this week's recipes: shepherd's pie, 15-minute fried rice, & more!
sunday meal prep | week of february 15
Happy Sunday friends!
Valentine’s day is a bit cheesy, sure, but I’m all for any excuse to celebrate love these days. Whether it’s your partner, your friends, your kids, or yourself, there’s something about technology and the general weirdness of the world that has me craving real connection (and I don’t think I’m alone). 🩷
Taking care of yourself is the ultimate act of self-love. What always strikes me in the work I do is how different that can look for everyone. In our group coaching session earlier this week, someone shared that in trying to prioritize protein, she realized she didn’t actually have the right routines in place to support a nutrition habit.
As someone who has been giving nutrition guidance for over a decade, I think this is one of the biggest unlocks a person can have. Oftentimes it’s not about the knowing but the doing.
It’s easy to look at a nutrition plan or a post online and intellectually understand it. Implementing it in the context of a full, dynamic life (yes to that!) is a completely different thing, and…more complicated than a list of approved foods.
Figuring out how to fit nutrition in your life is one of the main goals of my private nutrition practice. We tackle both the what and the how. It’s not about me telling you what to do, we have to figure out how to fit in the protein, fiber, meal timing, exercise, supplements, sleep habits, etc into the life you’re already living.
Time and time again, that approach creates better and more sustainable results than white-knuckling a short-term plan. We go deep!! And we have fun doing it.
(By the way, we’re full of February, but March is open. Learn more about the program and sign up for a complimentary consultation here!)
On a similar note, a reader asked a great question this week:
Q: Everyone I know is on a GLP-1. How do I stay focused on my own journey without being jealous?
If this isn’t the nutrition question of the moment.
First, I truly believe anyone on a GLP-1 should be getting thoughtful nutrition guidance (and the WHO agrees). Eating less may lead to weight loss, but we still need nutrients to build and maintain muscle mass, protect bone health, support our immune system, regulate mood, keep our hair and skin healthy, and quite literally run every system in the body. When it comes to food, less does not automatically mean healthy.
Weight loss can be a meaningful goal, but it’s a terrible day-to-day motivator. It requires time and relentless consistency, and it’s hard to make in-the-moment decisions for your future self.
I find people get better results with some more immediate feedback—think energy levels, mood, cravings, digestion, or how your skin looks. A good nutrition plan should help you feel better now while moving you toward long-term body composition goals. Those aren’t separate objectives. They’re connected.
A GLP-1 can be a great opportunity to reset and rethink your routines and wellness priorities, but it doesn’t erase the need for nourishment. In fact, I’d argue it elevates it.
On that note, we have some fun and nourishing dishes on the menu this week, including a chicken fried rice that my whole family devoured. This recipe is insanely easy to make (15 minutes!) and endlessly modifiable. If chicken isn’t your thing, swap it out for salmon, tuna, ground turkey or tofu. Also feel free to play around with the vegetables. I used broccoli, carrots, spinach and edamame, but literally anything would be good here.
I used brown rice instead of white, which I cooked the day before. Fun fact: cooked and cooled rice turns into a resistant starch, which is a prebiotic fiber that’s great for your gut health.
Lastly, a quick update on recipe formatting: the people have spoken and we’re sticking with the PDF for now. The Substack feature is still a bit clunky. If it gets better and you all want it, I’ll test it out again! All that said, I’m always open for feedback, so please keep it coming.
xx
Mia
A few meal-prep–adjacent things I’m into right now 🍴✨
I got a little care package of Brodo bone broth, what a treat! I used to love visiting their little takeout window in Soho and walking around with a hot cup of broth on a cold NY day. I use this broth for cooking and sipping. It’s a great source of protein and gut-friendly l-glutamine.
You all saw I’m going to Mexico this week! I posted this dress ($260, I bought it!) then saw it sold out in most sizes, so I found it here for you all in two other colors too (love the baby blue!)!
Is anyone watching Ponies? Honestly they had me at Khaleesi and the girl from White Lotus, but it’s really really good.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got today—let’s cook!
Truth be told, I never had a shepherd’s pie or even entertained making one until about 2018, but my British husband loves it and I’m shocked by how easy it is to make + nutrient dense (at least my version!). If there’s a meat + potato lover in your house, this is a great dish.
Also on the menu this week, a banging fried rice, smoked salmon place, crowd-pleasing pesto chicken and more! Highly recommend making your rice tonight. Resistant starch, my friends.
