Prepare the Building Blocks
Chicken – cook 6 chicken boneless chicken thighs in the oven at 350 degree for about 20 minutes. (I put a drop of olive oil, salt, paper and garlic power)
Ground Beef – I got the grass fed kind and cooked on the stove top until cooked (about 10 minutes).
Asparagus – Boiled 1 bunch (chopped) for about 5 minutes. Leave a little crunch!
Mushroom/Onions – Chopped and pan friend with a few tsp of olive oil for about 20 minutes on low heat.
Red Pepper – Place 2 whole red pepper in the oven at 425 degrees. Roast for about 20-30 minutes, flipping it occasionally. It is ok if the outside chars up a bit. Let cool for 15 minutes, then run cold water over pepper while removing skin and seeds. Skin should slide off easily. Chop to desired size.
Mashed Potatoes – I used about 15 red potatoes. I peeled, but not meticulously. Boil for about 30 minutes or until completely soft. Mash with 1/4 cup of olive oil or about 1/8 cup of butter. Add salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of cow or oat milk.
Quinoa – Boil 1 1/2 cups of water, add 3/4 cup quinoa, simmer for 15 minutes or until cooked.
Tips
Store each item separately. Make sure veggies are well drained and when you store them, line the bottom of container with a paper towel.
This all took me 1 hour because I’m getting better at cooking in bulk.
Shepherd’s Pie
Healthy scoop of potatoes topped with ground beef and white cheddar cheese. Delicious! Plain asparagus drizzled with olive oil and salt.
Chicken, Quinoa, Mushroom & Onion
Mixed chicken, quinoa, mushroom & onion with some gluten-free teriyaki sauce
Potato Pancake with Ground Beef and Veggies
Form a ball with a handful of leftover mashed potatoes, flatten and fry in about 3 tbsp of olive or avocado oil. I did about 5 minutes on each side on high heat.
Salad with Chicken, Quinoa and Red Peppers
I used part butter lettuce and part spring mix. For the dressing: olive oil and balsamic.
Veggie Omelette
Heated a pan with butter for about 3 minutes on high. Fluffed two eggs in a bowl, turned off the stove and then cooked the eggs until done. I heated up mushrooms, red pepper, onions and asparagus in the microwave before placing in the cooked omelette.
My Favorites
- Shepherd’s Pie – by far my favorite. I used a pretty sharp cheddar cheese on top which was great.
- Salad with chicken, quinoa and red peppers – Kinda basic, good.
- Veggie Omelette – I like fresh clean vibe of the veggies only (no meat)
- Potato Pancake with ground beef – the fried potatoes were delicious.
- Chicken Quinoa, Mushroom, Onion – I just wasn’t digging the teriyaki sauce mixed with the quinoa.
Conclusions
I’m realizing that the important thing about trying to do this is to consider which types of food keep well for a few days. Which foods perhaps get better after a day or two. For example, fish is tough. Also for whatever reason, I really enjoyed the beef the first night with the shepherd’s pie, but I wasn’t in the mood to eat it afterwards. Meal prep is subjective. I think I would have enjoyed the leftover beef more if I used it in a pasta sauce. Moving on! I’m excited to make some pulled BBQ chicken for next week!
