Sunday setup: How meal prep can simplify your week and boost healthy eating
Four baking sheet meals, ready for weekday lunches or dinners.
A mixture of olive oil, herbs, and spices is poured over the meal before it goes into the oven.
Chicken, vegetables, olive oil, herbs, and spices in quart jars make easy lunch and dinner choices during the work week.
The chicken and vegetable jar meal is an easy lunch or dinner — just dump into a bowl and eat.
Ahhhh, Sunday. It’s the perfect day for sleeping in, attending a church service, watching your favorite sports team on television, taking a long walk, or indulging in an afternoon nap.
And if you’re like millions of people who began the new year with a resolution to eat out less often, Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to prepare meals for the upcoming work week.
An online search will provide a plethora of meal-prep ideas, including high-protein lunches, grab-and-go breakfasts, and low-calorie options.
There are many advantages to spending a couple of weekend hours preparing food for the week. Here are a few of them.
Stress reduction: Planning and preparing your food ahead of time removes the dilemma of deciding “What’s for lunch or dinner today?” Just grab a container out of the fridge and go.
Reduced waste: When you make a deliberate plan for weekly meals, you can avoid buying more food than you need. This reduces food waste.
Healthy eating: Preparing your own meals means you know what you are eating. You can choose fresh, healthy ingredients, and can avoid preservatives found in pre-packaged foods.
Cost efficiency: Shopping with a specific list helps many consumers avoid impulse buys at the grocery store, which results in savings at the register.
Portion control: Preparing your meals in to-go containers allows you to decide how much you’ll eat.
Mix it up: Planning and preparing your meals on the weekend allows the time to research recipes and use ingredients you might not normally use. Meal prep can add variety to your diet.
If you decide to give meal prep a try, there are a few things you may want to consider
- Do a little research and find a social media site that features a meal prepper you like. I recently spent some time on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest looking for cooks making meals I thought I’d enjoy. Bookmark those pages and choose a simple recipe for your first go.
- Clear out your refrigerator before you shop. You’ll need room for your groceries as well as room for your filled containers.
- Speaking of containers, invest in a few good ones. I shopped for a nice set of Lock-n-Lock storage pieces (check them out on Amazon) that are just the right size for a single meal. The containers are leakproof and dishwasher and microwave safe, three must-haves in my book.
- I’ve also discovered a lot of delicious “meals-in-a-jar,” so I dragged out a few wide-mouth Mason jars from the pantry. They are perfect for layered salads and other quick “dump into a bowl” meals.
- When you’ve selected your recipes for the week, make a grocery list and, take a tip from Santa — check it twice. Nothing will ruin that good “I’m actually doing this!” feeling like realizing you forgot to buy roasted red pepper flakes.
- Be sure you have a clean workspace.
- Wash and chop your ingredients before you begin filling containers.
- Be sure you have complete sets of measuring cups and measuring spoons on hand.
- Don’t be too ambitious. Keep it simple. Most recipes will allow you to prepare four to five meals at a time. You should be able to prep one recipe for a week’s worth of meals.
Here are a couple of my current meal prep favorites.
Chicken Vegetable Jar Meal
(Makes 4 servings, 4-quart jars)
In a wide-mouth quart jar, mix the following:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. honey mustard
3 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Add, in layers:
½ cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
½ cup bell peppers, chopped
½ cup cucumbers, peeled and chopped
¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp. onion
½ cup baked and shredded chicken breast
¼ cup shredded cheddar or feta cheese (optional)
Put lids on jars and store in refrigerator. To serve, pour in bowl and top with shredded cheese if desired.
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
(Makes 4 servings)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the following on the baking sheet in separate piles:
1 lb. chicken thighs, cut up
1 head cauliflower, chopped
½ onion, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
2 cups bell pepper, chopped
Mix in a container:
1 tsp. garlic powder or minced garlic
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
3 tbsp. olive oil
Pour liquid over meat and vegetables, then stir gently with a spoon to coat. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Spoon ingredients into four airtight containers and store in the refrigerator. Can be heated or eaten cold.
Sandra Wilkerson Queen may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2002, or sandra@thepaper.media.
