Have you just joined our challenge? Find week 1 recipes here.
I know it’s only technically the fourth day of the challenge, but I’m sending out the second shopping list and set of recipes so you have enough time to get all of your ingredients for your weekend meal prep!
How is this week going? Is it amazing having your lunches ready to go? Did you have more energy and feel less sluggish through the day? Are you less tempted to grab something unhealthy?
My favorite part about having my lunches prepped and ready is that I don’t have to think about it. Taking that one small thing off my mind first thing in the morning (or the night before) really gives me more space to think about all the things I need to get done during the day.
- Stay tuned for my video prep demo to see exactly how I prepped my week 2 recipes!
- Don’t forget to head over to the Facebook group to enter our giveaway and cheer each other on!
Taco Meal Prep Bowls
We are enjoying these for lunch from Monday-Thursday. Don’t forget to plan for leftovers on Friday!
INGREDIENTS:
- ¾ cup uncooked rice
- 1 lb lean ground turkey (beef or chicken may be swapped)
- 2-4 tablespoons taco seasoning (store bought or this homemade recipe)
- ⅔ cup water
- 12 oz can corn kernels (341 mL; drained)
- ½ cup mozzarella (shredded)
Salsa/Pico de gallo
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 jalapeno (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup red onion (finely chopped)
- ½ lime (juiced)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
- Cook rice according to package directions. Allow to cool slightly before portioning out.
- Add turkey to a pan and cook over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula until no longer pink (approximately 10 minutes).
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the cooked meat, then add the water. Stir and simmer for a couple of minutes, until sauce has thickened.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before portioning out.
- Combine all salsa ingredients and toss together.
- To assemble lunch bowls, divide ingredients evenly between four 2-cup capacity meal prep containers.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
TO SERVE:
- You may serve cold or warm up in the microwave before enjoying
- If you plan to warm these bowls up before serving, you may want to store the pico de gallo separate until after warming the rest of the ingredients up.
VARIATIONS:
- gluten-free: this recipe is GF!
- vegetarian & vegan: swap the turkey for a can of black beans and use a dairy-free avocado dressing or salsa in place of the taco seasoning.
- nut free: this recipe is nut free!
- low carb:replace the rice with a low carb alternative such as cauliflower rice (this would be yummy sauteed with some extra taco seasoning and veggies, like in this post).
see the nutritional information here
Fruit
Since we are spending most of our time on our main course recipes, we need an easy snack!
SERVES 5
Portion suggestions:
- 1 cup fruit/ serving (5 cups total) or 1 whole fruit (such as apple) per serving
Serving suggestions:
- serve as a parfait (with or without ½ cup granola)
- add a tablespoon of nut butter
- add one of these greek yogurt fruit dips
VARIATIONS:
- gluten-free: this is a GF friendly snack
- vegetarian & vegan: this is vegan-friendly
- nut free: this is a nut-free snack
- low carb: pick a low sugar fruit such as berries or swap this snack for veggies & dip
see the nutritional information here
Snack Boxes
A simple and versatile lunchbox idea.
Serves: 5
INGREDIENT IDEAS:
Proteins:
- Hard boiled egg
- 1 oz cheese
- ¼ cup nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews)
- Hummus
- Roasted chickpeas
- Pepperoni stick
- Deli Meat
Vegetables or Fruit
- Carrot sticks
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Cucumber
- Snap Peas
- Cauliflower
- Blueberries
- Grapes
Other
- Rice cakes
- Crackers
- Mini Pita
- Small Tortilla
- Tortilla chips
DIRECTIONS:
- Pick 1 protein and 1 vegetable/fruit. Add one ‘other’ if you wish.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:
- You may wish to use a multi-compartment bento-style box for this recipe, or keep ingredients separate in a container using muffin liners.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days (depends on freshness of ingredients)
see the nutritional information here
Produce
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 red onion
- 1 lime
- 5 cups of fruit (or one apple/grapefruit/orange per day)
- Vegetables/fruit for snack box (see *)
Dairy/Meat
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- Mozzarella (½ cup)
- Protein for snack box (see *)
Pantry
- Rice (¾ cup)
- 12 oz can corn kernels (341 mL)
Spices & Baking
- taco seasoning (2-4 tablespoons)
*don’t forget to add your snack box ingredients. For ideas, see the ‘snack box ingredient ideas’ above.
That’s it for this week. GOOD LUCK in your first meal prep! Don’t forget to check in with the Facebook group, to post a picture of your lunch prep and for your chance to win a prize!
Cheers!
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