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If you are looking for some healthy meal prep ideas for the week ahead today I'm going to show you how to make 10 different things with just about 1 hour of effort this will help make your life easier for the rest of the week because you'll be able to quickly assemble healthy and delicious meals in just a matter of minutes instead of making a big batch of one or two recipes that you'll have to repeat throughout the week I prefer to prep individual items that you can use in a few different ways this way you won't get burnt-out by eating the same meal over and over again to get started we're going to preheat the oven to 400ºF I like to cook two things in my oven at once to maximize my time so we're going to start by cooking a few chicken breasts but if you don't eat meat you could also replace this by making my baked tofu recipe instead to prep the chicken drizzle a little olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and place about one and a half pounds of chicken breasts in the pan flip them over so both sides are coated in the oil in a small bowl combine three quarters of a teaspoon of salt a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder a quarter teaspoon of paprika and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper stir the spices together then sprinkle half of the mixture over the chicken and rub the seasoning in well now flip the chicken over and season the other side now it's ready to bake at 400ºF for about 20 to 22 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken use a meat thermometer to make sure they reach an internal temperature of 165ºF you can usually pull the chicken out of the oven once it reaches at least 160ºF because the chicken will continue cooking and reach that safe internal temperature as it rests on the pan as soon as you put the chicken breasts in the oven get another large baking sheet ready to go by lining it with parchment paper this is for a batch of sweet potato toast which you can use in a number of different ways throughout the week the key to slicing sweet potato toast easily is to first slice off the ends so the sweet potato can stand up vertically on the cutting board then use a very sharp knife to cut it into slices that are about a quarter inch thick arrange the sweet potato slices in a single layer on the lined baking sheet then place it in the oven to bake at the same time as the chicken breasts sweet potato slices need to bake for about 20 minutes at 400ºF so you'll remove the chicken breasts first and then the sweet potato slices will be ready a few minutes after that as soon as the sweet potato slices are fork tender you can remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool completely on the pan while everything is in the oven I'm going to rinse 2 cups of dry quinoa under running water to help remove any bitter flavor then add that to a small saucepan along with 3 cups of fresh water bring that to a boil then lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cover it with a lid quinoa needs to cook for about 10 minutes then remove the pan from the heat but keep the lid on for an additional 5 minutes this will let the quinoa continue cooking without any of it burning to the bottom of the pan next we are going to stir together a quick Thai peanut dressing this dressing is perfect for salads bowls, noodle stir-fries, and more to make it you'll need a half cup of all natural peanut butter 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil a third cup of pure maple syrup or honey 2 tablespoons of tamari which is a gluten-free soy sauce 1 clove of minced garlic 1 inch of freshly minced ginger and I use a microplane to finely mince those a half teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and a half teaspoon of salt use a whisk to start stirring everything together and add in up to a quarter cup of water to help thin out the dressing until it reaches a consistency that you like then secure the lid and store it in the fridge for up to a week while everything that you just cooked is cooling you can use a food processor to prep two more things that will make your life a little easier this week the first thing I'm going to make is a batch of homemade hummus which takes just 5 minutes to prepare you'll need one 15 ounce can of garbanzo beans and be sure to rinse and drain those well then add in a third cup of tahini 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 minced clove of garlic a half teaspoon of ground cumin a half teaspoon of fine sea salt and three to four tablespoons of water to help with blending process that together until it's totally smooth then you can transfer that to a storage jar and keep it in the fridge for up to a week now rinse out that food processor and dry it off so you can use it again to make a batch of chocolate energy balls these taste like mini brownie bites without any added sugar to make them you'll need one and a half cups of raw walnuts or pecans process those briefly to help them break down then add in one cup of pitted medjool dates a quarter cup of cacao or cocoa powder a half teaspoon of vanilla extract and a quarter teaspoon of fine sea salt process that together until the batter sticks together then use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop the dough and roll it between your hands to form balls you should get at least 12 to 15 balls from this recipe depending on how big your scoop is store them in the fridge for up to two weeks for an easy and healthy dessert if you'd like to get a head-start on breakfast you can also whip up a few servings of overnight oats this is my favorite no-cook breakfast idea because you can assemble several jars at once and easily change up the flavors each day to make the base recipe for each serving you'll need a half cup of
