Our last blog chatted through the introductory in’s and out’s of creating your own meal prep routine. Today we’re sharing recipe ideas that you apply these principals to, and get busy with in the kitchen!
Planning and preparing food ahead is one of the most effective tools we can utilise in supporting ourselves with living a healthier lifestyle. It comes with a long list of perks - it helps keep budget in check, saves us time, takes the stress off at meal times and encourages us towards our health goals.
Below are recipes that fit the meal prep bills nicely. Double, triple or quadruple the portion, and freeze ahead to save you time in the weeks - or months - to come!
GREAT FOR ON-THE-GO EATING
MINI EGG AND VEGETABLE MUFFINS
These mini egg and vegetables muffins are perfect as a high protein morning or afternoon snack, an on-the-go breakfast, or added to lunch as a protein portion.
Makes 10 individual muffins
INGREDIENTS
12 eggs
½ bag of spinach
Olive oil spray
1 white onion
6 button Mushrooms
200g Feta (or other cheese)
Salt/pepper to taste
6 sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Pan fry the onion in a spray of olive oil until fragrant.
Add finely diced mushrooms and cook until soft.
Spray the insides of a good non-stick muffin tray with olive oil spray.
Spoon onion and mushroom mix into the base each muffin tin.
Add a handful of spinach into the base of each muffin tin (don't worry if it doesn't quite fit, the leaves will wilt quickly in the oven!).
Whisk all the eggs together in a jug, and pour evenly into each muffin tin.
Top with salt and pepper, crumbled feta and a few finely sliced pieces of sun dried tomatoes.
Bake in the oven for 10-15mins or until eggs are set.
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS/ALTERATIONS
Add garlic and saute with the onion.
Swap feta cheese to any cheese of your choice (approx. 20g per muffin).
To increase protein content of each muffin (without increasing the fat) - add 1 egg white for every whole egg.
To add carbohydrates - add left over cooked kumara or potato to each muffin tin.
This recipe was kindly supplied by our nutritionist Kimberley Bell. For more recipes from Kim, head to her blog.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BLISS BALLS
These are perfect morning or afternoon pick-me-up, or an after dinner treat with a cup of tea! They’re also lower in fructose than other bliss ball recipes that use dates, making them suitable even for those who have some insulin resistance or are trying to watch carbohydrate intake.
INGREDIENTS
2 scoops vanilla or chocolate protein powder
3 tbsp almond or peanut butter
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp oats (optional)
6 tbsp water
METHOD
1. Add everything except for water into the food processor.
2. Slowly add water to the mix whilst blending.
3. Roll into balls and leave in the fridge.
NOTES
To make these vegan, use a pea based protein powder.
This recipe was kindly supplied by our nutritionist Kimberley Bell. For more recipes from Kim, head to her blog.
GREAT TO BATCH COOK
CHEAP AS CHIPS CHILLI
This recipe is so easy, cheap and tasty we’d recommend it for anyone. Great for freezing, and the lentils extend the beef mince and make it a really affordable meal.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups brown rice or basmati rice
1 – 2 beef soup cubes in 3 cups boiling water or 3 cups homemade soup stock
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
1-2 whole red chilli pepper, diced with seeds
4-5 large mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1.5 tbsp chilli seasoning (mixture of paprika, chilli, cumin, salt, garlic, cloves, marjoram)
1 large celery stick, diced (optional)
2-3 carrots, grated
1-2 zucchini, grated or diced into quarters
1 x 450 gram can of lentils, drained OR / 1 cup uncooked lentils cooked in three cups water
1 can of regular, low sugar baked beans
2 cans of chopped tomatoes, (Italian or Pesto flavoured taste great!)
300-500 grams of beef mince
½ bag or fresh spinach or 5 cubes frozen spinach
1 green capsicum
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
Rice: Prepare rice according to instruction on packet. Each ½ cup of dry rice will make about 1 cup of cooked rice. Serve from ½ to 1 cup cooked rice depending on person’s size and energy requirements.
Chilli: Cook onion for 3-4 minutes until becoming translucent.
Add garlic, mushrooms and red chilli pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add in 1.5 tbsp chilli seasoning or chilli powder and stir.
Cook mince in a separate pan with salt and pepper added toward the end. Breaking up as it becomes just cooked through. Drain off any fat and put mince aside.
