Our Mitten Kitchen: Meal Prep Weeks 1 & 2
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Hey guys!
So one of my 2017 goals was to get better at meal prep. I'm definitely a person who LOVES food and loves to eat out, but that can end up being unhealthy and really expensive. I found in the past that if I have things planned and prepared I was pretty good about not going out to eat, but the moment my food would run out, you could find me at any of the restaurants downtown GR. So this month, I have been grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and have started to actually sit down and plan out my meals for the week. A lot of my meals are Pinterest inspired and some I just make up! So below I'll be listing my lunch meal plans for the past two weeks with ingredient and price breakdowns!
Enjoy!
Katie
Week 1 Lunch Meal Prep - Honey Sesame Chicken Bowls
This recipe I found on Pinterest from Sweet Peas & Saffron and it did not disappoint! I changed some of the ingredients based on personal preference but overall it was filling and delicious!
Ingredients
Honey Sesame Sauce:
¼ water
¼ cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Chicken Lunch Bowls:
¾ cup uncooked brown rice (I used one bag of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
2 large chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
salt & pepper
sesame seeds (garnish)
Instructions
- Shake together all honey sesame sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Divide between 4 storage containers.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add broccoli. Cook for 5 or so minutes, until bright green and tender.
- Add to the rice in the storage containers.
- Add additional olive oil if necessary. Add the chicken to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes (if desired). Cook for 7 or so minutes, until cooked through.
- Add the sauce to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, until thickened.
- Add the chicken to the lunch containers and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat to serve.
Price Breakdown
1 - Bag Trader Joe's Frozen Chicken Breasts - $6.99 total ($1.74/per breast)
1 - Package of Trader Joe's Frozen Brown Rice - $2.99 total ($.99 per bag)
1 - Bag of Trader Joe's Frozen Broccoli Florette's - $1.49 total
1 - Bottle of Honey - $5.99 total
I had the other ingredients (soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, etc) in my cupboard already
Grocery Bill: $17.46 Total
Lunch Cost Breakdown (total based on amount of ingredients used): $1.43 Total (per lunch bowl) or $5.72 for the week
Week 2 Lunch Meal Prep - Mexican Chicken Bowls
This weeks meal prep was inspired by many Pinterest recipes but I kind of made it up based on ingredients I had. This is literally the EASIEST recipe to make and it's incredibly flexible to add or change ingredients based on personal preference.
Ingredients
2 frozen chicken breasts
1 package of frozen brown rice
1 can of black beans
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 jar of medium chunky salsa
Instructions
- Put 2 frozen chicken breasts in crockpot with whole jar of salsa.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through. Divide between 4 storage containers.
- Cook frozen brown rice package according to instructions. Divide between storage containers.
- Divide can of corn between containers.
- Divide can of black beans between containers.
- Use the left over salsa in the crock pot and drizzle over rice or entire container.
Price Breakdown
1 - Bag Trader Joe's Frozen Chicken Breasts - $6.99 total ($1.74/per breast)
1 - Package of Trader Joe's Frozen Brown Rice - $2.99 total ($.99 per bag)
1 - Can of Black Beans - $.99 total
1 - Can of Whole Kernel Corn - $.89 total
1- Jar of Chunky Salsa Medium - $3.29 total
Grocery Bill: $15.15 Total
Lunch Cost Breakdown (total based on amount of ingredients used): $1.97 Total (per lunch bowl) or $7.90 total for the week
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