Listen, the world feels really noisy right now. Too noisy. When this happens in my life, I find that meal planning is my own kind of doomsday prepping. And look, I’m not a doomsday prepper of any kind, but there’s something about having control on my meal plan that gives me great comfort. I typically buy my food in bulk, so that means the oats are usually rolled and the rice is usually brown and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the time to cook homemade oatmeal every morning (and we’ve already established that overnight oats ain’t my thing). Meal prepping also helps me spend less during the week. My breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are almost always at home (or at least packed from home). And finally, meal prepping helps me keep up with the millions of grams of protein and fiber I’m supposed to be eating in my pre-menopausal state. Maybe the meals I’ve tried or the plan I’m making this week will inspire you? Hope so! Let’s get started.

Breakfasts:

I make a batch of oatmeal on Sundays to heat up throughout the week. I also typically eat the same thing most days: 1 piece of Dave’s Killer Bread toast with 1/4 cup Good Culture Cottage Cheese and 1 egg + 1/2 cup egg whites. This is about 293 calories, 33g protein, 24g carbs, and 8g fat.

I made Ina Garten’s Buttermilk biscuits for the family to heat up this week. The recipe is linked here.

Snacks:

I almost always eat the same thing for snack, too. See the strategy here? I eat 150g plain, Greek yogurt and mix in 20g protein powder (I’m loving Just Ingredients Lemon Swish) and top with 1/2 cup of Wyman’s frozen wild blueberries. This is roughly 226 calories, 27g protein, 18g carbs, and 6g fat. Sometimes I add a little Purely Elizabeth granola, too.

Lunch:

First option: This plan takes some planning, but if you use Sundays wisely, it’s a perfect thing to dish up each day. I batch cook 1.5 lbs of ground turkey with taco seasoning, diced sweet potatoes, and I steam something green (usually broccoli or green beans). Each day, I portion out each of these in containers to heat up at work. I try to stick to 3 ounces of taco meat, 100 g of sweet potatoes, and 100 g of green beans or broccoli. I add 1/2 cup of Good Culture cottage cheese on top. You can also drizzle a little Bitchin’ Sauce on it as well. This is roughly 367 calories, 26g protein, 41g carbs, and 12g fat.

Second option: I tried a hack last week that worked great for us. I dumped banana peppers, greek peppers, black olives, and pickled veggies in one dish. Then, I used that as a base for salads and pitas and add turkey pepperoni, ham, salami, etc. It was so much easier to do that than get out 4 bottles of something, drain it, chop it, and add. Little tricks like this make the week easier and it was so successful last week, I’m doing it again this week.

Dinner

Here’s where I have to make things that everyone needs to be happy. I try to stick to healthier options these days, but I won’t lie — some days tend to be chicken fingers or pizza. I had some big hits last week and this week and will share them below (with links):

Ina Garten’s Meatloaf: It was super easy and delicious. She reminds us — as she always does — to use good judgement when mixing the meatloaf. Instead of killing it (which I normally do), she offers a new approach by gently combining it with a fork so that you are aerating as you mix. It worked. We ate this all week with mashed potatoes and green beans. The recipe and nutrition info is linked here.

Ambitious Kitchen’s Chicken Sausage White Bean Bake: So good. Highly recommend. We had it by itself, with crusty bread, and even put it in a flour tortilla like a burrito. The recipe and nutrition info is linked here.

Skinnytaste’s Chicken Pasta Primavera: I was skeptical because how can you make creamy pasta sauce healthy for real for real? Well, she does and it is delicious. I didn’t get the best picture, so you will need to trust me on this one. The recipe and nutrition info is linked here.

Skinnytaste’s Lasagna: Another delicious recipe with less guilt. The minute my kiddo asked for lasagna this week, I clutched my protein pearls. How can I get 1,892 g of protein with lasagna? The horror! Cutting the noodles in half and doubling the meat worked out just fine for me! The recipe and nutrition info is linked here.

Treats:

I end every day with at least one Dove mini ice cream bar. I buy them two boxes at a time. With only 60 calories, this is the perfect way to satisfy my sweet tooth without having to feel like I’m sacrificing anything.

And because I believe there are days when you just need/want cake, I decided to make Alexandra’s Kitchen’s One-Bowl, Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake and I am so very glad I did. Some days you just need pound cake. The recipe link is here. P.S. Calories, Protein, Carbs, and Fat are completely free on this one.

I hope this helps you next week or the week after or whenever you need some meal-planning inspiration. Wishing everyone a great week — despite all the noise — and a hope that you have a chance to fill yourself up with whatever provides light or joy (or control) in your world.