Category: Meal Prep

Option to prep entire meal and servings ahead of time.

Breakfast/Brunch, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Snack, Vegetarian

Outrageously Tasty Oat Muffins

Annie

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I haven’t posted in while partly because I’ve been adjusting to working full-time as a nurse practitioner and partly because sometimes you need a break to find joy again. These Oat Muffins  are worth coming out of a recipe hiatus. They’re a spin on your classic bran muffins, but easier to make since I, for one, am more likely to have oats on hand instead of bran. Mix in walnuts, cranberries, and coconut for a heartier option. Using unsweetened applesauce and vanilla skyr yogurt, you can’t even tell these muffins are oil-free. Enjoy as breakfast or as a snack. (Ted even added chocolate chips and almond butter.) They’re so tasty that before you know it, you’re left with two muffins to use for photos–oops!

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Bread, Dairy-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Side, Vegetarian

Fall Take on Cornbread with Pumpkin Cornbread

Annie

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Pumpkin Cornbread may be my new favorite cornbread recipe. Sometimes cornbread can dry out a wee bit as it cools or when served as a leftover. Not this version. The pumpkin blends seamlessly, and you won’t feel overwhelmed by a pumpkin flavor. Paired with extra virgin olive oil, the cornbread isn’t dried out. We enjoyed this with buffalo chicken chili. Plus, both the chili and cornbread use pumpkin purée, so you won’t feel guilty about opening a new can or having any leftover sit in your fridge (or check out more recipes using pumpkin). You’ll find yourself grabbing piece after piece, just like Ted when he ate half the pan!
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Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Seafood, Vegetarian

Time to Dip Grilled Shrimp & Zucchini in a Tahini Parsley Sauce

Annie

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I can’t rave about this parsley tahini sauce enough. When we first made it, it was in this setting: Grilled Shrimp & Zucchini with Parsley Tahini Dipping Sauce. The char from the grill and that smoky flavor pairs so well with the bitter umami of the tahini and bright citrusy parsley. Grilled shrimp is such a summery choice. Plus it’s super fun to dip things. Brings my back to my childhood days when chicken nuggets were the best thing. We paired this with Trader Joe’s multigrain medley, which I highly recommend stocking up on if you have TJ’s near by. We’ve since had it on (beef) burgers, turkey burgers, with chicken, with just grilled veggies.

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Breakfast/Brunch, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Low Sugar, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Vegetarian

Lemony Oatmeal Bake with Maine Blueberries

Annie

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A breakfast just in time for the end of summer. These are the blueberries from my parent’s house in Maine. We have blueberry bushes in the backyard and I always associate picking them with mid to late August, nearing the end of summer. These blueberries tend to be a bit tart, so baking them seemed ideal. Last summer and this summer, I liked to meal prep my breakfast to give me more time to sleep and less time assembling and cooking in the mornings before work. Oatmeal bake has been a staple, topped with Greek yogurt and drizzled with maple syrup. I love using my Maine blueberries and the bright addition of citrus for Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Bake.

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Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

The Perfect Herby Tahini Sauce for Dipping

Annie

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I saw a recipe for fish, rice, and this herby sauce and I was intrigued. I love fresh herbs. They had a bright vibrancy and flavor to any dish. Also, just look at that color! I tend to gravitate toward basil and cilantro, sometimes mint, but usually not parsley, so I wanted to give this a try. Like a pesto, this Parsley Tahini Sauce is perfect for dipping or thin to make a sauce. The tahini is nutty and bitter balanced with the acidity of lime juice and the greenness from the parsley. We grilled shrimp and zucchini and the charred flavor from the grill perfectly balances with this vibrant, nutty, and sour sauce.

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Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Side, Vegan, Vegetarian

Dressing Up Quinoa & Lentils

Annie

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Do you ever make something and you’re actually excited for your leftovers and to eat it again? That was this. I give you Cilantro Lentils & Quinoa with Raisins and Walnuts. This can be a side or a base to a meal. You can mix in feta or goat cheese. This would go quite well with roasted root veggies. Pair with grilled chicken. You literally can’t mess it up. I roasted potatoes, beets, and spinach and added some feta for a meal or kept it cold and mixed it into a spinach salad with a lemony vinaigrette. It works well with parsley instead of cilantro for all of you who are cilantro adverse, but fresh herbs with lemon juice and lemon zest keep this light and bright.

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Bread, Dairy-Free, Lightened Up, Low Sugar, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Side, Vegetarian

Cast Iron Skillet Honey Cornbread

Annie

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Since it’s been a chilly spring in Boston, we’ve been eating chili and cornbread. My grandparents lived in Belfast, Maine, and this recipe was my grandmother’s, which is why my family recipe is called Belfast Corn Muffins. They’re best served hot and right out of the oven. I made some tweaks by baking them directly in a cast iron skillet and drizzled honey on top, hence why I named these Skillet Honey Cornbread. With the summer upon us, these could be a staple for a barbecue, accompany the grill, or coming up for the Fourth. Honey highlights the natural sweetness and baking in a skillet gives it a crispier edge.

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Breakfast/Brunch, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish

Eggs & Prosciutto for Dinner

Annie

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I love eggs, and I love any time that I have an excuse to eat eggs for dinner. Eggs, Chickpeas, & Prosciutto in a Creamy Tomato Sauce was the perfect impromptu dinner. Ted and I saw this recipe, while we had prosciutto and soppressata to use up from a local  salumeria called Bricco in Boston’s North End. This seems like a fitting meal, as we leave the North End for the other side of the harbor in Charlestown. We ate this as a dinner, and I added more spices and red pepper for a quick. I cut the heavy cream in half and swapped for almond milk, again, because that’s what we have on hand in our fridge. Plus, almond milk is a bit healthier than heavy cream. Pair with this bread to soak up the juices and that runny yolk. Oh, and don’t be like me and only add 7 eggs; apparently I miscounted!

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Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Instant Pot, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Lemony Protein-Packed & Plant-Based Soup (Instant Pot)

Annie

I may be the only person enjoying April’s cold spell last month. It was a great time to meal prep lunch recipes for work and sample some hot soups. I quite enjoyed this take on a plant-based soup that with the addition of lentils, is packed with protein. Harissa adds a unique flavor and spice along with lemon, ginger, cumin, and turmeric. Using the Instant Pot, this Lemony Lentil & Butternut Squash Soup is rich and creamy without any added dairy and comes together quickly, easily cooking the carrots. squash, and lentils. It’s the soup you need when you’re looking forward to spring on a crisp day.

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Entrée, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Salad, Vegetarian

Spring Buddha Bowls with Veggies & Farro

Annie

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Ted and I couldn’t get enough of these Spring Veggie, Marinated Chickpeas, & Farro Bowls. It’s the type of meal that you’re sad when you finish the leftovers. These grain bowls are savory yet bright with the dressing, chewy thanks to the farro, crunchy from the radishes and snap peas, and creamy because of the goat cheese and avocado. By marinating the chickpeas directly in the dressing, they absorb some of the flavor. We served this with a piece of crusty bread, channeling our inner sweetgreen during this pandemic. This salad is fun because you can change your veggies and toppings every time. We added pumpkin seeds one night, fresh basil and mint another, and Ted added cherry tomatoes on our third try. We did only spinach for one and mixed greens for another. Mix and match to make it your own!

 

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