Something that I used to do a lot of, and that I’m trying to make time for again, is meal prep. I love to cook, but now that I have an 11-week-old baby, I don’t have time to make a hot dinner every night. But we still like to eat as healthy as we can, so enter: meal prep!
Thankfully, baby is on somewhat of a predictable schedule at the moment. This means I usually have time to grocery shop and cook in the evenings 3ish nights per week. So here’s what I’ve been making lately. All of these recipes either come together in 30 minutes or less, or they can be prepped in multiple short bursts of time (perfect for busy mums like myself!).
- Honey garlic salmon + roasted potatoes
- For the potatoes (prep first): Preheat oven to 415F. Dice 4-5 yellow potatoes (1/2-inch cubes). Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are soft when stabbed with a fork.
- For the salmon: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine 1/4 c. honey + 2.5 tbsp coconut aminos + 2 cloves minced garlic. Cut a 1lb. salmon fillet into 4 pieces on the baking sheet and spoon sauce over fish. Bake for 20 minutes, until salmon flakes.
- Spiced sausages + sweet potatoes – I leave out the asparagus unless it’s in season and just serve over spinach!
- Sausage & vegetable pasta sauce + quinoa
- For the quinoa: Bring 1c. dry quinoa + 2c. water to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn to low and cook until water has absorbed, 15-20 minutes.
- For the pasta sauce: Sautee 1lb. bulk italian sausage + 2c. vegetables of choice (we like onion, frozen peas, and/or mushrooms) over medium heat, until meat is slightly browned and cooked through. Add a 25oz. jar of pasta sauce (Whole Foods brand is my favorite) and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over quinoa with a grating of cheese.
- Sweet potato goat cheese frittata – A classic in this house! We just sub the feta for goat cheese. I double the recipe and bake it in 2 8″ square pans lined with parchment–it freezes pretty well too.
- Vegetarian lasagna – My mom and I had a cooking afternoon and made a bunch of these a few weeks ago. It’s from the Moosewood Cookbook, although you wouldn’t have to make the sauce from scratch if you were short on time! If making gluten-free, do pre-cook the noodle sheets. We also added a big 10oz. package of spinach to the sauce for extra veggies.
- Homemade vegetarian chili – Lots of ingredients, but easy once the veggies are chopped!
- Nourishing red lentil soup
- Easy & hearty vegetable soup – The only way you can get me to eat turnips or parsnips, haha! We use quinoa for the grain for extra protein.
- Spicy red pasta with lentils – You can make this super easy by using canned lentils and/or jarred marinara sauce in place of the tomato sauce/paste/herbs!
- Easy veggie enchiladas – I use cheddar for the cheese and Whole Foods enchilada sauce 🙂
Well… off to feed the baby again. That’s how all my blog posts end at the moment, eh? 😛