Lifestyle
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner: Meal Prep Ideas
Meal prepping is the BEST way to save time and money in the kitchen, especially as a college student. Between classes, endless homework, and every other distraction the day brings, I do not have time every day to cook a full course meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I like to spend one day out of the week grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking so that I can survive for at least another week. Here are some of my favorite, healthy meal prep ideas.
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are basically dessert for breakfast. It is unbelievably easy to make and it will keep you full until your next meal. This version is for the chocolate/peanut butter lovers. You are going to combine 1 1/3 cup almond milk, 1 cup oats, 2/3 cup greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, 4 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1 tablespoon honey. I kept this mixture in a tall plastic container the night before I wanted to enjoy them! It will keep in the fridge for about 5 days.
I topped my overnight oats with banana, more peanut butter, chocolate chunks, and walnuts. If you like it more sweet, you can drizzle a little bit more honey on top!
Chicken Satay Salad
This is actually a new meal prep idea that I discovered. It is a perfectly light lunch that is packed with flavor. You will need shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, bell peppers, chicken thighs, cucumber, and Trader Joe's Spicy Cashew Butter Dressing. I lightly seasoned my chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. (however you like it!) and then cut it into strips. I also cut my peppers and cucumber to resemble the same shape as the cabbage and carrots.
I arranged the veggies and chicken aesthetically in the container and kept the dressing off to the side. When I would take this to work, I would pack a small cup of dressing. This way, it would keep the veggies crispy and not soggy. I can't say enough about this dressing — it is delicious! This recipe made about 5 salads.
Jerk Chicken Bowl
This recipe is so yummy! In the container, I went ahead and marinated chicken thighs in jerk seasoning. It is a wonderful blend of herbs and spices that gives the chicken an insane amount of flavor. The pineapple salsa that tops the chicken includes cilantro (1/4 cup), red onion (1/2 of one diced), pineapple (2 cups), and black beans (1 can). Once the salsa ingredients are mixed together, you can set it off to the side. It only gets better as it sits! The chicken and salsa will be served over jasmine rice. The easiest way to make this is buy the frozen packets — they're ready to go in 3 minutes!
This dinner took almost no time to make and it is so flavorful. Once the rice was steamed, I topped it with the chicken and the salsa. You can keep all three elements separate in the fridge or you can divide it into containers, leaving the salsa on the side (you don't want it to get warm). And enjoy!