Meal Prep Week Four

Week 4 and we are going strong!!! I hope people are getting some meal prep inspiration from these posts. I know writing this post every week has helped me to plan my meals and make sure I’m prepping healthy tasty food to fit with my busy schedule at the minute.

 

This week, I’ve changed things up a little, I’ve given one breakfast option, I noticed a lot of people following the real prep were only in need of one breakfast for the 5 days so this week we are sticking with a homemade granola recipe – my favourite one, no guesses for why! The Notella Granola is something I wake up looking forward to it’s so satisfying but once you make it and it cools be sure to section it off into the 5 portions – especially if you’re like me and a little bit of a picker. For those of you who prefer to stick to savoury in the morning, check out my savoury granola recipe on the blog!

 

Lunch and Dinner options this week are my favourite so far! I have given a fish, beef and vegetarian option. The pesto baked tuna balls are a variation of my tuna burgers, they’re delicious eaten hot or cold.

 

The beef slow cooker curry, well I haven’t really done a slow cooker recipe yet. If you don’t have a slow cooker get one they are as serious game changer in meal prep. I’ve inked the one I use below and it’s really inexpensive. Anyway, this recipe is going to warm you right up after a cold evening and give you that comforting feeling but in minutes!

 

The veggie option is sweet potato and chickpea fritters, they’re just really satisfying and tick all the right boxes to make sure your full, satisfied and healthy. There is exact quantities for 10 lunches and dinners so no need to alter ingredients.

 

I’ve given recommendations with each recipe how they are best served, all suitable for freezing.

 

Snacks are something I struggle with and slip up on, particularly when I have lots of nut butters around the house or easy nibbles. I have limited my snacks this week to boiled eggs (I know boring) but a fantastic snack all the same and a simple oat scone recipe (below) for an after training snack.

 

Week 1 Meal Prep 

Week 2 Meal Prep

Week 3 Meal Prep

 

BREAKFAST

 

Notella Granola

 

5 portions

Keep stored in a sealed container for up to 7 days

 

Ingredients:

 

• 200g Jumbo Oats
• 150g Hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp. Raw Cacao Powder
• 3 tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 2 tbsp. Coconut Oil
• 1 tbsp. Almond Butter or Hazelnut Butter
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 40g Cacao Nibs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Essence
• Pinch Sea Salt

 

Serve with

 

• 1 ripe Pear (cored & sliced)
• 1 tbsp. Maple
• 1 tsp. Mixed Spice
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil

 

 

Method:

 

1. Preheat oven to 170°C
2. Start by placing the hazelnuts on a roasting tray and bake for 12 minutes until they are browned and the skin is lifted.
3. Using a tea towel rub off the hazelnut skins (or you could buy them pre roasted with skins removed).
4. Divide the hazelnuts in half. In a pestle and mortar crush one half of the hazelnuts into small pieces and the other half roughly crush into halves for chunkier bits or leave whole.
5. In a large mixing bowl add your oats, cacao powder and cinnamon.
6. In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil, stir in the maple syrup, nut butter and vanilla essence.
7. Pour over the oats and combine well.
8. Toss over onto a lined baking tray and spread evenly, if you want it in clusters take sections and press them together. Add your dry ingredients to the mix.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes tossing half way through, until evenly toasted.
10. Leave to cool for 10 minutes especially if you are making clusters.

 

Serve with nut milk, Greek yogurt, over porridge or simply by itself!

 

 

LUNCH/DINNER

 

 

Pesto Baked Tuna Balls 

 

serves 8 balls

2 per meal portion

 

Ingredients:

 

• 6 x 92g tins tuna drained
• 3 tbsp. pesto (pesto of preference I love the happy pear pesto)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 70g pumpkin seed or seed mix (pumpkin and sunflower) – milled using a food processor or Nutri Bullet into flour texture
• 1 Organic egg

 

Sweet Red Hummus – optional 

 

• 1 Roasted red pepper (fresh or from a jar)
• 1 tin chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp. tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. maple syrup

 

Method:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. In a mixing bowl add the drained tuna, mash up thoroughly using a fork.
3. Add in the olive oil, pesto, milled seeds and egg. Combine and let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Roll into balls and place on a lined tray and bake for 20 minutes at 200°C.
5. Remove and Let Cool for 5-10 minutes to get a little crispy.
6. To make the hummus dip, add all the ingredients into a food processor or Nutri Bullet and blend until creamy and completely smooth.
7. Serve alongside some greens- check out meal prep week1 for the veggie freezer bags!

 

 

Slow Cooker Beef curry 

serves 4 large portions

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1.5kg Beef on the Bone (Beef Ribs are a great call here)
• 2 Onions diced
• 4 Cloves Garlic (diced finely)
• 2 large Dried Chillies (I left my seeds in, but remove for a milder curry)
• 2 tbsp. Curry spice
• 1.1/2” Ginger Grated
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon.
• 1 tsp. Mixed Spice
• 6 lime Kaffir Leaves
• 200ml beef stock (good quality)
• 4 tbsp. desiccated Coconut
• 1 tbsp. Tomato Puree

 

Serve with

 

• Riced Cauliflower
• Dollop of Coyo yogurt- or natural yogurt.
• Fresh diced Chillies
• Fresh Chopped Coriander

 

 

Method

 

1. Prepare your slow cooker (I picked up mine for about €40 in Argos). Place in all the ingredients except for the beef and mix to combine.
2. Place in the beef and stir covering the beef in the marinade.
3. Set the heat to low and cook for 11 hours.
4. Once finished remove the bones, the meat should easily slide off the bone.
5. Place the bones to one side and stir the curry breaking up the beef into shredded pieces. YUM!!! Enjoy.

 

 

Sweet potato and chickpea Fritters 

serves 2 fritters

 

Ingredients

 

• 300g Sweet Potato (peeled & grated)
• 280g chickpeas (drained)
• 1 tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 clove of Garlic Crushed
• 1 Egg
• 50g Whole Almonds or Ground Almonds
• 1 tsp. herbamare (or salt and pepper with mixed herb)

 

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. In an oven proof frying pan, place the chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, egg, almonds and herbs in a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Add in half the grated sweet potato and blend once more until almost smooth.
4. Stir in the remaining grated sweet potato.
5. Prepare the frying pan over medium to high heat and place on a little coconut oil.
6. Spoon 2 tbsp. of mixture onto the pan and press down 1 inch thick.
7. Cook for 3-4 minutes until it begins to crisp around the edges.
8. Carefully flip to the other side and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
9. Place the pan in the oven for a further 5 minutes.
10. Serve alongside eggs, avocado or some greens!

 

 

SNACKS

 

Simple Oat Scone

serves 6 small or 5 big scones

 

Ingredients

 

• 300g oats
• 3 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. honey
• ½ tbsp. baking powder
• 2 banana
• 2 egg whites
• 125g blueberries

 

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Place the oats into a food processor and blend into a flour like consistency.
3. Pour into a bowl along with the baking powder and stir.
4. Spoon in the coconut oil and using your fingers tips rub together with the oat mix.
5. In a food processor or Nutri Bullet add the egg whites, honey and banana and blend until smooth.
6. Pour into the mixing bowl and combine well, the dough will be slightly wet.
7. Stir in the blueberries evenly and prepare a lined baking tray.
8. Using your hands take sections and roll into large ball shapes and place on the tray.
9. Place in the oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.