A lot of you guys asked me to cover bulk meal prep one week. So, this week isn’t a recipe but more of a way for you to tackle making a bunch of food in about an hour. For myself, Miranda, Julian, Michelle and a lot of the Street Parking staff this is the way we eat day to day. The weekly recipes are really fun, but for a lot of us we are SUPER busy and don’t have time for complicated recipes. The goal is to keep things simple and learn how to have a good amount of food on hand to stay CONSISTENT with things.

Before we dive into things here are a couple of excuses I usually hear from people when it comes to meal prep…

• I hate eating the same thing every day.

  • You can mix up your meals by throwing in different veggies, spices or fats and make the meal taste totally different.

• I don’t like to eat food that is more than 2 days old

  • No problem! You will just have to meal prep more often during the week. Look ahead at your schedule and plan out 2 days in the week to tackle meal prep.

• I’m a foodie and I need my food to have more flavor

  • Buy a TON of different spices! You can make your meals taste super yummy by coming up with some yummy spices and homemade marinades.

• I’m sick of eating chicken and rice

  • It doesn’t have to be that boring! Try new foods in the kitchen and don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. You can still try new things and keep it simple.

Here are some tips on how to approach bulk meal pre:

• Don't over complicate things. If you are looking at recipes that have a million ingredients it's going to take a lot of time and money to make that meal.

• Make sure you are stocked with basic seasonings- salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, oregano, onion powder, etc. Spices are your friend and can help anything taste better

• Make sure you have some type of healthy oil on hand- olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil etc. Skip the canola oil!

• Make two different protein/veggies options

• Make sure you have a decent amount of tupperware to store your meals

• If you commute or travel invest in a solid cooler to prep your meals and bring with you

• MAKE TIME! Look ahead at your week and schedule out time to make your meal prep happen. * Turn on some music or your favorite show and bang it out.

GROUND TURKEY SEASONING INGREDIENTS

(basically homemade taco seasoning)

• 2 tbsp. Chili powder

• 2 tsp. Ground cumin

• 1 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

• 1 tsp. Garlic powder

• 1 tsp. Dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp. Paprika

• 1 tsp. Sea salt

• 1/2 cayenne pepper (optional)

VEGGIE SEASONING INGREDIENTS

• Salt & pepper

• Sol Food’s Pollo al Horno (Baked Chicken Thighs)

• 1-2 lbs. Chicken thigh

• 2 TBSP olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons garlic salt

• 2 teaspoons onion powder

• 2 tablespoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Combine the olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, garlic salt, onion powder, oregano and pepper in a bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.

*Please note: if you have the time you can marinate the chicken overnight!

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This recipe is a knock off of our friends over at Feeding The Frasers. the original recipe calls for Pork chop which you can totally do, but I subbed chicken thigh. If you are feeling the pork, swap it in!

This recipe is a little spicy, so feel free to mix up the ingredients if you don't like spice. The cilantro, lime rice is a nice way to mix up things if you are getting board.

Cast Iron Spicy Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 lbs. Chicken Thigh (458 - 906g)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder, mixed for rub

• 1-2 cups roasted canned diced Tomatoes (if you are doing 2 lbs. chicken do 2 cups) Look for JUST spices and tomatoes!

• 1 large white onions, sliced (If you do 2 lbs. chicken add in another onion)

• 2 Serrano Chiles rough chopped (If you don't like spice do 1)

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 2/3 cup Chicken Broth

• 1/2 tsp Cumin, pepper, oregano

• Limes, cilantro

• Optional toppings - cilantro, fresh jalapeño, avocado

• Optional Sides - Roasted veggies, squash, zucchini, bell peppers

Instructions:

• Chop Onions and Serrano Chiles. Then mince garlic and set aside.

• In a bowl combine: 1 tsp salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder, mixed for rub

• Lightly coat chicken thigh with olive oil. Season chicken with dry rub.

• In cast-iron, heat oil over med/high heat. Sear chicken 3-4 minutes on each side.

• Remove pork from cast-iron and set aside. In same cast-iron, add 2/3 of sliced onions to cook.

• Whole chicken cooks combine sauce in a food processor. Add tomatoes, 1/3 of sliced onions, chicken broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, pepper and pinch of salt to taste. Blend until smooth.

• Add sauce to charred onions in cast iron and reduce heat. Simmer on low 5-7mins.

• Add chicken to cast iron with sauce, cover partially with lid or foil and cook for 20 -25 mins.

• (If you want to add more veggies to this you can. I just didn't want \mushy veggies)

Optional sides - roasted veggies Instructions:

• Chop squash, peppers, or veggies of your choice.

• Lightly coat with olive oil. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. I threw mine on the BBQ in a basket for 15 minutes while I cooked extra chicken - Multitasking!

Cilantro Lime Rice Instructions:

(I used microwave rice to keep it simple, but here is a how to cook rice)

• Boil 4 cups water and add a touch of salt salt and bring to a boil.

• Once water is boiling add 2 cups of rice

• Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Though it will be tempting, keep the lid on! You don't want to mess with the steam. This is very important!

• Allow the rice to cook for about 15 - 18 minutes. Fluff with fork.

• Remove rice and add chopped cilantro and fresh lime

Additional side options - Beans, Plantains or whatever you feel like!

Optional Toppings: Cilantro, avocado, lime or jalapeño for more SPICE!  

Template Breakdown:

Protein Servings

• So based off 906g raw you will have roughly 25 servings of protein.

Veggie Servings

• You can count the sauce as 1 serving of veggie and whatever you have on the side!

Carb Servings

• If you make 2 cups of rice that is ROUGHLY 4 servings of rice! I would weigh it out if you can.

Fat Servings

• The fat is so minimal in this meal once its spread out it’s hardly any. Add avocado, nuts or any fat of your choice!