Eight meals, eight hard-boiled eggs, and homemade sourdough ready for the freezer. Future me is feeling pretty darn smug.
Sunday meal prep is officially complete, and I'm feeling ridiculously accomplished.
In about 45 minutes, I made five servings of chicken, spinach, and protein pasta, three servings of egg roll in a bowl, and eight hard-boiled eggs. I also sliced up my freshly baked sourdough and tucked it into the freezer.
That's eight lunches or dinners ready to go, plus breakfast options and homemade bread whenever I want it.
And yes, I said 45 minutes.
Obviously, that doesn't include the time it took to actually make and bake the sourdough. I'm good, but I'm not performing miracles over here.
The secret? Simple recipes, convenient ingredients, and doing several things at once.
I've been focusing more on anti-inflammatory eating as part of my ongoing health and weight-loss journey. For me, that means finding ways to incorporate protein, vegetables, and fiber into meals I genuinely enjoy.
I'm not trying to win an award for the most complicated Sunday cooking project. I just want delicious food in the fridge when Monday comes calling.
Eight meals, neatly portioned and ready for the week. This is what approximately 45 minutes of meal prep looks like!
Recipe #1: Chicken, Spinach & Protein Pasta with Marinara
Makes 5 servings
I love pasta. And no, I'm not giving it up!
One of my favorite ways to make pasta work with my nutrition goals is to use a protein pasta and load it with vegetables. This week I used Brami Protein Pasta Rotini, tomato basil garlic ground chicken, marinara, and an entire nine-ounce bag of spinach.
Ingredients
4 Mighty Spark Tomato Basil Garlic Ground Chicken Patties
8 oz Brami Protein Pasta Rotini
1½ cups Whole Foods 365 Organic Marinara Sauce
9 oz Taylor Farms Spinach
Instructions
Cook the Brami protein pasta according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, cook the ground chicken patties in a large skillet, breaking them into crumbles as they brown.
Add the marinara sauce and spinach to the cooked chicken. Continue cooking until the spinach wilts and everything is heated through.
Combine the pasta with the chicken, spinach, and marinara mixture. Divide into five meal-prep containers.
And that's it!
If you've never cooked with an entire nine-ounce bag of spinach, prepare yourself. It looks like enough greens to feed a small village when it first goes into the skillet.
Then it wilts down, and suddenly you're wondering where it all went.
I particularly like that this recipe gives me a combination of protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates. The protein pasta is an easy swap, and the spinach adds vegetables without changing the character of the meal.
Five servings of chicken, spinach, marinara, and protein pasta. Pasta absolutely has a place in my meal plan!
Estimated Nutrition Per Serving
349 calories · 26.4 g protein · 36.2 g carbohydrates · 6.4 g fiber · 11.3 g fat · 713 mg sodium. One of five servings.
Estimated nutrition based on the ingredients and serving yields previously logged. Actual values vary by product and portion size; ginger and garlic amounts were not quantified.
Recipe #2: Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl with Ground Beef & Broccoli Slaw
Makes 3 servings
Egg roll in a bowl is one of those recipes that sounds far more complicated than it actually is.
All those delicious savory flavors, none of the rolling, and definitely none of the deep frying.
And thanks to a bag of pre-shredded broccoli slaw, there's hardly any vegetable prep involved.
Ingredients
1 lb 93% Lean Ground Beef
1 bag (12 oz) Whole Foods 365 Broccoli Slaw
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
Ginger, to taste
Garlic, to taste
Instructions
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks.
Add the broccoli slaw, ginger, and garlic.
Stir in the sesame oil and soy sauce.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli slaw softens and the flavors combine.
Divide into three meal-prep containers.
This made three generously sized servings.
I particularly like using broccoli slaw rather than having to slice cabbage and shred carrots myself. The vegetables are ready to go straight from the bag into the skillet.
And while I enjoy cooking, I have absolutely no problem letting the grocery store handle some of the chopping for me.
The lean beef provides protein, the broccoli slaw adds vegetables and fiber, and the ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce bring plenty of flavor.
Three generous servings of egg roll in a bowl. Pre-shredded broccoli slaw is doing the heavy lifting here, and I'm not mad about it.
Estimated Nutrition Per Serving
307 calories · 33.7 g protein · 2.7 g fiber · 13.3 g fat. One of three servings. Carbohydrates and sodium have not been fully verified.
Estimated nutrition based on the ingredients and serving yields previously logged. Actual values vary by product and portion size; ginger and garlic amounts were not quantified.
