Healthy Meal Prep

Prepared and photographed by NutraMilk nutritionist, Florencia Tagliavini.

Once you start meal preparing, you´ll ask yourself why you didn’t do it sooner. It can be a life saver especially for those with a busy week- its a way to maintain a healthy diet, save money and time. Stop thinking about what to cook and eat every day- with just a little planning you can organize your weekly meals all in one day- soon you’ll see its super easy.

I love these balanced bowls for lunch or dinner- You choose your grain, your protein and your veggies. Of course you can switch them out each week so you don’t get tired of the same thing and you add variety to you diet which means variety of nutrients and flavors. The key to these healthy balanced bowls is the sauce!!!! That’s what will make these especially delicious and leave you completely satisfied and wanting more the next day. You´ll want to switch these up as well and we have lots of ideas below. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• Quinoa or grain of choice, cooked
• Tofu or protein of choice, cooked
• Mix of veggies of choice, roasted (broccoli, squash, zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, etc)
• Sauce: Thai peanut butter sauce (recipe below), almond crema, Green Goddess Sauce, Chili Cashew Sauce, Creamy Pecan Sauce, Almond Pesto, Roasted Pepper Aioli, etc.

For Thai peanut butter sauce

• 2 tbsp. peanut butter made with the NutraMilk
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce (low-sodium if needed)
• 2 tbsp. lime or lemon juice
• 2 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 dates, pitted
• ½ tsp cayenne or red chili flakes
• ½ cup water (120 ml)

For peanut butter

• 2 cups (275g) peanuts (untoasted, unsalted)
• pinch salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Start by making the peanut butter and Thai peanut sauce
  • Place peanuts in the NutraMilk container.
  • Press Butter cycle, set for 2-3 minutes.
  • Press Start.
  • Open the container lid.
  • If necessary, set for an additional 1-2 minutes for a creamier butter.
  • Leave ¼ cup peanut butter and take out the rest and store for later use.
  • Add the rest of the sauce ingredients along with the peanut butter.
  • Mix to create a smooth consistency, adding water if necessary to reach desired consistency. Set aside.

• Cook quinoa or grain according to package instructions. Depending on how many days or people you want the meal for – consider the amount you are going to cook.
• Choose protein of choice and cook to your liking. I cut up some tofu, mixed a little olive oil and soy sauce and baked in the oven for 40 minutes. You can also use left overs protein from other meals to add to your meal preps.
• Roast veggies of choice. Never leave out the veggies! Cut up a variety of veggies- toss them in a bit of olive or avocado oil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until tender.

• Assemble meals: Assemble meal portions into reusable airtight containers that can store meal properly and can be ready to go if you need to take your meal somewhere.