How to Meal Prep

Most clients when I start to discuss meal prep cringe and reports that there is no way they can devote a few hours or a day to cooking meals for the week.
These few simple rules can help guide you on weight loss success and prevent the last minute pizza or chinese food nights and Bacon egg and cheese mornings.
Rule
Pick a day for meal prep that works for you. Weather it be Sunday, Monday or maybe two nights a week work better. There is less bulk time spent on one day.
If you don’t want to meal prep all your meals, choose the meal that is giving you the most difficulty. Or Choose just a few days.
Create a meal plan
Go shopping for all ingredients.
Get your tools and kitchen ready. Get all kitchenware needed and make room in your fridge for all the delicious dishes you are about to create.
This week we will focus on dinner options. Dinner is a meal that if you make enough of can be a great lunch the next day as well.

Tips
Always have Frozen vegetables on hand: These can be quick and easy vegetable options and steamed up in minutes.
Be realistic: If you know that you will be running late one night a rotisserie chicken can be a great option.

Weekly Dinner Menu
Monday
Grilled Chicken
Brown Rice
Steamed Vegetables or Sauteed Zucchini

Tuesday
Spaghetti Squash with turkey meatballs

Wednesday
Mexican Quinoa and Beans

Thursday
Grilled Chicken over Salad (I used bag salad for added convenience)
Vegetable Soup

Friday
Asian Turkey lettuce Wraps

Grocery Shopping List
total = $50-60
Meat
4 pounds chicken breast
2 pound ground turkey

Produce
1 head of lettuce
1 head of green cabbage
Celery
4 tomates
Basil 1 bunch
Onions
Carrots
zucchini
Bag of salad

Dry Goods
1 pound protein Pasta
1 can Garbanzo Beans
1 Can Black Beans
Tamari or gluten free soy sauce
1 can water Chestnuts
3 cans tomato Sauce
2 Cans Stewed tomatoes
Brown Rice
Cornstarch

Dairy
Mozzarella

Frozen
1 Bag corn
1 Bag Green Beans

Spaghetti Squash with Marinara sauce

Marinara sauce
4 28 oz cans tomatoes
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
Salt and pepper

Cook on medium to low heat for 30 minutes.

Spaghetti squash

Cut Spaghetti squash lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast skin side down in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Saute spaghetti squash in the pan.

Turkey Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey meat
1 egg
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
½ cup shredded mozzarella

Combine all ingredients and form into balls. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Mexican Quinoa

1 cup Quinoa, Uncooked
1 cup Frozen Corn
2/3 cup Reduced Sodium Chickpeas, Drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Black Beans, Drained and rinsed
1 cup Red Pepper, Chopped, about 1 large pepper
1 cup Roma Tomato, Chopped, about 2 tomatoes
1/2 cup Onion, Roughly chopped, about 1/2 large onion
1/2 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Garlic, Minced
1/4 teaspoon Salt
pinch of Black Pepper
1-1 1/2 tablespoons sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cups Reduced Sodium Vegetable Broth
Shredded Cheddar Cheese, For garnish
Fresh Cilantro, For garnish
Directions
Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and place the uncooked quinoa, corn, chickpeas, black beans, red pepper, tomato, onion cumin powder, garlic, salt, pepper and adobe sauce inside, stirring until well combined.
Pour in in the vegetable broth, stir well, and cover the pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Mine was perfect at 3 hours, so check it and make sure the quinoa isn’t burning.
Once cooked, season to taste with additional salt and pepper and garnish with cheese and cilantro.

Turkey lettuce wraps
1/4 cup (64 g) gluten free soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon (9 g) cornstarch (or try arrowroot)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon rice wine (can replace with more rice vinegar)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons (42 g) honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground)
2 fresh scallions, chopped (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons (28 g) neutral cooking oil (like grapeseed or canola)
1 pound ground chicken, pork or turkey
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 ounces water chestnuts (1/2 an 8 ounce can), drained and diced
1 head Boston lettuce
DIRECTIONS
In a small mixing bowl, place about half of the soy sauce and the cornstarch, and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, sesame oil, honey and ginger, and whisk until well-combined. Add about three-quarters of the scallions, and mix to combine.
In a medium, heavy-bottom skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil over medium-high heat until rippling. Add the ground meat, and cook, stirring to break it up into small pieces, until no longer pink (about 5 minutes). Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, add the diced onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant (about 2 minutes more). Return the cooked meat to the skillet, add the soy sauce mixture, and mix to combine. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken (1 to 2 minutes). Remove from the heat, and add the diced water chestnuts.
Separate the leaves of Boston lettuce from the heat and spoon the chicken mixture into each as a cup. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped scallions and serve.

Vegetable soup
1 28 oz diced tomatoes
1 head of cabbage sliced thin
1 onion diced
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks celery diced
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Combine all in pot and cook for 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.