old-fashioned rolled oats three quarters of a cup of your favorite milk and one tablespoon of maple syrup I also like to add in a scoop of protein powder or hemp hearts to help make this more filling I also like to add in a tablespoon of ground flax seeds and a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter stir that all together and then to help change the flavor each day you can switch up what kind of fruit you add on top I'm making one jar with frozen blueberries and I'm making another one with chopped apple and a little cinnamon the peanut butter version is also delicious with frozen raspberries added in for a peanut butter and jelly flavor the frozen fruit will thaw as it sits in the fridge overnight so these oats will be ready to eat straight from the fridge for a fast breakfast and they will keep well for about four to five days if you have a little extra time on your hands it's also really helpful if you can take the time to wash and chop a few raw veggies I like to start with a head of cabbage because shredded cabbage is one of the most versatile veggies that you can have on hand I'll show you a few different ways to use it at the end of this video I also like to slice a couple of red bell peppers which you can use as a snack with your hummus or you can add them to stir fries and salads during the week cover the bell peppers with cool fresh water to help them last longer in the fridge you can also chop up a head of romaine lettuce to have on hand for an easy salad or bowl for lunch once everything you've cooked has had the chance to cool store it all in separate airtight containers in your fridge they should keep well for at least four to five days now that we have all of these ingredients prepped I'm going to share a few different meal ideas for using them this week you can use the chopped romaine, cabbage, quinoa, bell peppers, and chicken to make a satisfying bowl for lunch and top it off with that peanut dressing for a delicious flavor you can also make convenient meal prep salad jars for a fast option that you can eat straight from the fridge just be sure to add the dressing to the bottom first followed by the more sturdy ingredients like the quinoa, cooked chicken, or canned chickpeas, bell peppers and then add the leafy greens on top so they won't get soggy by sitting in the dressing if you notice that the dressing thickens up in the fridge simply run the bottom of the jar under warm running water until it thins out again salad jar should be transferred to a serving bowl to eat them so the dressing will coat everything as it pours out you can also use the shredded cabbage as a quick alternative to hash browns in the morning when you saute them in a little olive oil they become super comforting with a simple seasoning of salt and black pepper you can also use shredded cabbage in your favorite noodle dish because these sauteed cabbage will blend right in with the pasta I've replaced up to half the pasta in a recipe with shredded cabbage and my family can hardly tell the difference it's a great way to sneak some extra veggies into a comforting meal speaking of pasta one of my favorite ways to use up extra hummus is by adding it to noodles with some store-bought marinara sauce it will make the pasta creamy without using dairy and it adds extra fiber and protein to your meal you can also use the hummus as a spread for sandwiches or add it to a lunch bowl for extra protein and creaminess if you're looking for another way to use the peanut dressing you just made try adding it to a combination of sauteed cabbage, red onion, bell peppers and cooked pasta for an easy peanut noodle recipe top it with the cooked chicken for a complete meal and garnish it with a little fresh cilantro you can use the cooked quinoa for easy lunch bowls this week and you can use up any leftover quinoa in a quick fried rice dish quinoa is a complete source of protein so it makes an easy stir fry especially if you keep a bag of frozen veggies on hand you can also add in a scrambled egg or leftover chicken for extra protein you can use the roasted sweet potato slices as an easy alternative to toast in the morning since you can pop them in the toaster to reheat for a fast breakfast you can also use these as an easy dinner by loading them up with your favorite pizza toppings cook them at 400ºF for about 10 minutes and you'll have a fast and comforting sweet potato pizza that's loaded with extra nutrients I hope these healthy meal prep ideas have been helpful and be sure to check out my other videos here for more fast and easy real food recipes
