More Healthy Meal Prep Ideas

I thought I would share with you some of the healthy lunches I whipped up for the rest of this week. I never regret meal prepping. It ALWAYS comes in handy. Next week I start a new chapter, I will be going back to work part time at the elementary school that my two youngest children attend. I will also have delicious, healthy lunches without a lot of effort :)

I made a cup of quinoa (which goes a long way) that I cooked in vegetable broth with a touch of curry powder. I added zucchini and yellow squash that I had sautéed in olive oil and garlic, plus some peas, cilantro, and a little Parmesan cheese. I might add avocado when it's time to grub. I made two servings of this particular mix.

If you are afraid you will get bored of the same meal over and over, mix it up a little. I used the rest of the quinoa and added chili beans, salsa, cilantro, hot sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Avocado would be a tasty addition to this version as well. I made two servings of this version and STILL had quinoa to spare!

I took the rest of the quinoa and added the left over squash, chili beans, and cilantro, kind of a mix of the two together. I can always have it for dinner one night.

Filling, nutrient-rich, wheat-free, dairy free if you omit the Parmesan, lunches with no on going effort during the week.

You could try adding corn, black beans, pinto beans, mushrooms, water chestnuts, or even dried cranberries.

Let me know if you try it!

All the love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Almond Butter and Dark Chocolate Granola Bites

I've tried making similar "protein bites" in the past and they didn't turn out very well. They were thick and bland. These turned out great! They definitely made the A list since my husband and the kids. They are packed full of healthy protein and tasted great with my coffee.

I was planning on making granola bars and at the the last minute, decided to roll them into balls. I'm guessing these would work well in the freezer and then thaw before baking if you decided to make a huge batch.

I like to add as much healthy goodies to food as I can. I almost always add chia seeds, flax seed, and hemp seeds to my granola bars and oatmeal. I left the hemp out this time around as I was saving what I had left for my oatmeal. These are super versatile, you can omit or add a huge range of ingredients to your liking. I usually add coconut as well, but passed this time around.

Here is how it went down!

Here is how it went down:

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup apple sauce
drizzle of honey
1/3 package of dark chocolate chips (more if desired)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2-3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup milk of choice to moisten (give or take) I used almond milk creamer

Combined the oats, chia seed, and flax in a large mixing bowl and mix together.

Add gobs of apple sauce for some sweetness and fluffiness (I'm guessing about a half a cup) and drizzle your desired amount of honey.

Stir your chips in and liberally dash the cinnamon! Next time I may try using more chocolate chips, I used about a third of the bag so there seems to be about 1-3 chips in each ball.

Next I put in many gobs of almond butter, guessing to be about 3/4 of a cup and mixed it in.

At this point it was a little too dry and I was out of my staple milk, cashew milk. I really didn't want to add dairy, so I splashed in some of my almond milk creamer and mixed it all together.

With wet hands, roll your mixture into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls and place them on a greased dish. I used a 13x9 glass baking dish smeared with coconut oil.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Move each ball to a dish of your choice and enjoy!

This recipe made almost two batches.

There you have it. Yummy, healthy, protein-packed, simple bites that you can enjoy at home or on the go.

All the love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Lunch - Red Quinoa and Rice with Fire Roasted Peppers and Onions

This one is a bit of a cheat. Not a cheat as in a greasy or sweet sugar loaded meal, but a cheat as in not homemade. Still, in it's cheater fashion, it is healthy, so who cares?

I used two items. Costco sells packets of Rice and Red Quinoa and I had Trader Joe's frozen Fire Roasted Peppers and Onions.

Microwave the rice and quinoa and saute the peppers and onions in a pan. I added some garlic powder, Himalayan salt, black pepper, and red pepper.

Quinoa is very high in protein and is considered a complete protein packed full of amino acids (more information here), so there is really no nutritional need to add meat, but throw some in if it floats your boat! Water chestnuts would be a nice added crunch to this lunch.

Filling, healthy, and satisfying in a bout two minutes.