Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Weekend Prep Returns

Even though I've been quiet about my weekend food prep it's still been going on.


For you new faces around here, I recommend that you check out the archives:


Take the Time: Meal Prep and Weekend Food Prep will give you an idea of what usually goes on in my home on the weekends.


Lately however, food prep begins with a sweet and gentle, "Dan, can you please please please grill some chicken and salmon burgers? I bought lettuce yesterday."


From there, he jumps out of his seat if there's no sports on TV and heats up our extra convenient grill. He's finished in under 45 minutes, has protein ready for the week and all I have to do is chop the lettuce, squirt the sriracha and make sure the avocados are ripe enough for bliss at work the next day.



Okay, so I know that arrangement sounds unfair and I'm working on it, but this weekend since he wasn't home I had to take meal prep back to my top standards and make a mini-production out of it. It was especially fun this weekend because I didn't even have to go grocery shopping!


1. Egg 'pancakes':


Nothing involving pancakes goes into cooking up these eggs, just the shape the finished product ends up being after a quick 90 seconds in the pan. At work I can pop these into the microwave, add spices or 1/2 of an avocado and voila - protein made easy.



2. Tempeh, Lentils, Avocado, Sriracha Salad


Here's where I get to use the other half of the morning avocado and also get to watch all my co-workers turn their heads to see what the amazing smell is that's coming from my area.


Tempeh is a protein powerhouse so it's no wonder that I love to include it in my meals wherever I can. What you see below is 4 servings worth of the good stuff, and I can pre-portion it into my convenient tupperware for the whole week - each day's ration alongside 1/2 cup of wonderful Trader Joe's Lentils.


I pop the lentil / tempeh / sriracha mix into the microwave for 35 seconds and have a clean and filling meal ready to be instagrammed and devoured.



3. Sweet Potato + Quinoa Stir Fry


This one's for dinner every night this week.


Sweet potato, Quinoa, Jalapeno peppers, black beans, grilled chicken and a dash of love make this the perfect 'comfort meal' after the long days of work I've been experiencing. 


The recipe is here and you'll find the peeled thin potato slices to be the perfect texture and just the right size for cooking without extra time or effort.



Have you ever done your food prep on the weekends? What are your favorite easy fixes for a whole week of quality meals?


heart JE

9 comments

brooke lyn said...

have you tried the banana and egg pancakes!? so good.

Marlynn Jayme Schotland said...

I'm always impressed with people who can do food prep & meal planning on the weekend. I've tried it but have never stuck to it. That quinoa recipe looks delicious!

Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon said...

Yum!! These meals look great. I normally hard boil a bunch of eggs, make a batch of soup, or portion out raw veggies and hummus so that I just grab a bag along with leftovers from dinner the night before. I need to get better about planning though so I don't stand in front of the fridge pondering what works a minute before I have to run out to door!

Kayla @ Fit Life Forward said...

I LOVE prepping my food in advance - makes the busy week so much more relaxing and less stressful!

Jessi said...

I haven't!! Next weekend it's on the plan!

Jessi said...

Thanks Marlynn! I started prepping when my life got crazy with work (and blogging) and find it so helpful to plan it out and only cook once rather than stand in front of my pantry every night! Good luck!

Jessi said...

Standing in front of the fridge is the worst feeling ever. I end up drinking OJ out of the carton and just giving up and grabbing a granola bar. Prepping with delicious and healthy meals helps the 'what's for dinner' decision, especially when Dan always wants take-out from our favorite Thai place across the street!

Jessi said...

Yes! I love that you agree! Thanks for stopping by!

June’s Eight Great Goals | JUMPING JE said...

[…] weekend’s purposeful food prep for a Dan-free week got me excited about having a breakfast, lunch and dinner already figured out […]