8-Day Meal Prep Success

8-Day Meal Prep Success

I made dinner so easy for a whole week and a day by prepping all meals ahead of time. It was necessary because the kitchen was going to be down for renovations, but I didn't want to give up on healthy, homemade meals.

This menu was so good and lent itself well to freezing ahead of time that I had to share! Imagine eight dinners with only 2 hours of prep! Part of the reason it is so easy is that several steps overlap into more than one meal, like the shredded chicken or the cooked spaghetti noodles.

Here is the delicious menu:

1. Spaghetti and Meatballs with Tossed Salad

2. Chicken Thai Noodle Salad

3. Shredded Chicken Tacos with Tossed Salad

4. Shredded Chicken Buddha Bowl

5. Shredded Chicken Burritos with Fresh Salad

6. Baked Salmon with Herb Butter, Oven Fries, and Veggies

7. Chicken Potato Carrot Stew

8. Baked Chicken Thighs With Potatoes and Veggies

Having everything ready-made makes meals fast, stress-free, and delicious! I ordered everything through Instacart. It took me about 2 hours to prep and clean up. Once everything was made, I stored it in various containers and froze it for later use.

Here is an ingredient shopping list:

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

• 1 pound grass-fed, very lean ground beef

• 1 pound salmon fillet

• 2 pounds potatoes

• 1 pound carrots

• 2 onions

• crushed garlic

• Italian seasoning

• 2 cans no-sodium-added diced tomatoes

• 1 can no-sodium-added tomato sauce

• 2 pounds of spaghetti noodles

• Salad ingredients

• Fresh veggies

• Tortillas for burritos (big) and tacos (small)

• Fixings for burritos (corn and avocados) and tacos (lettuce, cheese, radishes, green onions)

• Frozen prepared brown rice (we buy this already prepared from Trader Joe’s or you can make and freeze)

• Salad dressing

• Avocados

Overview: The goal was to cook all the noodles, stew, meat, and poultry ahead of time and freeze them. Then, on the night of the dinner, reheat and add veggies or fixings when ready to eat. The goal is to be able to make a meal in a few minutes without any cooking mess or long cooking times. If there were any leftovers, they were eaten for lunch the next day!

Cook the spaghetti noodles and divide them into two portions. Half goes into a zip lock bag and can be used for the Thai Noodle Salad.

Cook all chicken breasts and half of the chicken thighs in a big pot of water on a simmer until done, about 30 minutes. It is done when cooked through (you can cut one of the biggest pieces to check). Drain in a colander. Put all the cooked chicken in a large mixer with a paddle to shred it. Or shred with a hand beater in batches or with a fork. Divide into four bags (one for tacos, one for burritos, one for a chicken rice bowl, and the final one for the Thai Noodle Salad). Freeze. It can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or microwave defrosted for 3-4 minutes on half-power.

Divide the final pound of chicken thighs into 2. Bake half of them in the oven and freeze. Dice the remaining chicken to use in the stew. Freeze the baked chicken thighs. You might need more for a big family, but these can be microwaved for dinner and served with microwaved potatoes and broccoli or any of your favorite veggies.

To make the chicken stew, chop the onions and carrots and fry them in olive oil with a bit of garlic in a Dutch Oven pan. Add 1 pound of diced potatoes (with the skin left on), 8 ounces of diced chicken thighs, low-sodium broth to cover (approximately 1 quart), and one tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes. Cool in a shallow casserole dish, then freeze. You can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it in the microwave.

Make the meatballs: Mix the ground beef with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and bread crumbs. Make into 1-inch meatballs. Bake in the oven. Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce by combining diced tomatoes and tomato sauce with Italian seasoning. Mix the cooked meatballs with the sauce and spaghetti noodles. Freeze in a shallow microwave dish. Reheat in the microwave for 5 minutes on half-power and 8 minutes on full power, stirring occasionally.

Bake the salmon and oven-fried French Fries at 450°F for 20 minutes. The French Fries might need to go longer, but I cut ours very thin, so they cook fast. I would eat these the night you make them. Pair with veggies and a salad.

Meal time instructions:

For the salmon and oven fries, we ate those out of the oven the night of meal prep. I added a salad and some no-added-salt ketchup.

For the spaghetti with meatballs and chicken stew, you reheat it in the microwave and serve. I also added a salad on the side.

Tacos: Serve warmed tortillas (or tortilla chips) with cheese, heated canned beans, shredded chicken, avocados, green onion, lettuce, and radishes. Sprinkle with lime juice. Top with sliced jalapeno.

Burritos: These are served with warmed tortillas rolled up with shredded chicken, beans, avocado, corn, and salsa or diced tomatoes.

Thai Chicken Salad: Defrost the spaghetti and shredded chicken, then toss them together with vinaigrette. Add shredded carrots, sliced peppers, jalapenos, bean sprouts, and green onions.

Chicken Buddha Bowl: Heat the rice and chicken. Place in a bowl. Top with salad, avocado, and various fresh veggies.

Baked chicken thighs and potatoes - reheat the chicken thighs and bake the potatoes in the microwave - serve with a salad.

Summary:

Meal prep is ideal for individuals who are extremely busy during the week but want to eat healthily and stay on budget. It is also suitable for times when you know you can’t use your kitchen to the full extent. I don't always make eight meals ahead of time, but I do try to cook double the amount of my favorite dishes to freeze the leftovers for later. It is nice to be able to reheat a home-cooked dinner when you’re short on time.

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Chicken Lentil Veggie Soup

Yield 12 ¼x ½x 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x

Author Judy Doherty

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

50 Min

Total time

1 Hour

This huge pot of soup will be a hit every time you serve it! It is made from leftover roasted chicken, lentils, wild rice, and veggies.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients US Metric

• 2 cups lentils
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup wild rice or brown rice
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• pinch red pepper
• 2 cups chicken meat, boneless, skinless
• 1 cup arugula or spinach

Instructions

1. Place the lentils, broth, celery, carrots, and seasonings in a large Dutch oven style pot or soup pot. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, greens, and chicken. Cook for another 20 minutes.
3. Serve hot.
4. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

271

Fat

3 g

Sat. Fat

1 g

Carbs

42 g

Fiber

14 g

Net carbs

28 g

Sugar

4 g

Protein

22 g

Sodium

250 mg

Cholesterol

16 mg

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