Skinny Meal Prep, 14 Individual Meals made in 90 Minutes, Post #1

I’m excited about the post I have to share with you all today. I’ve had a lot of questions from readers about my personal weight loss and thought I would do a series of posts featuring food that has helped me both to to lose and maintain a large weight loss. Please believe me when I say, I am not a weight loss expert by any means. I’m not a nutritionist or authority on any thing weight loss related. 🙂 I just know what has worked for me and wanted to pass that along.

Meal Prepping has played a big part! I do so much better when I have a handful of super healthy meals already prepped and in the fridge or freezer.

That’s what todays post is about. 14 Individual Meals prepped in 90 minutes, or less! All these recipes are both gluten and sugar free. However, they are not flavor free…please, be aware.

Today, I’ve selected 3 different protien recipes (all super simple), 3 veggies and a simple grain.

I’ll walk you through all the steps from start to finish, to ensure they all come together quickly and you can get all of them made within the 90 minutes. It really is easier than you think and will award you healthy food as you need it and peace of mind to go with it.

Here’s what we’ll be making today.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SKILLET

ITALIAN GROUND TURKEY SAUSAGE and ROASTED PARNSNIPS CARROTS and ONIONS

CITRUS PORK CHOPS and ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

INSTANT POT QUINOA

All of these are delicious and easy to prep. They keep in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to a month.

Let’s do it! Recipe ingredients and instructions are below. Scroll to the bottom for a printable version.

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Make the quinoa by pouring 2 C of quinoa and 3 C water into your instant pot. Add 3 tsp chicken bullion and 1 tsp dried parsley. Stir well and set the manual timer to 3 minutes. Be sure the valve is closed.

3. Veggies are next! Grab 2 pounds of large carrots, 1 pound of parsnips and 2 large white or yellow onions. Peel and and cut them into long slices. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and spray it generously with cooking spray. Add the veggies and spray again, generously with cooking spray. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a it blackened on the outside and tender on the inside. Seriously, my friends. You won’t believe how good these are. When they are done cooking sprinkle with a bit of rosemary, garlic salt and parsley.

4. While the carrots cook, let’s work on the butternut squash. Grab 5-6 pounds of butternut squash. I like to poke the squash a few times with a sharp knife and then put it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. This helps to soften it up a bit. I don’t every peel the squash, but you can if you like. 🙂 Slice it in half and scoop out the pulp. Cut it into similar sized chunks. (See picture above or video HERE).
5. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and spray it generously with cooking spray. Spread the squash out evenly over the sheets and spray with additional cooking spray. When your carrots are done cooking, place the squash in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until the edges are a bit blackened and the insides are tender. When you they are done, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and a bit of cinnamon.

6. Let’s sauté some peppers! Grab 5 large red, yellow or orange bell peppers and 1 large onion. Slice them up into strips. Heat a large deep skillet up over medium high heat. Spray the pan generously with cooking spray and add the veggies to the pan. Sitr and cook until crisp tender, adding a bit of water as needed. When done cooking, sprinkle with garlic salt and smoked paprika and set aside on a plate.

7. Let’s make the protien! I like to grab three large skillets and make them all simultaneously. Start with this Italian Ground Turkey Sausage, as it takes the longest to cook. Grab a deep skillet and heat it over medium high heat. Spray it generoulsy with cooking spray and add 2 pounds of ground turkey. Add 2 tsp fennel, 1 Tb parsley, 1 tsp onion salt, 1 tsp galic salt, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 2 tsp chicken bullion granules, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp pepper. Use your spatula to break it up into small pieces. Cook and stir until no longer pink and cooked through.

8. Citrus Herb Pork Chops, are up next and can be cooked while the Turkey Sausage is browning. Heat a large deep skillet up over medium high heat. Add the 2 pounds pork chops to the pan and allow them to sear. While they are searing, pour 2/3 c fresh orange juice, 1 tsp deli mustard, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp parsley, 1/2 C water and 1 tsp chicken bullion into a glass measuring cup. When the bottoms of the pork have a nice golden brown sear, turn them over and allow them to sear just for a minute or two on the other side. Pour the sauce mixture over the top, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink inside. Remove the lid and allow the moisture to cook out of the pan.

9. Philly Cheesesteak Beef is next. You really only need a few minutes to cook this protien. It will happen quickly. 🙂 Heat another deep skillet up over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add 2 pounds of flank steak, cut up into strips. Cook to your liking (I like to leave mine medium well in the center. Keep in mind you will be reheating these meals, so it’s ok to leave the centers a bit pink.) When the meat is done, sprinkle it with 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika.

What a great, healthy spread you’ve made for yourself! I like to think of it as luxury food.. 🙂

10. Time to build your meals! We’ve almost made it to the end. 🙂 I like the Hefty Meal Prep Containers at Sam’s Club. They are generally under $8.98 for 30 containers and 30 lids.

Portion out your protien, veggie and grain into individual containers.

Like this!

Place the lids on securely. They will keep in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Well done! Healthy eating is happening for you for at least the next 14 meals. 😉

My love to all of you out there. Especially those of you working on weight loss and maintenance. I hope this post has been helpful to you. Many more to come.