Meal Planning Week 1

        

        Meal Prepping/Planning has changed my life! It saves me so much time in the kitchen and it expands my palette to different things that I probably would have never tried. Before I get into showing you what I prepped for Week 1, I wanted to give you some tips on how to make meal prepping/planning easier for you. 

        I've tried meal prepping/planning about a year or 2 ago and I found it completely BORING. The first thing people do when they decide to start meal planning is search "Meal planning" on YouTube, and it's almost always the same boring meals. Breakfast: Oatmeal. Lunch: Brown Rice, Chicken Breast, Broccoli. Dinner: Salmon and a salad.

        Tip #1: FIND RECIPES THAT EXCITE YOU and TIP #2: DEDICATE TIME. I stepped out of YouTube and decided to do research on the web. I found food websites, food blogs and even APPS that you can download on your phone with different, incredible, delicious, and healthy recipes. Not only did find great recipes, but I was able to play with the recipe and make it my own. I would take out the things I didn't like for the things I liked, or if the recipe wasn't as healthy as I wanted, I swapped for healthier ingredients and tailored it to my liking. This made me so excited to go to the grocery store to buy the ingredients I needed and start cooking away. Not only was I excited to cook, but I was excited to EAT. Honestly if it would have been a typical boring lunch, I would have skipped it for some pizza, but I no longer want to skip my meals. I actually want to eat them.

        Tip #3: When you're ready to eat. TAKE THE FOOD OUT OF THE BOWL AND ONTO A PLATE. I can't express how much I hate eating out of plastic containers. The key is to NOT feel like it's a meal prep. Plus sometimes when you're eating out of a plastic container, the food just doesn't look appetizing. It's all about the aesthetics. Put it on a plate, make it look pretty. Top it with some cilantro or green onion. A pretty plate will make you want to eat it. Who doesn't want to eat something that looks appetizing?

        Down below I have a few recipes on what I meal prepped for Week 1. Feel free to try it out, tailor it to your needs, and ENJOY it.

Meal Prep 1:  Sweet and Spicy Turkey Meatballs with Brown Rice and Corn Salsa

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Meatballs

66 Calories per meatball

Recipe makes 18 meatballs (Tablespoon and a half)

Ingredients:

> 1 lb. ground turkey

> 1/2 cup green onions, chopped

> 1/2 - 1 cup breadcrumbs

> 1/2 cup crushed pineapple

> 1 egg

> 2 tbs Sriracha

> 1 tsp ginger, grated

> 2 garlic cloves

> Salt and Pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients. Using hands shape meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Corn Salsa

You may need to double or reduce recipe based on how much you need.

Ingredients:

> 1/2 cup corn

> 1/2 lime, zest and juice

> 1 tbs finely chopped red onion

> 1 tbs chopped cilantro

> 1/4 tsp ground cumin

> Salt and Pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, toss corn lime zest and juice, red onion, cilantro, and cumin with salt and pepper to taste.

Meal prep 2: Turkey Quinoa Taco Skillet

281 calories per serving

Serving Size: 1 cup

Recipe makes 8 servings

Ingredients

                             > 1 lb ground turkey                                   

> 1 can black beans

                              > 1 onion, chopped                                     

> 1 cup quinoa

                              > 1 red bell pepper, diced                           

> 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

                                            > 1 cup corn                                               

> 2 1/2 cup chicken broth

                                      > 2 garlic cloves, minced                           

> Salt and Pepper

                             > 1 tbs chili powder                                   

> Cilantro

                               > 1 tbs ground cumin                                  

> Oil

***May add shredded cheddar cheese (not included in calories)

Directions:
In an oven safe skillet, on medium high heat, add oil. Add turkey and cook until slightly browned and cooked through. Add onion, red bell pepper, and corn and cook for another minute. Add minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, and quinoa. Mix well. Add diced tomatoes, beans, and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed the water.
Place in bowl and top with cilantro shredded cheese. *Cheese is optional.

     I hope you enjoy these delicious recipes as much as I did!

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. 

Have a great Week!

--Sincerely, Jess M. 💋