April 13, 2020
Monday Tip: Meal Prep Quinoa
Happy Monday everyone! Struggling with deciding what to eat right now? Make the week easy and prepare your meals ahead of time. It takes a lot of work out for you throughout the week to be even more productive.
This is a great time to be creative. Choose a variety of versatile items that can be transformed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Meals with plenty of servings are always a great go-to. Plan your meals before you go to the grocery store, so you get exactly what’s on the menu. Having a plan helps keep you on track and you don’t spend as much money, bonus!
Roasting a chicken at the beginning of the week, with a hearty amount of roasted vegetables and a large batch of quinoa, is a delicious meal in itself, but separately these items and some additional ingredients can be used to make a variety of meals for the week. Here are a few ideas to get you started on your way.
Quinoa is one of those super foods with amazing properties. It’s gluten-free, packed with protein, fiber, iron, calcium, this list goes on and on. It is one of the rare foods to contain all nine essential amino acids and while we use it as a grain, it is actually a seed. Buying quinoa in bulk is not a bad idea. You can use this versatile seed from soups to salads; desserts and breakfast and everything between.
Healthy Peanut Butter Quinoa Bars - These bars are a hearty breakfast bar with plenty of protein and fiber to keep you full. Don’t be afraid to play with the ingredients, like Instead of carob chips, add dried fruit. You could also add nuts for additional crunch. This recipe yields a large amount and makes a deliciously filling breakfast.
• 3 cups cooked quinoa (equal to 1 cup uncooked quinoa)
• 2 & 1/2 cups oats (steel cut or quick cooking)
• 3/4 cup carob chips
• 1/4 cup flaxseed
• 3/4 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter, or any nut butter
• 3/4 cup milk or any milk substitute
• 1/4 cup honey
Cook quinoa according to directions and allow time to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together, add wet ingredients, put in a 9x13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Then, add melted peanut butter and more carob chips for a delicious topping. Cut and store in an air tight container.
Mexican Quinoa Bake - This is a plentiful meal that can be used as dinner or a next day’s lunch. Have some roasted chicken on the side to make it a complete meal.
Ingredients
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• ½ bell pepper
• ½ medium white onion
• ½ cup fresh salsa
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn
• ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup guacamole or avocado (optional)
Cook the quinoa according to directions. Soften the pepper and onion over medium heat for five minutes. Stir together quinoa, peppers, onions, salsa, black beans and corn. Add to a glass baking dish and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes or until cheese has melted. Top with avocado and cilantro and serve
Try these options out to help have great food ready to fuel your body for the week!
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