Here are 16 chicken and steak meals. Each meal contains about 24 grams of lean protein, good source of carbohydrates and vegetables. Best of all, each meal is under 400 calories.
What you’ll need
Food processor or blender
Food scale
BPA free entree containers to store your individual meals
SHOPPING LIST
MAIN DISH
2 lbs beef sirloin, butterflied or 2 lbs of Trader Joe’s Carne Asada
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
Seasoning of your choice for chicken and beef (no need to marinate if buying TJ’s carne asada)
Marinate meat in zip lock bags overnight to ensure you have flavorful meat.
SIDES
2 cups black rice
1 head of cauliflower
1 lb fresh green beans
Fat free Fage plain Greek yogurt
Grated parmesan
2 bell peppers, red and yellow or colors of your choice
1 zucchini or yellow squash
1 lb cherry tomatoes
1 lb whole mushrooms
1 medium red onion
1 small white onion
garlic
Salt and pepper
Paprika
lemons
Olive oil
cajun seasoning
butter
LET’S GET PREPPING!
Blanch green beans, cook cauliflower, cut up veggies and assemble skewers, and cook black rice while grilling the meat. Be prepared to multitask and watch for all that’s cooking and grilling so nothing burns.
CAULIFLOWER MASH
INGREDIENTS-
1 large head of cauliflower
1/4 cup fat free Fage plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon ghee or butter
Roasted garlic or 1 clove of garlic, crushed (add more if you enjoy a more garlicky taste)*
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Paprika or chives to garnish
DIRECTIONS-
1. Chop cauliflower into florets, steam cauliflower florets for 12-14 minutes or add florets into a pot of boiling water and let it sit covered for 5-8 minutes.
2. Drain cauliflower and place in blender or food processor.
Add garlic, yogurt, parmesan, ghee or butter, water, salt and pepper. Blend or process until smooth.
Top with paprika or chives
VEGGIE SKEWERS
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ lb baby bella mushrooms, halved
2 yellow or orange bell peppers, cored, seeded, cut into 1 in. pieces
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cajun dust (don’t have cajun? Mix 1/2 tsp of paprika, sea salt, chili powder, oregano, thyme, and a pinch of cayenne and red pepper flakes).
DIRECTIONS
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 min to prevent them from burning. Place all veggies in a large bowl. Alternately thread veggies with the onions onto the skewers.
Whisk melted butter, olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and cajun dust in a bowl. Brush over assembled skewers.
Cook on preheated grill, turning and basting often until slightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside.
GREEN BEANS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a separate bowl with half ice and water. No ice? Just use cold water.
2. Add green beans to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.
3. Remove green beans with a slotted spoon and plunge in ice or cold water for 30 seconds.
5. Remove from water, drain and set aside. OPTIONAL- Sautee blanched green beans in olive oil, season with garlic, salt and pepper.
BLACK RICE
1. Rinse 2 cups black rice thoroughly. Drain
2. Place in sauce pan with 31/2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp butter
3. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes.
4. Fluff, set aside.
Time to assemble the meals!
GRILLED CHICKEN MEAL
1. 4 oz grilled chicken, sliced
2. 1/2 cup black rice
3. One veggie skewer
BEEF SIRLOIN MEAL
1. 4 oz beef, sliced
2. 1/2 cup cauliflower mash
3. Green beans
Once the meal assembling is done, cool, cover and refrigerate . It is recommended to keep 3 days worth of prepped meals in fridge and freeze the rest. I personally keep my prepped meals in the fridge for 5 days and haven’t had a problem with food going bad. My fridge temperature is set to 40 degrees F.
Now go ahead and get your meal prep done. You’ll love having your very own stash of healthy meals ready anytime you are hungry.
Enjoy and happy prepping!