Meal Prep Ideas
Has the unbreakable chain of ordering food finally started to bother you? It can be the urge to start eating healthy or to save money, no matter what, quitting to order every single day is a step towards a better lifestyle. Choosing homemade food comes with its perks. It is a healthy, sustainable way of living and saves you a handsome amount of money. Once you find easy and delicious meal prep ideas, the process of preparing the food can start to be therapeutic. Wait, are you on your way to scour the internet to find recipes? Well, let us make it a whole lot easier. We have already ransacked the internet and listed some of the most lip-smacking recipes. These are easy preparations that could be made in an hour. You may prepare the meal ahead and store it for a week or more in our innovative lunch packs.
Do not let the notion of - ‘eating homemade food can be tedious’ get in your way to stay fit and healthy. Cook the meal and store it away, this will ensure you eat healthy without having to put in the effort every day.
Here are the recipes which are not just delicious but are fun to make and you can also store them away in a bento box or lunch boxes ready to eat after heating.
Sheet Pan Ratatouille Pasta
For the sauce -
Minced Garlic - 2 cloves
Diced Onion - 1
Oregano - 1 tsp
Chopped Zucchini - 1
Chopped in half Cherry Tomatoes - 1 cup
Chopped Bell Pepper - 1
Chopped Eggplant - 1
Chopped Squash - 1
Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt & pepper as per taste
For the pasta -
Spaghetti - 180 gram
Marinara, Alfredo or Pesto Sauce -1 to ½ cup
Parmesan Cheese - ¾ cup
Salt - ½ tsp
Prep time
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Preheat the oven to 204 degrees C.
- Add the chopped eggplant, 2 tbsp oil, pepper and salt for taste in a bowl and mix it well. Now, spread the eggplant on a baking sheet. Place it in the oven.
- Take a large bowl, add the veggies - squash, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, onion, zucchini, 1 tbsp of olive oil, oregano, pepper and salt. Mix them well, spread them well on another baking sheet and put them in the oven.
- Roast the eggplant for 30-35 minutes, tossing them at least once mid-way. The eggplant should turn out to be soft and sweet when done. For the veggies, you will need to roast them for 20-25 minutes without tossing.
- You can cook the pasta while the veggies roast. Boil the pasta in water, and add salt to it. Drain the water and toss the pasta with the sauce of your choice (preferably marinara).
- Time to store it. Place the pasta first, put the roasted veggies over it and top the meal with your favourite protein and cheese of your choice.
Roasted Vegetable Meals
For the pasta
Small Pasta (penne or rotini) - 2 cups
Stock - 1 cup
To Top In Future
Drained & Rinsed Black Bean - 425 gram
Sliced Bell Peppers - 2
Sliced Red Onion - ¼ cup
Diced Tomatoes - 425 gram
Boiled Corn Kernels - 1 cup
Paprika - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Shredded Mozzarella - 1 cup
Lime Juice of 1 lime
Prep Time -
- Bring the pasta to boil including the stock. Cover the pot while keeping the oven at a simmer for around 15 minutes. Keep stirring every minute.
- Once it’s done add ½ teaspoon of lime juice and mozzarella cheese and stir while it melts evenly and is distributed equally in the pasta.
- Garnish with a cilantro wedge and finely chopped cilantro.
- Combine all the veggies mentioned in the ingredients list in a large bowl. Toss it with some cumin powder, paprika and salt.
- Put it in a container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Stir fry the veggies, and make sure to remove the pot from heat and keep it like that for the last 5 minutes of cooking, this will reduce the liquids.
- Place the pasta in the bottom of the lunch pack, then the veggies along with beans, and top that up with some mozzarella or any other cheese of your choice. You are good to go for months!
