Meal Prep Guide and a Pantry Tour

Meal prep guide: Why I meal prep, everything I cooked this week, and a quick pantry tour of all my staples.

Hi hello, come in! Today I’m giving you a quick meal prep guide and a peek into my stocked pantry. Plus, you get five recipes in one post, so buckle up.

I’m just waking up on day five of a five-day weekend and my mind is comforted knowing my fridge is stocked with meals for the rest of the week and into the weekend. Imagine waking up and having multiple options for breakfast. Pretty nice, right?

It’s always easier to have prepared food on hand, especially during busy weeks. So I spent part of this past Saturday meal prepping — something I typically do at the start of every busy week. I made some super simple recipes this time around and I wanted to share a few of them with you in this meal prep guide. I hope they inspire you to meal prep, too.

Why meal prep?

I love cooking more than anything in the world, but some things just take time, like all of the slow-roasted foods that I made this week, soaking grains, chopping veggies, and washing greens. I don’t always have time to wait for quinoa to cook and then cool to make a salad with it, or for a sweet potato to roast when I’m already hungry or need to grab a meal on the go. Meal prepping gives me peace of mind that there’s always something yummy and nourishing in the fridge, and it saves me so much time when putting together meals throughout the week. The components are already there, and it’s up to me to creatively compose them in a way that’s delicious, new, and exciting. If you aren’t meal prepping, then I’d guess you’re either buying pre-made meals, eating takeout, or feeling frustrated in the kitchen. Time to end that.

This week’s meal prep:

• Roasted sweet potatoes
• Irresistible slow-roasted tomatoes
• Roasted beets
• Quinoa tabouli
• Cilantro jalapeno sauce
• One-pot lemon zaatar chicken, barley, and veggies
• 20-hour bone broth (from the above chicken roast)
• Cooked plain quinoa
• Golden oat milk

My fridge is stocked with:

• Fresh greens: washed kale, spinach, lettuce
• Fruit and veggies: fresh cut pineapple, mushrooms, cucumber, cauliflower, asparagus, avocado, cabbage, carrots
• Citrus: lemons, oranges, grapefruit, limes
• Aromatics: ginger, turmeric, herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill)
• Dairy + proteins: eggs, tofu, goat cheese, greek yogurt, good butter (life’s too short for anything else)

On hand, we have:

• Fresh ingredients: red onion, garlic, some chilis drying out on the counter, extra sweet potatoes, bananas (to be frozen)
• Dry staples: nuts, seeds, beans, grains, gluten free pasta, nori sushi sheets, rice paper wraps, wasa crisp breads, lots of spices
• Frozen: salmon, Dad’s pulled pork, vegetables, fruit for smoothies, gf bread, smoothie popsicles, garlic broth, cauliflower rice, veggie burgers, limoncello 😉

If you’re reading that and thinking that’s a lot of things to keep on hand, know that it’s not necessary. You can pick a few of your favorites, and I’d recommend shopping from what’s on sale at your grocery store. Fruits and vegetables that are on sale are almost always what’s in season, and they’ll have the most flavor.

I love variety and I get bored of food in a heartbeat, so I cook things that I’ll enjoy all week and then keep fresh ingredients on hand, too.

A few quick recipes:

Roasted sweet potatoes: Scrub the potatoes and rinse well. Cut the tips off and then cut into big chunks. Wrap in parchment paper, bake at 400 F until soft, about 45 minutes.

Roasted beets: Scrub these, too. Trim off the tops and bottoms, peel, and chop into cubes. Toss with olive oil in a shallow roasting pan (a square 9×9 will do). Cover with foil and bake at 400 F untill fork tender.

Quinoa tabouli: Rinse and cook quinoa, then cool. Combine with chopped dill, parsley, slivered radishes, cucumber, and green onions. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze half a lemon, and 1/4 tsp dijon mustard. Stir to combine. Add salt to taste.

Cilantro jalapeño sauce: Wash cilantro and add 1/2 the bunch (about a cup and a half) to your blender. Stems are fine but trim and discard as much of them as you can (no need to pluck every leaf off). Add 1/2 jalapeno and the juice of 2 limes. Blend untill smooth. You can add a little bit of water to get things moving if needed. Taste for spice and salt.

Golden oat milk: Combine 2 cups of oat milk with 2 tbsp grated turmeric, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1/4 tsp ceylon cinnamon, and whatever superfoods you like (I added some Sun Potion Yin Power). Add honey to taste. Blend till smooth and strain. Refrigerate.

The chilies, a bunch of carrots, and half of the cauliflower are headed into a pickle jar later today for a little lacto-fermentation action. I’ve been loving homemade pickles lately — they’re easy to make and so good for your gut health.

Meal Prep = quick, delicious, versatile meals

Here are some of the ways I’ve been using all of the elements of this week’s meal prep guide to make quick, delicious meals:

• Green bowls: Add a handful of spinach to a bowl. Top with a few pieces of roasted sweet potato, roasted beets, slow-roasted tomatoes, chopped tomato and cucumber, shredded roasted chicken, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and cilantro-jalapeno sauce. You can also make a big platter and call it dinner!
• Smoothies: Blend spinach with water and any superfoods + seeds you like (I’m currently vibing on Sun Potion Yin Power, tocos, maca, hemp, and chia seeds). Add frozen pineapple, mango, and a few frozen aloe cubes. If you have coconut butter, add a big spoon of that, or a splash of coconut milk. Blend and enjoy!
• Salads:
  • Top spinach with roasted beets, goat cheese, pepitas, pineapple, raisins, and any herbs you like. Toss with balsamic and olive oil.
  • Combine spinach and fresh crunchy lettuce. Top with carrot ribbons, slivered radishes, cucumber slices, torn cilantro, and sesame seeds. Toss with a sesame vinaigrette (rice vinegar, honey, lemon or lime juice, toasted sesame oil, and regular sesame oil).
• Wasa crisp bread pizzas: Top 2 Wasa crisp breads with roasted tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, dots of goat cheese, pesto, and fresh kale. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or air fry until cheese is soft and everything is steaming hot. Sprinkle with chili flakes and enjoy!

There you have it. Meal prep gone wild. It’s my mission to show everyone that eating well doesn’t have to be complicated. It can actually be really simple. So if you’re new to meal prepping, want advice, or don’t know where to start, please message me! You can contact me here or send me a DM on Instagram (where I share even more of the foods I make). xox