Post by SAND Vice President Emily Iammarino
We’ve all seen the hype about meal prep all over Pinterest. Beautifully organized ziplock containers filled with delicious looking food, lining the shelves of a refrigerator - but what exactly in meal prep?
It’s exactly what is sounds like…making all of your meals at the beginning of the week, or simply making multiple servings of a meal at once, to save time on busy weekdays. This makes it an awesome solution for busy students, working parents, and basically everyone that wants to lead an easy, healthy lifestyle.
So often, the most common excuse is that people don’t have enough time in the day to get healthy, but this will fix that! With these few recipes, you’ll be able to have a full day of meals planned ahead of time so all you have to do is pop the food in the oven/microwave and you’re all set!
Breakfast:
Overnight Oats
Mix ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup milk (dairy, almond, coconut, soy, whatever you prefer!), 1 teaspoon of chia seeds (optional), ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (optional), and then whatever extra flavors you’d like! Some delicious options include peanut/almond butter, chocolate chips, honey, or maple syrup.
The next morning you can heat it up or eat it cold, whichever you prefer, and then top with fresh fruit!
Overnight oats are best when prepared the night before you plan to eat them.
Mini Egg Frittatas
Prepare scrambled eggs the way you normally do…mix egg (or egg whites) with milk, salt, and pepper…and then load them up with all of your favorite veggies!
Spray a muffin pan with cooking oil, and then fill them each about ¾ way full with the egg mixture.
Bake them for 20-25 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. With 5 minutes left, sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese on top, if you’d prefer.
These can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Lunch:
Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Quinoa Bowls
This recipe has a lot of different components, but they all can be done on the same day.
First, start by cooking your chicken breast. I prefer to drizzle mine with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, and then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, but you can do whatever you like most.
Next, the quinoa. There are tons of different kinds of quinoa out there…from plain, to seasoned, to quinoa-brown rice mixes. My favorite is the Near East Roasted Red Pepper and Basil. This will take about 20 minutes when prepared according to the package instructions.
Finally, the black bean and corn mixture. Mix canned black beans (rinsed and drained) with fresh, frozen, or canned corn. You could also add a can of Rotel tomatoes for a little extra flavor!
Now, when it comes time for lunch all you have to do is mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl and add some salsa and cheese to top it off.
Cooked chicken can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Dinner:
One Pan Chicken, Potatoes, and Veggies
This is a great, healthy recipe that can be doubled/tripled/quadrupled in order to provide dinners for the whole week.
Let’s start with the chicken…you can bake it in the oven, just like in the quinoa bowl, for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. This is my favorite way to do it, because you can put the chicken, veggies and potatoes all on the same pan. Minimal cleanup is the best kind of cleanup! You could make it quick and simple by seasoning it with olive oil, salt, and pepper; or, you could fancy it up by dipping it in an egg mixture and coating it with bread crumbs. There a tons of ways to flavor up your chicken breast, so switch it up from time to time!
Next, the potatoes. You could do this with yellow potatoes, redskin potatoes, or even sweet potatoes, whichever you prefer! Mix your chopped potatoes together with a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley and toss them onto a baking sheet. These generally take about 20 minutes at 450 degrees, but if you want to cook them with your chicken, just put them in at 350 degrees about 5-10 minutes before you add the chicken. They will be ready when the skin is crispy, but they can be pierced with a fork.
Finally, the veggies! There are TONS of different kinds of veggies you could add to this recipe, so just pick your favorite! Here’s an easy way to make roasted zucchini and squash:
Chop your zucchini and squash and mix them with olive oil and toss them onto the baking sheet. Like the potatoes, these generally take about 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees, but to cook them with the chicken just throw them in the over, with the potatoes, about 5-10 minutes early.
We’ve all seen the hype about meal prep all over Pinterest. Beautifully organized ziplock containers filled with delicious looking food, lining the shelves of a refrigerator - but what exactly in meal prep?
It’s exactly what is sounds like…making all of your meals at the beginning of the week, or simply making multiple servings of a meal at once, to save time on busy weekdays. This makes it an awesome solution for busy students, working parents, and basically everyone that wants to lead an easy, healthy lifestyle.
So often, the most common excuse is that people don’t have enough time in the day to get healthy, but this will fix that! With these few recipes, you’ll be able to have a full day of meals planned ahead of time so all you have to do is pop the food in the oven/microwave and you’re all set!
Breakfast:
Overnight Oats
Mix ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup milk (dairy, almond, coconut, soy, whatever you prefer!), 1 teaspoon of chia seeds (optional), ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (optional), and then whatever extra flavors you’d like! Some delicious options include peanut/almond butter, chocolate chips, honey, or maple syrup.
The next morning you can heat it up or eat it cold, whichever you prefer, and then top with fresh fruit!
Overnight oats are best when prepared the night before you plan to eat them.
Mini Egg Frittatas
Prepare scrambled eggs the way you normally do…mix egg (or egg whites) with milk, salt, and pepper…and then load them up with all of your favorite veggies!
Spray a muffin pan with cooking oil, and then fill them each about ¾ way full with the egg mixture.
Bake them for 20-25 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. With 5 minutes left, sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese on top, if you’d prefer.
These can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Lunch:
Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Quinoa Bowls
This recipe has a lot of different components, but they all can be done on the same day.
First, start by cooking your chicken breast. I prefer to drizzle mine with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, and then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, but you can do whatever you like most.
Next, the quinoa. There are tons of different kinds of quinoa out there…from plain, to seasoned, to quinoa-brown rice mixes. My favorite is the Near East Roasted Red Pepper and Basil. This will take about 20 minutes when prepared according to the package instructions.
Finally, the black bean and corn mixture. Mix canned black beans (rinsed and drained) with fresh, frozen, or canned corn. You could also add a can of Rotel tomatoes for a little extra flavor!
Now, when it comes time for lunch all you have to do is mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl and add some salsa and cheese to top it off.
Cooked chicken can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Dinner:
One Pan Chicken, Potatoes, and Veggies
This is a great, healthy recipe that can be doubled/tripled/quadrupled in order to provide dinners for the whole week.
Let’s start with the chicken…you can bake it in the oven, just like in the quinoa bowl, for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. This is my favorite way to do it, because you can put the chicken, veggies and potatoes all on the same pan. Minimal cleanup is the best kind of cleanup! You could make it quick and simple by seasoning it with olive oil, salt, and pepper; or, you could fancy it up by dipping it in an egg mixture and coating it with bread crumbs. There a tons of ways to flavor up your chicken breast, so switch it up from time to time!
Next, the potatoes. You could do this with yellow potatoes, redskin potatoes, or even sweet potatoes, whichever you prefer! Mix your chopped potatoes together with a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley and toss them onto a baking sheet. These generally take about 20 minutes at 450 degrees, but if you want to cook them with your chicken, just put them in at 350 degrees about 5-10 minutes before you add the chicken. They will be ready when the skin is crispy, but they can be pierced with a fork.
Finally, the veggies! There are TONS of different kinds of veggies you could add to this recipe, so just pick your favorite! Here’s an easy way to make roasted zucchini and squash:
Chop your zucchini and squash and mix them with olive oil and toss them onto the baking sheet. Like the potatoes, these generally take about 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees, but to cook them with the chicken just throw them in the over, with the potatoes, about 5-10 minutes early.