Meal Prep : 4/9/18

Pasta, Meatballs, Brussels Sprouts, & Cauliflower

1 lb ground beef 93/7 : $5.99

1 lb ground beef 90/10 : $5.49

1 lb ground pork : $2.99

2 lbs rigatoni : $2.00

24 oz brussels sprouts : $3.99

36 oz frozen cauliflower : $3.57

64 oz Prego fresh mushroom sauce : $5.49

8 oz mushrooms : $1.29

total cost : $30.81

(pasta & meatballs : 19 meals, veggies : 15 meals)

Meatballs : Mix the beef and pork with 2 eggs and a few tbsp of bread crumbs.  Shape into 1-1.5 inch balls, place in a large pot, and pour the sauce over them.  Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours.  

Pasta : Wait until the meatballs are done, Boil in salted water for 10-12 minutes, then mix with some of the sauce from the meatballs.  

Brussels Sprouts : Chop and steam/saute with olive oil, garlic powder, and a bit of water, until it's not too hard to pierce them with a fork. 

Cauliflower : Steam/saute with olive oil and garlic powder.  Add chopped mushrooms when the cauliflower is almost done.  

Meal Prep Monday : 1/29/18

This week it's mushroom risotto with ground pork and veggies.

The risotto : Chop 1/3 onion.  Cover the bottom of a medium saucepan with olive oil and add onion.  Cook on medium heat until onion is translucent.  Add a chopped clover of garlic and 1 1/2 c white arborio rice.  Stir well to coat the rice with oil, then add enough chicken broth to cover the rice.  Stir occasionally, and add more broth whenever the previous broth has been absorbed.  I used 32 oz of broth, and then added an additional cup of water with a bit of salt.  I added 3 grated carrots and 6 large mushrooms (chopped) before adding the cup of water.  When most of the water was absorbed, I added the risotto to the pan with the meat & veggies, and mixed it all together.

The meat : I put 1 lb of ground pork in my large pan and let it cook covered.  I occasionally stirred it around and broke up the meat into pieces.  When it was about done I added the veggies.

The veggies : I chopped up a small cabbage, and added it to the pan with the meat when the meat was about done.  I cooked it, stirring occasionally, until it was about done, then I added a 12 oz package of frozen peas and let it continue cooking.  When the peas seemed done, I added the risotto to the pan.

I boxed up this meal into about 6 lunches, with enough left over for another 2 smaller lunches.  

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What are you eating this week?  Leave me a comment!

Meal Prep : 5/22-5/26 One Pot Meal

Chicken

Veggies

Quinoa

Ingredients : 

1/3 onion, chopped 

2 B/S chicken breasts, chopped

1 c chicken broth

honey mustard

3/4 c quinoa

12 oz frozen broccoli

12 oz frozen cauliflower

garlic powder

salt

corn starch

Brown the onion in a large skillet on medium heat with some olive oil.    Next add the chicken, garlic powder, and salt, and cook til most of the pink is gone.    Then add all remaining ingredients except the corn starch.  Cover and simmer until the quinoa is done.  (10-15 minutes).  If there is too much liquid left, mix a teaspoon of corn starch with a bit of cold water, then add to the skillet and stir til thickened, then remove from heat.  

Notes : The broccoli had lost it's bright green color by the time the quinoa was done, so I know I overcooked the veggies.  They should probably be added a bit later.  

Meal Prep : 4/18-21

Rosemary-Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Carrot-Mushroom Risotto

Green Beans

The meat : Sprinkle crushed rosemary and garlic powder over a 2.5 lb pork tenderloin and bake at 400 for approximately 60 minutes.  (Until internal temperature reaches 145 F)  My thermometer is broken (because I left it in the oven and it melted...) so I had to overcook this one a bit to be safe.  I need to buy a new thermometer.

The grain : Saute chopped green onion in olive oil until soft, then add 1 cup arborio rice.  Stir to coat rice with oil, then add 1 cup of white wine.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed.  Add garlic powder and salt to taste. Add chicken stock one cup at a time, cooking until liquid is absorbed after each cup, until rice reaches desired texture.  Add 1 grated carrot after 2nd or 3rd cup of stock.  Add chopped mushrooms in last few minutes of cooking.

The vegetable : Snap ends off of fresh green beans.  Steam for a few minutes with a little bit of water (barely enough to cover the bottom of the pan), olive oil, and garlic powder.  Remove lid after a few minutes, and cook another minute or two.

Meal Prep Monday : 4/3 - 4/7

Lunch This Week 

Leek-Mushroom-Swiss Mac

Baked Chicken Thighs

Mixed Veggies

The Mac : 1/2 lb rotini pasta, boiled and drained.  2 large leeks, stalk portion only, chopped, and rings separated. 4 mushrooms, rough chopped. Leeks were steamed til tender, then I threw the mushrooms in and cooked for another few minutes.  Cheese sauce : 1.5 tbsp butter, 2 oz cream cheese, big handful of shredded colby jack, 2 slices of swiss cheese, 1/2 c milk, 1/4 c flour, garlic powder.  I mixed it all together and poured into a glass baking dish, then I spread 4 slices of swiss cheese on top.  Baked at 425 for 30 minutes (til brown on top)

The Chicken : 4 chicken thighs, baked at 425 for 1 hour.  I didn't season them at all. 

Mixed Veggies : 4 small carrots, sauteed in olive oil until they started to brown.  Then I chopped and added the  leaves from the leeks, 6 mushrooms, and 3 small yellow squash.  

The meal : ...Not the healthiest one I have made, but leek mac n cheese is so delicious!  Gouda is usually my go-to fancy cheese for mac, but I've been on a swiss kick lately so I decided to use that instead.  I won't be eating this every day anyway, I still have some lunches left over from last week because it was a hectic week and I ended up not needing my lunches every day.  (Tuesday was provided by a coworker, and I was out of town Thursday-Sunday)