September 2020 Meal Prep

The first rule of meal prep is: you don’t spend all day meal prepping. The second rule is….you don’t. spend. all. day. meal. prepping. I like to do one crock pot (or pressure cooker / instant pot), one 1-pan meal, and a few easy to throw together breakfasts. So that everything’s done and cleaned up in about 2-3 hours!

On the menu: 

• meals: crockpot taco pasta, one pan garlic chicken with brown rice, lemon garlic salmon with potatoes and asparagus
• breakfast: apple pie breakfast muffins, peach cobbler chia seed parfaits
• snacks: apple nachos with almond butter + cinnamon + cacao powder + sea salt, date with almond butter and dark chocolate square

Groceries: 

• Apples (2)
• Peaches (2)
• lemons (2)
• Onion (1)
• asparagus
• red bliss potatoes
• garlic
• Kale 
• Spinach
• Romaine
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• capers
• Salsa
• Crushed tomatoes jar
• Taco seasoning
• Siete foods queso
• Pasta
• Ground beef
• Chicken
• Bone broth
• Coconut milk
• Almond butter
• dates
• frozen salmon
• frozen cauliflower
• dark chocolate 
• arrowroot starch

Recipes

Crockpot Taco Pasta

Crockpot Taco Pasta

• pasta of choice (I went with Trader Joe’s quinoa brown rice)
• 1 package grass fed ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 can salsa
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 package fresh spinach
• 1 package frozen cauliflower
• 1 can vegan queso (I bought Siete foods brand)

1. Place ground beef, diced onion, taco seasoning, salsa, and fire roasted diced tomato in crock pot. Put crock pot on high for 4 hours.
2. After one hour, break ground beef up so it isn’t in a giant block.
3. After 3.5 hours, add in pasta and let cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
4. Add in frozen cauliflower and fresh spinach and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until cauliflower is no longer frozen and spinach is wilted.
5. For topping: vegan queso.

One Pan Garlic Chicken with brown rice 

One Pan Garlic Chicken with brown rice

Lemon Garlic Caper Salmon

Lemon Garlic Caper Salmon

• 1 package frozen salmon (I got mine from Trader Joe’s in the frozen aisle)
• marinade: juice from 1 lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp stone ground mustard, 2 garlic cloves (minced), salt, pepper
• 1 bundle asparagus
• 1 package potatoes

1. Line a tray with parchment paper. 
2. Mix marinade ingredients together.
3. Heat oven to 400F.
4. Place potatoes on the tray with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Put oven down to 350F. 
6. Add salmon to the tray along with asparagus.
7. Drizzle marinade over salmon and asparagus.
8. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Apple Pie Breakfast Muffins

Apple Pie Breakfast Muffins

• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 apple, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Line cupcake tray with liners.
3. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl: oats, almond flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. And wet ingredients in another: coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, coconut milk.
4. Mix wet with dry.
5. Fold in apple.
6. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop in 1/4 mixture into cupcake liner.
7. Bake for 15-20 min, until tops are browned.

Makes ~12 muffins.

Peach Cobbler Chia Seed Parfaits

Peach Cobbler Chia Seed Parfaits

• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 1 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 peaches
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• yogurt 

1. Combine chia seed ingredients together and let soak overnight.
2. Dice peaches and sauté on stove top with coconut oil until softened.
3. Layer with yogurt in the morning.