FTR Community Meal Prep

Fit to Recover Members gathered again to combine chopping skills, mixing madness, and seasoning specialities to create healthy and delicious meals for the week!

This week, we focused on these star ingredients:

Cauliflower:  Loaded with fiber, Vitamin C, B vitamins, and a hefty amount of plant protein, cauliflower is an incredibly versatile and tasty ingredient! It's affordable and even available in frozen "rice" form!

Lentils: Another powerhouse of plant protein, lentils steal the show for high iron and protein, plus Vitamin B-6 and Magnesium-- both important nutrients for muscle and cell function!

Turkey: Purchased in it's ground form for ease of preparation, turkey is a lean protein that is especially high in tryptophan- an amino acid that naturally converts to serotonin in our bodies to help us feel calm and happy. It's an inexpensive source of iron, zinc, phosphorus and potassium. 

We chose recipes that allowed us to overlap these ingredients with different sauces, spins, and flavors. We all left with balanced, healthy, and delicious meals that helped us to all nourish happy!

                                     

Check out the recipes we made:

                                                                       GROUP 1

                             Turkey and/or Lentil Tacos with Mexican Cauliflower Rice

30 Minutes; Serves 5

                                                                        Ingredients:
                                                    

                                                     Lentil and turkey tacos:
                                                       Homemade taco seasoning:

1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1.5 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp corn starch (optional)
·       2 cups brown lentils, cooked
·       2lbs ground turkey (can be dark and light meat)
·       1 onion, chopped
·       3 cloves garlic, minced
·       1 cups vegetable broth or water
·       1 tbsp tomato paste

Simple Guacamole:
2 avocados, mashed
1/2 tomato
        1/2  red onion, diced
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 lime, juiced
1 handful cilantro

Mexican cauliflower rice:
10 minutes, serves 5

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 white onion
2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 lb cauliflower rice (about 1 very large heads)- or buy 1 bag frozen Cauliflower rice
1/2 jalapeno, de-seeded and diced
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes, drained
Salt, to taste ~1 tsp
Chopped cilantro

*Adapted from Budgetbytes, and skinnytaste recipes

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Measure out and mix together the taco seasoning. Dice 2 onions and place in bowl to be divided between recipes. Mix together the simple guacamole in a large bowl.
2. Mince cloves of garlic, enough for both recipes. Heat oil in pan, and add onion and garlic.3. Sauté for 5 minutes or so, until onions begin to turn translucent. Add ground turkey and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and taco seasoning.

4. Add broth (as needed) and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid becomes thick and clings to meat. Remove the meat and place in a bowl. Use same pan for cauliflower rice.
 
5. To make the cauliflower rice: trim off the greens and stems of the cauliflower and cut into sizes that will fit into your food processor. Pulse until it resembles a rice-like texture. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Sauté for 2 minutes until soft. Sprinkle in the chili powder and cumin and salt. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the cauliflower and stir letting it crisp up and any moisture evaporate. About 5 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and stir to combine. Sprinkle with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
 
 
 
GROUP 2
 
Turkey, Lentil, Barley Mediterranean Bowls
30 minutes; makes 5 servings
 
1 tbsp oil
1 lbs turkey
1 lemon, sliced
1 tsp each: rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cups lentils
1 zucchinis, spiralized
1 bags (12 oz) baby spinach
1 cup hulled barley
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cucumbers, diced
1 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup artichokes (optional)
1/2 cup kalamata olives (optional)
1 cups feta cheese
 
Simple yogurt dill sauce:
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 clove garlic, minced
3 teaspoon chopped fresh dill leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
 
Avocado Mouse:
 
3 avocados
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp honey (may add more)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
1. Place vegetable broth in pan and heat until it boils. Add 1 cups barley, reduce to a simmer, and cover to allow to cook, about 50 minutes. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, halve the grape tomatoes and dice the cucumbers.
 
2. Dice onion and mince garlic. Heat oil in medium-large pan and add ground turkey. Sprinkle in rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Remove from heat. Spiralize the zucchini for the Mediterranean bowls.
 
