce.

Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs Meal Prep

  • 1 medium spaghetti squash
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Caribeque Island Thyme seasoning
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1 tsp pepper, or to taste
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha

How to Make Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs Meal Prep

First, let's talk about the squash itself. You'll start off by roasting it at high heat in the oven until you can easily shred the squash into "spaghetti" with a fork. While the squash is roasting, bring together the ingredients for the meatballs in a medium bowl. If you can't find the specific seasoning we recommend here, which contains a combination of sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, paprika, marjoram, and garlic powder, we suggest using something similar. The same amount of Italian seasoning would work, or get creative and do a dash of all of those individual herbs, if desired. Keep in mind the seasoning we recommend already has salt and pepper in it, so you may not need a whole lot for the meatballs.

How to Serve and Store Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs

We love this for an easy meal prep because it's deliciously rewarding and balanced, and it stores well. Keep them in airtight meal prep containers for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat. You can freeze the meatballs if you want, but the spaghetti squash won't do so well in the freezer when you go to reheat it.

Spaghetti and meatballs deserve a good green salad, maybe with Caesar dressing. Or at the very least, a side of broccoli rabe, sauteed kale with garlic, or something else that's very green! We also like a good dash of freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the finished dish, too.

Substitutions and Alterations

Serve this spaghetti squash and meatballs with your favorite marinara sauce or other jarred pasta sauce. Or make it from scratch, if desired.

Feel free to use ground beef, chicken, or pork, or a combination of those meats, for this meal prep.

Doubling this recipe means you can freeze the meatballs and have them at a moment's notice for dinner. Future you will definitely thank you!

Tips for the Best Meatballs

Use your clean hands to combine the meatball mixture. It will ensure that it's both evenly mixed and not overmixed; the latter can result in meatballs that are tough and not tender.

READ MORE: One Skillet Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

MORE MEATBALLS: 20 Miniute Paleo Thai Almond Butter Turkey Meatballs

spaghetti-squash-meatball-meal-prep2-768x850-1
spaghetti-squash-meatball-meal-prep2-768x850-1

Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatball Meal Prep

Cutting out starchy pasta is a great way to save calories, but you need to replace those noodles with something tasty. Spaghetti squash to the rescue!
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: Meal Prep
Servings: 2 meals
Calories: 259.87kcal
Author: Nick Q

Ingredients

  • 1 each medium spaghetti squash
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha

Instructions

Spaghetti Squash

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray or cooking oil.
  • Cut the squash in half lengthwise from stem to tail. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
    how to cook spaghetti squash step 5
  • Place squash, cut-side down, on the baking dish. Place into oven and roast until tender, about 35-45 minutes (depending on size).
    how to cook spaghetti squash step 6
  • Remove from oven and let rest until cool enough to handle.
  • Using a fork, scrape the flesh to create long strands.
    how to cook spaghetti squash step 7

Turkey Meatballs

  • Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with avocado oil.
  • Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, and mix it together using your hands. Don't overwork the mix; it'll make for tougher meatballs.
  • Use a ⅓ cup measuring cup to portion out the meat. Gently roll into a ball and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have a sheet full of meatballs.
  • Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 259.87kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.34g | Protein: 53.72g | Fat: 4.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.12g | Cholesterol: 124.74mg | Sodium: 1450.94mg | Potassium: 669.05mg | Fiber: 0.26g | Sugar: 0.12g | Vitamin A: 56.7IU | Vitamin C: 4.86mg | Calcium: 6.8mg | Iron: 1.84mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic Grilled Chicken

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Garlic grilled chicken with rosemary and lemon. No matter how you describe it, all of those things are delicious and classic accompaniments to chicken.

Grilled Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic Grilled Chicken

Hiiiiya! It's Stephanie here from @cookbycolor sharing a recipe for this simply delicious Rosemary, Lemon and Garlic Grilled Chicken. No matter what time of year it is, there's nothing like a roasted chicken with rosemary, lemon, and garlic. So delicious. 

Please don't mind that this chicken missing a wing. I literally couldn't help myself, so I had to test it to make sure it was safe, ya dig? The verdict? Well, I enjoyed it before I remembered I needed a picture. Take away? It's irresistible.

This chicken will easily serve our small family 6 meals + the goods for a delicious broth. You have a perfect protein-building block to work with, so stick with me here.

How to Make Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic Grilled Chicken

This recipe comes together fast because what you're doing is removing the backbone of the chicken, or spatchcocking it. With the backbone removed, you can lay the chicken flat right on the grill and it cooks more quickly and evenly. If this sounds like something you're afraid to do or don't know how to do, you can ask your butcher to do it, try your hand at it yourself (take a spin through YouTube), or find a grocery store that sells them already prepped that way. (Thanks, Wegmans!) All this needs is a quick rub down with lemon juice, rosemary, and garlic, and some salt and pepper. And boom, you're good to go.

How to Store and Serve Garlic Grilled Chicken

Just about anything tastes great with chicken. It's true, right? Roasted potatoes (sweet or white or even Yukon golds), green beans, steamed broccoli, or a giant salad. It's something you can make all year round and vary the side dishes accordingly; in the summer, serve alongside grilled vegetables. Chicken will keep in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. You can portion this out into airtight meal-prep containers if desired, or just leave the whole thing in the fridge, as is, and cut off what you need, as you need it. Talk about low-fuss meal prep! 

Substitutions and Variations

This recipe uses lemon, but feel free to use lime if you want instead, or even orange. Chicken and citrus get along well together, in general.

Vary the herbs, too. Thyme, cilantro, sage, parsley, marjoram, chives-these are all great herbs that work with chicken.

If you don't have garlic, or want to vary things, try chopped shallots or red onion instead. 

What to Do With Leftover Chicken

For dinner tonight, we can have chopped chicken breast with roasted potatoes and a simple salad. Maybe tomorrow we will mix it with mayo, celery, apples, and curry powder to make a to-die-for chicken salad that can be wrapped, sandwiched or set atop a #BAS.

The point? You have prepped protein for the week, or at least a few days. With minimal effort, it can feed us as is, or can be repurposed in endless ways. Soup, salad, stews-the sky is the limit.

I am always featuring easy ways to reinvent leftovers in creative, delicious ways @cookbycolor and would love for you to join the #cookbycolor community. Check it out!

READ MORE CHICKEN RECIPES!

 

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Grilled Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic Chicken

Grilled Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic Chicken

This chicken will easily serve our small family 6 meals + the goods for a delicious broth.  You have a perfect protein building block to work with so stick with me here…

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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken, Meal Prep
Servings: 6 meals
Calories: 401kcal
Author: Stephanie V

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil (depending on size of the chicken)
  • 3 tablespoon Rosemary finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 whole chicken

Instructions

  • Get your lemon juiced, and rosemary/garlic ready to roll -all together in a bowl.
  • Cut out the backbone of your chicken with sharp kitchen shears- and break the breastbone so it will lay flat on the barbecue. (or ask your butcher to do it. Keep the backbone for broth!)
  • Flip 'er over, and generously salt the skin, and between the skin and meat.
  • Coat the meat and the skin with the marinade mixture- ensuring you get the thigh meat marinating too. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge
  • Preheat the grill for low, indirect heat. On a three-burner barbecue, the two outside burners are on a medium low heat, and the middle burner is off.
  • Cook the chicken on the middle burner for approximately one hour. Test for a temperature of 165 degrees.
  • Let it rest for 10 minutes so that it stays nice and juicy!

Notes

Recipe via @Cookbycolor 

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 314mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

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This Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew has an anti-inflammatory boost! It's pungent, fragrant, and slightly sweet. Serve over cauliflower rice, white or brown rice for a warm lunch or dinner. 

Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

 Who doesn't love a chicken stew for a cold night? Or any night, really?

This one takes a little bit of time, as any good stew does, but it's worth it. With chicken, turmeric, ginger, coriander, and cinnamon, it's warming, spicy, a little sweet, and so good. It's a flavor profile commonly associated with Moroccan food. Like any stew, it gets better the longer it sits, so you'll have fun tasting this on day 1 versus day 4.

How to Make Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

Carrots, onions, and garlic come together in a large pot, and then you add the chicken and some salt and pepper. Then, cook that a little bit and add the tomatoes and stock, plus all of the spices. Bring it up to a boil and then simmer, simmer, simmer. And then, you're good to go.

Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts, boneless skinless & chopped into ½ inch pieces 
  • 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic 
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 ½ cups carrots, diced 
  • ½ cup onions, diced 
  • 3 cups chicken stock 
  • 1 tsp. turmeric 
  • ½ tsp. cumin 
  • ½ tsp. coriander 
  • ½ tsp. ground ginger 
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon 
  • 4 cups cooked cauliflower rice, or white or brown rice 
  • Parsley, for garnish
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

How to Serve Moroccan Chicken Stew

We like this over cauliflower rice, or regular rice if you don't need to restrict carbs. Either brown or white rice would taste good here. Jasmine rice in particular would complement these flavors.

You can also eat this stew as is, or serve it with crusty bread if that's part of your diet plan. Sometimes it's worth the glutens!  A green salad goes a long way, but you've got a lot of veggies in this stew already.

How to Store Moroccan Stew

Stew gets better with age and can sit for several days in the fridge. Suffice it to say, it'll taste more interesting on days three and four, so certainly enjoy this meal prep.

Freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three months. Defrost in the microwave, in the fridge overnight, or over medium-low heat on the stovetop.

Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

Substitutions and Alterations

  • You could add sweet potatoes to this dish if you like. Just peel and dice them to about an inch or so, and then add them at the same time as the stock, tomatoes, and spices.
  • Swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs.
  • Cilantro is an herb you can use instead of parsley if you prefer.

Tips for Moroccan Stew

When using canned goods, such as tomatoes, beans, and pre-made stock, it's nice to buy low-sodium versions (or no salt) of these products. It may be most helpful if you (or those you cook for) need to restrict salt intake. But in more practical cooking terms, buying processed foods with low or no sodium means you can customize the salt level to your liking. It makes it less likely that your food will end up too salty.  

READ MORE: Digging Moroccan Chicken? Try Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken Meal Prep

Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew
Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

This chicken stew has an anti-inflammatory boost! Seasoned with Moroccan flavors, it's pungent, fragrant, and slightly sweet. Serve over cauliflower rice, white or brown rice for a warm lunch or dinner.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Moroccan
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: Chicken, Meal Prep
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 270kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces chicken breast cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 ½ cups carrots diced
  • ⅓ cup onions diced
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 cups rice cauliflower cooked
  • parsley for garnish
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat.
  • Add carrots, onions, and garlic. Sauté 4-5 minutes until tender.
  • Place diced chicken in the pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is almost but not entirely cooked through,, about 8 minutes.
  • Add turmeric, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, diced tomatoes with their juices, and chicken stock.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Cover the pot and cook 45 minutes on low.
  • Serve with cooked cauliflower rice, white or brown rice, and parsley for garnish.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:2  Blue:1  Purple:1
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 690mg | Potassium: 1464mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 8278IU | Vitamin C: 102mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Moroccan Turmeric Chicken Stew

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

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Simplify prep and clean up with these sheet pan chicken fajitas, which are ready in a flash! They're great for all kinds of diets!