Veggie Rawa Dosa
Ingredients
Green Peas - ¼ cup
Finely Chopped Onion - ¼ cup
Grated Cheese - ¼ cup
Finely Chopped Red/Green/Yellow Bell Pepper - ¼ cup
Boiled Sweet Corn Kernels - ¼ cup
Chopped Coriander Leaves - as per taste
Dosa Batter - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Prep Time
- Take a tawa and heat it over medium flame.
- Take a ladleful of dosa batter, pour it on the tawa and spread it evenly with the back of the ladle.
- Sprinkle the veggies, bell pepper, onion, peas, and corn kernels on the dosa evenly. Add the grated cheese to the dosa as well.
- Spread some oil on the edge of the dosa and cover it with the lid of the tawa while keeping the heat low.
- Wait till the bottom of the dosa turns golden brown, the cheese should melt by then.
- Carefully take out the dosa and place it in the lunch pack.
Vermicelli Upma
Ingredients
Dry Roasted Vermicelli - 2 cups
Turmeric - ½ tsp
Chopped Onion - 1
Chopped Tomato - 1
Chopped Mixed Veggies beans, carrots, peas & mushroom - 2 cups
Slit Green Chillies - 3
Oil - 2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - 1 pinch
Cumin leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander Leaves - As per taste
Salt - As per taste
Lemon juice - As per taste
Prep Time
- Heat the oil in a pan or kadhai. Now add the cumin and mustard seed and wait until they start to sputter. Put in the urad dal, hing and let them fry for a minute. Lastly, add the curry leaves and cook it again for another minute.
- Fry the onion till it turns clear, then add the green chillies, tomato, and sprinkle turmeric powder and fry for 2 minutes.
- Now pour 3 cups of water, and once it boils properly add salt, vermicelli, and boiled veggies. Cover it with a lid after you have mixed it.
- Cook it on low heat until the vermicelli and veggies have absorbed the water. Add the mushrooms before taking it off the heat.
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You can taste and then add salt as per need. Add lemon juice, pack it in a lunch box and garnish it with coriander just before closing the lid.
Curry Veggie Quinoa
For Veggies & Quinoa
Rinsed Quinoa - 1 cup
Olive or Vegetable - 3 tbsp
Vegetable stock - 2 cups
Curry Powder - 2 tsp
Large Diced Mushrooms - 4 cups
Chopped Onion - 1 cup
Sliced Bell Pepper - 1 cup
Chopped Celery Stalk - 1
Grated Garlic Clove - 1
Ground Black Pepper - ¼ tsp
Peas - ½ cup
Drained & Rinsed Chickpeas - 1 cup
Raisin - ½ cup
Roasted, Chopped & Unsalted Almond - 1 cup
Chopped Cilantro - 2 tbsp
Prep Time
-
Take a medium-sized saucepan, now add vegetable stock, salt, quinoa, and 1 teaspoon of cumin powder and stir. Boil it over high heat, when it starts to boil, decrease the heat to simmer and cover it. Simmer it for 15 mins.
- On another large saucepan add 2 tablespoons of oil and put it to medium heat. Now add the mushrooms, cook and stir until the mushrooms are soft.
- If the mushrooms have taken in the oil add another tablespoon of oil and then cook the carrot, onion, pepper and celery until they are soft.
- Now you will have to add the remaining curry powder, salt, pepper and garlic. Keep stirring for 2 minutes.
- Add the quinoa, peas, raisins, and almonds.
- Pack it in the lunch box after garnishing it with chopped cilantro.
Final Thoughts
There’s no better way to start living the healthy way than starting to eat homemade food. Any commercially cooked food contains unfresh and adulterated ingredients. Preservatives are used to keep the food fresh. Restaurants mostly have readymade food that is ready to be delivered to your doorstep. Hence, making your meals is healthier, as you use fresh ingredients making your food tasty and nutritious. Preparing homemade food is a form of self-care.
When/ you store the food, ensure that you are storing the food in the right meal boxes. We have a range of lunch packs that are made of BPA-free plastic, Wheat Straw material or stainless steel ideal to pack your meals for days.
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