Add celery, carrots and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes.
Add cooked mince and stir in.
Pour in cans of tomatoes, kidney beans and baked beans, stir and simmer for 15 minutes.
Just before serving, add in the spinach and green capsicum and cook for 3 minutes.
A big thanks to Rosanne, our Community Manager and Nutritionist, for sharing the recipe with us. For more from Rosanne, head to her website here.
PESTO CRUSTED SALMON
This recipe is incredibly easy to whip up and so hard to beat! It is a weekly regular in our Nutritionist Emily Whites household, and is ideal served with seasonal veggies. This recipe makes two fillets, aka two servings, and so if great for leftovers - but batch cook double, triple, quadruple to feed yourself or the household across the week.
Makes two servings
INGREDIENTS
2 boneless salmon fillets
2 tbsp parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast for those who are dairy free)
1 cup fresh herbs (we use basil and coriander)
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200° Celsius.
Add cheese, herbs, walnuts, olive oil & salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse to combine, ensuring you leave it quite chunky.
Arrange the two pieces of salmon on the baking tray and coat with pesto crust. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked to your liking.
Thank you to Emily for kindly supplying us with this recipe. For more from Em, head along to her website here.
Dairy-free Cream of Pumpkin Soup
We had to include a soup recipe! Perfect for the chilly weather we’re experiencing. Soup freezes well, and depending on the recipe can work well as a snack or main meal. This one makes six servings, and is a vegan-friendly cream of pumpkin soup. Substitute out the cashew cream for regular cream (1/2 cup) if preferred!
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup cashews + soaked in 1 cup water
1.2kg whole butternut pumpkin
1 brown onion
2 cloves of garlic
1L veggie stock (e.g. veggie stock cubes prepared with water, fresh pre-made stock or homemade stock)
Salt and pepper, to taste
METHOD
Begin by preping your cashew cream - this will be used to make the super creamy! Combine cashews and water together. Soak for 30 minutes.
Clean pumpkin. Carefully slice in half, spoon out inner seeds, and discard. Place the flat-side of each halve down, and slice into thick pieces from top to bottom. Thinly slice the skin off, and dice the flesh into large bite-sized pieces. Aim for each piece to be relatively uniform in size.
Peel onion and garlic, discard skin and roughly chop each.
Add to a large saucepan or soup pot diced pumpkin, onion, garlic and stock.
Bring to boil uncovered, and then reduce to a simmer until the pumpkin is tender - around 35-40 minutes.
Once soup has finished cooking, blend together the cashews and water using a stick blender or food processor until super smooth.
Blend soup using a stick blender or food processor. If you’re using a food processor, do NOT put hot soup into the blender as this can be dangerous - let cool first.
Once soup is blended, pour in cashew cream and mix until smooth. Taste-test and add salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy!
Thank you to our nutritionist Danijela for this yummy recipe. For more nutritious recipe ideas from Danijela, head to her website here.
Kim’s Balanced Bircher
Make this tasty bircher at the start of the week for a quick "grab-and-go" breaky! Each morning, just add a portion size of your choice into a container, and off you go. It's delicious and perfectly balanced to prevent mid-morning hunger. This recipe is for a bulk batch that would almost last a week (~ 4-6 serves). For a single serve, simply divide this recipe by 4-6.
KIMS BALANCED BIRCHER
Makes 4-6 servings
Carbohydrates
2 Cups Oats
2 Cups Frozen blue berries OR 1 large apple grated
Protein
4 Scoops Whey Protein
Healthy Fats
4 Tbsp Chia seeds (highly recommend choosing this as your fat portion - helps to add bulk to the oats!)
4 Tbsp Coconut cream
Extra fats servings (Optional)
Shredded coconut
Grain free granola (or mixed nuts and seeds)
Nut or seed butter (e.g Peanut butter, almond butter, tahini
Other
2 Cups Water or unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp Honey (optional sweetener)
Cinnamon
METHOD
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and leave over night. Serve the next day as is OR topped with a few extra slices of banana and yoghurt.
This blog was written especially for our friends at Westpac NZ, who we’re excited to be assisting with their workplace wellbeing this year. It’s thrilling to see a company go the extra mile for their staff!