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas Bowl

Let the oven do all of the work for these chicken fajitas. All you need is one pan and about 20 minutes to have a healthy and wholesome meal prep ready for the entire week! No takeout is needed; this dish is way better. Plus, it makes your Sunday meal prep easy-peasy. Cook once, eat four times-so much wisdom in this! And we are all about finding sheet pan recipes that work great during the week. (Try these Sheet Pan Salmon Fajitas next!)

This recipe is great for those following a low-carb diet. You can serve as is or with keto tortillas. It's also paleo-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole30 compliant! Our only recommendation?  Say, "Yes, I'll take the guacamole, please." Because we all know that avocados are life, no matter what kind of dietary plan you're following. 

Sheet-Pan-Chicken-Fajitas-2

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas Ingredients

Who wouldn't want to eat fajitas for lunch all week? Or dinner! Here's what you need:

  • 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 3 bell peppers, any color, sliced
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • Limes, for serving

How to Make Chicken Fajitas 

This couldn't be easier. Slice everything up and toss it with taco seasoning and olive oil. Then, load it onto the sheet pan, which you've also greased with a little bit of oil, and bake for less than a half an hour. It's really that quick. Clean-up is a snap because you're basically only washing a knife, a cutting board and, once the meal is prepped or served, the sheet pan. Seriously. 

Substitutions and Alterations

  • Feel free to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts.
  • Add fresh herbs at the end like chopped cilantro.
  • Use a red onion for something a little sweeter, or a Vidalia onion for the sweetest onion.
  • Kick up the heat and use a few shishito peppers if desired; not all of them are spicy but some are. It's an adventure!

How to Serve Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Granted, we like this for a weeknight meal for all the aforementioned reasons. But there's no reason why you can't double or triple this (get more sheet pans, you'll need 'em!) recipe and serve it for a party. Put out all the fixins on the side so people can load up with the toppings they want, like sour cream, pico de gallo, cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheeses, chopped cilantro and, of course, guacamole. (Any kind of salsa would work, though, if you don't have pico. Skip the tortillas or opt for gluten-free or low-carb ones as needed. Or serve with regular rice or cauliflower rice.

How to Store Chicken Fajitas

Once they're prepped, this recipe will keep for up to 4 days in a sealed and airtight container in the fridge. Just reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop with a little bit of olive oil in the pan. You can also freeze these in an airtight zip-close plastic bag. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat as directed. This kind of meal prep takes well to the freezer. 

READ MORE: 35 Sheet Pan Meal Prep Recipes That Will Change Your Life!

One Pan Steak Fajitas with Peppers

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Simplify prep and clean up with these sheet pan chicken fajitas and let the oven do all the work. They're ready in a flash and great for all kinds of diets!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Chicken, Meal Prep
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 276.67kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 3 ea bell peppers sliced
  • 1 ea onion sliced thinly
  • Fresh limes

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a large rimmed baking sheet.
  • Slice chicken into strips and season to coat with half of the taco seasoning. Lightly drizzle seasoned chicken with half of the olive oil and transfer to the baking sheet.
  • Add the sliced veggies to the sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil and the rest of the taco seasoning, if desired.
  • Bake at 400ºF until chicken strips are cooked through and the veggies are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and squeeze fresh lime juice over the whole pan. Serve as desired in tortillas or over cauliflower rice.
  • Optional: Serve with *gluten-free tortillas* or cauliflower rice, pico, guacamole

Video

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:5  Blue:1  Purple:1

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 276.67kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.82g | Protein: 37.66g | Fat: 8.28g | Saturated Fat: 1.5g | Cholesterol: 108.86mg | Sodium: 253.88mg | Potassium: 923.55mg | Fiber: 3.15g | Sugar: 6.5g | Vitamin A: 3608.55IU | Vitamin C: 147.99mg | Calcium: 25.53mg | Iron: 1.19mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

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One Pan Steak Fajitas Meal Prep

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep

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Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep is an effortless and hearty meal to be enjoyed for lunch or dinner. Gluten-Free. 

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep

Can you tell we have been on a kick with recipes that are easy and made in the Crock-Pot? Basically, these kinds of recipes are ideal for people less enthusiastic about cooking. Or if you just don't want to spend a lot of time on the weekend chopping, prepping, and all the rest. Here's the deal. This beef ragu does its thing in your kitchen on a Sunday afternoon while you go about your business. This ragu makes your house smell awesome, and then dinner is ready for that night. Or for meal prepping.

This Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep recipe is super easy, but still has all of the rich, hearty flavors of a classic ragu. It is served over a high-protein, gluten-free pasta for a complete meal for lunch or dinner. This comforting dish will appeal to the whole family. It feels filling and nostalgic, which is a winning combo for us.

How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta

Everything goes in your slow cooker. This beef ragu earns the award for the fastest description we've ever written for a dish.

But seriously, there's one exception, and that's the pasta. Resist the temptation to do your pasta in the slow cooker. It just won't work. That's why you make the pasta separately. This kind of appliance just doesn't exactly excel at starches like pasta and rice, with a few exceptions.

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep Ingredients

  • 1 (1.5-pound) sirloin cap roast
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 5 sprigs fresh thyme)
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • 1 pound Banza pasta
  • Grated Parmesan cheese or cheese powder and chopped parsley for serving, optional
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep

How to Store Beef Ragu

Meal prep as directed. This beef ragu is so hearty, it will keep for about five days or so. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. (Hint: Dishes with pasta do better reheated on the stovetop in a little bit of extra sauce or water. The microwave can make pasta gummy).

Freeze any beef ragu pasta leftovers in freezer-safe containers or zip-close bags.

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep

How to Serve Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta

We like serving this not only with pasta, but with some fresh kale or spinach mixed into the dish at the last minute. The heat from the dish will soften the greens, so don't think of it as quite like adding a salad to your pasta.

Substitutions and Alterations

  • You could use a pork shoulder if this dish, for something different.  The pork will be fall-apart tender and delicious.
  • Regular pasta can be used instead of chickpea/gluten-free pasta.
  • Serve over rice, whether it's cauliflower, white, or brown rice, instead of pasta. Just cook the rice at the same step in the recipe instead.

READ MORE: Need a reason to use your slow cooker? How about 31 Slow Cooker Meal Prep Recipes? 

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep

Make all the meals!! Slow cooker meal prep recipes save time and taste SO GOOD! No dry meat here

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep. An effortless and hearty meal to be enjoyed for lunch or dinner. Gluten-Free. 
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 16 hours 5 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Beef, Meal Prep, Pasta
Servings: 8 meals
Calories: 444kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pound sirloin cap roast
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 medium carrots chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 5 springs fresh thyme
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • 1 pound chickpea pasta or pasta of choice

Optional

  • grated Parmesan cheese
  • parsley

Instructions

  • Rub sirloin cap roast with oil and generously sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Transfer into a slow cooker, fat cap side down.
  • Pour crushed tomatoes on top. Add the beef broth, garlic, onion, carrots, thyme, and bay leaves around the roast.
  • Cook covered on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours. Remove the thyme sprig (if using) and bay leaves. Remoe the beef to a cutting board and shred it, using two forks.
  • Cook chickpea pasta according to package instructions and transfer to serving bowls. Pour on the ragu and serve hot with extra vegetables, such as spinach or kale.
  • Alternatively, add the pasta and the sauce into separate meal prep containers and save for later.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:8  Blue:8  Purple:2
 
Nutrition for 1 out of 8 servings:
40g Protein, 12g Fat, 44g Carbs

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 12g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu Pasta Meal Prep Recipe

15+ Meal Prep Instant Pot Recipes

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Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes

If the word "Instant" is involved you better believe we will be including it in our weekly meal preps. Who wouldn't want recipes that make your Sunday meal prep adventures easier? We're raising BOTH our hands here, because we sure do! The less time spent in the kitchen and the more time spent with our families, the better.

Basically, the Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, and therefore can accelerate the cooking time of your meals. You can make a WHOLE lot of different types of meals in this handy appliance. You'll see. 

So, what can this magical kitchen tool do? It saves you time and money (and time is worth money!), and it can help you batch prep meals and eat healthier. Sign us up!

We think you get the point. Saving time + saving money + eating healthier = the keys to ongoing meal prep success! To help you get started we have compiled a list of more than a dozen Meal Prep Instant Pot Recipes that will rock your tastebuds. 

Pair any of the proteins with your favorite whole grain or rice alternative for a well-rounded and balanced meal. Or, you can even alternate with different proteins or vegan options in each of these recipes to add variety and cater to you and your family's preferences.

So, what are you waiting for (besides the appliance to finish)? It's time to get meal prepping. 

Oh, and we included a few snacks and desserts because life is always better when a little sweetness is involved. Right? 

CHICKEN

Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls

Start here. Promise this'll convert you to what the Instant Pot can do for your chicken dinners!

Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

No need for takeout when you can prep this meal in your Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Shredded Mexican Chicken

The base of tacos, burritos, or just a delicious meal on its own over rice. Yep, that's what you're looking at right here!


Instant Pot All In One Chicken & Rice

Chicken and rice is such a classic. And this one? Flavorful and fast!

BEEF

Instant Pot Italian Beef 

Eat this amazingly tender chuck roast as is, or topped on a sub roll for an indulgent sandwich. (Yeah, we still eat sandwiches sometimes!)

Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef

Instant Pot Mexican Style Shredded Beef

Instant Pot Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes

Comfort food delivered right in your pressure cooker? Yes, please! 

Instant Pot Un-Stuffed Cabbage Bowls

Think of this as a deconstructed stuffed cabbage dish. So delicious!

Pork

Instant Pork Carnitas

We think such a dish speaks for itself, yes? The pressure cooker works wonders with meat.
Instant Pot Hawaiian Kahlua Pork

Add Liquid Smoke, soy sauce, and sugar to pork for an amazing pork dish. 

Instant Pot Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Oh, this one is a keeper! Once you figure out how to do a balsamic glaze, it's game over.

SOUP

Instant Pot Smoked Sausage and White Bean Vegetable Soup

Ah, the beauty and simplicity of a good ole white bean and sausage soup. 

Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup

For when you don't want to mess with tacos, we bring you this dish. 

SNACKS AND DESSERTS

Instant Pot Vegan Coconut Milk Yogurt

Yes, you can make this vegan dessert in the Instant Pot. Then, you can eat it! 

Instant Pot Candied Chickpea Cajun Trail Mix

You know you wanna try this. Look at how inventive this snack is!

Instant Pot Candied Chickpea Cajun Trail Mix

Instant Pot Tapioca Pudding

Quick, easy, and delicious! Mint garnish is optional, naturally! 

Instant Pot New York Cheesecake

You'll never look at cheesecake again the same way once you pull it out of the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Desserts

TWO BONUS RECIPES!

Instant Pot "Better than Sex" Lava Cake

Banana French Toast Instant Pot Recipe

Have fun cooking with your Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker!

Pin these Instant Pot Recipes for later:

Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes

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Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites

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Energy bites are such a good snack to have on hand, and these cinnamon raisin ones taste like a cookie or your favorite cereal, but pack more protein!

