When you’re striving to be as healthy and in shape as you can be, taking care of your diet is equally important as your exercise routine. You can never have optimal results if you’re focused on one and neglect the other, though it’s not always easy to achieve this balance. It is said that the six-pack abs are created in the kitchen, which is completely true, but you should mind what you eat as it is an incredibly important part of your general well-being.
Today we’ll talk about meal prepping and how you can help yourself eat healthy even when you don’t have a lot of time to cook constantly. Meal prepping will do wonders for your eating habits and you’ll realize that you don’t have to starve or eat tasteless food to stay healthy. Here are 5 healthy meal prep recipes that will improve the way you perceive eating healthily.
Breakfast: Easy to Freeze Burritos
What you need:
- 5 eggs – 1 whole egg and 4 egg whites
- 200g/ 7 oz. of spinach
- 90g/ 3 oz. of ground turkey/chicken (lean)
- 30g/ 1 oz. of goat cheese
- 60g/ 2 oz. of bell pepper
How to make it happen:
Take the ground turkey and season it to your liking, after which you should cook it and drain leftover fluid, if there is any. In a non-stick pan fry the whole egg and egg whites on a bit of extra virgin olive oil. When the eggs are almost done, proceed to add the cooked turkey, spinach, cheese and finally bell pepper. Take your burrito wrappers and fill them with the egg-turkey combo and then use plastic foil to protect it from drying out. Put the burritos in your refrigerator and whenever you’re in the mood for them, simply heat them up.
Snack: Healthy yet Delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dip
When you see peanut butter and chocolate chip in healthy prepping recipes, you’d probably think that something doesn’t sound right. The truth is that you can have anything you want to eat in moderation and this dip was made to satiate your hunger in between meals without reaching out for chips or any other unhealthy snack. You can use this dip with any sort of fruit that comes to mind and it’s a very interesting combination to try out with celery sticks. Enjoy!
What you need:
- 85g/ 3 oz. of peanut butter
- 45g/ 1.5 oz. of dark chocolate chips
- 450g/ 15 oz. of low-fat yoghurt (vanilla preferably)
- 1 tbsp. of honey
How to make it happen:
This is done in a jiffy – simply take a bowl and in it combine your peanut butter, honey and yoghurt and mix it all until it’s homogenous. After that simply add the chocolate chips, refrigerate and you’ve got a healthy and delicious dip that will upgrade your snack experience.
Lunch: Spicy Balsamic Chicken
We all know that balsamic vinegar could be used with almost anything (or is it just us that believe that?) but pair it with chicken and you get a match made in heaven. Prepping spicy balsamic chicken is very easy and completely scrumptious. If you’re a fan of that sour-spicy mix, then this lean lunch will be perfect for you.
What you need:
- 4 chicken fillets
- 1 tsp. of ginger
- 4 tbsp. of high-quality balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. of honey
- 1 tbsp. of chili sauce
- 1 Ziploc bag
How to make it happen:
To make the dressing for the chicken combine vinegar, honey, chili sauce and ginger in a small bowl. Mix it all together well so that it’s completely combined. When your dressing is done, put the chicken fillets into the Ziploc bag and pour the balsamic dressing over it. Let it sit for 30 minutes or longer (the more, the better).
Preheat your oven to 200C/400F, put the marinated chicken on the baking sheet and put it in the oven for 15 minutes or until the chicken is done.
Snack: Garlicky Kale Chips
Kale chips doesn’t sound like much fun but add a twist to it and it’s a game changer. We’re all very fond of popcorn and buttery goodness it brings, but that is not the healthiest option for snacking and you know it. These kale chips are incredibly easy to make and you will feel so much better about yourself after eating them. In case you’re a bit lazy and you don’t really want get into the kitchen, you can always opt out for buying kale chips or even order it and get it delivered to your doorstep. Sun Basket cost per meal or to be more precise, per snack is practically the same as if you were to buy the ingredients and make it yourself. So, when you’re feeling in the mood for kale chips, but not for making it, you’ve got a good alternative.
What you need:
- 270g/ 9.5 oz. of chopped kale
- 2 tbsp. of olive oil
- ¼ tsp. of garlic powder
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of pepper
If you’re using a whole bushel of kale, make sure you get rid of the stalk and chop it into chip-size pieces. After you’re done, drizzle the kale with olive oil and toss it the bowl to make sure that everything is equally coated with oil. Then season it with salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss it around some more.
Preheat your oven to 170 C/350 F. Place your kale onto the baking sheet and let it bake in the oven for about six minutes, after which you should flip the chips and bake it until it’s nice and crunchy. Baking time can vary so keep an eye not to burn it.
Dinner: Healthy Turkey Lasagna
It’s true that lasagnas were made to make us sin, but here’s a recipe that proves that you can have your lasagna and eat it too, without feeling guilty about it. Sure, there probably won’t be that much cheesy gooey goodness, but you get a hearty and delicious meal that you can prepare in no time and in smaller portions (use jars or foil tins to portion it) so that you can be sure that you’ve got healthy dinner at the ready whenever you need it.
What you need:
- 450g/ 1lb of lean ground turkey
- 1 egg white
- 230g/ 8 oz. cottage cheese
- 340g/ 12 oz. of marinara sauce
- 1 zucchini
- 85g/3 oz. of mozzarella
- Seasoning to your liking
- 3-4 jars/ foil tins
How to make it happen:
In a skillet, cook and season the ground turkey and then add marinara sauce and let it sauté for ten minutes. Don’t forget to stir!
Combine your egg white with cottage cheese and mix it well in a bowl. At this point, you’ll want to thinly slice zucchini so that you can use it instead of lasagna noodles.
Preheat your oven to 170 C/350 F. Take your jars of foil tins and start layering – first comes zucchini, then marinara meat sauce, after that 1-2 tbsp. of eggy-cheese mixture and then repeat the process. Make sure that the meat sauce is on top and sprinkle it with 1 oz. of mozzarella. Do the same with all the remaining jars.
Get it all into the oven and bake it for half an hour. You’re welcome!
As you can see, meal prepping really doesn’t have to take up much of your time, but the results will still be delicious. Once you get the hang of making healthy food, you’ll quickly realize how beneficial it is for you.
Author Bio
Monica Nichols is a 32-year-old writer and fashion designer from Omaha, Nebraska. When she’s not writing for www.diet.st, she enjoys ice skating and watching old movies.