Meal prep can feel overwhelming, but I will take some pressure off for you. Throughout this post we will make healthy eating a lot more accessible to you with meals created in collaboration with a registered dietitian & fellow chef. This meal prep will focus on balanced nutrition, culinary creativity, and efficiency for prepping. This shopping list should cost between $150-200 and the whole process will take between 2-3 hours. Take some time to make delicious & nutritious meals to set yourself up for weight loss success. Imagine heating up a perfectly balanced meal during your busy day instead of grabbing a fast-food option? Let’s do it!
Your Meal Prep Menu for the Week
Monday- truffle sriracha salmon over bone broth brown rice with roasted broccoli, homemade mango salsa, & pepitas
Tuesday- chili lime chicken breast over brown rice with sauteed peppers and onions, grated cheddar cheese, homemade salsa, fresh cilantro & jalapeno
Wednesday- tamari maple tofu over brown rice with Asian cabbage slaw, sauteed mushrooms, hemp seeds, sliced radish, & scallions
Thursday- za’atar ground turkey over Mediterranean whole wheat pasta with feta, cherry tomato, kalamata olives, spinach, & herbs, cast iron green beans & red onions, & fresh mint
Friday- pineapple marinated chicken thighs over brown rice, roasted cauliflower, cashew cheese, pickled onions & cilantro
Meal Prep Shopping List:
salmon, chicken breast, tofu, ground turkey, chicken thighs, feta, cheddar, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, olive oil, salt, pepper, bone broth, pepitas, chili powder, honey, cashews, nutritional yeast, tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hemp seeds, za’atar, truffle salt, sriracha, kalamata olives, apple cider vinegar, pineapple, onion, garlic, cauliflower, lemon, cilantro, cherry tomato, spinach, mint, green beans, cabbage, mushroom, scallion, radish, limes, bell pepper, tomatoes, jalapeno, broccoli, mango, meal containers
Your Meal Prep Process
Instead of individual recipes, here is the procedure to make ALL these meals as efficiently as possible. For tools, you’ll need a blender, air fryer, sharp knife, cutting board, mixing bowls, baking sheet, sauce pans, sauté pans, and your little meal containers.
This procedure has been my most efficient way to split tasks to finish quickly without overly multi-tasking and ruining things.
Preheat Oven To 425 Degrees
Cook Grains:
Rice– In a medium/large sauce pan, add your rice (about 2 cups), bone broth (about 2 cups), salt (1 teaspoon), and water (about 2 cups). Turn heat to high until boiling. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and periodically check until rice is cooked thorough. Cook rice while prepping proteins
Pasta—bring a medium sauce pan of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook according to package. Strain and set aside when done. As pasta is cooking, you can begin prepping proteins.
Prep Your Proteins:
Chicken breast—marinate about half pound of chicken breast with juice of one lime, ½ teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper. Set aside
Tofu—mince one clove of garlic and mix with sesame oil, maple syrup, and tamari. Cut your block of tofu into cubes and mix with marinade. Set aside (You can also do this with chicken if you’d prefer)
Turkey—massage 1 teaspoon za’atar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 minced garlic clove into your 1 pound of ground turkey. Set aside
Salmon—rub ~ half pound of salmon with 1 teaspoon sriracha, ¼ teaspoon truffle salt, 1 teaspoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Set aside
Chicken thighs—cut about 1/8th of your pineapple into finely diced pieces. Put into a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon tamari, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, 1 minced garlic clove. Mix your chicken thighs in and massage with marinade. Set aside.
Pickle Onions
In a small sauce pan, combine 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, and ½ cup water. Heat until all granules dissolve. Finely slice onion (either with knife or preferably mandolin). Put into a shallow bowl and pour your pickling liquid over the onions. Set aside
Prep And Roast Veggies
Broccoli—cut into florets, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to your liking. Roast on a baking sheet until crispy
Cauliflower—prepare the same way as broccoli
Veggies for salsa—cut about 2 tomatoes into quarters. Cut half of an onion into large chunks. Place tomato, onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 chopped jalapeno, and half of a lime on baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt. Put in oven to roast
Make Sauces As Veggies Are Roasting
Mango salsa—cut your mango into chunks. Finely dice ¼ of an onion. Finely dice 1/3 of a bell pepper. Finely chop about 1 tablespoon cilantro. Mix mango, onion, cilantro, and pepper with lime juice and salt to your liking. Set aside
Cashew cheese—put your cashews (about ½ cup), ¼ cup water, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon minced onion, one tablespoon nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and juice of half of a lemon into a blender. Blend until smooth, taste and adjust as you like
Salsa—when veggies for salsa are done roasting, put into blender setting aside the lime. Squeeze lime juice into blender. Add about ½ cup of fresh cilantro. Blend until well combined and set aside
Make Other Veggies
Cabbage slaw—combine dressing ingredients in a large bowl: 1 tablespoon each sesame oil, tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar. Chop cabbage to your desired size, chop 1 scallion into small pieces. Toss veggies with dressing and set aside
Sauteed mushrooms—heat a sauté pan over medium heat with sesame oil. When hot, add your mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of tamari and continue to cook until done to your liking
Cast iron green beans & onion—heat pan over high heat and add oil. Toss green beans and onions into pan with a little salt and pepper. Cook until charred and done to your liking
Sauteed peppers and onions—cook in your sauté pan just as green beans were cooked
Mediterranean pasta—dice cherry tomato, halve kalamata olives, chop spinach, and chop mint. Combine with prepared pasta, a few ounces of crumbled feta, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed.
Cook Your Proteins
Tofu—toss your tofu into the air fryer for 20 minutes (or roast in oven)
Salmon—air fry for 5-7 minutes until thoroughly cooked
Chicken thighs—heat in a sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Add your chicken along with the pineapple marinade. Cook for about 5 minutes, then flip chicken. Continue cooking for 5 minutes and then turn heat down to low. Cover and let cook until internal temperature reaches 165
Chicken breast– heat sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Add your chicken and cook for 5 minutes each side, and then transfer to the oven. Cook for about 10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165.
Turkey—heat saute pan over high heat until hot. Break apart your turkey In the pan with a wooden spatula. Flip and crumble the turkey as it begins to cook. Continue to crumble and move turkey around until cooked thoroughly
Finishing Touches
Slice radish
Slice jalapeno
Grate cheddar cheese
Slice scallions
Pick cilantro and mint leaves
Once all of these things are prepped and ready to go, you can assemble your meals! Use the menu to do so. For portions, try to use about 1 cup of your grain component, 1 cup of vegetables, and 5-6 ounces of protein.
Try this method for one week and see how it helps! Eating balanced meals & setting ourselves up for success can make an incredible difference in your weight loss goals. Making meals that are delicious as well helps us to sustain our changes and continue improving our health.
Let me know how you liked these meals! Make sure to schedule a free call if you need further support.
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