Delicious and easy recipes that require no baking are some of our favorites. They also make terrific recipes for healthy meal prepping because they're just so fast. With a bit of protein powder, some cinnamon raisin almond butter, and other on-hand pantry ingredients, these energy bites are easy to make. They require just a little bit of chilling, and then they're ready. It's hard to argue with something that tastes like a cinnamon raisin cookie, but is actually way healthier. Serve them after school for a snack, after a workout to replenish some nutrients, or after dinner as a dessert. Or eat them just because!

No Bake Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites Ingredients

  • ½ cup nuts 'n more cinnamon raisin almond butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 2 scoops Nuts 'N More almond-infused whey protein powder
  • ⅓ cup raisins
  • ¼ cup milk

Create a simple, delicious, and protein-packed #mealprep snack with this recipe featuring almond butter!

How to Make Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites

These come together easily. Combine the almond butter, milk, and honey together in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine rolled oats, oat flour, protein powder, and raisins. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and then roll the batter into balls about the size of walnuts. Transfer the balls to a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes. Store them in airtight containers in the fridge.

How to Store and Serve Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites

Keep these in airtight containers in the fridge; they'll keep longer that way and stay firm. They should be good for a week. You can also freeze any kind of energy bites, these included, in an airtight container. They're fun to prep for snacks alongside a handful of almonds or some berries, for example, or maybe even a little bit of plain yogurt, Greek or otherwise. 

Substitutions and Alterations

If you can find a cinnamon raisin almond butter like the one we've specified here, then that's what you use. But you can make your own almond butter with those flavors by adding about ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the almond butter when you combine it with the honey and milk.

Feel free to use a neutral-flavored protein powder (whey or plant is great) if you can't find the one we've specified here. Vanilla is probably the best bet because it won't compete with the other flavors in the energy bites. 

Any kind of milk works here, whether dairy or non-dairy. 

Dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries would also be a fun twist.

MORE CINNAMON RAISIN LOVE! Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Snack Bread

 


ALMOND BUTTER TIP:

Almond butter offers cardiovascular benefits because of its fiber and fat content. Almond butter is made up primarily of unsaturated fatty acids that improve your blood cholesterol levels to help combat cardiovascular disease, and also provide energy
Almond Butter Health Facts

Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites

Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites

No Bake Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites - Delicious and easy recipes that require no baking are the perfect solution to prepping a hot day. They also make terrific recipes for meal prepping.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Meal Prep
Servings: 20 pieces
Calories: 99.86kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cinnamon raisin almond butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 2 scoops whey protein powder
  • ⅓ cup raisins
  • ¼ cup milk

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon raisin almond butter, honey, and milk.
  • In a separate medium bowl, combine oats, oat flour, protein powder, and raisins.
  • Add almond butter and honey to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Roll them into balls about the size of walnuts (or whatever size you like) and transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Refrigerate the prepared balls for about 20 to 30 minutes, and then enjoy! Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Video

Notes

Nutrition values are approximate - please calculate based on your specific branded products (almond butter and protein powder)

Nutrition

Calories: 99.86kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.39g | Protein: 2.89g | Fat: 4.39g | Saturated Fat: 0.46g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 3.98mg | Potassium: 109.84mg | Fiber: 1.61g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4.94IU | Vitamin C: 0.13mg | Calcium: 31.22mg | Iron: 0.71mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

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Lenny Kravitz once said, "My dream is to become a farmer. Just a Bohemian guy pulling up his own sweet potatoes for dinner." We'll be honest… That really sounds like the best life, Lenny! But who says sweet potatoes are only a dinner staple? They're so deliciously versatile, we could happily eat them for any meal, and that's why we have a sweet potato meal prep idea for you today that makes for an excellent breakfast option-A sheet pan sweet potato breakfast hash! Plus, it's so raw in ingredients, our paleo readers will love it especially! 

Whole30 Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

Oh yeah, and did we mention that this is a Whole30-compliant meal prep idea as well? That means this meal can help you eliminate the things that potentially trigger unfavorable reactions in your body! In other words, it contains absolutely no dairy, grains, alcohol, legumes, or added sugars. Just make sure you read the labels (if any) of the products you buy, before you buy them, to ensure they don't contain any of the aforementioned ingredients.

Whole30 Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

How long will this Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash last for?

We recommend eating this dish within 4 days of cooking it.

Can this Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash be frozen?

Partially, yes-Cooked fresh veggies themselves can be expected to last 2-3 months in the freezer, but absolutely do not freeze the eggs or else you risk illness after thawing them! Just make sure to cook your eggs fresh if you plan to freeze this meal prep idea.

A southwest inspired hash made with sweet potatoes. This Whole30 breakfast is customizable, so use what vegetables you have on hand and dice them to mix into the sweet potatoes. A breakfast you'll look forward to waking up for!

Whole30 Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

How do you make this Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash?

Begin making this meal prep idea by preheating your oven to 425° F, then add sweet potatoes, bell pepper, mushrooms, onions or other substituted veggies to a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt, cumin, and chili powder. Toss pan ingredients to evenly coat in oil, then bake for 25 minutes. Once baking is done, remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to divide the sweet potato hash into 4 piles. Make indentations in the center of each pile, and add 1-2 eggs to the tops of each pile. Return the sheet pan to the oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on how well done you'd like the eggs, then serve with fruit and avocado if desired.

Whole30 Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

How to portion this Sweet Potato Meal?

If you plan to eat this dish without the optional sides, we recommend using these single compartment containers. However, if you want the sides, we recommend using three-compartment containers.

More Whole30 breakfast meal prep ideas:

Breakfast might be our favorite meal of the day, so we have plenty of breakfast meal prep ideas to check out! If you want more Whole30 breakfast recipes, check out this Whole30 Bacon Strawberry Breakfast Salad, or these Whole30 Breakfast Snack Boxes for your next round of prepped meals!

Other tips for making this Sweet Potato Breakfast Recipe:

  • For even more healthy monounsaturated fats in this dish, consider using avocado oil instead of olive oil!

Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash Ingredients:

  • 5 cups sweet potatoes, cubed
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ cup onion, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 4-8 eggs
Whole30 Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

A southwest inspired hash made with sweet potatoes. This Whole30 breakfast is customizable, so use what vegetables you have on hand and dice them to mix into the sweet potatoes. A breakfast you'll look forward to waking up for!
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: Egg
Servings: 4 mals
Calories: 379kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 5 cups sweet potatoes cubed
  • 1 large bell pepper diced
  • 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • ½ cup onions finely minced
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • black pepper as desired
  • 8 large eggs

optional

  • Avocado
  • fruit

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • To a large sheet pan, add sweet potatoes, bell pepper, mushrooms, and onions.
  • Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt, cumin, and chili powder. Toss to evenly coat the vegetables.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, and use a spatula to divide the sweet potato hash into 4 piles, leaving indentations in the center of each pile.
  • Add 1-2 eggs on the top of each pile, and return the sheet pan to the oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on how well done you'd like the eggs.
  • Serve with avocado slices and fruit, if desired.

Video

Notes

Nutrition for 1 out of 4 servings:
17.7g Protein | 40.8g Carbs | 16.5g Fat | 7g Fiber | 379 Calories 

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.8g | Protein: 17.7g | Fat: 16.5g | Fiber: 7g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Chicken Quinoa Salad

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Chicken Quinoa Salad is a high-protein flavorful meal prep idea with fresh fruit and avocado. Prep it for a delicious filling lunch or dinner.

Chicken Quinoa Salad combines fresh fruit and quinoa with high-protein chicken breast for a sweet and savory meal prep idea! Serve with some avocado or a drizzle of avocado oil for a complete macro-friendly meal! It's so good, and gluten-free, too. We like this salad for a quick lunch, as you can it eat it cold right from the fridge if you like, but you can have it for dinner. Versatility is key! 

Chicken Quinoa Salad

How to Make Chicken Quinoa Salad

For meal prep, this comes together pretty fast. You start the chicken in a skillet with some olive oil while the quinoa cooks in some water on the stovetop. Butternut squash cooks in the oven, and then gets combined with the rest of the ingredients. 

The trickiest part of this whole thing? The pomegranate. Buying a whole pomegranate is more economical, but it takes some time to wrangle to get the arils, or seeds, out. You cut it in half and then submerge the halves in a bowl of cold water and dig the seeds out using your fingers. It takes time and your fingers will definitely get cold, but the water loosens the arils from the membranes inside the pomegranate. It just takes some practice. If you can't be bothered with all of this, pomegranate arils are sold on their own, usually in clear plastic cups with a lid, in the produce department. Toss them right into the quinoa salad and call it a day!

Chicken Quinoa Salad Ingredients

  • 2 ¼-lb. chicken breast
  • ½ cup white quinoa, uncooked
  • ½ butternut squash
  • 4 celery stalks
  • 5 scallions
  • ¼ cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
  • 2 limes

How to Store Chicken Quinoa Salad

We love a good salad meal prep, so know that this chicken salad keeps just like all our other recipes, for up to 4 or 5 days. If you want to, you can freeze the salad in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator and eat it at room temperature or a bit warm. It's up to you!

Chicken Quinoa Salad

Substitutions and Alterations 

  • As always, feel free to use chicken thighs instead of breasts if you prefer in this quinoa salad. 
  • Other types of quinoa are fine here, too, such as red, or even a mix. Sometimes you'll find bags of quinoa labeled "tri-color." All good. Use whatever you've got. The flavor varies a bit but not too much. 
  • Orange, tangerine, or clementine segments would also complement the flavors in this salad. 
  • Swap out the butternut squash for sweet potatoes. 
  • You can take out the quinoa and use rice or even millet. But this chicken quinoa salad recipe is loaded with protein thanks to the quinoa, topping at more than 50 grams per serving!

Tips 

  • It's important to rinse the quinoa before you cook it. Doing so helps remove some of the bitterness in quinoa.
  • Leftover pomegranate arils are delicious on their own as a tart and crunchy snack. Swirl them into oatmeal with some almond butter, top them on plain Greek yogurt, or sprinkle on top of pancakes or French toast. 

READ MORE: For more protein, quinoa, and fruit combos, try Fruity Quinoa and Grilled Salmon

Chicken Quinoa Salad

Chicken Quinoa Salad

Chicken Quinoa Salad combines fresh fruit and quinoa with high-protein chicken breast for a sweet and savory meal prep idea!
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Chicken, Meal Prep
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 431kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 2.25 lbs chicken breast
  • ½ cup white quinoa uncooked
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ ea butternut squash peeled
  • 4 ea celery stalks
  • 5 ea scallions
  • ¼ cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
  • 2 ea limes

Instructions

  • Spray a nonstick skillet with oil and place over medium-high heat. Wash chicken breasts with cold water, cut into cubes, and season with salt. Transfer to the pan and cook 5 minutes per side until golden brown.
  • In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups of water and ½ cup quinoa to a boil. Cook until tender about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Cut the butternut squash half into cubes. Toss them in an ovensafe tray and spray with coconut oil spray. Sprinkle with salt. Bake 20 minutes.
  • Chop celery stalks and scallions, and cut pomegranate carefully (watch video above) to remove the seeds.

Notes

Approximate macros per serving: 414 calories, 53 g protein, 32 g carbs, 7 g fat.
_
Recipe Courtesy Of FitWomenEat

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 177mg | Potassium: 882mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3850IU | Vitamin C: 30.5mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Breakfast Taco Bowls

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No need to wait for lunch-or Tuesdays!-to enjoy taco flavor! These breakfast taco bowls are chock full of protein and hearty air-fried potatoes to start the day off strong.  