3. Make dill yogurt sauce: Mix all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.
 
4. Prepare the avocado mouse. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
 
Build the bowl: Place spinach on the bottom, top with lentils and barley. Place turkey on top, and add cucumbers, tomato, artichoke, feta and olives, if desired.
 
GROUP 3
 
Turkey Burgers /Lentil Burgers with Roasted Cauliflower
30 minutes, 5 servings
 
Turkey Burgers
1 white onion, chopped
1 tbsp oil
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1.5 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground mustard (optional)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound lean ground turkey
 
Roasted Cauliflower:
1 heads cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
 
Lentil Burgers*
1 carrot, peeled
1/2 medium yellow or white onion
3 garlic cloves, or 1.5 tsp minced
2 cups cooked green or brown lentils
1 can chickpeas
2 eggs
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, made into oat flour in a blender
Handful fresh cilantro 
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon  hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon  sea salt
1/2 teaspoon  black pepper
 extra-virgin olive oil for cooking
 
Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangos, diced (see photos)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1-2  limes, juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander

*Adapted from Cookie and Kate
 
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Make the roasted Cauliflower: Cut cauliflower into small pieces for roasting. Place in large bowl, drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, over cauliflower and stir. Spread on baking sheet and place in oven for about 40 minutes, or until browned and soft.
 
2. Make the Turkey Burgers: Heat oil in pan. Place onion and oil in a small skillet; cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or until very soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and place in bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, mustard, pepper, salt and onion. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix just until combined. Shape into two patties. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Then, in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook patties over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side and until middle is no longer pink. Serve on buns.

Lentil Burgers- YUM!

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3. Make the lentil burgers. Blend up the 1 cup oats in your food processor. Blend until the oats have a fine, flour-like texture. Transfer the oats to a bowl for later.
2. Grate the carrot by hand or in the food processor and remove to a bowl. Cut the onion into a few slices before adding the onion and garlic cloves to the food processor. Pulse until the onions are roughly chopped, but no more.
3. Add to the food processor: lentils and chickpeas, eggs, oats (save some for dusting), handful of cilantro, all of the spices, salt and black pepper. Process only until the mixture has the consistency of a chunky hummus. Stir in the grated carrot.
4. Form into 1 inch patties, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Dust with oat flour on the outside, and cook in pan with 1 tbsp oil. On medium heat, cook about 4.5-5 minutes per side.

5. Make mango salsa. In a serving bowl, combine the prepared mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro and jalapeño. Drizzle with the juice of one lime and mix well. Season to taste with salt. For best flavor, let the salsa rest for 10 minutes or longer.

  

Thanks for a great evening full of delicious, real, and healthy food! And, as always, we all added the secret ingredient: love!

Happy nourishing!!

Look for the next Community Meal Prep on Thursday, April 20th 5:30-7!

Meal Prep Part 2: Prepare!

Now that we learned the basics of Meal Planning and Prepping, the FTR community took on Meal Preparing Together! Because cooking is always more fun when done together, right?

FTR members help each other assemble meals to take home after a large Community Meal Prep.

When planning these meals, we wanted to overlap ingredients to be used throughout the week. Each workshop participant was asked to buy a couple items from the store and contribute them to the group.

Our choices: Chicken, quinoa, sweet potato, and salmon. Pretty standard ingredients, right? Well we sure managed to make some delicious and healthy combinations.

Here's why we chose these star ingredients:

Chicken: great source of protein. Able to prepare in bulk and overlap into many recipes. One of the amino acids in chicken, tryptophan, converts to serotonin in the body, helping to improve your mood and sleep!

Quinoa: A high fiber, high protein grain that is easy to cook and can be very versatile in recipes. It has a high iron content and is gluten-free for people with sensitivities for intolerances.

Sweet Potato: Another fiber powerhouse, packed with Vitamin A and C for a healthy immune system, and Potassium and B Vitamins for adequate energy and muscle functioning.

