Happy Sunday, meal preppers! This week’s meal plan is still a bit on the cold weather/cozy side of things, so hopefully that works for you. Despite all the craziness in the world right now, I’m giddy with excitement because spring is springing! I went on my first hike of the year yesterday and spent most of the afternoon/evening outside with friends afterwards. And even now, I’m sitting here at my desk with my window wide open listening to the birds and enjoying the cool breeze. I love spring 🙂
If you’ve never been here before, welcome! My meal prep posts go a little something like this: 1) meal plan (use any or all of it!), 2) snack ideas, 3) links to the containers you see here, and 4) recipes and nutrition info. You can jump straight to the recipes by clicking the “Jump to Recipes” link above, or click the direct link to the individual recipe you want below. Otherwise, just keep scrolling down!
Here’s a quick peek at some of this week’s recipes. Just click the button below to jump straight to the one you want! Note: the links in the meal plan below will take you to individual recipe pages (separate from this post).
Who else finds it incredibly satisfying to have a meal full of prepped food?! Here’s what mine looked like after this prep:
The Meal Plan
Day 1
- Breakfast: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Egg White Muffins
- Lunch: Korean Inspired Ground Beef Bowl
- Dinner: Individual Chicken Pot Pies
Day 2
- Breakfast: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Egg White Muffins
- Lunch: Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
- Dinner: Korean Inspired Ground Beef Bowl
Day 3
- Breakfast: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Egg White Muffins
- Lunch: Individual Chicken Pot Pies
- Dinner: Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
Day 4
- Breakfast: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Egg White Muffins
- Lunch: Korean Inspired Ground Beef Bowl
- Dinner: Individual Chicken Pot Pies
Day 5
- Breakfast: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Egg White Muffins
- Lunch: Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
- Dinner: Korean Inspired Ground Beef Bowl
Day 6
- Breakfast: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Egg White Muffins
- Lunch: Individual Chicken Pot Pies
- Dinner: Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
The Snack Ideas
- Yogurt and granola
- Flavored tuna packets
- Apples with peanut butter
- Blueberries and strawberries
- Protein shakes
- Egg white muffins
The Containers
Here are the direct links to the containers you see pictured in this post. Note: these are Amazon Affiliate links.
The Recipes
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Blueberries
Servings: servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk, (16 fl oz)
- 1 cup steel cut oats, (176 grams)
- 1 cup blueberries, (147 grams)
- 1 cup water, (8 fl oz)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, (123 grams)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed, (25 grams)
- 1 tsp maple extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 pinch cardamom, optional, but recommended
Instructions
- Add oats, almond milk, water, and cinnamon stick to the Instant Pot bowl and mix until combined.
- Close the lid to the Instant Pot and ensure the spout is set to “Sealing” before turning on high pressure for 6 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of natural release. Once the 10 minutes of natural release are complete, quick release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and discard. Stir applesauce, brown sugar, and blueberries into the oats until completely combined.
- Serve with extra almond milk, brown sugar, fresh blueberries, banana slices, or any other desired toppings (not included in nutrition info).
Tips & Tricks
Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 242kcal (12%), Carbohydrates: 44g (15%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 4g (6%), Sodium: 83mg (4%), Potassium: 70mg (2%), Fiber: 7g (29%), Sugar: 12g (13%)
Bacon Cheddar Egg White Muffins
Servings: egg muffins
Ingredients
- 24 fl oz egg whites
- 2 fl oz half and half
- 2 slices center cut bacon, chopped and cooked, (18 grams)
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated, (84 grams)
- 3 tbsp green onions, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking oil and set aside.
- Divide bacon, green onions, and cheese evenly into 12 muffin tin molds on top of the bacon.
- Add about 1 tsp half and half to each muffin, then pour egg whites into muffin tin molds until they are about 3/4 full. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until the tops of the egg muffins are set and cooked through.
Tips & Tricks
Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 73kcal (4%), Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 9g (18%), Fat: 4g (6%), Cholesterol: 9mg (3%), Sodium: 149mg (6%), Potassium: 144mg (4%)
Easy Individual Chicken Pot Pie
Servings: servings
Ingredients
- 1 small rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, chopped, (550 grams cleaned chicken)
- 24 oz frozen veggies, (680 grams)
- 2 1/2 cups Swanson Chicken Cooking Stock, Unsalted, (20 fl oz)
- 2 10.5 oz cans Campbell's Healthy Choice Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped, (250 grams)
- 2 ribs celery, chopped, (70 grams)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced, (20 grams)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour, (16 grams)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp sea salt, (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Pastry Crust
- 1 box Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed for 30-40 mins at room temp, (490 grams)
- 1 egg
- 1-2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°. Arrange individual oven-safe baking or meal prep dishes on a baking sheet.
- In a pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Once butter is hot, add onion, celery, garlic, and fresh thyme. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour and stir to coat veggies evenly. No powdery flour should remain visible.
