My first note on this post is that I need to come up with more creative titles for the posts besides the week. I will work on that for next week. So excited to have some healthy meals and snacks in the refrigerator this week. Last week the kids were on Spring break and I had the idea that we would do more fresh cooking…a.k.a….they would be cooking, or we would cook together.Of course like many well intentioned ideas, without a plan that didn’t happen.
You did get a few new recipes from us last week but I so missed having lots of choices for not only meals but snacks to grab and go. I like to eat often. Every couple of hours and without things to grab that were prepped, I felt starving all of the time and lost! This week I have snacks and lunches for me ready to go..some meal options prepped , and some dinners planned and prepped for easy cooking and more for the rest of the week.
This week for prep we have Salad in a Jar. You can find these combinations everywhere and the possibilities are literally endless! I made a note of this in the recipe too….my teens thought I was CRAZY putting salad in a jar and did not buy my defense that everyone was doing it! This time I went with some of my favorite salad ingredients with some color. Colored bell peppers were a great price so you find them in everything this week. Just use this as guide and method because this salad in a jar was throw in some of my favorites.
You will notice the Quinoa Black Bean Salad looks like many of my other recipes if you have been following this blog. I obviously love these flavors! I love having salads like this on hand for snacks for me during the week. Bright and full of flavor! On a side note I prep extra of these ingredients (minus the quinoa) for nachos for the rest of the family during the week. They all LOVE fresh baked nachos and at least they are putting veggies on the chips and cheese:)
Hawaiian Meatballs this week might be one of my favorites. Ok I say that way too much! Some are my classic favorites and sometimes I redo something in a new way and love it. Pineapple was a great deal this week and I wanted to make everything with it!!! Turkey meatballs are great for meal prep…a lean protein, bitesize for on the go, and you can make full of flavor. Once you master the method and find flavors you love. Make them in bulk. Freeze them. This combines some great flavors in the meatball (cilantro, onion, jalapeno) and in the sauce. For meatballs I always prefer to do the onions in a food processor or chopper to get them really fine. The texture of the meatball is better I think. You will notice in many of my recipes I do not use oil to saute. If you have a great nonstick saute pan you can get away with it. Decreases fat and calories, but add some oil if you need, just be conscious. I think you will love the flavors and if you want to keep more clean and simple do the meatballs without sauce and peppers and pineapple.
This week is rounded out with some prep…..premade Steak Kabobs that we will cook fresh on the grill and use extra for lunch prep.Simple protein and veggies, they serve with some carbs if you would like. Again this week I am using the method of cook some fresh as we go through the week and use more for prep. It is my son’s 17th birthday this week too so check back you may see more recipes or you may not if they are not “healthy worthy”.
Happy Cooking! Enjoy the recipes below. Love hearing your feedback and comments so keep them coming! Let me know what you like, how I can improve the site….and as always if you love it….please help us grow and share with your friends.