Salmon: Recommended to buy wild caught (rather than farm raised, look at the ingredients if it is not on the front). This fish provides a healthy dose of omega-3's to prevent inflammation in our bodies and improve our brain's communication with our body. It's also a great source of protein and B Vitamins. We used canned wild caught salmon to reduce the price and add convenience to our prep.

Find the Recipes we used below! Get some buddies together and do your OWN community Meal prep! :)

FTR members went home with at least 6 different meals for their upcoming week!

GROUP 1

Coconut Chicken Curry

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves: 5-6

·       2 tablespoons coconut oil

·       1 onion, chopped

·       3 cloves garlic, minced

·       1 can (15 ounces) full-fat coconut milk

·       2 tablespoons curry powder

·       1/2 tablespoons turmeric

·        2 tablespoons garam masala (optional)

·       1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

·       I/2 head broccoli

·       1 large sweet potato or yam, cut into small cubes

·       2 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 can crushed tomatoes

·       2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

·       1 ½ cups cooked quinoa

·       Cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Person 1: Chop onion and garlic. Set aside in bowl. Cube sweet potato, cut broccoli into small florets. Heat coconut oil in a deep pan over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add chopped chicken, sweet potato and broccoli. Sauté 5 more minutes.

2. Person 2: Chop chicken breasts into 1” cubes. Measure out curry powder, turmeric, and garam masala. Shred ginger on cheese grater. Then, add spice mix and ginger to vegetable mix allowing the spices to “toast,” about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Serve over cooked quinoa and garnish with cilantro. 

Person 3:  Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and grated on cheese grater

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the garlic and sweet potatoes.

Sauté for 10-15 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and onions are translucent.

Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a baking pan.

Broil for 5 minutes or until potatoes have reached your desired crispiness. They should be just a little browned on top.

GROUP 2

Chicken Buddha Bowls

Time: 30 minutes

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes

1 large red onions

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 c. baby spinach

2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp fresh)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

1.5 tablespoons honey

Juice of 1 lime

1.5 tablespoons sesame oil

1 small handful Chopped cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons Toasted sesame seeds

1 avocados, thinly sliced

2 cups quinoa, dry

Directions:

Person 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Chop sweet potatoes and red onion, about the same size and place in a bowl. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread sweet potatoes and red onions onto a large baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Make dressing. Whisk together garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey and lime juice until evenly combined. Whisk in sesame oil and 2 tablespoon of olive oil until smooth.

Person 2: Prepare chicken. Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground ginger. Add chicken to skillet and cook for 6-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Let rest for 10 minutes, then cut each breast into 1" pieces.

Person 3: Prepare quinoa for Curry, Buddha Bowls and Quinoa Breakfast blend (8 cups total). Place 3 cups in one pot, and 5 in another pot.

Adapted from Delish.com.

Banana Bread Breakfast Quinoa
Serves 1

1 very ripe banana – mashed (or other fruit, frozen berries/fresh berries, etc)

1/2 cups dry quinoa

1/2 cup almond milk (or coconut milk or milk of your choice)
 walnuts to top
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
.5 Tbsp cinnamon

Cook the quinoa on the stove to package instructions. After the quinoa has finished cooking (while over low heat), stir in the almond milk, mashed banana, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix the walnuts into the quinoa or add on top. Transfer to a bowl and enjoy warm.
Note: You could add additional milk until desired texture is reached.

Adapted from rabbitfoodformybunnyteeth.com

GROUP 3

Servings: 5

Time: 45minutes

Ingredients:

1-15oz can wild salmon, drained

1/2 cup almond meal (or old-fashioned oats or breadcrumbs)

2 eggs

Juice of 1 lemons

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pepper, to taste

1 cup very finely chopped kale (stems removed)

1/2 cup very finely chopped broccoli florets

1/2 medium chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped parsley (optional)

Instructions:

Person 1: Place drained salmon in a large bowl

Add eggs, almond meal, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Person 2: chop veggies very finely. Mix well with salmon mix (can use hands).

Form into tightly-packed patties. Place on a plate lined with foil or parchment paper and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Once refrigerated, heat a large skillet sprayed with oil over medium heat. Once hot, add burgers. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, or until browned.

