Sunday Funday
The main thing that I have learned with Meal prepping is to PLAN PLAN PLAN. I start at the beginning of the week with 2 to 3 recipes I want to make. I then plan some side dishes to go along with them. My husband and I have set goals for 2017 to get healthy, so the meals have to fit within our dietary guidelines. He is Low/no carb and I want to eat more lean proteins as well as some complex carbs in the form of several small meals a day. With the kids, it just has to taste good!
The key here is to portion out your food after you make it. To get the correct portion size on veggies and such this little tool is my best friend!
Get your tupperware bowls handy.
Then cook! You will then have ready made meals that the family can just take and heat up. It makes it so easy after you get off work to then warm food up. No more asking "What are we having for supper?" And then driving through a window and picking it up for the family. These meals you make will not only be more healthy but will also taste so much better! I promise you!!
This week, I knew we had softball games, birthday parties, and Easter egg hunts! So I made 2 large meals instead of 3. Here are the two main recipes for the week:
I didn't get pics of the first meal, but I made this meatloaf because I was craving Italian and pasta is not for me right now. I made the meatloaf on Saturday and portioned it out. It says it made 8 servings, but I got 10 out of it.
Now, to cut back on the fat and red meat I used some ground turkey in this. We love ground turkey and really the kids will never know. The kids aren't a fan of meatloaf but when I added some pasta sauce and cheese to it, they were all in! I also try to stay away from a lot of dairy, but this really did taste good. It also made ALOT so if you dont' have 5 people to feed, you may want to consider freezing half of it for later. The cheese on the top is overkill, so leave it off if you don't want to add it, or add it for the rest of the family and scrap it off as I did.
Also, remember my husband is low to no carb, so the breadcrumbs or oats are not for him. I added almond flour in the place of this. (This is a good hack for even regular meatloaf.) I could have ate the oats but I don't want to make 2 different meat loafs. Remember, we are trying to save time and energy!
I will serve the meatloaf with a side salad, or sliced cucumbers because I feel it can stand on its on without a lot of fan fare. :)
For the kids I did make them some pasta with sauce. I even had a helper! They aren't restricted like we are.
On to the Main Sunday Funday event. I love all things Chicken! So I bought some Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs and found the recipe to try with it.
On this recipe, I left out the cornstarch because I didn't have any. I also don't really want to eat a lot of sauce with my meal. I want the chicken to be flavored, but not OVERLY so. As this adds sugar and calories I don't need.
I started by browning the chicken in a pan on both sides for about 2 min per side. I then placed all the chicken in the pan and poured the sauce on top.
I placed this in the oven at 375 and baked it for 30 min (or until your chicken is done.) Check it after 20 minutes because all ovens are different.
While the chicken was cooking I made some brown rice. My kids love brown rice. Heck I LOVE brown rice. I eat some complex carbs during the week and this is so easy to make ahead of time and portion out for the week. Brown rice is also very inexpensive. One serving is 1/4th cup dry rice or about 1/2 cooked. I put these in separate bowls since my husband won't eat the rice like I do.
Now back to the chicken, it should be ready to come out of the oven. Pull it out and have your bowls ready! Each chicken thigh should be around 130 calories with 4.5 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein! I will eat at least 1 with each meal. My husband will eat 2.
Each meal needs a veggie! So, I bought some frozen steamed veggies to cook. These are also inexpensive. If its in season, fresh is always better, but I'm trying to save time this week. SO frozen veggies it is! I am cooking this in the same pan the chicken was cooked in after I removed it and the sauce. This saves time also because I don't have to wash more than one dish. One dish meals? YES PLEASE.
Once completed I will add this to my containers and let cool.
So we will recap what I have made:
Meal 1
10 servings of Meatloaf (approximately 300 calories per serving and 39 grams of protein)
Side salad or fresh veggies
8 servings of Chicken Teriyaki (130-260 calories depending on serving size)
Sauteed Veggies - 45 calories per 1 cup serving
Brown Rice optional - 160 calories
Extra Side dish for the kids:
Brown Rice
Pasta with sauce.
You may ask...What about breakfast? This week since i had SO much going on, I decided that breakfast wraps were the way to go. We buy a low carb whole wheat wrap and I will add 2 eggs to each one. Also add in your fav hot sauce and you will think you are eating a restaurant breakfast burrito!
I will post more later with more ideas. Since this is my first blog on this subject please bear with me as I work out the kinks! I was also in more of a hurry this week than I would have liked, but I think it was a success! Next week I will definitely have a regular breakfast recipe too.
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