March Meal Prep: Coconut Curry Pork Tenderloin

 

I've had this before but this time I used chicken breasts instead of pork tenderloin.  I went ahead and used the curry powder but  you can substitute Cumin for it.  Darn . . . forgot to take a picture of the final meal!  Or even of it cooking.  Just have the meal prep photos.

Ingredients

• 1 (13.5 oz) can light coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp Makin' Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, seasoned with salt and pepper

Directions

• 
  In a gallon freezer bag, combine first 3 ingredients.  Add seasoned pork.  Seal well; toss to coat.  Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.  (squeeze air out if you plan on freezing).
• 
  Prepare grill to medium heat.  Remove pork from marinade; discard bag with marinade.
• Place pork on grill.  Grill, turning occasionally, until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 20 minutes.

Bake option:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place pork on a greased rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 25-35 minutes.

March Meal Prep: Garlicky Steak Salad

 

I love eating salads.  But we also enjoy stir fry.  I decided to fix this as a stir fry meal.  We froze the leftovers.  The directions below is for the salad.  I sliced up the steak in advance and had it marinade before cooking in a frying pan.  Add whatever vegetables you like - we used snow peas, carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms.  I meant to add zucchini squash but forgot.  I served it over brown rice.

Magic Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade

Ingredients:

• TS Shake & Pour
• 1/4 c water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Makin' Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

• In TS Shake & Pour or jar with tight fitting lid, combine water and Makin' Magic Chicken Seasoning.  Let stand 10 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients.  Cover and vigorously shake until combined and emulsified.

Makes 8 (2 Tablespoon) servings.

Garlicky Steak Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lb boneless beef sirloin steak
• 3/4 c Magic Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade, divided
• 10 oz 50/50 salad mix (spring greens & spinach)
• 
  Assorted fresh veggies of choice (such as tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, avocado)
• 1/2 c crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

• 
  In a storage container or gallon freezer bag, combine steak and 1/3 cup (6 tablespoons) Magic Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade.  Seal well; toss to coat.  Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.  OR you can freeze for later use.
• 
  Prepare grill to medium heat.  Remove steak from marinade.  Discard marinade.  Place steak on grill.  Grill, turning once, until desired donesness is reached on an instant-read food thermometer (145 degrees F for medium-rare; 160 degrees F for medium), about 16-20 minutes.
• 
  Remove steak from grill.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Slice across the grain.
• meanwhile, divide salad mix and veggies of choice among 6 large salad plates or dinner plates.  Drizzle with remaining 6 tablespoons Vinaigrette.  Top with sliced steak and blue cheese.

March Meal Prep Class

 I only did three of the five meals.  Didn't have the chicken to fix the other two until a week later.  The three meals were prepped last week.

You will need the following items from Tastefully Simple, if you don't already have them in your cupboards:

• Magic Chicken Seasoning
  
• 
  Rustic Herb Seasoning
  
  
• TS Shake & Pour

You will need the following from the grocery store.  Check  your pantry and frig first!

• 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
• 6 boneless pork loin chops, about 2 lbs
• 
  1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (thin cut)
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 1/4 lb boneless beef sirloin steak
• 1/2 c fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 c fresh button mushrooms
• 1 egg
• 1 lime
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 (13.5) oz can light coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp Yellow Curry powder (can sub  Cumin)
• 3/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1 c olive oil
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 5 Freezer safe gallon storage bags
• parchment paper or wax paper squares
• black sharpie marker

Pre-label the freezer bags.

• Coconut Curry Pork Tenderloin
• Grilled Balsamic & Herb Pork Chops
• Savory Grilled Chicken
• Rustic Turkey Burgers
• Garlicky Steak Salads

I'll share the recipes over the next few days.  You can do substitutions on the meats like chicken for pork or ground beef for turkey.  Instead of salad, you can do stir fry.

Meal Prep 101: Santa Fe Tacos

 

Here's the final meal that we prepped in advance.  We had this for dinner last night.  I felt it wasn't spicy enough and my husband thought it was too spicy and I didn't add the chilis!  Instead of fixing it as tacos, I fixed them as a burrito using gluten-free tortillas. I also covered them with tomato sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.  We had 4 (2 each) for dinner and I froze 2 more for later.  I still had filling leftover, so I froze that for later use.

Here are the ingredients we used:

• 2 cans Cheddar Soup
• 1 can Mexican corn, drained (I used regular corn)
• 2 tsp Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 
  2 Tbsp Moms Taco Seasoning
• 2 lbs browned turkey or hamburger
• 1 can drained diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced chilis (optional)

Assembly Instructions:

• In gallon sized freezer bag, add drained diced tomatoes, corn and chili's, then add the seasonings, mix well.
• Add the soups and mix well.
• Lastly, add the browned meat, mix well, and freeze.
  

