Meal Prep 1/27/20

3.75 cups brown rice ($1.69)
5.3 lbs pork tenderloin ($15.84)
2 lbs brussels sprouts ($7.98)
1 lb frozen green beans ($0.99)
15 meals @ $1.77 each


Brown Rice
In a dutch oven, combine 3.75 cups brown rice, 7.5 cups water and 1 tbsp salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed. 

Garlic-crusted Pork Tenderloin
Place pork tenderloin in a large glass baking dish.  Cover the top with garlic powder.  Bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Brussels Sprouts
Chop the sprouts into bite sized pieces.  Spread out onto baking sheets and coat with olive oil and garlic powder.  Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. 

Green Beans
Place beans in a skillet with some olive oil.  Cover and cook on medium until beans are thawed. Remove lid, add garlic powder, cook stirring frequently until beans begin to brown. 

Divide all food evenly between 15 containers.   

Meal Prep 1/7/19

As I typed the date in the title for this post, I realized that I most likely wrote 2018 on the last check I filled out...oops.  Time to get used to writing a new year on everything! 

After a long and relaxing break filled with family time and Netflix, I head back to work today!  While I can't say it was nice to wake up to an alarm after days of sleeping in til 10, I am ready to get back into my daily routine.  I definitely function a lot better on a set schedule! 

Ground turkey was on sale this weekend, and we really liked the turkey meatballs I made a little while back, so I decided to make them again.  Add some fried rice and roasted brussels sprouts, and we are excited for this week's lunches! 

The meatballs : 2 lbs ground turkey, one egg, scant 1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs.  Shape into 20-25 balls.  In a large lidded skillet, place meatballs in a single layer.  Pour in just enough liquid to cover the bottom of the skillet.  (Last time I used chicken broth.  I didn't have any broth this time, so I used beer...) Mix 2 tbsp mustard, 1/2 c soy sauce, and some garlic powder, and pour over the meatballs.  Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally to turn the meatballs.  When they are about cooked through, remove the lid and allow most of the liquid to cook off. 


The brussels sprouts : Quarter 4 lbs brussels sprouts and spread them out on 2 large baking sheets.  Coat with olive oil, garlic powder, and a dash of salt.  Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.  (It may take longer....I'm fairly certain that my oven runs hot.  According to the thermometer I put in it, it is running at least 25 degrees hotter than it is set to.)

The rice : 2.5 cups brown rice, 5 cups water, dash of salt, garlic powder.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until water is absorbed.  Chop 5 carrots and 1/4 onion.  Cook the carrots and onions in the meatball drippings, then add the rice.  Fry the rice, adding oil as needed.  We didn't fry it too heavily or add egg like I originally intended because it was a LOT of rice.  (2.5 cups was 10 servings according to the bag, but we ended up with closer to 12-13 portions.)

Meal Prep 9/17/18

2.5 c brown rice

pork loin

1 package frozen peas

2 lbs carrots

5 mushrooms

onion

garlic

Place rice, 5 cups water, salt & garlic powder to taste in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low for 45-50 minutes.  

Cook the pork with barbecue sauce and a can of Guinness in a crockpot set on high for 5 hours, then shred using two forks.  After shredding, I used a knife to cut the strips into bite-sized pieces.

Chop about 1/4 sweet onion and brown in some olive oil.  Add minced garlic and chopped carrots.  When carrots are almost cooked, add the frozen peas.  When peas are almost done, add chopped mushrooms.  

I made 10 lunches.  Each got 1/2 c rice, 1/2 c pulled pork, and 1 c vegetables.  There was some pork left over.