Meal Planning is a great way to save time as well as set yourself up for a healthy week. Pinterest is going to be your best friend when you decide that you want to start meal planning. A lot of tasty and healthy recipes can be found and a lot of them are specifically made with meal prepping in mind.
One easy meal planning idea is crock pot recipes. One that I find easy and delicious is one that my friend Ashby made for me when I was at her apartment. It only has three ingredients butter, ranch powder, and chicken breast. You put three chicken breasts and a full cut up stick of butter into the crock pot. Then you sprinkle the ranch powder on top. Turn the crock pot onto 8-hours medium temperature and you are good to go. While it is not the healthiest recipe with a full stick of butter coconut oil can be used as an alternative.
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My second meal planning tip for you is to cook stuffed peppers. I chose to make vegan quinoa stuffed peppers. I picked up a pack of four bell peppers from the store that are all different colors. Next, I cut off the tops and clean them out leaving them on the side for a later step. I then cooked some quinoa to fill them. If you do not have the time to boil the quinoa I suggest buying the microwaved packets that are quick, easy and still delicious. When your quinoa is done mix it with your vegetables of choice. I love mixing the quinoa in separate bowls and adding different vegetables to each to get different flavors. This way throughout the week it does not feel like I am eating the same thing over and over again. Different items I added to my quinoa include; beans, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and squash. Make sure you are steaming your vegetables before hand or getting them from a can so that they are nice and soft. Add your seasoning of choice to the mix and start stuffing your peppers. When they are ready, have your oven preheated to 350 degrees and leave them in for about 25 minutes.
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Another easy meal plan idea is to pick four of your favorite vegetables; I chose asparagus, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and carrots. Chop them up and put them on the four separate corners of a large baking sheet. I chose to season mine with olive oil, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic but you can choose whatever spices you like best. Then, get out four chicken breasts. I chose to have two sprinkled with paprika and the other two breaded with a sprinkle of mixed cheese. Cover the chicken in baking paper and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. When it is done cooking you have four different meals ready for the week.
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My last tip is to make a dinner schedule with your roommates. We all know how busy school gets, so if you and your roommates have different nights off split the cooking. One day of the week you cook dinner for all of you and the next day your roommates can cook a dinner that they share with you. This is a great way to split up what you are eating in the week so that it does not feel like you are eating the same thing every night.
I hope my tips and trick work as great for you as they have for me!
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