Sunday Meal Prep | Week of Feb 11

What I'm cooking + few other tidbits that you didn't ask for but might enjoy.

Being a proficient cook doesn’t require any extraordinary talents, it’s about following directions, being organized, efficient, and able to multi-task. I get a sick amount of satisfaction from efficiency. When I was in culinary school, we were constantly drilled and tested on how we organized our time and cooking plan. Before we got a knife out, we had to map out how we were going to tackle the dish and where we were planning to start. If the chicken needs to roast for 40 minutes, for example, you need to make sure you get it in the oven before you make the sauce so you’re maximizing your time and not sitting around idly. Or, if you saw that garlic is used in two different applications, you could just peel and chop enough for both at one time.

Making a plan and getting organized around your meal prep is a huge part of what I want to get across in these weekly emails. It will help you tremendously, save you a lot of time, and hopefully give you that oddly satisfying joy that I feel. And frankly, these are skills that are quite useful outside of the kitchen as well.

Part of my weekly organization process is cleaning out the fridge. I hate having a cluttered and disorganized fridge and find the more stuff that’s in there, the less of it I eat. It’s overwhelming! Use this as an opportunity to audit your condiments, get some nice clear glass Tupperware that you can organize nicely and actually see what’s in them, and throw out (or compost, please!) everything that has gone off.

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* MENU: WEEK OF FEBRUARY 11 *
It’s Super Bowl Sunday (go Niners!), so we’re starting the week with a chili (of course). We’ve also got my favorite leftover fried rice and a trendy meal I’ve never made before this week: cauliflower gnocchi.

Just a quick note before we get into it about protein substitutions: If you’ve been following my work you probably know how important protein is for your diet (I’ve got more on this coming to your inbox this month). That said, I know that people are often quite particular about their proteins (which I get!), so I will try to give alternate options while continuing to emphasize meals with adequate protein for optimal blood sugar balance, energy, all the things. It’s hard to create a meal plan that works for everyone, so I’ll do my best to offer alternatives and would encourage you to switch up ingredients to suit your preferences.

If you’re going grocery shopping today, here’s your list and my pantry bible. I’ll be continually updating and adding to this, so make sure to keep checking it as you grow your pantry. Before you get started, a few things I’m into:

What I’m Listening to:
Hormones with Dr. Jordan Gellar, The World’s First Podcast with Erin & Sara Foster
I loved this episode about hormone health with Dr. Gellar. An important listen for all women looking to better understand their hormones, how they impact your body and dietary/lifestyle factors that influence them.

Two Things I Can’t Sleep Without:
I am serious about sleep and I swear by Moon Juice’s Magnesi-om (use the code MIA for a discount) and absolutely cannot sleep without my Lunya washable silk sleep mask. If you’re struggling to relax before bed or stay asleep, both of these products can really help.

Okay, let’s cook!

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SUNDAY
Super Bowl Chili
Time: 45 minutes (tops)
If there is one day of the year to make chili, it’s today. I made this recipe last year and plan on making it again today. I use lean ground beef, but you could easily make this with ground turkey or chicken. Serve with a simple salad and mayyyybe some corn bread if you’re feeding a crowd. This recipe looks “delish” — I plan to sub the AP flour with GF AP flour like Bob’s Redmill and cut the maple syrup in half.

Extra credit prep list. Here are a few other items you can prep to reduce weeknight cooking time and have a few more options for lunch and snacks.

1. Shredded Chicken
   This is incredibly easy and will save you so much time during the week. As an alternative, you could also buy a rotisserie chicken, but honestly the time and effort it takes to break it down is more than making this!

2. Nut & Seed Protein Bread (p. 191 in Foodwise)
   I love this high protein bread for breakfast with nut butter or avocado and an egg. It’s also great alongside a salad with a smear of hummus.

3. Meal Prep Roasted Vegetables
   I love having this in the fridge for salads and grain bowls throughout the week. It’s a great way to amp up your veg intake.

4. Quinoa (or grain of choice)
   Great for lunches if you feel like adding a grain. I love mixing it with the roasted vegetables and adding some greens and a protein. My son also loves quinoa, so I like to have some prepared in the fridge for him. He calls it cous cous, but he’s eating it and I’m not about to correct him lol.