Breakfast Taco Bowls
Breakfast Taco Bowls

Every day is Taco Tuesday when you make these breakfast taco bowls! Eat one every day of the week with this protein-loaded dish that will keep you full for hours. We would also gladly dig into this for lunch or a sort of breakfast-for-dinner. 

How to Make Breakfast Taco Bowls

Scramble up some eggs. Cook up some ground turkey with cumin, sea salt, and chili powder. Combine them in a bowl with some baby potatoes that you've air fried. Top with some good shredded Mexican cheese-you know, one of those specialized blends you can buy in bags. That's the "bowl" portion of the breakfast taco bowl.

The other delicious component of these breakfast bowls is the pico de gallo. It's basically a fresh salsa with tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Very simple, very quick, and very delicious. 

Breakfast Taco Bowls Ingredients

For the bowls . . .

  • 8 large eggs, beaten  
  • 1 lb. ground turkey 
  • 2 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder  
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided  
  • ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese  
  • 16 oz. air fried baby potatoes, halved  

 And the pico de gallo . . .

  • ½ cup chopped tomatoes  
  • ¼ cup minced red onion  
  • 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro  
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice  
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt  
Breakfast Taco Bowls

How to Serve Breakfast Taco Bowls

Ok, we serve these in a bowl, right? But for real, they're ideal for a bowl meal in the morning. Put everything right in these breakfast bowls and top it with the pico. Think of it as the most savory cereal you've ever had. 

Another thing you can do? Serve it over baby spinach and make it a quasi-salad situation. Just ups the veggie quotient for the day to something close to 2 and a half servings, depending on how heavy you go with the pico. 

If you're feeling like you can't eat something taco-oriented without tortilla chips, by all means, serve a handful on the side. Might come in handy to use to scoop up any leftover bits in the bowl.

Breakfast Taco Bowls

How to Store 

Breakfast taco bowls will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. We like to reheat everything in a casserole dish, covered, in the oven. This protects the eggs, which can get dried out once they're reheated. Alternatively, if you have a preferred setting on your microwave for this breakfast bowl, go ahead and reheat it carefully to avoid rubbery overcooked eggs. 

Substitutions and Alterations 

Turkey is great, so is chicken, and so is beef in terms of ground meat to use here. Bump up the seasonings if you wanna, we won't tell. Use a little ground coriander, too. 

Go straight for all cheddar cheese if you want, or Monterey jack, in these taco bowls. And by all means, you bought that cilantro bunch for the pico, so feel free to garnish the whole breakfast bowl with it if you love it. (But we know how divisive cilantro can be.)

If you don't have an air fryer, use your oven and roast the potatoes at 400 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes. In that case, we'd recommend starting the potatoes first before doing anything else to prep this breakfast bowl. Then, once they're in the oven, cook the ground turkey mixture and the eggs. The potatoes will take the longest for this breakfast taco bowl.

READ MORE! All the taco things! Taco Skillet Meal Prep!  Or Taco Meatballs! Or Burrito Bowls for Every Diet Type!

Breakfast Taco Bowls
Breakfast Taco Bowls

Breakfast Taco Bowls

No need to wait for lunch to enjoy taco flavor! These breakfast bowls are chock full of protein and hearty air-fried potatoes to start the day off strong.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: breakfast, gluten free, low carb, Turkey
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 464kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs beaten
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt divided
  • ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese
  • 16 oz. air-fried baby potatoes halved

For Pico de Gallo

  • ½ cup chopped tomatoes
  • ¼ cup minced red onion
  • 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, stir together ingredients for pico de gallo. Divide among 4 small sauce cups.
  • Heat ground turkey over medium heat in a medium skillet. Use a spatula to break up the turkey into small pieces. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, chili powder, and ½ teaspoon of sea salt. Continue to cook 5 minutes longer or until ground turkey is fully cooked.
  • Heat a separate medium skillet over low heat and lightly grease with olive oil. Add eggs and cook 7-8 minutes, stirring regularly, until eggs are fully cooked. Season with remaining ½ teaspoon of sea salt.
  • Divide turkey mixture, scrambled eggs and air fried potatoes between 4 black MPOF containers and sprinkle cheese on eggs. Add a cup of pico de gallo to each container.

Nutrition

Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 24g | Sodium: 1043mg | Fiber: 3g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Breakfast Taco Bowls

Skillet Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado

by 1 Comment

Skillet shrimp with tomato and avocado is an awesome one-pan dish that comes together fast and is bright, spicy, and flavorful. Put this one on repeat!

Did someone say one skillet? Yup! One Skillet Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado. It's all the foods we love together in one healthy, paleo-friendly, gluten-free, low-carb recipe! It kind of checks off a lot of boxes, doesn't it? As if you need another reason to love this recipe, it also works great as a quick weeknight dinner if you are short on time! 

How to Make Skillet Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado 

Are you ready for this? Because this dish is ready so fast, you're going to love it. Heat the ghee or butter in a large skillet, and toss in the shrimp, parsley, and salt and pepper. Then, shrimp cooks quickly, so be prepared to add everything else just as quickly. Finally, garnish the dish with cubed avocado and some lime juice.

Skillet Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon ghee or grassfed butter
  • 1 lb. shrimp, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 scallions, chopped and separated into white and green parts
  • 1 lb. tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 to 2 tsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 tbsp. lime juice, or more as needed
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Benefits of Avocado and Shrimp

By now you are fully aware of our love for all things avocado, because it's loaded with good fats and fiber, among other things. But did you know we also love shrimp? It is a low-calorie, low-fat source of protein. Four ounces of raw shrimp have only 120 calories, 27g of protein, and 1g of fat. Now those are some killer macros for making meal prep dishes that fit your nutritional goals! Not to mention, shrimp is easy to find and have on hand in your freezer. You can defrost it in a flash either in the fridge or in a colander under running water. (Not that we'd advocate leaving dinner for the last minute, but we all live in the same world . . . )

Substitutions and Alterations

Feel free to add some thinly sliced bell peppers to this dish, which would play up the pepper factor a bit.

Sugar snap peas complement the other ingredients in this skillet shrimp dish with avocado. Plus, they also cook fast.

Use chicken if you don't have shrimp, but know it won't cook nearly as quickly. 

Tofu could work, too, if you wanted to make this dish vegetarian or vegan. Just be sure to press as much water as possible out of the tofu before cooking it, and cutting it into ½-inch cubes. 

How to Store Skillet Shrimp and Avocado

This is meal prep land, so this skillet shrimp dish will keep for a few days for sure, in those sealed containers. But we don't recommend freezing this. Avocado is not the best frozen and defrosted (unless you're tossing it in a smoothie), and shrimp does not take well to freezing after it's been cooked. Think of it this way: Shrimp has been frozen (that's how you buy it), defrosted, and cooked. Doing that all over again ruins the texture. Best to eat it all up! We don't imagine you will have much trouble doing that. 

READ MORE: Low Carb Meal Prep: Shrimp, Veggies, and Cauliflower Rice

Skillet Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado recipe
Skillet Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado recipe

Skillet Shrimp with Tomato & Avocado

One Skillet Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado. It's all the foods we love together in one healthy, paleo-friendly, gluten-free, low-carb recipe!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Meal Prep, Shrimp
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 208.84kcal
Author: Nick Quintero
Cost: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon ghee or grass-fed butter
  • 1 lbs shrimp peeled
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 ea scallions chopped and separated into white and green sections
  • 1 lbs tomatoes seeded and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1-2 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce minced
  • 1 ea avocado seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice or more as needed
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • Heat ghee or butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
  • Season shrimp with ½ teaspoon of dried parsley, plus a little salt and pepper. Place shrimp in a hot pan and cook for about 1 minute, then flip the shrimp over.
  • Add tomatoes, white scallion parts, minced garlic, and minced chipotle and cook until shrimp turns opaque, about two minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the diced avocados, green scallion parts, lime juice, and cilantro. Plate and serve.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:7  Blue:6  Purple:6

Nutrition

Calories: 208.84kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.47g | Protein: 24.5g | Fat: 9.34g | Saturated Fat: 4.91g | Cholesterol: 304.96mg | Sodium: 889.13mg | Potassium: 368.49mg | Fiber: 1.71g | Sugar: 3.61g | Vitamin A: 1012.09IU | Vitamin C: 22.28mg | Calcium: 179.84mg | Iron: 2.72mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Low Carb Bacon Cauliflower Soup

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Bacon cauliflower soup is so delicious, you'll think you're having a loaded potato soup. But this one's low-carb and creamy!

We've gotta call this like we see it. This Bacon Cauliflower Soup really should be called, "We Can't Believe It's Not a Loaded Bacon Potato Soup." That's because this low-carb soup tastes so much like it! We love our potatoes, but sometimes we need something a little lighter, yet still hearty, filling, flavorful, and comforting. This soup checks off all those boxes in one simple low-carb dish. It's gluten-free, and paleo-friendly.

Keto Bacon Cauliflower Soup

Keto Bacon Cauliflower Soup

This recipe is low in both fat and calories, but not nutrients or flavor. We also kept the recipe gluten-free and paleo for those following more restricted diets. You could very easily make this recipe vegan by leaving out the bacon or substituting it with vegan bacon.

For those who just can't live without carbs and aren't following a paleo or gluten-free diet, this pairs nicely with a big piece of crusty bread. Otherwise, look for some gluten-free crackers or paleo-friendly ones.

Low-Carb Bacon Cauliflower Soup Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
  • 8 slices bacon, cooked
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup white onion, diced
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • Diced green chilies for garnish, optional

How to Make Bacon Cauliflower Soup

This couldn't be easier. You'll start with onion and olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add those cauliflower florets, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until the cauliflower takes on the flavor of everything in the pot. Then, add the broth and bring to a boil. While that's happening, cook the bacon in a skillet. Let the soup simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Add the nutritional yeast and cook for a few more minutes. Finally, puree everything in a food processor or high-speed blender. You might need to do that in batches to avoid major spills. When serving, garnish with the chopped bacon and let your tastebuds be fooled into thinking you're eating a carb-dense potato soup! 

How to Store and Serve Bacon Cauliflower Soup

If you aren't serving this immediately, it will store well in the fridge for several days, up to 4 or 5 days. (There's no dairy in this soup, so that helps prolong the soup's life.) Reheat the soup over medium-low heat (or in the microwave). You can also freeze this soup if desired. We like to freeze soups in 2-cup increments for individual servings, but you do what works best for you and your family. 

Serve this soup for a light lunch or dinner, or pair it with salad, a grilled chicken breast or steak, for a well-rounded dinner.

Substitutions and Alterations

There's so much you can do with this soup. 

Feel free to add some chopped chives or parsley to the top of this soup upon serving, or add a little of the dried versions of these herbs to the pot when you're cooking the cauliflower. 

If you aren't following a paleo diet, you can substitute shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese for the nutritional yeast. 

Any kind of bacon works here, whether it's pork or turkey bacon. Pancetta would work, too, and it's already in the right shape and small enough to work as a garnish. Vegan bacon works, too, if that's where your preferences lie.

