Motivation is a powerful thing.
An upcoming birthday and beachy vacation help.
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Bison Meatloaf Muffins
Bison Meatloaf Muffins are great for a weeknight dinner or make-ahead lunches. The servings are individually portioned in a muffin tin, making this meatloaf recipe even easier to serve.
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Cats, Mimosas, and Meal Prep [WIAW]
… Gluten-Free Mediterranean Pasta Salad + WIAW
This gluten-free pasta salad comes together quickly, and is delicious served warm or cold. It’s a great one to add to the week’s meal prep plan!
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Egg Muffins with Turkey Sausage & Asparagus
Egg muffins with turkey sausage and asparagus are easy to make and even easier to eat! They can be made ahead of time and reheated for the perfect grab and go breakfast.
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BBQ Mustard Chicken + WIAW
I view food as a source of entertainment.
What do you expect from a person who goes to Whole Foods when she’s bored?
Sometimes food prep gets a bit mundane. When you’re packing up 3-4 meals a day to take to work, there are only so many options. I wonder if we could get an oven in the office…
This past Sunday marked 6 years since my dad died. As per tradition, my sister and I spent the day with mom at the house we grew up in. We grilled out and had a great time eating (my mom has a similar Whole Foods problem – soooo much delicious food!). It was fun to reminisce and enjoy the gorgeous pool day. And I got to cook with my mom, which I love!
It was also a good opportunity to food prep in a different way. I stopped by the farmer’s market on the way to the house and loaded up on chicken, fish, and veggies. I live in a condo, which means we can’t have grills. Mom, on the other hand, has a gas grill AND a Big Green Egg. It’s been the perfect way to add more variety to my prep!
This week I’ve been especially loving the BBQ chicken I made. It was a really quick marinade, and it packed a punch! I used smoked paprika and my healthy homemade BBQ sauce (I keep a batch on hand all summer) to heat it up. They were a great compliment to the tangy mustard.
You could use your favorite store brought BBQ sauce if you don’t have any homemade. If you’re grill-less like I usually am, this would be fine on a grill pan or baked in the oven.
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This WIAW I wanted to eat each meal consecutively. Between leg day and the excitement of grilled food I was entertained alllll day!
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…
Easy Dijon Baked Chicken
You may have noticed that simple is hard for me.
But the things I make really aren’t hard!
I like ingredients, and I find its easy to toss together a bunch of spices quickly. But I get it. Long ingredient lists are intimidating. So here’s a recipe that couldn’t be any easier.
Dijon Baked Chicken only calls for 3 necessary things: chicken, Dijon, and red wine vinegar (you could use *almost* any acid you have on hand). I have made it as part of my food prep 2 weeks in a row! Click here for a full post on that.
The simplicity of this dish doesn’t make it any less delicious. In fact, this is one of the best baked chickens I’ve made yet (and I make a lot of chicken).
Two things will make this better than your average chicken: use a GOOD mustard (I used a beer dijon) and tenderize your chicken. Tenderizing is a pain in the arse, but it makes such a huge difference that I always, always do it. I hate touching raw chicken, so I put mine between 2 sheets of wax paper before beating it.
Easy clean up and it’s not a bad stress reliever. 😉
You know me. I couldn’t leave it at just the 3 ingredients. I added rosemary, black pepper, and a touch of lemon stevia (honey mustard!). And red pepper flakes. Add your favorite flavors or keep it super simple. It won’t disappoint either way.
I used this chicken many ways, but the simplest meal was for lunch over a bed of spinach and broccoli slaw. Tossed with a little hummus dressing (hummus mixed with apple cider vinegar and a little cumin), it was the perfect midday meal!
Easy Dijon Baked Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 C Dijon mustard
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- Optional adds: lemon liquid Stevia, rosemary, red pepper flakes, black pepper… etc.
Preheat oven to 425.
Tenderize chicken breasts and place in 9×13 glass baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together mustard, vinegar, and any additional flavors.
Pour mustard mixture over chicken, taking care to coat each one.
Bake for ~30 mins, until 165 degrees.
Tip: I only cook mine to 160 degrees to keep it nice a juicy. I take it out and let it rest, which allows it to cook the rest of the way, and for the juices to soak in.
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I made so much of this… and then I made it again. Chicken for days in the freezer when I get home and I couldn’t be happier. 🙂
Do you have a go-to way to make chicken? (Or tofu… the vegan chicken. 😉 )
How about some mustard love – have you tried any of the fun flavors? Sweet potato and caramelized onion mustard is also delish in this!
Work It Out: Meal Prep
Tuesday is the new Monday.
Why can’t this be a permanent thing?
Since Monday was a holiday, it became food prep day (usually Sunday). I get a lot of questions about what I prep for the week, so I am doing another kitchen-themed Work It Out.
I am diligent about prepping proteins and carbs on food prep day. Veggies most often I do as the week goes because I like then fresh and they don’t take long to put together.
Breakfast
First up is breakfast. This is a place I half-prep, often making bars or Baked Oatmeal To Go. This week it was bars. I’m going to see how this recipe keeps before I share it, but it was a Carrot Cake Protein Bar creation. Half I keep fresh and the other half I freeze to have as a quick grab in the future.
Carbohydrates
Then It’s on to the carbs. I always have Ezekial bread and edamame in the freezer for a quick add to lunch. Then I prep some sort of grain and my sweet potatoes and/or winter squashes.
This week I make kaboacha squash (this often gets the twice-roasted treatment), quinoa, and sweet potato.
Proteins
My proteins are a mix of turkey, chicken, and seafood. This week I baked a ton of chicken (some of which I will freeze – it was a LOT) and made turkey burgers.
Chicken is most often baked, and the turkey burgers are done on the George Foreman grill. This chicken recipe was another new experiment that I promise I’ll edit pics for and share. The burgers are a simple mix of salsa and onion.
If anyone can care an easy way to clean the George Forman, I’d love you forever.
The seafood this week is a yellowtail snapper and salmon sashimi. Most often, I bake seafood with a simple seasoning. Tonight I just drizzled it with lemon juice and added minced garlic and freshly ground black pepper.
You’ll see a few of my veggies in the pic too. I made more of my Tabbouleh Salad and cut up celery.
It may seem like a lot, but once you get the hang of it, the whole prep takes less than 2 hours. Plus you can do other things (like laundry) while you wait for the food to cook/cool.
Preparing my food at the beginning of the week saves me time (and stress) in the long run. When you eat 6-7 meals a day, food prep is a life saver.
For more on my staple foods, flavor adds, and typical grocery store buys, check out the No Shit Diet post. 🙂
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Yes, these pics are all via iPhone. This is another time-saver. #sorryimnotsorry
Do you prep food for the week? How much time does it take you?
What your favorite things to take to lunch?