Eight Hard-Boiled Eggs for Easy Breakfasts
While I was working on the main dishes, I also made eight hard-boiled eggs.
Not exactly a groundbreaking recipe, I know.
But sometimes the most useful meal-prep items are the simplest.
I'm typically at work by 6:30 or 6:45 in the morning, so elaborate weekday breakfasts aren't exactly happening.
One of my favorite breakfasts lately has been two hard-boiled eggs, a Fairlife Nutrition Plan protein shake, and a banana.
It's easy, requires practically no thought, and helps me start my day with protein.
And with the eggs already cooked, all I have to do is grab them from the refrigerator.
The Sourdough Situation: Bake, Slice & Freeze
Did you really think I was going to get through a weekend without baking sourdough?
Please.
Another gorgeous loaf came out of the oven this weekend, and I am still ridiculously pleased every time I get that beautiful golden crust and oven spring.
Fresh homemade sourdough. That crust! That oven spring! I'm still obsessed.
I've gotten into a pretty consistent sourdough-baking routine, and one of my favorite tricks is to slice the loaf and freeze it.
While I was cooking and portioning this week's meals, I also pulled out my bread slicer, sliced up the loaf, and got it ready for freezer storage.
My sourdough sliced and ready for the freezer. Homemade avocado toast is never far away!
That way, whenever I want avocado toast or a piece of homemade bread with breakfast, I can pull out exactly what I need.
No racing to finish an entire loaf before it goes stale. No wasting perfectly good homemade bread.
And no, I'm not giving up sourdough just because I'm focusing on healthier eating.
I love my homemade bread, and I want an eating plan that makes room for the foods I enjoy.
Want to Make Your Own Sourdough?
I've already shared my complete recipe and step-by-step weekend baking schedule, from mixing the dough to that glorious moment when you pull your loaf out of the oven.
Read My Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe and Weekend Baking Schedule
If you've been curious about getting started with sourdough, that's a great place to begin.
Everything I Prepped in About 45 Minutes
| Meal Prep | Yield |
|---|---|
| Chicken, Spinach & Protein Pasta | 5 meals |
| Ground Beef Egg Roll in a Bowl | 3 meals |
| Hard-Boiled Eggs | 8 eggs |
| Homemade Sourdough | 1 loaf, sliced for freezing |
That's eight complete meal portions, eight eggs, and homemade bread ready whenever I need it.
Total meal-prep time: Approximately 45 minutes, excluding the sourdough-making and baking process.
The best part is that I didn't have to spend my entire Sunday chained to the stove.
I could cook the two main dishes, prepare my eggs, and take care of the sourdough while everything else was happening.
A little multitasking goes a long way.
My Approach to Anti-Inflammatory Eating
I've been working on making my everyday meals more consistent with an anti-inflammatory eating pattern, particularly as I continue my weight-loss journey.
That doesn't mean every single thing I eat has to qualify as some sort of nutritional superstar.
Instead, I'm looking at the bigger picture.
Am I eating enough protein? Am I getting vegetables into my meals? Am I incorporating fiber? Am I choosing foods that satisfy me and support the habits I want to maintain?
And perhaps most importantly, am I enjoying what I eat?
Both of this week's recipes help me work toward those goals.
The pasta combines chicken, spinach, tomatoes, and protein pasta. The egg roll bowl includes lean beef, broccoli slaw, garlic, and ginger.
I'm also being realistic about the fact that sustainable eating needs to fit into my life.
I'm not eliminating dairy, swearing off pasta, or breaking up with my beloved sourdough. That would just make me miserable, and I don't see the point.
I'd rather focus on the overall pattern of what I'm eating and make improvements I can actually stick with.
Meal Prep Doesn't Need to Take Over Your Weekend
I know meal prepping sometimes conjures up images of spending an entire Sunday cooking, chopping, and washing dishes.
No thank you.
This weekend was a great reminder that it doesn't have to be complicated.
Two straightforward recipes, a batch of eggs, and a little sourdough freezer prep.
About 45 minutes later, I had eight prepared meals ready for the week.
And now, when Monday rolls around and I'm heading out the door before most people have finished their first cup of coffee, lunch is one less thing I have to think about.
That is my kind of Sunday productivity.
Are you a meal-prep person, or do you prefer to figure out what you're eating as you go? And if you've got an easy, protein-packed recipe I should try, send it my way! I'm always looking for something new to add to the rotation.
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