READ MORE: 15 Insanely Delicious Cauliflower Recipes You Need to Meal Prep Now!

Keto Bacon Cauliflower Soup

Keto Bacon Cauliflower Soup

Keto Bacon Cauliflower Soup

This Low Carb Bacon Cauliflower Soup is deliciously easy. Warm, thick and filled with cheesy flavor while being gluten-free and paleo friendly!  
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bacon, keto, Meal Prep
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 192kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower coarsely chopped
  • 8 slices bacon cooked*
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup white onion diced
  • 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Diced green chiles for garnish optional

Instructions

  • Add extra virgin olive oil and onion to a pot and bring to medium heat.
  • Sauté 2 to 3 minutes until translucent then add cauliflower, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the pot.
  • Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to coat the cauliflower. Then, add the broth, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and stir in the nutritional yeast. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower can be pierced easily with a fork.
  • Turn off the heat and transfer the soup to a blender or food processor, working in batches if needed. Process until smooth.
  • Transfer back to the pot and stir to recombine everything.
  • Serve garnished with bacon and diced green chilies, if desired.

Notes

Nutrition for 1 out of 4 servings:
15g Protein || 8g Fat || 15g Carbs || 192 Calories
 
*We used Pederson's Sugar Free Bacon (30 calories/slice)

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 8g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls

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Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls will bring Mediterranean flavors to your dinner in 30 minutes, with olives, oregano, and cucumbers! Gluten-free, too!

We are always on the lookout for better and more flavorful dishes, and use what's in our pantry to our best advantage. This Greek rice meal prep does just that. If you've got some olives, some dried oregano and rice, and turkey (or even chicken), you're on your way to a bright and flavorful dish that calls to mind ingredients used a lot in Greek cooking: oregano, lemon, olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

It feels like summer, but you can eat this all year long!

Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls
Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls

Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground turkey breast
  • 2 cups brown rice, cooked
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • ¼ cup black olives
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. parsley
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup cucumbers, sliced
  • Sliced lemons for garnish

How to Make Greek Rice and Turkey Meal Prep

With the exception of the rice, which is cooked separately, this is really a one-skillet dish, which makes things move faster, especially clean-up. Ground turkey cooks with some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano for a really flavorful and savory base. The rice gives it a nice starchy base, and the cukes and lemons add some crunch and acidity-a blast of brightness. 

How to Serve Greek Rice & Turkey Meal 

This is so good, it hardly needs much else. Feel free to add a great green salad with it, too. It's definitely best served hot, though. 

Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls

Substitutions and Alterations

Ground chicken would also be really delicious here and maybe even pork. In a pinch, beef would work, but we like turkey and chicken the best. Those proteins keep this a little more light and bright; beef tends to feel a little more savory. 

If you don't have sun-dried tomatoes feel free to use halved cherry tomatoes instead for these rice and turkey bowls. 

White rice works here, too, as would quinoa or any kind of cauliflower rice. (You could make our cilantro and lime cauli rice into a lemon and parsley version, if you want!)

If you don't have black olives, kalamata would be delicious here. They are a classic Greek olive and more purple in color. You can even mix up the olive types if you like, which can be fun because most supermarkets have an olive bar with their salad bar. 

Use veggie stock (or water, in a pinch) if you don't have chicken stock.

Tips for Greek Rice and Turkey

There's no harm in upping the amount of fresh herbs in this dish. Doing so will really take the flavor to the next level. You can easily increase the parsley and oregano to a tablespoon each if desired. You can add it all at once or reserve some of those herbs for freshening it up when you serve these Greek rice and turkey bowls!

READ MORE: These flavors rock! Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables!

Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls
Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls

Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls

These Greek Rice & Turkey Bowls are a quick 30-minute meal with vibrant Mediterranean flavors. Pair with brown rice, or your favorite grain for an easy lunch or dinner meal prep!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Meal Prep, Turkey
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 541kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey breast
  • 2 cups brown rice cooked
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ cup black olives
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped not packed in oil
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 cup cucumber slices
  • Fresh lemon slices, for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large skillet with extra virgin olive oil, combine the turkey, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic over medium heat. Breakup the meat with a wooden spoon while it browns, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth and lemon juice and turn down the temperature to low and let it all simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the black olives, chopped sundried tomatoes, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook another 5 minutes.
  • Divide the meat mixture into 4 meal prep containers paired with brown rice, cucumber slices, and lemons.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:5  Blue:4  Purple:1

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 910mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Greek Rice & Turkey Meal Prep Bowls

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

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Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep works as a healthy breakfast or dessert. Gluten-free, vegan, and oh so easily adaptable!

It's not every day that you encounter a meal prep recipe that works as either (or both!) breakfast or dessert. In fact, it almost seems impossible to suggest that you could have pudding for dessert. But this, friends, is not your average pudding. This thick and creamy chia pudding is layered with your favorite berries and finished off with crunchy almonds for a balanced breakfast, snack, or dessert. It's made with the magic of chia seeds, non-dairy milk (we picked almond), and all those berries. 

What Are Chia Seeds, Anyway? 

Chia seeds are, quite simply, magic. They expand when put into liquid, which makes them a great candidate for pudding. These seeds come from a plant that's in the mint family (although they're not minty) and were believed to originate from Central America, where these powerhouses served as a regular part of the Aztec diet.

Chia seeds are full of protein and fiber and healthy fats. More specifically, one serving of chia seeds gives you 5 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, 12 grams of carbohydrates, and 9 grams of heart-healthy fats. 

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 to 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 ½ cups mixed frozen berries
  • 2 tablespoon sliced almonds
  • Sweetener, if desired
  • Pinch sea salt

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

How to Make Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

This is a snap! All you need to do is combine chia seeds, almond milk, a little sweetener (if using) and a bit of sea salt in large jar or another lidded container. Let it sit for at least two hours or up to overnight in the refrigerator. When you're ready to assemble the pudding layers, whether they're glass jars or something else with a lid, take it out of the fridge. Layer the chia pudding alternated with sliced berries (if using strawberries, for example) or whole raspberries or blueberries, and top with slivered almonds. And then this pudding meal prep is good to go! 

How to Store and Serve Chia Pudding 

Well, we love berries, and that's what's in this pudding. You don't really need to serve it with anything else necessarily. It is a self-contained breakfast, snack, or dessert. Score!  Talk about easy-peasy meal prep heaven. 

That being said, you need to keep this berry chia pudding in the fridge, covered, and it'll be good for up to five days, but we don't think you'll let it go that long! 

Substitutions and Alterations

This one's fun to play around with. Are you ready? 

  • Use cashew milk for the pudding and cashews on top.
  • Opt for soy milk for even more protein (we prefer organic whenever possible here) in this chia pudding.
  • Use a bit of vanilla extract (½ teaspoon) for some natural sweetness without using a sweetener.
  • If you're not following a paleo or vegan diet and just need this to be dairy free, add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the pudding. Agave nectar would be good, too. 
  • Instead of berries, layer unsweetened shredded coconut, mango and/or pineapple, and slivered almonds. So good. Then you can call it a tropical chia pudding instead of a berry almond chia pudding.
  • Use chopped walnuts or pecans if desired.
  • Use fresh berries instead of frozen ones, but pssst! Frozen ones are cheaper! 

ALL CHIA, ALL THE TIME! 

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

Berry Almond Chia Pudding Meal Prep

This no-cook Berry Almond Chia Meal Prep is a quick and simple way to give your busy mornings a nutritional boost. Layer this thick and creamy pudding with your favorite berries and crunchy almonds for a balanced breakfast, snack, or dessert. Vegan. Gluten Free. Paleo. 
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Meal Prep
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 252kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1-2 cups unsweetened almond milk*
  • 3 cups mixed frozen berries
  • 2 tablespoon sliced almonds
  • Sweetener, if desired such as honey, stevia, agave, maple syrup
  • Pinch sea salt

Instructions

  • Combine chia seeds, sweetener (if using), sea salt, and almond milk in a container that can accommodate a lid.
  • Mix well and cover with a lid.
  • Let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours or up to overnight.
  • Remove from the fridge and alternate layers of the frozen berries and chia pudding in each of 3 jars with lids. Top with sliced almonds.
  • Seal and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Nutrition for 1 out of 3 servings:
9g Protein | 29g Carbs | 11g Fat | 14g Fiber | 252 Calories
*Use more milk if you'd like a thinner pudding and less if you'd like a thicker pudding.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Fiber: 14g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

High Protein Breakfast Egg Muffin Meal Prep

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We love a good high-protein breakfast egg muffin meal prep. Just look at all those veggies and protein-it's a whole new kind of healthy breakfast muffin!

There are plenty of options to enjoy a high-protein breakfast, but egg cups, and more specifically, this High Protein Breakfast Egg Muffin Meal Prep recipe, are our favorite! They are a handy way to take your breakfast on the go. They are filling. They are flavorful. And the best part? They are versatile! 

How to Make High-Protein Egg Muffin Meal Prep

This is easy-peasy. Whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper, and onion powder in a bowl. Then, pour the egg mix into a muffin pan (you should get six out of this recipe). Finally, top with the spinach, tomatoes, and chicken. Bake, and your breakfast is prepped for the week!

High Protein Breakfast Egg Muffin Meal Prep Ingredients:

6 eggs, whole
¼ c almond milk
½ c cooked shredded chicken breast (about 1 chicken breast)
¼ c chopped spinach
¼ c chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon salt

Substitutions and Alterations

For these breakfast egg muffins, you can do a lot. For example, add your favorite protein, swap in veggies, and even add in grains such as these. You can keep them low carb as we have made them here, or pair them with an avocado for a keto meal or a banana to add in carbs.

Feel free to do any of the following:

  • Swap cooked turkey for chicken
  • Use regular milk or another kind of plant-based milk for the eggs
  • Substitute baby kale or arugula
  • Add in some onion powder or other seasonings (dried oregano, basil, parsley, etc.)
  • Crumble some feta, goat cheese, or shredded sharp cheddar over each egg muffin before baking.

How to Serve Egg Muffin Meal Prep

Serve these breakfast egg muffins as they are, or alongside some breakfast potatoes, a small green salad, or fruit such as clementine segments. Because they're so high in protein, they also work great for a mid-afternoon or post-workout snack! Regardless, they're delicious. 

Some folks like them cold right out of the fridge. But you can definitely reheat them in the microwave or a low oven. However you like them, we don't judge.

High Protein Breakfast Egg Muffin Meal Prep

High Protein Breakfast Egg Muffin Meal Prep

Egg cups like this High Protein Breakfast Egg Muffin Meal Prep recipe are one of our favorite ways to have a protein packed meal and take your breakfast on the go. They are filling, flavorful, and versatile! 
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Egg, Meal Prep
Servings: 3 2 muffins each
Calories: 195kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ cup chicken breast cooked & shredded
  • ¼ cup spinach chopped
  • ¼ cup tomatoes chopped
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prep a muffin tin with nonstick spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
  • Distribute the egg mixture among 6 muffin molds. Evenly top with chopped spinach, tomatoes, and chicken. Bake for 25-30 minutes until it's puffy and looks set in the middle.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and transfer to a wire rack for a few moments. To remove the egg muffins, run a sharp knife along the edges to loosen the sides, and carefully nudge them out.