When ready to use, thaw, heat, and use for tacos, burritos, taco salad, walking tacos or nacho grande.

Now, you should have a full freezer.  I know I do! 

  

Meal Prep 101: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

 We had this for dinner this past Tuesday.  It was filling but I think it could have used a bit more seasoning - maybe something like Mama Mia or the Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto.  But then it could have been the stuffing mix we used.  Actually, it was the diced tomatoes - I used the plain no salt added.  I seasoned the green beans with Onion Onion and Bacon Bacon.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Avocado or Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 Tbsp Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano or diced Italian tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6 oz) package herb-flavored stuffing mix
• 
  1/2 c water

This was our meal prep for the freezer:

• Combine the chicken, oil, and Magic Chicken Seasoning in a gallon freezer bag.  Mix well.
• Place cheese in a quart freezer bag
• Place tomatoes & water in a quart freezer bag 
• Place all bags and stuffing mix in a 2-gallon freezer bag.
• 
  Seal well, label and freeze.

Cooking Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish (I used a cooking spray).
• 
  Add chicken then top with the cheese
• In a large bowl, combine tomatoes and stuffing mix; stir until moistened.  Spoon over cheese.
• Bake until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read food thermometer, about 15-20 minutes (or longer, depending on the size of chicken breasts).
• 
  Place under broiler to brown and crisp topping, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Now, I didn't mix the tomatoes & stuffing but layered the stuffing on top of the cheese then poured the tomato mixture over the top.

Meal Prep 101: Moms Busy Day Chili

 I love making chili.  The aroma of it cooking in the crockpot throughout the day.  This was a fun one to do.  I had made gluten-free cornbread to go with it.  We had this for dinner this past Sunday.  I froze leftovers as individual meals.

Here are the ingredients for this version:

• 2 cans Tomato Soup (10.75 oz each)
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 Tbsp Magic Chicken Seasoning
• 4 Tbsp Moms Taco Seasoning
• 1 lb browned turkey burger OR 2 c prepared shredded cooked magic chicken
• 3 cans of beans of your choice (14.5 oz each)

This is how to assemble for the freezer:

• In gallon size freezer bag add the diced tomatoes and seasonings.  Mix.
• Add the 2 cans of soup.  Mix
• Add the browned burger.  Mix well
• Add the 3 cans of rinsed and drained beans.  Gently mix all well.
  
• Freeze

Cooking:

• If frozen, put in crock pot on low for 4-5 hours.
• If thawed, put in crock pot on low for 2-3 hours.  The longer you cook it, the more flavorful it will be.

Makes about 6 servings.  I served it over a piece of cornbread and sprinkled the top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Meal Prep 101: Savory Grilled Chicken

 

Saturday's dinner was the grilled chicken breasts.  We had prepped enough for 3 meals (a total of 6 servings).  I only cooked two of the breasts.  The remaining 4 were divided up into two quart size freezer bags.  After removing them, I divided up the marinade between them.  Labeled the bags and placed them in the freezer for later.

You can substitute other meat such as pork chops or even steaks or fish.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Magic Chicken Seasoning

Here's how you assemble it for the freezer:

• In a 1 gallon freezer bag, combine all ingredients.
• Seal well and refrigerate 2 hours or place in freezer.

Cooking instructions:

• 
  Thaw, prepare grill to medium heat.  (I used a pan on the stove).
• Remove chicken from marinade.  Discard bag with marinade.
• Place chicken on grill.  Grill, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 10-12 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

The potatoes were seasoned with Rustic Herb and the broccoli with Seasoned Pepper.

Meal Prep 101 Class

 Yesterday, I attended a virtual class for preparing 5 different meals for the freezer.  It was taught by my team leader.  We spent an hour putting these meals together and having a fantastic time.

We were given a prep list in advance of the class.   This list contained all the items we will need to make the meals.  Some required you to do it in advance of the class.  Yours truly didn't quite get them all done.

You needed the following Tastefully Simple products:

• Magic Chicken Seasoning
• Mom's Taco Seasoning
• Mama Mia Seasoning

From the Meat Dept:

• 
  6 boneless skinless chicken breasts OR Pork Chops
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless check breasts, cubed (for bruschetta)
• 4 lbs browned ground meat (2 lbs for tacos, 1 lb for lasagna, 1 lb for chili)
  

From the Pantry:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cans Cheddar Soup
• 2 cans Tomato Soup
• 1 can Mexican Corn, drained
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano or diced Italian tomatoes
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 3 (14.5 oz) cans of beans of your choice (black, pinto, kidney, navy, different or all the same), drained & rinsed
• 8 oz uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 (6 oz) pkg herb-flavored stuffing mix
• 1 can diced chili's (optional)

From the Fridge:

• 1 lime
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 15 oz ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
• 1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese

Tools to bring:

• 1 box each Freezer Safe Gallon, 2-gallon, and quart size bags
• can opener
• sharpie
• large bowl or bag stand
• spatula
• measuring spoons & cups

Over the next few days, I will be preparing the meals and posting them online.

