Ready or not, here comes Monday again! I’ve got a busy week ahead, so meal prep is absolutely essential. I find that if I don’t prep for these busy weeks, I end up eating whatever is convenient. Unfortunately, the convenient stuff doesn’t leave me feeling like a million bucks and what would already be a crappy week turns into an ultra-crappy week. Now, allow me to step down from my soap box ramblings and present you with this week’s menu!
The Meal Plan:
Day 1
- Breakfast: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffin with egg white slice
- Lunch: Zucchini Turkey Burger Lettuce Wrap with Sweet Potato Fries
- Dinner: Chicken and Butternut Squash Kale Salad
Day 2
- Breakfast: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffin with egg white slice
- Lunch: Chicken and Sausage Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash
- Dinner: Zucchini Turkey Burger Lettuce Wrap with Sweet Potato Fries
Day 3
- Breakfast: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffin with egg white slice
- Lunch: Chicken and Butternut Squash Kale Salad
- Dinner: Chicken and Sausage Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash
Day 4
- Breakfast: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffin with egg white slice
- Lunch: Zucchini Turkey Burger Lettuce Wrap with Sweet Potato Fries
- Dinner: Chicken and Butternut Squash Kale Salad
Day 5
- Breakfast: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffin with egg white slice
- Lunch: Chicken and Sausage Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash
- Dinner: Zucchini Turkey Burger Lettuce Wrap with Sweet Potato Fries
Day 6
- Breakfast: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffin with egg white slice
- Lunch: Chicken and Butternut Squash Kale Salad
- Dinner: Chicken and Sausage Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash
The Snack Ideas:
- Trail mix (No recipe for this, just make it how you like!)
- Sea salt popcorn
- Deli turkey
- Blueberries and strawberries
- Protein shakes
- Hard boiled egg whites
The Containers:
The Recipes:
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (160 grams)
- 2 scoops Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant-Based Chocolate Protein Powder (64 grams)
- 1/2 cup Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate (62% Cocao), cut into chunks (70 grams)
- 3 tbsp dutch cocoa powder (17 grams)
- 1 tsp instant espresso
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup strawberries, chopped (220 grams)
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (244 grams)
- 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (5.33 fl oz)
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (1 fl oz)
- 2 tbsp Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, melted (32 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange jumbo parchment muffin liners inside jumbo muffin tin. Set aside.
Mix all dry ingredients except chocolate chunks, then add wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chunks. Scoop batter evenly into baking cups.
Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean.
Recipe Notes
Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Egg White Slices
Ingredients
- 3 cups egg whites
Instructions
Pour egg whites into a cold, medium-sized, shallow pan and cover with a lid.
Turn heat to just higher than medium and cook eggs until they no longer jiggle when you touch the pan and are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Vent the lid if the top of the egg whites begin to bubble.
Remove from pan and slice into 6 pieces.
Recipe Notes
Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw chicken breast thinly sliced
- 8 cups chopped kale
- 2 cups butternut squash cubed
- 1/3 cup 50% less sugar dried cranberries
- 1 tsp Flavor God Garlic Lover's Seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 1/3 cup reduced fat feta cheese
Candied Pecans
- 1/3 cup pecan halves
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with SILPAT.
Add brown sugar to a plastic bag and set aside. Whisk egg white until frothy, then mix with pecan halves. Add to plastic bag and toss to coat evenly. Arrange in single layer on lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway.
Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients, then set aside in refrigerator.
Gently massage kale with a small amount of olive oil if desired. Set aside.
Once candied pecans are done, increase heat in oven to 400 degrees. Add butternut squash to a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and Flavor God seasoning on both sides.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add coconut or olive oil if desired. Add chicken and sear for 3-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Divide all ingredients evenly into 4 serving bowls.
Chicken and Sausage Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- 1/2 lb Johnsonville ground mild Italian sausage
- 1 large spaghetti squash (about 4lbs raw / 5 cups cooked)
- 10.7 oz butternut squash spirals (304 grams)
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 egg whites
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp Oh My Spice! Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Rub with olive oil if desired and season with 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Place on a baking sheet, cut side up, and bake for 35-40 minutes or until flesh flakes apart easily with a fork.
Add ground chicken, sausage, breadcrumbs, and egg whites to a bowl. Mix with hands until combined, then form into 1 1/2" meatballs. Set aside.
Heat a large, oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil until hot, then add onion and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, then add crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning.
Add meatballs to sauce, cover meatballs in sauce, then bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
Cook butternut squash noodles as desired - I steamed them in the microwave for about 4 minutes. Layer spaghetti squash and butternut squash noodles in the bottom of 5 containers. Top with meatballs and sauce.
Zucchini Turkey Burger Lettuce Wrap and Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 1 lb 99% extra lean ground turkey
- 8 large lettuce leaves
- 3 small sweet potatoes (500 grams)
- 1 medium zucchini grated and excess water squeezed out
- 1 1/2 cups onion, divided (1 cup sliced, 1/2 cup chopped)
- 1/3 cup Stubbs Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce
- 1/4 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp Flavor God Spicy Everything Seasoning divided
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut sweet potatoes into wedges or slices as desired. Toss with olive oil and 1 tsp of Flavor God seasoning. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes.
Add ground turkey, grated zucchini, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/2 cup chopped onion, and remaining Flavor God seasoning to a large bowl. Mix until combined, then form 4 patties.
Grill turkey burgers until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes (I grilled mine on a George Foreman for 11 minutes at 425 degrees).
Add sliced onions to a hot, non-stick pan. Toss and continue cooking down until onions are caramelized. Add a couple tablespoons of water if needed to keep the onions moist toward the end of cooking.
Serve turkey burgers on lettuce leaves with caramelized onions and BBQ sauce.