Notes

Nutrition for 1 serving (2 muffins):
23g Protein, 1g Carbs, 11g Fat
 
WW Smart Points= Green:5  Blue:0  Purple:0

Nutrition

Serving: 2muffins | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 11g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

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High Protein Breakfast Egg Muffin Meal Prep Recipe

Cinnamon Raisin Granola

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Cinnamon Raisin Granola is yours, but with better ingredients you can customize yourself. Gluten free, naturally sweet, and loaded with fiber!

This Cinnamon Raisin Granola is easy to make, loaded with wholesome ingredients, and slightly sweetened with raw honey and maple syrup. It's nutritious, paleo-friendly (no oats!), gluten-free, dairy-free, and 100% delicious. These are all good attributes, because let's face it, commercial granola is LOADED with sugar. Have you read those labels? Even the so-called better-for-you brands still have quite a bit of sugar in them. (You'd likely need a grain-free granola to kick the sugars back a bunch!)

But that's the thing. Who doesn't love something sweet in their day? Around here enjoying a sweet snack like cinnamon raisin granola is a must almost every day! And speaking of almost . . . ! Almost every ingredient in this recipe is a superfood! If that isn't enough reason to make a big batch of this during meal prep this Sunday, we don't know what is!

DIY-Cinnamon-Raisin-Granola-pinterest

Cinnamon Raisin Granola Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ½ cup almonds
  • ½ cup pecans
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup raw honey
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

How to Make Cinnamon Raisin Granola

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin seeds through raisins and set aside. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set the oven to 300 F. Combine the coconut oil, raw honey, maple syrup, spices, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Then, pour that mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Toss by hand if you've wet or oiled your hands, or with a rubber spatula you've oiled up (it gets sticky!) Bake the whole thing until it starts to look golden, then let it cool. (This is the hardest part.) Enjoy the amazing smell in your kitchen until it's cool enough to handle. 

How to Store Cinnamon Raisin Granola

Freshly made cinnamon raisin granola is best kept at room temperature in a sealed container. It should stay fresh for about a week and up to two. You can also freeze granola if you don't think you'll eat it before it goes stale, but we don't think you'll have a need to freeze.

How to Serve Cinnamon Raisin Granola 

This recipe works well for breakfast paired with almond milk or other milk. But you know you love to eat granola by the handful, too; keep a small bowl next to your desk to beat the mid-afternoon slump. And of course, there's always granola and plain yogurt. (Greek yogurt has more protein!)

Substitutions and Alterations

Naturally, cinnamon and raisin are a classic combo. But we also like the dried cranberries, blueberries, or cherries, along with cinnamon or even some ground ginger. 

Feel free to substitute pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds. 

You can cut back on the maple syrup and honey if desired by a little bit (it does need the moisture, so just start small at first). Or you can use just one instead of the other, but we like the combination of these two natural sugars together. 

Walnuts are also great with this granola. 

Tip

For extra flavor, toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for several minutes until fragrant. Then, remove from the heat and allow them to cool before chopping them and using them in this cinnamon raisin granola recipe.

Also, just a heads up. The serving size on this granola is BEYOND GENEROUS, at a cup. Cut that in half and make it go further if need be!

READ MORE: Love Cinnamon Raisin? Try these Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites!

LOVE GRANOLA? Try this Easy Gluten-Free Fall Breakfast Granola

If you like this recipe, make sure to pick up a copy of The Big Guide to Fresh and Fast Meal Preps

paleo meal prep cookbook

cinnamon raisin granola recipe

Cinnamon-Raisin Granola

This Cinnamon Raisin Granola is easy to make, loaded with wholesome ingredients and slightly sweetened with raw honey and maple syrup. It is nutritious, paleo-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free and 100% delicious!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Meal Prep
Servings: 5 cups
Calories: 749.57kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup sliced almonds
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup raw honey
  • 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300ºF.
  • In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients: nuts, seeds, raisins, shredded coconut, spices and salt.
  • Line a large rimmed baking sheet or pan (10” x 15” recommended) with parchment paper.
  • In a small saucepan over low heat, add the coconut oil, honey, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir until melted.
  • Pour mixture over all the dry ingredients in the large bowl and mix by hand. (You might need to oil your hands first; it gets sticky!)
  • Spread across parchment-lined pan in an even layer.
  • Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown, turning granola over with a spatula halfway through cooking. Watch to avoid overcooking.
  • Remove from oven and cool. Break apart in clumps and place in sealable bag or airtight container

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 749.57kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.87g | Protein: 15.15g | Fat: 60.92g | Saturated Fat: 26.7g | Sodium: 132.45mg | Potassium: 665.26mg | Fiber: 10.63g | Sugar: 22.05g | Vitamin A: 13.4IU | Vitamin C: 1.68mg | Calcium: 105.12mg | Iron: 4.52mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Slow Cooker Asian Pot Roast Meal Prep

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Table of Contents

This Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep will take pot roast to a whole new level. Tender, flavorful, and gluten-free! Comment below if you love these Asian meal prep ideas as much as I do!

Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep

If you love pot roast like we do, then you need to try this Asian Style Clow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep recipe. It will show you what pot roast is capable of, and then some. With a few simple spices, we have transformed your average pot roast into something that turns out tender, flavorful, and healthy.

Trust us, you want this recipe in your back pocket when it's cold. It's comfort food at its best, that stick-to-your-ribs kind of fare that fills you up without feeling heavy in your stomach.

How to Make Asian Slow Cooker Pot Roast

The slow cooker is of course the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it situation for making dinner. Totally hands off! There's one tiny step you take before everything goes into the slow cooker, and that just involves browning the chuck roast in a skillet to develop some flavor. Then, it gets added to the cooker along with all the other ingredients, which include stock, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, a little sugar, and some onions. Of course.

Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep

How to Serve Asian Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This kind of recipe begs for rice to soak up the sauce that permeates the meat. You can do regular white or brown rice, or cauliflower rice if you're doing a low-carb diet.

The pot roast is also great with a side of something like carrots or green beans. or maybe mashed potatoes. That's classic. Pair it with your favorite side for a complete meal.

Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep Ingredients

  • 1 (32oz) chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • ¼ cup coconut aminos (or swap for soy sauce)
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 6 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 medium waxy potatoes, quartered
  • Salt, to taste
Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep

How to Store Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep

This pot roast will easily keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge once you've prepped it. You can also freeze this dish easily and it will be good for up to 3 months. Make sure it's well-wrapped in an airtight container. Defrost it in the refrigerator or in a low-temperature oven (around 300 degrees F) until it's totally cooked through.

Substitutions and Alterations

Carrots, potatoes and onions are a staple for this kind of recipe, but other root vegetables would work too, such as parsnips or sweet potatoes.

Feel free to use coconut aminos if you are gluten-free and don't use soy sauce.

If you don't have five-spice powder, which is sometimes referred to as Chinese five-spice powder, or can't find it, you can make it yourself. Bring together equal parts of its ingredients, which include cinnamon, cloves, anise, peppercorns, and fennel. Ideally, this combination is best made when you grind it whole, but if you only have the pre-ground feel free to use that instead. Might seem like a lot of work to do that, but once you make it, you'll have it again. It is great on shrimp and pork, especially.

Nutritional Profile of Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Coming in at around 49g of protein per serving, this recipe is high-protein, gluten-free, and 100 percent easy. Serve it for a week's worth of yummy lunches and/or dinners.

Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep

More Pot Roast / Chuck Roast Recipe Ideas

Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep Recipe

Asian Style Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal Prep

Pot roast made easy in a crockpot with an Asian twist. Amazingly tender and flavorful. Gluten free. 
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Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: Beef, Meal Prep, Slow Cooker
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 487kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 2 lb chuck roast (32oz)
  • 2 tbsp. oil
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • ¼ cup soy sauce *can sub coconut aminos for gluten free option
  • 4 cloves garlic mashed
  • 1 tsp. five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar can sub coconut sugar
  • 2 medium onions chopped
  • 6 large carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 medium waxy potatoes quartered
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the chuck roast. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
  • Heat oil in a medium skillet over high heat until hot. Add the roast, turning occasionally, until all sides are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the beef stock, soy sauce, garlic, five-spice powder, and sugar into a slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
  • Transfer the browned roast into the slow cooker. Arrange onions, carrots, and potatoes around the roast.
  • Cook, covered, on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  • Slice and serve the roast with the vegetables and the sauce, or arrange them in meal prep containers for later.

Video

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:20  Blue:20  Purple:17
__
Nutrition for 1 out of 6 servings:
49g Protein, 19g Fat, 30g Carbs
  • Macros for the rice is not included

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 19g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

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Slow Cooker Asian Pot Roast Meal Prep Recipe

Perfectly Seared Scallops Meal Prep

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Perfectly seared scallops meal prep will guide you through the process of cooking delicious scallops. It's not hard-it just takes practice!

There's a reason why people overwhelmingly order seafood and fish when they go out to eat. More often than not, it's a protein that a lot of people aren't comfortable cooking at home. It's more expensive, and if you're not comfortable with cooking something that's more expensive, you're likely also worried you'll mess it up. So, people often just skip it altogether. (Plus, chefs can do wonderful things with seafood and fish, so there's also that very real factor.)

However, we don't need to be scared to cook fish or seafood. Scallops are so quick. You just need a few key things ahead of time, and one of them is really easy.

Perfectly Seared Scallops Meal Prep Ingredients

  • Ultra hot pan. Check
  • 1 tablespoon Butter. Check
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil. Check
  • 8 oz SizzleFish Scallops. Check.

sizzlefish scallops
Here's how you do it.

Tips for Perfectly Seared Scallops

Add butter and olive oil to the pan and let the butter cook down. Once the melted fats start to smoke, that's the signal. You're ready to add the scallops.

You want to make sure that the scallops aren't crowded, so make sure there is about ½ inch between each of the pieces so the heat can escape the bottom of the scallop. Otherwise, you're steaming them, and that just makes them gummy.

Make sure you season before and after cooking the scallops. A pinch of salt and a dash of pepper is all you need, both times.

But first, gently add the scallops into the pan and PAY ATTENTION!

(Sends Snapchat and forgets to Salt and Pepper! D'oh!)

Ok, we're back. Whew.

Some people say to cook them for 60 seconds per side. Other people say cook them for 90 seconds per side. I say, cook them for 75 seconds per side if you really want to get the perfect sear. I totally understand that the cooking equipment could impact the cooking time, and so can the thickness of your scallops. But with the average stove and average (i.e., inexpensive and non-fancy) cookware, you can do this. You don't need fancy equipment.

Plus, saying these little succulent wonders take 75 seconds to cook kind of splits the difference and ensures they are cooked enough, but not overcooked. Altogether, cooking scallops takes less than 5 minutes. Insane, right? Why aren't we doing this more often? (Oh, that's because we're afraid to cook seafood!)

Scallops are, like lots of seafood, so easy to overcook. That's because they cook VERY QUICKLY. Makes it easy to mess it up. Don't walk away from the pan, or pick up your phone, or do anything else. We know it is so tempting. Overcooked seafood tastes rubbery and just kind of icky, for lack of a better word. You will be sad. Don't let dinner get you down.

