Quick and Easy Meal Prep for Breakfast + Lunch + Snacks!

Ready for a SUPER quick and easy meal prep?! No joke, it took me longer to find all the lids to these containers than it did it prep my breakfast, lunch and snacks for the work week!!

This prep could NOT get an easier:

1. Breakfasts: Breakfast for me is always either Chocolate protein shake with either a banana or pineapple. I get my daily dose of superfoods and it's done in 2 minutes flat! If you aren't a shake person, try making these overnight oats!
2. Snack 1: Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt and Frozen Berries. The frozen berries end up "melting" into the yogurt and it's soooo yummy! Fresh berries work too, obviously :)
3. Snack 3: Veggies and Dressing. I like to cut up fresh veggies and portion them out for the week. I did celery and carrots this week with Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch. I like to portion out dressing for the week so it's just grab and go!
4. Lunches: Chicken Burgers with Simple Citrus Slaw. I love these Don Lee Chicken Burgers from Costco but any  lean, no antibiotic chicken burger will do! I just throw a frozen burger onto the slaw and I'm good to go! Here is the Simple Citrus Slaw Recipe--so easy!!

Simple Citrus Slaw

Ingredients

• For the slaw:
• 1 cup pre shredded carrots
• 2 cups cole slaw mix or shredded cabbage
• For the dressing:
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add the carrots and cole slaw to a large bowl.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over veggies.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.5.3226

There you have it! Breakfast, lunch and snacks for the week!!

Meal Plan Monday ~ Reheat & Eat

 

Welcome to May and Meal Plan Monday! One of the main reasons I can stay on track with good nutrition is taking a few minutes each weekend to plan out our meals and snacks. Each Monday I will be sharing our family's weeknight dinner plan with you!

Inspiration
I find inspiration for dinner in four main places:

• Magazines: I love Cooking Light and Food Network Magazine. Most of their recipes are healthy, easy and family friendly.
• Food Network: I love their website and if I see something good while I am watching a Food TV show, I can always look up the recipe! I love their ratings and reader reviews too!
• Pinterest: I am constantly pinning healthy recipes! I've done the work for you--check out my Pinterest board here: https://www.pinterest.com/coachcaseyr/pins/
• This Blog: LOL! Sounds weird but I often forget what healthy recipes I've made! This blog is a record of my family's faves. It's like my "best of the best" recipe file...because I don't share bad recipes with ya'll!!!

This Week
So this week is going to be one of the craziest weeks we have had so far this year! My daughter has her school play this weekend and rehearsals every single night this week from 6-9pm! There are a few baseball games thrown in there, too so it will truly be a "divide of conquer" kind of week for hubs and I!

On these weeks where we won't all be eating together, I opt for "Heat (or REHEAT) and eat"- type meals. Meals that a good reheated or that we can just grab and eat whenever we get around to it.

The Menu
Monday: Grilled Steak with Pineapple Rice

• Inspiration: Pinterest Search for "Healthy Summer Recipes"
• Notes: I will have hubs grill this steak up on Sunday while he's grilling our Sunday dinner, so it's ready to go. I'll substitute brown rice for white. EASY PEASY! My kind of Monday!

 

Source: Good Housekeeping

Tuesday: Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps

• Inspiration: Pinterest Search for "Healthy Summer Recipes"
• Notes: Since I work on Tuesdays, a crockpot meal is perfect! I will use a leaner cut of pork (like a tenderloin) and adjust the sriracha for the kids.

 

Source: Good Housekeeping

Wednesday: Crockpot Taco "Skillet"

• Inspiration: My blog!
• Notes: None! I figure the more Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo week, the better!

Thursday: Cajun Shrimp and Rice

• Inspiration: Food Network website. I searched "healthy shrimp recipes."
• Notes: I will sub brown rice for white rice. I use Weber's Canjun seasoning. It's not too spicy :) Also, it's likely my kids won't eat this since they are not huge shrimp fans. So on nights like that, they will usually just have a Trader Joe's pizza or  Mac and Cheese and fruit. If it's a grab and go night, I might just make them a sandwich/fruit and pack it for them. I don't over complicate things if my kids aren't eating what we eat. I used to drive myself crazy stressing about them not eating everything but I've learned to give that up!

Friday: Cinco de Mayo soooo... Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas! (you can never have enough Mexican food in one week!)