- Add chicken stock and cream of mushroom soup, whisking to ensure there are no clumps of flour. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Unroll the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Trim to fit the opening of your baking dish (I prefer square so I don't waste much pastry!). If you need to splice 2 pieces of pastry together, just lightly wet the edges and work the dough to smoosh it together. Crimp the edges of the pastry using your fingers, then cut an "X" in the middle of the prepared pastry squares to allow steam to escape.
- Whisk the egg and water together to create an egg wash. Brush the top and edges of the pastry with egg wash for optimal browning. (Note: Skip the egg wash if you plan to freeze the pot pies.)
- Mix frozen veggies and rotisserie chicken into the soup mixture. Divide among 6 baking dishes (about 2 cups filling per serving).
- Gently lay each pastry square on top of the filling. Push the corners down slightly if they are sticking up above the edge of the dish, but do not press down farther than that. This will help keep the soup mixture under the pastry as much as possible.
- Bake at 400° for 35 minutes, then increase the temperature to 450° and move to the top rack of the oven for the last 10 minutes. The pastry should puff up slightly, become flaky on the top, and develop a deep golden brown color.
Tips & Tricks
Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
FREEZING AND BAKING FROM FROZEN:
- Skip Step 5 (egg wash), and build your pot pies in a 2-cup Souper Cube instead of a glass dish.
- Do not bake before freezing! Once you’ve layered your puff pastry on top of the filling, freeze the pot pies completely.
- To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 400°. Place your frozen pot pies in a square, oven safe baking dish like this or this. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove foil, then brush each pot pie crust with egg wash as in Step 5 above. Increase oven temperature to 425° and shift to the top rack. Continue baking until crusts are deep golden brown, about 45-55 more minutes. Allow pot pies to cool to a safe temperature before eating.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 550g, Calories: 653kcal (33%), Carbohydrates: 63g (21%), Protein: 40g (80%), Fat: 28g (43%), Cholesterol: 96mg (32%), Sodium: 1013mg (44%), Potassium: 922mg (26%), Fiber: 8g (33%), Sugar: 10g (11%)
Korean Inspired Ground Beef Bowls
Servings: servings
Ingredients
Korean Inspired Ground Beef
- 1 lb 93/7 ground beef
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped and divided, (100 grams)
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, (2 fl oz)
- 3 tbsp light or dark brown sugar, (45 grams)
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger, (15 grams)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, (15 grams)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil, (7 grams)
- 2 tsp red pepper powder/Gochugaru, (5 grams)
- 1 tsp sesame oil, (5 grams)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Other Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets, (370 grams)
- 1 pouch Ben's Original Ready Rice Long Grain White, (8.8 oz)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled into ribbons, (70 grams)
- Optional sauce: chipotle mayonnaise, (not included in nutrition info)
Instructions
- Prepare the beef. Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, red pepper powder, and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet until hot and shimmering. Add ground beef in chunks and cook, breaking apart with a spatula into small pieces until cooked through and no red remains.
- Add sauce and 1/2 of the green onions. Stir to coat the ground beef and simmer for another 1-2 minutes to let the sauce thicken slightly. Remove from heat and serve.
- Prepare the sides and assemble. Place broccoli florets in a microwave safe dish and cover with a very damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and fork tender. Set aside.
- Prepare rice according to package instructions. Add to bottom of serving dish. Top with broccoli and beef. Add carrot ribbons and top with remaining green onions and any desired sauces, like chipotle mayonnaise.
Tips & Tricks
Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food into My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 392kcal (20%), Carbohydrates: 41g (14%), Protein: 30g (60%), Fat: 13g (20%), Cholesterol: 65mg (22%), Sodium: 691mg (30%), Fiber: 7g (29%), Sugar: 17g (19%)
Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
Servings: servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw chicken breast
- 8 cups kale, stems trimmed and chopped, (537 grams)
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed, (325 grams)
- 1/2 cup 50% less sugar dried cranberries, (80 grams)
- 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese, (37 grams)
- 1/3 cup Fresh Gourmet Honey Roasted Pecan Pieces, (37 grams)
- 1 tsp Flavor God Garlic Lover’s Seasoning
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Add butternut squash to a foil-lined baking sheet, then drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp Flavor God Seasoning. Toss until evenly coated, then bake for 20 minutes.
- Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.
- Gently massage kale with 1 tsp olive oil. Set aside.
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, and Flavor God seasoning on both sides.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add remaining 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken and sear for 3-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- Divide all ingredients except pecans evenly into 4 serving bowls and toss until evenly coated with dressing. Top with honey roasted pecans before serving.
Tips & Tricks
Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 471kcal (24%), Carbohydrates: 43g (14%), Protein: 33g (66%), Fat: 21g (32%), Cholesterol: 74mg (25%), Sodium: 383mg (17%), Potassium: 678mg (19%), Fiber: 10g (42%), Sugar: 21g (23%)
