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Healthy Eating

Meal Prepping: Easy Meals to Create for the Whole Week!

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No matter how busy you are it is always important to prioritize your health. One of the simplest ways to make sure you are getting all of the nutrients you need is through pre-planning your meals. Let your health journey become a little easier, here are three easy meals to create for the whole week!

Want to learn more about the basics of meal prepping? Click here to watch a video by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics discussing this topic.

An Easy and Delicious Breakfast Burritos

(5 meals)

What You Need: A dozen eggs, 1 ripe avocados, 1 cup of american cheese, 2 cups of spinach, 5 whole wheat tortillas, ½ cup of salsa, 1 tablespoon of paprika, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: sausage chunks, ¼ a cup of cilantro, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, 1 lime, jalapenos, etc.

  1. Grab a large non-stick pan and place it over medium heat. If you do not have a non-stick pan then drizzle vegetable oil into your pan and spread. 
  2. Add 6 egg whites and 6 full eggs into the pan and scramble until cooked through. As the eggs are cooking, add the paprika and spinach. Continue mixing until fully cooked. 
  3. While the eggs are cooking, separate 5 whole wheat tortillas onto your counter. Cut the ripe avocados and mash in order to spread an even amount onto each wrap. 
  4. Once the eggs are finished, place an even amount of the egg mixture onto each wrap. 
  5. Add about a ⅕ a cup of american cheese (if you would like a healthier option replace the cheese with nutritional yeast) to each burrito as well as salsa. You are allowed to be creative with this step. I personally recommend adding some jalapenos, a small squeeze of lime juice, and a sprinkle of chia seeds into each wrap.
  6. Once your burritos are filled, wrap them up and set them to the side. You will then take a clean pan, place it over medium-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. 
  7. Place the burritos onto the pan and let cook. After 3 minutes flip each burrito onto its opposite side and cook again for another 3 minutes.
  8. Once fully cooked, take each burrito and place each wrap into an individual ziplock bag and freeze to be eaten later. Once ready to eat, wrap the burrito in a paper towel and heat up for 1 minute in the microwave. Now enjoy!

This easy and tasty meal-prep recipe is sure to make eating healthy easier than ever! 1 burrito is roughly 400 calories, contains 20 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbs, 8 grams of saturated fat, 100% of your recommended vitamin A intake, and 24 grams of overall fat (include mono and polyunsaturated fats).

A Simple Caprese Salad for Lunch

(4 pieces for 5 meals)

What You Need: 2 balls of mozzarella (or a 16 oz block), 2 large tomatoes, 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette, fresh basil leaves to taste.

  1. Wash under cold water and cut the tomatoes into thin slices (roughly ¼ an inch). Do the same with the mozzarella. You want to have the same number of tomato and mozzarella slices.
  2. Place all of the tomatoes into a reusable tupperware container with no overlap. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese onto each piece of tomato.
  3. Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette overtop of the mozzarella and tomatoes.
  4. Finally add a small amount of basil to each individual tomato-mozzarella slice and enjoy! 

This simple treat is easy to make and can be stored in your fridge for use up to 5 days! Caprese salads are a great side item to any meal, but can also be eaten alone. I recommend adding a protein such as lean chicken or fish as a main course along with this salad. 1 serving of caprese salad (4 pieces) contains 250 calories, 16 grams of protein, 16 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 30% of your recommended daily intake of calcium, and only 4 grams of crabs. 

A Low Fat Garlic Pasta Recipe

(5 servings)

What You Need: 4 cups of grape tomatoes, a box of whole wheat pasta, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 6-10 garlic cloves (depending on taste preference), 3 ¼ cups of unsweetened fat free milk, 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 5 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper to taste, and a ¼ a cup of chives.

Optional: Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, shredded chicken to add

  1. Cut the tomatoes in half and add some salt and pepper on top. Place into the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Finish the rest of the dish while the tomatoes are baking. 
  2. Add water into a large bowl and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook.
  3. While your pasta is cooking, grab a skillet and place on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, chives, salt and pepper. Mix frequently until the chives are soft. 
  4. Slowly add the flour to the skillet and continue to mix. Once all of the flour is added, mix in the unsweetened milk and continuously stir. We are looking for the mixture to thicken, but not create clumps. 
  5. Add nutritional yeast, the garlic clove (pre-chopped), and salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice at this time if desired. The sauce should be thick at this point.
  6. Drain the pasta and mix in a large bowl with the sauce as well as the tomatoes. Stir the mixture and enjoy!

This garlicky dish is loaded with flavor and is only 520 calories per serving! Each bowl of pasta without the chicken contains 18 grams of protein, 85 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fat with less that 2 grams of saturated fat per serving, 13 grams of fiber, and 50% of your recommended vitamin A intake.  

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Announcement: Living Your Healthy Sweet Life Podcast Series

Be sure to check out our Living Your Healthy Sweet Life Podcast Series! In this series, we discuss how to break out of your old habits and form new healthy habits while still being able to enjoy cookies from time to time. Could you imagine a life not controlled by food or other cravings? It would be much easier to enjoy the moment you are in. Let’s make a fresh start together this week with Episode 5 on Enjoy Mindful Eating!

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To your Joy and Health,

Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN

This blog post is written by Bailee Richman, Dietetics Student from the University of Maryland