• Inspiration: This month's Food Network Magazine
• Notes: I will sub plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream

 

Source: Food Network Magazine

Another Simple, Easy Meal Prep

Here's a quick meal prep you can do this weekend when you have some extra time. I am telling you, this meal prep SAVED me a couple of weeks ago when we got home super late 3 night in a row! I just grabbed the prepped meal and dinner was on the table FAST!

In this meal prep, I made enough food for 3 dinners, 3 lunches using leftovers and several days worth of snacks for hubby and I:

1. 4 burrito bowls (1 dinner + lunch leftovers)
2. Sausage and peppers (1 dinner + lunch leftovers)
3. Crockpot Greek Pitas, not pictured above (1 dinner + lunch leftovers)
4. Hardboiled eggs for snacks
5. Cut up celery to enjoy with PB for snack

All of these meals are VERY basic and take very little time to prepare.\

Burrito Bowls with Corn and Black Bean Salad

Corn and Black Bean Salad
1 package of frozen corn
1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
Salt/pepper

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Chill for a few hours to allow the flavors to marry.

Burrito Bowls
1 lb. ground turkey
1 package low sodium taco seasoning
1 cups (or more) cooked brown rice -- i love the quick cooking kind
Toppings: Guacamole or avocado, fresh salsa, plain Greek yogurt, lettuce

1. Brown the turkey with taco seasoning until cooked through.
2. Divide the ingredients in 4 bowls or containers: rice, cooked meat, and a scoop of the black bean corn salad. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Chicken Sausage and Peppers
1 lb or package chicken sausage, sliced (I love these from Trader Joes)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced (any color)
Salt/Pepper
Mustard
Whole wheat hot dog buns, optional

1. Brown sausage until cooked through; remove from pan
2. In the same skillet, add peppers and onions. Cook about 10 minutes until veggies are soft. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add in the sausage and cook a little more until heated through.
4. Pile sausage and peppers on hot dog buns and top with lots of mustard OR serve without the bun--it's delicious this way also!

Greek Chicken Pita Pockets w/Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Get this DELICIOUS recipe HERE

It seems like a ton of food and prep but honestly, this prep took me ONE HOUR, aside from the crockpot cooking time! I am telling you, it SAVED us a few weeks ago--i know I would have opted for take out on those busy nights if I wouldn't have already made this food. Hope this helps you realize that meal prep DOES NOT have to be HOURS in the kitchen! Give it an hour on Sunday and you will thank yourself during the week!

30 Minute Meal Prep Anyone Can Do!

Meal Prep has been my saving grace on my health and fitness journey. I always say--"Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail."

How many times have you:

• Come home starving, don't know what to eat, so grab something frozen, unhealthy or order takeout?
• Been so tired you didn't want to cook, so you stopped for fast food?
• Had nothing of "substance" to eat in the house, so you find yourself grazing on items like chips, chocolate or anything else you can scrounge up?!

((RAISES HAND)) ME!!! That has been me more times than I can count...and everyone who knows me knows I get HANGRY and when I get HANGRY I will eat anything put in front of me.

This is where simple meal planning has SAVED me and kept me on track with healthy eating. I'm not talking about planning an entire week's worth of meals and portioning it all out.....i find that a bit time consuming and I don't really enjoy eating 5 day old food.

Simple meal planning is just about having a few things prepped and ready to go, so when HANGRY sets in, you have something healthy and your fingertips, instead of dialing the number to the Chinese place.


Here is a sample of a meal prep I did last week -- in 30 minutes while the kids were doing homework!

Here are the items I prepped:

1. Hard boiled eggs ~ awesome, high protein snacks through the week
2. Shredded the meat of a rotisserie chicken ~ used for my lunch bowls below
3. Cooked 1lb taco meat ~ used for burritos and soft tacos for dinner
4. Kashi Bars ~ great snack! From Costco, no prep necessary!
5. 3 minute quick cooking quinoa ~ for my lunch bowls
6. Strawberries ~ I just washed and cut them so they were ready to go. I love Strawberry Overnight Oats for breakfast and cottage cheese and strawberries for a snack.
7. Roasted Broccoli ~ Drizzled a bag of broccoli with a little olive oil and salt/pepper. Roasted at 425 for about 15-20 minutes then hit it with a squeeze of lemon and some Parmesan cheese.

