A Few Food Ideas + My Meal Prep - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Blogger

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A Few Food Ideas + My Meal Prep

It seems I’ve spent my lifetime forever trying to eat healthier. Instead of dieting, however, I believe in changing your lifestyle to really embrace healthy eating and exercise. I try and meal prep for 1 hour every Sunday, especially for my work lunches and snacks, so at your request, I’m sharing what I do, as well as some ideas on what to eat. This is a quick-share post, I’ll be posting more cohesively on great meal ideas moving forward!

HOW I COOK TOFU + MY USUAL MEAL PREP

(I get three lunch meals from this)

TOFU

  • Buy the extra-firm kind
  • Dry with paper towels – put folded paper towel on plate, then tofu, then another paper towel, then some weight like another plate, plus some books or something heavy atop it. Change out paper towels after about 10 mins. Drying takes about 20 mins or so, but the longer, the better. I’ve left it drying for 40 minutes and it worked out perfectly.
  • Cube up the tofu to your preferred size.

Make the sauce:

  • Thai sweet chili sauce + soy sauce (or tamari if gluten free) + a dash of turmeric + a small dollop of ginger paste (a bit of honey if more sweetness is desired). I use half for the tofu, half for veggies.

Bake tofu:

  • Spray baking sheet with a coconut oil spray – you don’t want the tofu to stick.
  • Toss the tofu lightly in sauce. Tofu shouldn’t be doused, just lightly covered so it will get nice & toasty.
  • Bake in the oven 400 degrees, 30 minutes (toss/turn over after 15 mins).

Veggies:

  • Cut up and grill your favorite veggies with some of the leftover sauce from above. I usually do broccolini, or lately, I have been sauteing cauliflower rice and brussel sprouts. I add a teaspoon or less of peanut butter and it tastes amazing.

Starch:

  • Sometimes instead of the cauliflower rice/sprout combo, I make a 1/2 cup of quinoa, which I divide into three servings to go with the tofu and veggies. You can use brown rice too or vermicelli noodles (which are gluten free). My grocery store has minute rice single-serve containers that have a great brown rice/quinoa mix.

Once tofu is done, put veggies + tofu + quinoa in a tupperware and reheat in microwave when you’re ready to eat!

BREAKFAST IDEAS

  • A couple hard-boiled eggs
  • Smoothie – I use almond milk, frozen fruit, spoonful of protein powder, small bunch of kale, small sprinkle of hemp seed, chia seeds, tumeric – I check consistency once blended and add water. Very filling.
  • Slice of GF bread, peanut butter, sliced up bananas
  • Slice of GF bread, avocado, a bit of red pepper flakes and I also add chia and flax seeds

SNACK IDEAS

  • String cheese and a small handful of nuts (I love the Sargento cheddar sticks)
  • A spoonful of peanut butter and sliced up banana
  • Hard boiled egg or two, or one with five or so GF crackers (Nut Thins almond are my absolute fave)
  • Cottage cheese and fruit
  • One ball super food bites
  • Crispy Kale chips (see below for recipe)
  • Cut up avocado and egg or a few slices of panela or queso fresco (both Mexican cheeses)
  • Smoothie (see above on what I make it with)

Crispy kale chips

Tear off the leafy parts of the kale. Wash it and dry very very very well. You don’t want any water on them or they won’t crisp up. Use a couple spoonfuls of olive oil and spread over all the kale leafs. You want all the pieces of kale to have a thin coating of EVOO, but again, not too much or it won’t crisp as well. Add some sea salt and a bit of garlic powder. 300 degree oven, 10 minutes.

DINNER IDEAS

Lentil Buddha Bowl

  • Lentils
  • Hard-boiled egg
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocado
  • Cilantro
  • Siracha bowl

 

 

Mexican Tofu Dinner

  • Avocado
  • Garbanzo beans
  • Tofu (cooked the same way as above – I swear the taste is super adaptable)
  • Queso panela
  • Quinoa
  • Some queso fresco and cilantro sprinkled atop it

 

 

Noodle Bowl With Meat Or Tofu

  • Vermicelli noodles (1 bundle – about 130 calories)
  • Red pepper (or any veggie you want); have used broccolini too
  • Sauce (same as referenced in tofu section with tamari and sweet chili sauce; add red pepper flakes for heat)
  • Cilantro
  • Crushed up peanuts
  • You can also add sprouts and jalapenos
  • Your meat of choice or tofu

 

Lettuce Wraps

  • olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 small white onion
  • hoisin sauce
  • soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
  • About 2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 head butter lettuce

To make the sauce, mix in about 1/4 cup of hoison sauce, 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce), a bit of ginger paste, a bit of thai sweet chili sauce. Set aside.

Add olive oil and ground chicken to a large non-stick skillet. Cook and crumble over medium-high heat until browned. Drain any fat. Stir in garlic, onion, sauce until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Now you’re ready to make some lettuce wraps!

Ceviche

  • Shrimp, cute in half (pre-cooked)
  • Avocado
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Cilantro
  • Serrano (optional)
  • Heart of palm (salad cut)
  • Salt and pepper, lime
  • Handful of gluten-free chips

 

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission should you purchase using those links. All opinions expressed are my own. I receive no compensation for reviews.

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