This week, I kept meal prep really simply since it was the week before Thanksgiving.
Although I’m not hosting the main event at my house, I’ll still be coordinating Thanksgiving brunch for immediate and some extended family members and bringing a couple of side dishes to our full Thanksgiving dinner.
So, this week, I utilized some great shortcuts to make meal prep simple!
Hack #1: Rotisserie chicken
You can do SO much with a rotisserie chicken, and since I’ve been preparing more chicken and fish for my husband recently, I opted to grab two rotisserie chickens from our local warehouse store.
I portioned out breast meat and legs for several meals, shredded some for a chicken and rice soup, and used the chicken bones to make a ramen broth.
Hack #2: Prepped broccoli florets
Although I know it is more cost effective to prepare your own vegetables, I love utilizing shortcuts like prepped broccoli florets on occasion.
I just made sure the florets were roughly similar size and then tossed them on a sheet pan to roast with salt and pepper.
Added to the containers with the rotisserie chicken, I had an easy side dish.
Plus, I used the other half of the bag to make a broccoli and potato soup later in the week.
Hack #3: Cold oats
I know overnight oats are all the rage – and for good reason!
These are such a quick and simple option to prep for breakfast, snack, or a breakfast-for-lunch (or dinner) dish.
This week, I used fresh raspberries (no chopping required – just rinse and toss dry! – with rolled oats, chia seeds, collagen peptides (for a little bump of protein), cocoa powder, and some almond butter. I added in a little vegan cashewmilk yogurt too to make these oats extra creamy.
The prep took all of 5 minutes and made for a filling on-the-go meal.
And just for fun…
I ended the week with an impulse trip to Stop and Shop. Robyn’s husband was talking about jalapeno poppers on Friday, and by Saturday, I was convinced that I needed to make some myself.
I blended tofu with some soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, spices, and a half a block of Violife mature cheddar to make a delicious dairy-free filling, then stuffed halved jalapenos before topping them with panko breadcrumbs and baking them in the oven until fork tender.
I grabbed a precooked shrimp cocktail tray while I was getting the popper ingredients and we had a nice little appetizer lunch Saturday afternoon while watching college football.
This definitely busted my weekly grocery budget a bit, but I justified the grocery trip because I needed to run to the store for some items my mom needed anyway.
Scrum-diddly-umptious.