Healthy Meal Prep That Actually Tastes Good
After being on vacation or developing junk food recipes, I crave something clean and simple to hit the reset. These three light meals deliver exactly that—they’re healthy, ideal for meal prep, and, most importantly, genuinely delicious enough to eat again and again.
Ingredients
Korean Beef
- 375 g 2c medium-grain sushi rice
- 500 g 2¼c water
- 6-8 g 1½ t salt (for rice)
- 15 g ~1T cooking oil
- 2 lbs/1kg ground beef, 90/10
- 400 g ~1 lb broccolini, chopped into 1" pieces
- 200 g 2 large bell peppers, sliced into ¼"x1" pieces
- 10 g 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 20 g ~2" fresh ginger, grated
- 75 g 5T soy sauce
- 15 g 1T sesame oil
- 50 g 3T + 1t beef stock or water
- 25 g 2T rice vinegar
- 25 g 2T brown sugar
- 75 g ¼c gochujang (or sub 25g sriracha + 25g miso + 15g extra sugar)
- 15 g ~1T cooking oil
- Salt for veggies
Shrimp & Pesto Pasta
- 2 lbs/1kg shrimp, 16-20 count
- 10 g 1 1/2T smoked paprika
- 5 g 1½t garlic powder
- 10 g 2t salt (for shrimp)
- 25 g 2T olive oil
- 450 g 4c fusilli pasta (or similar)
- 2 bunches, ~300g kale, thinly sliced
- 400 g ~4c green beans, cut into 1" pieces
- 150 g ~½c basil pesto
- 30 g 1/3c grated parmesan cheese
- 10-15 g ~1T cooking oil
- Salt for boiling water and veggies
Mexican-Inspired Chicken Meal Prep (chicken)
- 2 lbs/1kg boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 20 g 1½T olive oil
- 10 g 2t salt
- 10 g 1T chili powder
- 5 g 2t ground cumin (for chicken)
- 1 g 1t dried oregano
- 5 g 2t onion powder
- 5 g 1 1/2t garlic powder
- 1/2 c water
Mexican-Inspired Chicken Meal Prep RAJAS:
- 400 g 1 large onion, thinly sliced pole-to-pole
- 400 g ~3 large Anaheim or poblano peppers, sliced thinly
- Salt 10g, 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 150 g 1c frozen corn
- 150 g 2/3c sour cream (sub greek yogurt)
- Splash of water
Mexican-Inspired Chicken Meal Prep BEANS:
- 3 cans, 425g each black or pinto beans, drained (reserve liquid)
- 5 g 2t ground cumin
- 5 g 1t salt
- 10 g 4-5 cloves garlic, minced (for beans)
Instructions
Korean Beef
- In a rice cooker, combine rice, water, & salt. Cook until done.
- Heat wok over high (or med-high if using nonstick). Add oil & ground beef. Cook, breaking apart until browned, about 10 min.
- Prep vegetables: Chop broccolini into 1-inch pieces. Slice bell peppers into ¼-inch thick strips, then cut those strips into 1-inch lengths. Crush garlic and grate ginger; set aside.
- Once beef is browned, add garlic & ginger, stir-frying, 60 sec. Add soy, sesame oil, beef stock/water, vinegar, sugar, & gochujang. Stir until sauce reduces
- Wipe out wok, add oil, sauté veg over high, 5 min until tender but snappy.
Shrimp & Pesto Pasta
- 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until slightly past al dente. Drain, mix immediately with pesto and parmesan.
- 2 Marinate shrimp with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and olive oil.
- Chop kale thinly; cut green beans into 1” pieces.
- Heat oil in wok over high. Sauté beans with salt for 2 min, add kale and cook until wilted. Cover and steam 2 more min til tender.
- Heat wok over high, add oil, cook shrimp in 2 batches until lightly seared and just cooked through.
Mexican-Inspired Chicken Meal Prep
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss chicken thighs with olive oil, salt, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, dried onion, & dried garlic. Roast directly on sheet pan for 25 minutes until cooked through.
- For veggies, preheat wok over high with oil then sauté onion and peppers with salt until charred and tender, 6-8 min. Add corn, cook 5 more min. Add sour cream & splash of water. Stir and cook another 2 minutes.
- For beans, add 2 cans, drained, to a food processor, reserving some of the bean liquid. Process until smooth, adding in a little bean liquid to loosen.
- To refry beans, heat oil and minced garlic in a pan over med heat until garlic has softened. Stir in pureed beans and fry for about 3 minutes. Add 1 can whole beans, drained. Cook 3 minutes until thickened.
- When chicken is cooked, immediately add 1/2c water to sheet pan and let sit. Once cooled slightly, scrape up any pan drippings, then shred chicken, mixing with drippings.
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