Once they are done, don't forget to #humblebrag and send a pic to your friends. You'll be so proud that you'll probably make scallops again sometime soon, when the adventurous spirit hits you, or your bank account can accommodate it. (Because as we said, seafood ain't cheap!)

Perfectly seared scallops!

perfectly seared scallops
To complete the game-changing meal prep, I made some Lemon-Garlic Parmesan Asparagus and Black Rice. It sounds fancy, but it's not. Make your own favorite rice or try our cauliflower rice if you're low-carb.

And voila! Your Perfectly Seared Scallop Meal Prep on Fleek!

black rice scallop and asparagus meal prep

MORE SEAFOOD AND FISH! Broiled Cod with Mango Relish!

Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep

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Pork tenderloin meal prep is full of roasted carrots and red potatoes all baked on ONE sheet pan. A complete dinner that's easy, delicious, and perfect for busy nights! 

Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep

It's one of our favorite times of the year-fall. Comfort food is all around us. Sometimes healthy. Sometimes not. It happens! We feel like sheet pans are ideal for fall cooking, too. And this Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep recipe combines all of your favorite, warm, fall flavors onto one pan. The result? With 30 grams of protein per serving, this a wholesome, easy, and whole30-friendly meal that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner!

And as usual, make sure you adjust your portion sizes to meet your needs.

How to Make Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep

This is easy stuff! Lean pork tenderloin, baby red potatoes, and sweet baby carrots come together on one sheet pan to create a high-protein meal. Toss with thyme, paprika, salt, pepper, and some oil, and dinner is ready in less than 45 minutes.

Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep Ingredients

  • 1 ¼-lb. pork tenderloin 
  • 1 cup baby carrots 
  • ½ lb. baby red potatoes, quartered 
  • 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing 
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme 
  • ½ tsp. paprika 
  • Salt and pepper, to taste 

Substitutions and Alterations

We love pork tenderloin, but you could also turkey tenderloins.
Use some chopped parsnips or sweet potatoes.
Change up the potatoes to Yukon golds or other baby multicolored potatoes. Fingerlings can work too, but you might have to slice them in half or in thirds depending on how small they are, in order for all the veggies to cook at the same time.
Thyme and paprika give this dish some earthy sweetness, but rosemary would taste great in that mix of herbs, too, so feel free to add some of that. A little bit of ground mustard (about ¼ tsp.) would give this tenderloin a kick. Pork and mustard are natural flavor companions.

Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep

How to Store Pork Tenderloin

If you aren't eating this dish right away, prep it in containers and seal them up. Keep them in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. Reheat them in a 350 F oven, covered lightly with foil so the pork doesn't dry out. Or reheat the veggies in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil, along with the pork.

Anything you don't eat during the week that is left over can be frozen for future use. The freezer is your friend, so put it to excellent use! Transfer the leftovers to a zip-close plastic bag and squeeze all the air out. Label and date it. Then, when it's time to eat, defrost the bag in the fridge and then reheat in a 350 F oven covered in foil so the pork doesn't dry out.

How to Serve Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep

We love this as is, of course, but it's delicious with a really nice green salad if you want to boost the veggie intake!

READ MORE: Top 25 Pork Meal Prep Recipes On the Planet!

Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep
Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep Idea

Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Meal Prep is loaded with roasted carrots and red potatoes and bakes on ONE sheet pan. A complete dinner that's easy, delicious, and perfect for busy nights! 
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Meal Prep, Pork
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 252kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

  • 1.25 pound pork tenderloin
  • 1 cup baby carrots
  • ½ pound baby potatoes quartered
  • 1 tbs olive oil plus more for greasing
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil. 
  • Center the pork tenderloin on the baking sheet and rub it on both sides with salt & pepper. 
  • In a medium bowl, combine the baby carrot and potatoes in a large bowl with extra virgin olive oil, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix to coat. 
  • Spread the carrots and red potatoes around the pork tenderloin. 
  • Bake at 375 F for 35 minutes until pork is no longer pink. 
  • Remove from the oven and let the pork set 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve immediately or portion into meal prep containers and refrigerate.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:4  Blue:4  Purple:3
__
 
Nutrition for 1 out of 4 servings:
30g Protein, 11g Carbs, 7g Fat, 252 Calories

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 7g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Fall Meal Prep

Sesame Salmon with Baby Bok Choy and Mushrooms

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Sesame Salmon with Baby Bok Choy and Mushrooms is beyond easy and beyond delicious! It's loaded with omega-3s and all bakes on one sheet pan in less than 30 minutes.

This meal-prepping post comes from our friend Laura (@cookathomemom) who is back again with another easy and flavorful Whole30 meal prep recipe to help us keep our taste buds satisfied! Who's ready to cook some sesame salmon with baby bok choy and mushrooms? 

And what's even better? It's a sheet pan meal! You know how we love those; we've got 23 sheet pan dinners to share with you!

The list of ingredients may seem long, but chances are if you've been cooking with us lately (or cooking Asian food), you've got most of them on hand. But for real, this sesame salmon with baby bok choy and mushrooms recipe is a snap to make! Not only is it packed full of flavor, but it is loaded with nutrition. The omega-3's from the salmon alone are enough to win us over. This is one recipe that will make your weekday lunches feel like you are dining in a nice restaurant, minus the unhealthy ingredients (do you know how much sugar is in restaurant marinades?!) and hefty price tag. Naturally.

If you aren't a fan of salmon or are concerned about fish lasting all week, you can always give this a try with chicken breast! It is just as easy and delicious!

How to Make Sesame Salmon with Baby Bok Choy and Mushrooms

You prep the marinade first, which is loaded with olive oil, sesame oil, and coconut aminos (instead of soy sauce). It also benefits from grated ginger, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. The salmon soaks up all this goodness. Then everything bakes on a sheet pan lickety split, making clean up a total breeze. 

Sesame Salmon with Baby Bok Choy and Mushrooms Ingredients

For the salmon . . .

  • 4 each 4-6 oz. salmon fillet
  • 2 each portobello mushroom caps (or 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms)
  • 4 each baby bok choy
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 each green onion

And the marinade . . .

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos
  • ½ inch ginger, grated (approx. 1 tsp.)
  • ½ lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

How to Store Sesame Chicken

You might feel weird about prepping salmon and keeping it in the fridge, but it should keep for a few days with no issues if it's fresh. 

For the ultimate in meal prep, make a double batch of the marinade and put your freezer to work. Freeze a bag of the marinade, labeled with contents and date, of course. This is helpful if you usually buy frozen salmon, as it ensures you've got most of the components of this meal at the ready. 

Freeze any leftover salmon and veggies if desired and defrost in the fridge overnight or reheat in a 350 F oven in a dish loosely covered in foil. 

Substitutions and Alterations

If salmon's not your thing, this dish would work great with either chicken breasts or thighs, and would also taste great with shrimp. 

If you don't like bok choy, broccoli and mushrooms are always good together, so you could substitute for that. 

Any kind of mushroom works here. If you've got a favorite, feel free to use it. 

Sesame Salmon w. Baby Bok Choy & Mushrooms

The list of ingredients may seem long, but this Sesame Salmon With Baby Bok Choy & Mushrooms recipe is a snap to make and loaded with healthy omega-3s!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: Meal Prep, Salmon
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 218.98kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Ingredients

Main Dish

  • 16 oz salmon
  • 2 each portobello mushroom caps (or 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms)
  • 4 each baby bok choy
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 ea green onion

Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
  • ½ inch ginger grated (approx. 1 tsp.)
  • ½ lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
  • Drizzle half of the marinade on the salmon and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate the salmon while it marinates for one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Trim the rough ends from the bok choy and cut into halves. Slice the mushrooms into ½ inch pieces. Transfer to the baking shset and drizzle the remaining marinade over the veggies.
  • Place salmon, skin side down, on the lined baking sheet as well and bake until salmon is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  • Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Portion into meal prep containers or serve immediately.

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:7  Blue:2  Purple:2

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 218.98kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.01g | Protein: 22.94g | Fat: 12.72g | Saturated Fat: 1.88g | Cholesterol: 62.37mg | Sodium: 426.58mg | Potassium: 565.01mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 89.86IU | Vitamin C: 2.77mg | Calcium: 33.11mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

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An Italian meal is an experience. The zesty flavor profiles and solid meals give Italian cuisine its reputation of being all about comfort and family gatherings. A traditional Italian dinner is complete with solid foods such as pasta and bread, usually served with a colorful salad, rich meats, and a delectable wine. Chicken Parmesan is classic Italian comfort food that dates back to the 20th century and was and still is referred to as chicken parmigiana. The dish was originally an eggplant entrée, not a chicken entrée. Chicken Parmesan is delicious, but eggplant parmesan sounds tasty, too! The classic Italian comfort food has had a few makeovers, and now there's one more to add -- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan. Our take on Chicken Parmesan takes less time to cook and is gluten-free. 

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Enjoy the crispy golden flavor of authentic chicken Parmesan without frying in oil! Chicken is coated in Italian herbs and gluten-free breadcrumbs before air frying for a restaurant-style Italian dinner.  

How long will Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan last for?

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan will last for up to 4 days. Sources say if you have an exceptionally cold refrigerator and the food is properly stored, you can make cooked chicken last longer than 4 days. But we wouldn't chance it. Store leftover Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan in a shallow airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

Can Air Fryer Parmesan Chicken be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze leftovers for up to 6 months. The same storage rules for refrigeration applies. You can either store Air Fryer Parmesan Chicken in a plastic airtight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. You can even store the cooked air fryer meal prep recipe in glass containers for easy oven reheating later. 

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan Ingredients:

For Chicken Parmesan  

  • 2 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts  
  • 1 large egg 
  • ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs  
  • 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese  
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil  
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano  
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder  
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt  
  • ½ cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese  
  • ½ cup marinara sauce  
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil for serving  
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper for serving 

 

For Garlic Zucchini Noodles 

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil  
  • 8 cups spiral sliced zucchini  
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic 
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

How do you make Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan?

Start cooking Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan by prepping the chicken breasts. Cut your breasts into two halves by slicing the sides. Then place the cutlets in between parchment or wax paper. Pound the chicken cutlets until they are ¼" thick. Once you've got the cutlets ready, grab two shallow bowls. Use one to lightly beat 1 large egg and use the other bowl to combine Parmesan cheese, gluten-free breadcrumbs, and dry seasonings. Stir that mixture together, and oh my goodness doesn't it smell deliciously earthy! 

Next, dip each chicken cutlet into the egg bowl. Shake off excess egg before dredging the cutlet in the breadcrumbs mix. Repeat this process until all four cutlets are ready to air fry. Place breaded chicken breasts in the air fryer, 2-3 pieces at a time. Fry the chicken at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, then gently flip the chicken breasts. Spoon marinara sauce on each piece and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Finish frying the chicken for 6-8 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. If you have more chicken to air-fry, repeat the process. 

Once the chicken is done, it's time to focus on the zucchini noodles, which we affectionately call "zoodles." Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add garlic. Sauté the garlic until it starts to turn light golden brown (and your mouth starts watering). Add the zoodles to the skillet, using tongs to toss. Cook the zucchini noodles for approximately 2 minutes, and that's it! You're done cooking a healthier Chicken Parmesan meal in just 35 minutes. 

