Nov 17 Weekly Meal Plan

Welcome aboard if you’re new! Our meal planning tool is your personalized meal prep assistant –  you can tweak your serving sizes or skip some recipe options, it’s all in your hands! Our meal plans are meant to be a guide, so feel free to use all recipes or just a few to get you started!  Click on each recipe to learn more prep tips. Enjoy the meals at your pleasure, but here’s an example of how we plan out the meals during the week:

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Mon	Cranberry Muffin Bars	Cranberry Chicken Salad	Instant Pot Beef Ragu
Tues	Yogurt with Strawberries and Mixed Nuts	Chicken and Vegetable Soup	Balsamic Steak and Delicata Squash
Wed	Cranberry Muffin Bars	Cranberry Chicken Salad	Instant Pot Beef Ragu
Thurs	Yogurt with Strawberries and Mixed Nuts	Chicken and Vegetable Soup	Balsamic Steak and Delicata Squash

Set Your Pace

• If you’re a beginner at meal prep: Be prepared to set aside 2-3 hours. Once mise en place is complete, all of these recipes can be completed one by one.
• If you’re a meal prep pro, use the sequenced steps below: These steps give you the flexibility to cook items simultaneously in a sequence of events.
• Be sure to set timers and check on food items to avoid overcooking. Sequencing will save you time and meal prep can be done in 1-2 hours.

Meal Prep Run Down

Chopping and Prepping Ingredients:

1. Gather all ingredients, spices, tools, and equipment in advance and review the recipes to ensure a smooth, stress-free meal prep.

Cooking Phase 1: Instant Pot and Oven Recipes:

1. Cranberry Muffins: Preheat oven to 400°F, mix eggs, sugar, orange juice, flour, oats, leavening, and cranberries, pour into a greased dish, and bake 15–20 minutes.
2. Balsamic Steak and Delicata Squash: Preheat oven to 425°F and slice delicata squash and steak, then marinate both with balsamic, Worcestershire, sriracha, garlic, onions, and olive oil. Spread on a sheet pan and bake 15–20 minutes until steak reaches 145°F and veggies are golden. Serve with a salad or grain of choice.
3. Instant Pot Beef Ragu: Brown the seasoned beef in batches on the Instant Pot’s sauté setting, then cook onions, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, and wine before adding tomatoes, sauce, seasonings, and returning the beef. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, shred the beef, and serve with the sauce over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes, garnished with basil.

Cooking Phase 2: Stove Top Recipes:

1. Chicken and Vegetable Soup: Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces, sauté onions in oil, add chicken, coconut milk, broth, and seasonings, simmer 20 minutes, then add mushrooms, kale, and squash and cook 10 more minutes.
   

Final Step and Assembly:

1. Cranberry Chicken Salad: Chop the cranberries, pear, red onion, and pecans, mix with shredded chicken and a mayo-Dijon dressing, then serve over arugula with optional vinaigrette.
2. Yogurt with Strawberries and Mixed Nuts: Place the yogurt at the bottom of the bowl. Add the strawberries and mixed nuts on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder
3. Storage: Once all the dishes are fully cooked, plate everything into individual containers. Allow them to cool to room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator for storage. This will keep your meals fresh and ready to enjoy throughout the week.

If you’re sequencing your meal prep, be sure to keep an eye on everything! Make sure food is kept refrigerated under 40F degrees until ready to eat.

Assembly Tips

• Evenly divide meals according to the serving size
• Let all items cool before placing them in the refrigerator
• Keep all items refrigerated under 40°F until ready to eat or reheat
• Breakfast: Cranberry Muffin can be warmed up in the microwave, while the yogurt can be served chilled.
• Lunch: The cranberry chicken salad can be served chilled, while the soup can be reheated in the microwave.
• Dinner: Both meals can be reheated quickly in the microwave.

Extra Flavors and Substitutions

• Cranberry Muffin: Replace cranberries with chopped apples or dried cherries for a different fruity twist. You can also swap oats for almond flour to make it lower-carb.
• Yogurt with Strawberries and Mixed Nuts: Serve with your choice of fruit or nuts.
• Cranberry Chicken Salad: Pair with whole-grain crackers for a satisfying crunch.
• Chicken and Vegetable Soup: Serve with a side of warm, crusty bread or steamed jasmine rice to soak up the flavorful broth.
• Savory Instant Pot Beef Ragu: Serve over fresh pasta, creamy polenta, or mashed potatoes, and finish with fresh basil or Parmesan.
• Balsamic Steak and Delicata Squash: Pair with a fresh side salad, quinoa, or brown rice for a complete meal.

Extra Leftover Ingredients Not Used

• Protein: Freeze any uncooked meats and save for a later recipe, or you can cook the full amount, and freeze the portion that you do not eat, and save for later use.
• Fruit: Use leftover fruit in smoothies, on top of yogurt, or with your cereal
• Veggies: Freeze any leftover veggies for later use. Use leftover herbs in omelets or other dishes for the weekend

Helpful Resources