During quarantine or lock down, many of us have discovered our untapped talent for cooking, baking, or finding discounted deals on food delivery apps. Either way, we know that while cooking can be therapeutic, it also requires a bit of time. It was fun in the beginning, but now that the economy is almost open in full-force and schools are re-opening, it's not been an easy task to manage working from home, chores, and cooking.
When you know you have a busy week ahead, it's best to meal-prep and make meals that last if not for the whole week, at least for the next few days. With that in mind, here are 5 recipes you can make that will last all week:
1. Vegan Meal Prep: Meals In A Jar
Sadia Badiei, BSc Dietetics and YouTuber of the channel "Pick Up Limes" shares a detailed video on how to meal prep using jars. She prepares three different vegan recipes with two to four servings each, which is sufficient for a whole week. Her first recipe, the Kimchi noodle in a jar, is a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free recipe. It's a full-packed balanced meal with the right amount of protein, carbs, vegetables, and that Kimchi taste, perfect for those of us who love South Asian flavors. She even shares her own recipe for homemade vegan Kimchi.
Her second recipe is a Bulgur salad in a jar, is vegan, nut-free, and soy-free. It is rich in nutrition with a variety of flavors such as cherry tomatoes, red onions, lemon juice, olives, and lentils. It's the perfect balanced meal and quick to prep for someone who loves salads and healthy meals on-the-go.
Sadia's last recipe is a spiced black bean and rice salad in a jar, for those of us who crave some spice in our meals. It's rich in flavor with spices such as cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Aside from the black bean, it also consists of other flavors such as avocados, cherry tomatoes, and red bell peppers. Her recipes are a must try for those of us who want to give meal-prep a go. What's convenient is that they're packed in a jar, easy to store, and easy to eat when we're ready.
2. Sunday Night Stew
This Sunday night stew recipe by The Pioneer Woman serves 8, and is the perfect healthy meal you can keep going for the week. It's packed with root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, potatoes, and onions. It's a beef-based recipe, but there's no harm in experimenting with other meats, or keeping it vegetarian/vegan as per your dietary requirements. The recipe suggests to serve it with mashed potatoes, and we agree as doing so makes it the perfect balanced meal.
3. Simple Meal Prep
Kristen, plant-based home chef, certified health coach, and mother of 3, shares her simple meal-prep recipe on her Instagram post. Her kids are back to school and she took the help of meal-prep to make something healthy and yummy for everyone. While there's no step-by-step recipe, her post indicates the simplicity of the meal itself. She prepared parboiled broccoli with lemon, baked tofu with coconut aminos, roasted chickpeas with curry powder, and roasted sweet potatoes. The meal on its own is so simple and easy to prepare, especially if you're a busy mom!
4. Make Ahead Sausage & Egg Casserole
Good Housekeeping shares this quick and easy breakfast recipe by actor and mother, Tiffani Thiessen, which serves six and takes only about an hour to prepare. Per serving contains about 24g protein and 26g carbs, which makes it one of the perfect meals for breakfast as it has a good amount of protein and carbs to keep you going till your mid-morning snack or lunch. It's also packed with some great flavors using products such as Italian sausage, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese, and olive oil.
5. Favorite Chicken Potpie
If you're looking to have comfort food for a week, this is the recipe you need to try. This recipe by Taste of Home makes 2 potpies, with a total of 8 servings each. It's filled with veggies such as carrots, potatoes, peas, and corn, and of course the star of the dish, cooked chicken cubes. You'll also need a few sheets of pie crust, chicken broth, butter, all-purpose flour, milk, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and pepper. Each serving contains 15g of protein, 41g of carbs, and 28g of fat. It pairs well with a fresh garden salad, which will help you balance the meal as well.
Sources: Pick Up Limes, The Pioneer Woman, All Recipes, The Little City Seed, Healthline, Good Housekeeping, Taste Of Home, Culinary Hill