Meal Prep + USA Pears

Strolling right into rotation number 5, but really not much has changed. Except, except, except I moved!!!!! Into a one bedroom apartment!!! I had been looking diligently (not seriously, more as just a true hobby to pop on Zillow and see what was out there), and low and behold I stumbled upon one that spoke to me on a deep, spiritual level. It was love at first sight. Which means that budgeting and meal planning are even more top priority. This week’s meal prep features tasty, budget friendly recipes with a twist. Because I’m highlighting a fibery and fantastic fruit – the pear.

Being in my GI rotation now, we spend a lot of time talking about fiber. Mostly because constipation is just so absurdly common and the average American really only gets about half the daily fiber they need for a healthy bowel regimen. Enter pears. Research shows pears may help in managing gut health by supporting probiotic bacteria with soluble and insoluble fiber. Probiotic fiber is essentailly the fuel for the happy bacteria in your gut. In the recipes below, I reached for fresh, hand-picked pears from the Northwest, which are sweet, juicy and flavorful. The pastoral orchards of Washington and Oregon actually produce 88% of all fresh pears sold in the USA. So a sincere thank you to the Pacific northwest for harvesting such an absolutely PEARfect product.

Here’s what’s on the menu this week:

Breakfast:

• Vanilla pear oat bake
• Banana mango spinach smoothie
• Eggs with leftover veggies

Meals:

• Cream of chicken soup
• Veggie stir fry with hummus
• Romaine lettuce and kale salad with leftover veggies and an egg on top

Snack:

• Pear with almond butter and cinnamon
• Jicama with pear guacamole
• Jicama with hummus
• Carrot / celery with hummus
• Celery with mashed avocado

Grocery list:

• Pears (5)
• Bananas (bundle)
• Avocados (5)
• Limes (2)
• Carrots
• Celery
• Yellow onion (1)
• Red onion (1)
• Romaine lettuce
• Kale
• medium sizedsweet potatoes (2)
• bell peppers (4)
• jicama
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Flax seed
• Almond butter
• Almond milk
• Chicken broth (3 cups)
• Full fat coconut milk (1 can)
• Diced tomatoes (1 can)
• Black beans (1 can)
• Eggs
• Boneless skinless organic chicken breast
• Hummus
• Maple syrup
• Frozen spinach
• Frozen mango
• Frozen corn
• Spices / misc: baking soda, baking powder, paprika, old bay seasoning, cinnamon, salt, pepper, vanilla extract

Vanilla pear oat bake

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup almond butter
• 5 cups almond milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 pears, sliced and diced

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Combine dry ingredients: oats, flax seed, spices, baking soda, baking powder
3. In a separate dish, combine wet ingredients: almond butter, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract
4. Combine wet with dry ingredients and mix well
5. Fold in pears
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until top is browned

Banana Mango Spinach Smoothie

• 1 banana
• ¼ cup frozen mango
• ½ cup frozen spinach
• 1-2 cups almond milk
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp flax seed
• ¼ tsp cinnamon

Cream of chicken soup

• 2 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup celery, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 medium sizedsweet potatoes, cubed
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp old bay seasoning
• Garnish: cilantro

1. Toss everything in the crock pot on low for 8 hours
2. Shred chicken then serve!
3. Top with fresh cilantro

Vegetarian stuffed peppers

• 4 red bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2red onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• ½ package kale
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and spray the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place the prepared peppers in cut-side up.
2. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
3. In a separate bowl, combine cooked quinoa, black beans, diced tomatoes, and feta. Then add in garlic and onions and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.
4. Use this mixture to pack into the peppers
5. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Top with cilantro and pear guacamole (see below)

Pear Guacamole peared with Jicama

• 5 avocados (mashed)
• 1/2 red onion
• juice of 2 limes (I like my guac super citrusy – use 1 or 1.5 limes if you like it a bit milder)
• 2 large cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 1-2 @usapears (I used Bosc and Bartlett)
• sea salt and pepper to taste.

1. Mash avocado, then fold in remainder of ingredients!
2. Serve with jicama (peel and dust with salt, pepper, paprika, and old bay seasoning)

 

 

Thank you USA pears for sponsoring this post. The other night at the dinner table my siblings and I had a conversation about what our favorite fruit was. My brother was 1000% adamant that the pear is his favorite. And I have to agree. So I am absolutely thrilled to be able to represent pears and incorporate them into my weekly recipes. Thank you, thank you!!