5. Make ahead: Carrot Ginger Dressing (p. 130 in Foodwise)
   We’ll be having this dressing on a salad Monday night, but it’s also great as a dip/spread and keeps easily in the fridge. If it thickens too much after a day or so, feel free to loosen with a little olive oil or water to get to your desired consistency. You could always make this on Monday if you don’t have time today. It’s pretty quick!

MONDAY
Lunch
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables, Shredded Chicken and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Time: 5 minutes
This is so easy and delicious. Just mix 1/4-1/2 cup of quinoa with a few big spoonfuls of your prepped roasted veg and put on top of a bed of greens with some of your pulled chicken. I like to have this with a simple drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of sea salt and maybe a little avocado if there’s one around.

Dinner
Salmon Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing (p. 130 in Foodwise)
Time: 30 minutes
I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but my favorite way to cook salmon right now is in a cast iron pan. Start by preheating the oven to 400. Salt the salmon generously, and set the pan on the stovetop over high heat. Lightly coat the pan with olive oil and place the salmon in the pan skin side down. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes or until the salmon is light pink and cooked about 1/4-1/3 of the way through. Then place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester easily pushes through the thickest part of the filet and feels warm to the touch. Maybe I’ll do a video on this because it’s easy and delicious. Stay tuned.

While the salmon is cooking, throw together some mixed greens with some veggies (maybe cucumber, carrot, radish, or even some roasted or steamed broccoli). Toss with a little olive oil, rice wine vinegar, and sea salt (just a little to coat), then top with about 1/4 avocado per person, salmon, and some of my carrot ginger dressing for a delicious and nourishing dinner.

Substitutions: This would be delicious with a variety of proteins, like tofu, chicken, and even skirt steak. You could also serve this with a grain, like brown rice or quinoa, or a cup of miso soup (I like this one!). If you don’t feel like making the dressing, try Primal Kitchen’s Sesame Ginger dressing.

TUESDAY
Lunch
Salmon & Roasted Vegetable Grain Bowl
Time: 5 minutes
You can literally have the same thing you had yesterday but with salmon instead of chicken. If you loved the carrot ginger dressing, you could have more of that here, or stick with the olive oil and balsamic, or try something totally different, like a tahini dressing.

Dinner
Chicken Fried Rice
Time: 20 minutes
This is one of my go-to leftover recipes—a super easy and delicious way to repurpose leftovers into something new. We didn’t prep rice in advance this week, but you could use frozen brown or white rice to save time (a game changer). Sometimes I’ll use a combo of rice and cauliflower rice (also frozen) to reduce the carbs and add an extra veg serving. This is also great without chicken. You could simply add some extra eggs (or a fried egg on top), some tofu or salmon from last night.

WEDNESDAY
Lunch
Leftover Chili
Time: 5 minutes
Who doesn’t like a quick heat and eat lunch? Serve with some lightly dressed mixed greens to make this feel a little brighter.

Dinner
Cauliflower Gnocchi Sheet Pan with Sausage, Broccoli and Pesto
Time: 30-40 minutes
Truth: this is my first experience with Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and I’m into it. The ingredients are good and it has 16 grams of net carbs per serving (not bad for a gnocchi!). This dish also takes about 5 minutes to prep.

How to make it: Preheat the oven to 400. Cut Italian sausage into 1/4 inch slices and broccoli into florets. Add the gnocchi, sausage and broccoli to a sheet pan, drizzle some olive oil on top and roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Serve with homemade or store bought pesto.

THURSDAY
Lunch
Scrambled Eggs, Nut & Seed Bread, Side Salad
Time: 10 minutes
I love a good plate of scrambled eggs for lunch. Great with that nut & seed bread you baked as well! And if you didn’t make the bread, check the pantry list for other option.

Dinner
Pumpkin Chicken Curry
Time: 30-45 minutes
I made this recipe on repeat over the holidays and it’s become one of the most requested dinners in my house. I actually have some in the freezer that I plan to heat up for this, so make sure you make extra! It comes in handy when you don’t feel like cooking.