With this simple meal prep I have AT LEAST

• 3 lunches
• 1 dinner
• Snacks for the entire week
• Several breakfasts

Here are my lunch bowls I made that week with my prepped food -- perfect for taking to work!

...or eating at home! It's A LOT of food, right??! These portions all fall within my nutrition plan, too!!

So does this make meal prepping seem a little more manageable? I hope so! I welcome any ideas on how you meal prep as well!!

Simple, Healthy Mix & Match Meal Plan

I don't know about you, but I get into the "WHAT IN THE WORLD DO I COOK FOR DINNER" rut...a lot. I love to cook and try out new recipes but sometimes I just need something SIMPLE and healthy. A meal that  I don't need to think about. A meal that requires very little chopping and very few ingredients! Sound good??!

Below are some healthy mix and match meal plan ideas.
Consider this your "Chinese Menu" for easy dinner planning! All you do is choose ONE item from each of the categories and BOOM--a healthy dinner is planned! The printable "menu" is at the end of this post. Most of the items are super simple to prepare, but just in case you need further explanation, here is how I'd prepare each one ~

Protein

• Teriyaki Salmon
  • Whisk honey, garlic, lime juice and soy sauce in a bowl, pour over salmon and bake at 375 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
• Flank Steak
  • Rub steak with garlic, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Grill (or cook in skillet) until desired doneness.
• Pesto Chicken
  • Cut chicken into large chunks and cook in a skillet with 2 tablespoons pesto
• Pork Chops
  • Rub thin cut pork chops with your favorite spice blend (i love lemon pepper!) and cook in a little olive oil until cooked through.
• Chicken Sausage
  • Cut into large chunks and cook in skillet until browned.
• Shrimp
  • Stir fry quickly with garlic and olive oil; finish with a squeeze of lemon.

Veggies

• Roasted Broccoli
  • Drizzle with olive oil and salt pepper. Roast at 425 for about 15 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and Parmesan cheese
• Mixed Greens
  • Topped with Balsamic + Olive Oil
• Stir fried green beans
  • Stir fry with a little soy sauce and pepper until crisp tender
• Sauteed spinach
  • Cook spinach in a skillet until wilted; add salt/pepper to taste
• Roasted asparagus
  • Toss with olive oil/salt/pepper. Roast at 425 until crisp tender.

Starch

• Roasted sweet potatoes
  • Toss sweet potato chunks with olive oil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of maple syrup. Roast at 425 until tender.
• Quinoa 
  • I love the steam in a bag kind!
• Brown rice
  • Minute Rice!
• Pasta
  • Whole wheat is best but any kind will do!
• Black Beans
  • Canned, drained and rinsed and heated through

Simple 7 Day Clean Eating Meal Plan

In one of my first posts, I gave an Essential Clean Eating Grocery List. While this wasn't an EXHAUSTIVE list, I feel like it listed some very basic staples to get anyone started on their healthy eating journey. These items can be mixed and matched in a zillion different ways to create super simple, FAST meals.


I have put together one week of "sample" meals for you using just the items on the list. These simple "meals" are very similar to a meal plan I used t use for my free clean eating groups that ran on Facebook every few months. In these groups, participants lost an average of 3-5lbs in one week following the meal plan. More important, they report feeling better, having increased energy and just feel like they have a jump start on a healthy lifestyle!

The meal plan doesn't give EXACT portion sizes for everything, but you can refer to the below graphic if you want a rough idea of how much you should be eating ~

Depending on portion size, the meal plan runs roughly between 1,200-1,600 calories. A few things you will notice and that might help you in creating your own meal plan:

• I repeat snacks, breakfasts and some lunches! This not only helps make the planning process EASY, it helps reduce waste! Who wants to buy a week's worth of groceries only to let half of it go to waste??
• I utilize LEFTOVERS for lunch! Cook once, eat twice. No brainer. Again, reduces the amount of food you waste, too.
• Dinners tend to be a good balance of protein, veggies and carbs. Makes planning easy if you choose one of each and mix and match!

You can download the printable 7 Day Meal Plan here:
7 DAY CLEAN EATING MEAL PLAN_FEBRUARY

Simple Weekend Meal Prep

Here's just a simple 30 minute meal prep you can do this weekend to make next week run smoothly!!!

 I'm not a HUGE food prepper, but I take about 30 minutes on Sundays to prep a little to make sure I had something healthy to grab all week! It makes all the difference !!