Just as an FYI, I used either no sodium added or low salt items as well as 99% fat-free ground turkey, reduced fat cheeses, and gluten-free noodles.

Reset Prep and Day 1

Oh boy . . . plans didn't go so well.  The weather got in the way Sunday afternoon that we decided not to do the grocery shopping until yesterday.   And shopping wasn't easy . . . most of the shelves in the grocery store were empty.  We didn't get half the items.  So, went across the street to the other grocery store - was able to pick up a few more items.  Because we did the shopping so late in the afternoon, I didn't get the prep work done in advance.

This morning, I made the Simply Salsa Egg Cups

for today's breakfast as well as for Day 3 and 5.  However, I may switch Day 2 for Day 3 or 5 as we were not able to purchase the items needed for the Day 2 breakfast (more about that later).  Listed below are the items I used.  For the chopped items, please do it in advance before cooking.

Ingredients

8 oz 99% lean ground turkey 

1 red bell pepper, chopped 

1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning 

3 tsp Simply Salsa Mix

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped (I actually tore mine into small pieces)

6 large eggs plus 3/4 c egg substitute

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In large skillet over medium-high heat (I actually used medium heat), combine turkey, peppers, Onion Onion Seasoning, and Simply Salsa mix.  Cook and crumble until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.  Drain off excess liquid (I didn't have any).  Stir in spinach.  Remove from heat; let spinach wilt.
3. 
   Divide mixture among wells of greased muffin pan (12 count); set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk; salt and pepper as desired (I didn't use any).  Divide among wells of muffin pan.
   
   
   
5. Bake 17-20 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean (it took mine about 23 minutes).  Let stand 5 minutes; carefully remove from pan.
   

3 "muffins" equals a serving.  Serve it with 1 cup of mixed berries.  I had blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  Once the remaining muffins have cooled completely, I stored a serving in sandwich size ziploc bags.  Two can go in the frig and the last one can go in the freezer for a later time.  To reheat, microwave on High 1-2 minutes or until heated through. 

Lunch for today is supposed to be Pistachio Chicken Salad.  However, that calls for the Magic Chicken, which wasn't made in advance.  I have prepped that this morning while my breakfast was baking.  It will be used for dinner.

    Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup water

4 Tbsp Makin'Magic Chicken Seasoning

    Directions

1. In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker combine all ingredients, sprinkling each layer of chicken with seasoning.
2. Cook on low 5-7 hours
3. 
   Chop or shred chicken; toss with liquid in slow cooker.  Divide into 1-quart freezer bags according to below seal well, label and refrigerate or freeze.
• 1/2 cup for Day 1 lunch Pistachio Chicken Salad
• 
  2 1/2 cups for Day 1 dinner Balsamic Chicken & Veggie Skillet
• 2 1/2 cups for Day 2 dinner Chopped Chicken BLT Salad
• Portion any remaining chicken as desired for later use. (the recipe makes 12 - 1/2 cup servings).
• If there is broth left over, freeze it for later use in making soups.

 

So, I'll have a regular green salad (2 cups of mixed salad greens) with 2 cups raw veggies (carrots, brocoli, celery, mushrooms, and peppers) and 5 ozs of low sodium tuna in water.  Dressing will be our Citrus Herb Vinaigrette.

Dinner is the Balsamic Chicken & Veggie Skillet (because the Magic Chicken will be available).  This is so good!  I did do some substitutions, so I will list what I used.  The link is to the original recipe.

 Ingredients

     2 Tbsp Avocado Oil

    1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed, cut in half

    1 medium zucchini, cubed

    1 cup sliced mushrooms

    1 Tbsp Citrus Herb Seasoning

    2 1/2 cups prepared and shopped Makin Magic Chicken

    2 Tbsp Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

    Directions

1. In large skillet, heat Avocado Oil over medium high heat.  Add next 4 ingredients.  Sauté 4-5 minutes
2. Add chicken.  Continue sautéing until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
   
3. Remove from heat.  Toss with Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Makes 5 servings.  Reserve 1 serving for Day 2 lunch.  I froze the remaining servings for later use as we are just a family of 2.

There are two snacks scheduled during the day.  Snack 1 is Prosciutto Wrapped Melon.  I'll probably have this tonight.  Snack 2 is 2 cups of assorted veggies (like broccoli, cauliflower, etc) with 1 serving of Creamy Balsamic Herb Dressing.

Time to figure out what menu I will be following for Day 2.  It will probably be Day 3 since I need to cook up the salmon that was purchased yesterday.