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

How to portion Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan? 

In a four plastic one-compartment meal prep container, start by adding the zoodles. Then add one chicken breast to each container on top of the noodles. Garnish with black pepper and fresh basil. Yummy!

More Air Fryer chicken meal prep recipes:

You can cook so many delectable meals in your air fryer! Chicken is one of the best meats to air-fry because it's quick, easy, juicy, and delicious. We hope you enjoy these additional air fryer meal prep recipes!

Fun to make and eat Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken

More Parmesan and garlic goodness with Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings

Another Italian-inspired chicken and noodles dish Pesto Noodles With Crispy Chicken Bites

Looking for more air fryer variety? Check out our favorite 25 Air Fryer Recipes That Will Change The Way You Meal Prep

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Other tips for making Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan:

  • Don't overcrowd your air fryer basket with chicken breasts. We know -- you're excited to eat this meal! But overcrowding your air fryer basket results in soggy breadcrumbs. 

  • If your chicken cutlets aren't looking golden and crispy enough, spray them with oil while frying. 

  • If you're new to air-frying and want to make sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked, invest in a good food thermometer. Fully cooked chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 

  • Try using high-quality tomato sauce instead of marinara sauce. You can make your own or buy some. 

  • You can also use Mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan. If you do use Mozzarella, cut it into cubes -- don't shred it. 

  • For extra-crisp, also use panko. Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb so you'll have an extra special Chicken Parmesan dish bursting with flavor! We hear Ian's Allergy-Friendly Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs are your best bet.

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Enjoy the crispy golden flavor of authentic chicken Parmesan without frying in oil! Chicken is coated in Italian herbs and gluten-free breadcrumbs before air frying for a restaurant-style Italian dinner.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: air fryer, Chicken, Meal Prep
Servings: 4 meals
Calories: 385kcal
Author: Nick Quintero

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

For Chicken Parmesan

  • 2 6 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup marinara sauce
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil for serving
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper for serving

For Garlic Zucchini Noodles

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 8 cups spiral sliced zucchini
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Instructions

  • Slice chicken breasts in half through the sides to create 4 cutlets. Place each chicken breast between parchment or wax paper and pound to approximately ¼ inch thick. Lightly beat egg in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and dry seasonings. Stir.
  • Dip each chicken breast in egg shaking off excess and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place 2-3 chicken breasts in basket of air fryer and fry at 350F for 8 minutes. Gently flip chicken and spoon marinara sauce on top followed by Parmesan cheese. Continue to fry for 6-8 minutes longer or until chicken is fully cooked. Repeat with remaining chicken.
  • Heat a olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add garlic. Sauté for 1 minute or until garlic just begins to turn golden brown. Add zucchini noodles to skillet and use tongs to toss. Continue to cook for 2 minutes. Divide noodles between 4 black MPOF containers. Top with chicken breasts and garnish with chopped basil and black pepper.

Video

Notes

WW Smart Points= Green:6  Blue:4  Purple:4

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.5g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 17.8g | Fiber: 5.1g
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Broccoli Lentil Quinoa Casserole

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For tons of protein and fiber, you can't do better than this broccoli lentil quinoa casserole! The seasonings and the cheese really make the dish.

A busy life means less time for grocery shopping and cooking. How do we deal with this?

It's called kitchen ingenuity! In other words, cook with what you've got on hand. Use what's shoved in the back of your freezer or stowed away in your pantry. It's economical, it's smart, and it saves you a lot of time. 

Of course, it can take a little time to get to that point, but if you always have a veggie and a protein (or more than one of each!), you're not far from dinner. We like to recommend keeping a modest, rotating assortment of grains, dried legumes, nuts, and seeds in the pantry for quick and easy dinners. In the freezer, keep an assortment of frozen veggies and fruit. If you do this successfully, you should be able to put something together like this Broccoli Lentil Quinoa Casserole.

Think of this dish as a better, healthier, and more modern version of your typical potato-and-cheese gratin. That's the inspiration here, brought to you by your pantry and freezer staples.

Before

Broccoli Quinoa Lentil Casserole

After: 

Broccoli Lentil Quinoa Casserole Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • ½ cup uncooked red lentils
  • 2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ¾ cup bread crumbs (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

How to Make Broccoli Lentil Quinoa Casserole

Magically, you can cook the quinoa and red lentils together, as they take the same amount of time. While that's happening, you cook the broccoli (roasting it). Dried herbs and breadcrumbs get combined with garlic and some oil. Quinoa, lentils, milk, and cheese form the base of this casserole, along with the broccoli. And of course, the breadcrumbs make everything taste great, once this is all baked in the oven. 

Substitutions and Alterations 

  • Cauliflower would work well if you don't have broccoli. It will give the dish a similar flavor. 
  • Use any kind of milk you have on hand, including plant-based.
  • For a gluten-free version, substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs. 
  • Swap cheddar cheese for Monterey jack. 
  • You could also do this as a rice and green lentils dish instead of quinoa and red lentils. It will take longer to cook, so you'd likely need to increase the amount of vegetable broth to compensate for that longer cooking time. But by no means does it make this dish take forever to cook; just another 15 minutes or so. Experiment!
  • Double this recipe and freeze one after you make it. Your future self will thank you, 

How to Store Broccoli Lentil Casserole 

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 3 or 4 days. Reheat in the oven (or the microwave, if you're so inclined), covered, for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. 

Freeze anything you don't imagine you'll eat right away, or freeze half of this dish right after you make it, for later consumption. You can then reheat the broccoli casserole at the same temperature at which you baked it, but tack on another 10 or 15 minutes. 

Recipe shared with permission from Nicole Osinga

READ MORE: Love lentils? You'll love this Slow Cooker Lentil Soup!

Broccoli Lentil Quinoa Casserole

Broccoli Lentil Quinoa Casserole

This Broccoli Lentil Quinoa Casserole is a healthier and better version of a traditional gratin, brought to you by your own smart pantry and freezer staples!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Lentils, plant based
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 487.63kcal
Author: Nicole Osinga

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa
  • ½ cup uncooked red lentils
  • 2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ¾ cup bread crumbs (gluten-free, if needed)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 clove garlic minced

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Combine the lentils, quinoa, and vegetable broth in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium for about 20 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat.
  • Unthaw broccoli (if frozen) in the microwave or at room temperature. Pat dry if needed. Transfer the broccoli to the prepared baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, until lightly coated on all sides. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and starting to caramelize around the edges. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • In a small pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, stirring often. Add the bread crumbs, basil, and oregano and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly browned and crisp. Set aside to cool.
  • Reduce the oven to 350. Combine ½ cup of the shredded cheese and the milk with the cooked quinoa and lentils. Stir until easily combined.
  • Pour the cheesy quinoa and lentils into a 9-inch square baking dish and stir in the broccoli to combine. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the reserved cheese, followed by the breadcrumbs.
  • Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until the top is golden. Cool before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 487.63kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.51g | Protein: 20.88g | Fat: 24.14g | Saturated Fat: 8.76g | Cholesterol: 35.76mg | Sodium: 689.74mg | Potassium: 586.5mg | Fiber: 10.4g | Sugar: 5.66g | Vitamin A: 915.63IU | Vitamin C: 41.81mg | Calcium: 330.17mg | Iron: 3.66mg
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Autumn Sheet Pan Chicken Recipe

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Chicken, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts cook together fast for this Autumn Chicken Sheet Pan recipe, helped out with basic pantry seasonings. Dinner is served!

Sheet pan meals are my favorite! Don't you love how easy they are to prepare? There's so much less mess to clean up afterward, which means dinner comes together faster. They're a weeknight winner, that's for sure. Winner winner, sheet pan chicken dinner!

This recipe has all those warm flavors that get you in the mood for fall, right down to apples and bacon. The apples add a nice sweetness, along with the sweet potatoes.

How to Make Autumn Sheet Pan Chicken

All of these ingredients cook together at the same time on one sheet pan. You can even mix everything together if you want, right on the pan itself. To start, just put it all on the pan, seasonings and olive oil included, and toss it together with a big wooden spoon. Then, pop it in the oven. Voila!

Autumn Sheet Pan Chicken Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped Brussels sprouts
  • 2 fuji apples, chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato, diced
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 2 large chicken breasts, diced
  • 4-6 slices bacon, diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 1 tbsp thyme
  • 1 tbsp sage
  • 1 tbsp rosemary

How to Store Autumn Sheet Pan Chicken

Meal prep this to your heart's content, or make it as a family dinner; it serves four. Once it's cooked, it should stay fresh in the fridge in sealed containers for up to 4 days or so. Reheat in a 350-degree oven and you're good to go.
You can also make this meal and freeze it, and then reheat it. Just defrost it in the fridge overnight before heating it up. Otherwise, if you cook from frozen it will take much longer.

Substitutions and Alterations

  • Feel free to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. They'll certainly stay moist more easily than white meat, and they're a smidge cheaper than chicken breasts.
  • Regular potatoes would work here, too (we're partial to sweets, though), and you can use pancetta instead of bacon. If you go that route, add the pancetta during the last 10 minutes or so of roasting.
  • Broccoli also works great in this flavor combination, as it's also a cruciferous veggie like Brussels sprouts.
  • Fresh herbs are lovely in this dish, too, instead of dried. If you have fresh, by all means use them liberally.
  • Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Gala apples would work if you can't find Fujis.

Tips for Sheet Pan Dinner Success

There's a LOT of food here to cook at once. If you can fit everything on one large sheet pan, great. But if you can help the situation, don't crowd the pan. It's classic old-school cooking advice. In the case of sheet pan meals, if you crowd the pan, you run the risk of just steaming your food. That might be fine for chicken, but you probably want your veggies crispy, right?

In that case, feel free to split up the food among two smaller sheet pans. Trust us, you don't want to pull a sheet pan out of the oven and wonder why it's not all cooked yet!

READ MORE: 35 Sheet Pan Meal Prep Recipes That Will Change Your Life!

Autumn Sheet Pan Chicken Single bowl 1000x1200

Autumn Sheet Pan Chicken Recipe

Make this delicious sheet pan chicken recipe from scratch using only ingredients found in your pantry. It's easy to prepare and tastes great!
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 331kcal
Author: Meal Prep Mondays

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped Brussels sprouts
  • 2 Fuji apples chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato diced
  • 2 shallots chopped
  • 2 large chicken breasts chopped
  • 4-6 slices bacon chopped
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • 1 tablespoon sage
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 450°F. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with foil.
  • Add the Brussels sprouts, apples, sweet potato, shallots, chicken, and bacon to the pan.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar, along with the seasonings.
  • Drizzle the seasoned oil and vinegar over the ingreidents on the sheet pan, tossing gently with a spatula or wooden spoon.
  • Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, checking to make sure the chicken and bacon are cooked completely. If so, remove from the oven and let it rest for five minutes. Otherwise, return to the oven for another 5 minutes and check again.
  • Distribute everything among four meal prep containers and enjoy throughout the week. If need be, this can be served cold, or heated in the oven or the microwave.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1meal | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1922mg | Potassium: 944mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 8530IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @mealpreponfleek or tag #mealpreponfleek!