1. Pico de Gallo- on top of eggs, taco salad 

2. Shredded chicken off a rotisserie chicken, skin removed 

3. Egg Cups - soooo easy for breakfast or snack. Recipe HERE

4. Cut up/washed pineapple and strawberries - my favorite snack is fruit, cottage cheese and a drizzle of honey

This 30 minutes makes the week go so much more smoothly ... well, food wise anyway !!


**All images on this blog are Pinnable to Pinterest! Just hover over the icon in the top right corner!! :) 

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Moderation

Ever feel this way??!!! I LOOOOVE myself some nachos! Might be my favorite food EVER!! :) But I still work out and enjoy in MODERATION. That's the key isn't it?

Need help with that scary word "MODERATION??!" A year ago I sure did and totally changed the way I ate! Now I want to pay it forward! I run health and fitness challenge groups where you will get 100% support with your health and fitness goals! Maybe you need help with moderation...controlling cravings...meal planning..recipes....toning up.....losing weight...I would LOVE to help you!

I run groups every month and my next one starts January 30th! Let's chat about it!! Friend me on Facebook (link below) or send me an email at: cheerfully.fit.mama@gmail.com.

In the meantime, if you need a jump start, download my FREE 7 Day Clean Eating Meal Plan! Click on Meal Plans at the top of this page. I will be adding more soon!!! XOXO

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Recipe Wednesday: Meal Planning

Ok, today is a two-fer. A recipe AND I'll also share how I do my meal planning.

With back-to-school upon us, it's more important than ever to start meal planning. I plan out my meals every single week. That's just how I am--i cannot imagine going through the day without knowing what's for dinner.

Here is how I do my meal planning:

I typically do my grocery shopping on Friday to stock up for the weekend and the following week. I start by brainstorming what we want for dinner the following week. I like to get input from everyone, however the conversation usually ends up something like this:

Me: Honey, what do you want for dinner next week?
Scott: I have no idea. I'm good with anything.
Me: Seriously??!! Give me some ideas!
Scott: Ok, what about pasta?

Me: Brookey, what do you want for dinner next week?
Brookey: I don't know. Pasta?

Me: Buddy, what do you want for dinner next week?
Buddy: Hot dogs.

 NOT HELPFUL!!! So I usually end up doing it myself and making them eat it :)

I also look at our calendar for the following week and see what's planned in the evening. If it's a soccer night, I'll do something that can be reheated because we all get home at different times. If I work that day, I'll do something I can make in 30 minutes or less.

Next, I write everything out on this little magnet calendar I got in the dollar bin at Target. I keep in on the fridge so everyone knows the weekly menu. I plan from Friday to Thursday:

Then I make my grocery list. I organize it into where the stuff is in the store: Produce, dairy, cans, frozen, meat, etc (yes, I did get very bad grades in handwriting in school!):

I also keep a list of staples that I buy each week: milk, Lactaid, fruit, bread, cereal, wine :)

And that's it!! Pretty simple! Each night before I go to bed, I check the fridge menu and see if there is anything I need to take out of the freezer.  I usually make one mid week trip to the grocery store, too...to get fresh veggies or more milk, etc. We're always running out of something and I'm always forgetting something! But I'm telling you, taking 15-20 minutes meal plan each week is a saving grace, especially during the school year.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite back to school recipes--Sloppy Joes!!! So good, so easy and my kids love it because I always serve it with fries!! :)

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup ketchup (you can also add more if you want it more saucy)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
A few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce (about a tablespoon)
1/4 cup of water, if needed
Salt/pepper, as needed

Hamburger buns or kaiser rolls

1. Brown meat in a large skillet until just cooked through; add onions and green pepper and cook until veggies begin to soften.

2. Add in remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until flavors are combined.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings. This is the fun part...i like my sloppy joes slightly sweet (more brown sugar), but some prefer them more savory (less sugar, maybe more mustard).

4. Spoon mixture onto toasted buns.

This meal literally comes together in about 15 minutes. GREAT for busy weeknights :)

A couple of yummy variations/add-ons:

- Top with cheese!

- Instead of hamburger buns, use little sweet Hawaiian rolls

- For spice, add a few dashes of hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes

- Serve meat mixture over fries and top with cheese for a chili cheese fries-like meal!!

- Cut a baguette in half lengthwise, top with the meat mixture and cheese; put in the oven for about 5-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly...a great open-faced option.

~XO

Casey