From: Hummusapien.com

Person 3:

Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cup chickpea flour (aka garbanzo bean flour)

3 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon  cumin seeds

1 medium finely chopped onion

1 red bell pepper, diced (optional)

1 jalapeno, diced and de-seeded (optional)

¼ cup packed chopped cilantro

3-4 tablespoons oil

½ cup shredded zucchini or carrots (optional)

Directions: In a bowl, combine the chickpea flour and ¾ cup water. Whisk to get a smooth consistency. Whisk in another ½ to ¾ cup water to make a thin lump-free batter. (If using besan, you will need less water to get the same consistency).

Add the salt, turmeric, cayenne, cumin seeds, onion, bell pepper, chile, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon of oil, and mix well. Add zucchini or carrot if using. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, drizzle a few drops of oil on the skillet. Spread the oil using a paper towel. Pour a ladle full (1/4 to ⅓ cup) of the batter onto the skillet. Spread the batter by moving the skillet to make a 6 to 8-inch pancake. Drizzle a few drops of oil on the edges of the pancake.

Cook until the edges start to leave the pan and the bottom is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Continue to make the rest of the pancakes. 

Happy Nourishing!

Meal Prep Part 1: Planning and Purchasing

One of the most common questions I get at FTR is about how to meal plan and meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal planning and meal prepping, for the following reasons:

1.  Meal Planning saves time, money, and aims to help you have healthy and adequate food ready when you need it

2.     Meal planning can help you stay on track with healthy eating and allow you to save money by not eating out or letting food go bad.

3.    Meal planning can help people come together around food (whether its a family or friends) and help put food as a priority throughout the week.

Meal planning is not only about preparing lots of one type of food; the goal is to have variety, too!

The Food to Recover Mediterranean Spread at the FTR 2nd Anniversary Party took lots of Planning and Purchasing, but we sure saved a lot of time and money overlapping ingredients!

Meal Planning can be broken into 3 parts: planning, purchasing, and preparing. The overall “P” is also prioritizing… you must take the time to plan and prepare your meals, which will pay off in the end!

To begin, start with the first P: PLAN:
1. Start by thinking about meals that you (and maybe your family) like to eat. Do not try and plan meals that you are not familiar with or do not know if you will like. 
2. Write out your meals for a week. You can start by focusing on one meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
3. To plan your meal, start with the protein (meat, eggs, tofu, lentils/beans, yogurt) in the meal and fill in a whole grain and some vegetables that would pair well with it.
4. Try to stretch ingredients across meals. For example: If you choose chicken as your protein, and you add a whole grain tortilla and roasted bell peppers for chicken tacos, the left overs can be put over a salad the next day for lunch. Use your meal matrix to make your grocery list. 
5. Don't plan too far ahead. Try to break your week up; many people like to prepare Sunday for their meals through Wednesday, and again Wednesday through Saturday. This helps get variety in your week.

Example of a Meal Matrix for your Meal Planning

Now that you have your meals and shopping list, let's PURCHASE:
Here are some simple ways that will make your purchases smoother and cheaper:
1) Use coupons! These can even help plan your meals...what is on sale can inspire your meals.
2) Buy in season. You can do a simple google search to see what is in season in your area, or simply ask a grocery store attendant. Typically, these foods are cheaper in the produce section.
3) Visit the bulk section. Need just a 1/2 of cup of something and don't want to buy a 3 lb package? Just buy what you need in the bins of the bulk section. 
4) Not everything has to be fresh; look at canned foods and frozen foods to jazz up your meals! Just be sure to search for "low sodium" or "no salt added" in the canned vegetable aisle, and "in natural juice" or "no sugar added" for canned fruits. For frozen products, just avoid sauces or flavorings which can pack in lots of added salt or fat. Wild caught tuna or salmon in a can or pouch can also make for a great grab and go meal.


Meal planning is just like anything else, it takes time and practice, but once you get the hang of it, it will decrease stress and ambiguity around your weekly meals! You will save money and time in the end and will feel better doing it!