AKA – meal prep on a Sunday night after being out of town for the weekend…
My husband and I had a great weekend! We drove down the California coast to visit our youngest daughter at her college in Southern California, saw a play that she stage managed at her school, spent a morning with her in Disneyland, and then headed back home. It was nice to get away and just have some fun for the weekend!
The only problem with going away for the weekend is that my usual Sunday afternoon meal prep couldn’t happen…kinda hard to get lunches and snack ready for the week from the freeway. This is why I love my freezer! Often when I am meal prepping, I will make some items that make more than one or two portions.
Two of my favorites are Turkey Meatloaf Muffins and Asian Turkey Meatballs. The meatloaf muffins make 4 servings – 8 muffins worth, and the Asian meatballs make 6 servings – 24 meatballs total. I take the extras and stick them in my freezer just for situations like this weekend. The recipes are easy, and it is so convenient to just pull a pre-packaged portion out of the freezer and add some brown rice and put it in the fridge to defrost. I usually add a salad as well, but those only take a minute to prepare.
Here are the recipes – Enjoy! They don’t photograph well, but they are yummy!
Asian Turkey Meatballs – adapted slightly from Just a Taste
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
- 1/4 cup finely sliced green onions
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup blackberry preserves
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 500ºF and spray a mini-muffin pan or baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the milk and Panko breadcrumbs.
- Add the ground chicken, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and egg to the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Use your hands to mix the ingredients just until combined.
- Shape the meat mixture into balls using about 3 tablespoons of meat per meatball. You should get approximately 24 meatballs
- Place the shaped meatballs into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked.
- While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the hoisin sauce and blackberry jam in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
- Place meatballs on a cooling rack and brush glaze on top.
- When completely cool, package and freeze any potion that you will not be using immediately.
Turkey Meatloaf Muffins – adapted slightly from Bodyrock
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Salt/Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients mixing well.
- Pack mixture into each of the muffin tin slots.
- Bake muffins for 30 minutes or until internal temperature is 165
- Let cool completely, then package up what you will not be eating immediately and freeze.
Healthy Happy and Sweaty 