Transcript of MEAL PREP | 10 healthy meals in 1 HOUR (+ PDF guide)

today we're going to do some meal prep after a long day I don't always want to spend a load of time in the kitchen but I still want to enjoy a wholesome home-cooked meal so today with just 1 hour of prep we're going to build the components that we need to then make five completely different meals that we can enjoy over the course of the next few days and each of the meals serves two people so we're actually making 10 meals all together with what we prep and it all turned out to be pretty budget friendly as well for us the groceries came out to just under €30 which is about $30 and so let me show you what we bought there are a whole bunch of veggies like onions zucchini Tomatoes carrots avocado lemon ginger spinach and some roasted bell peppers in a jar then we've got grains some couscous some dried pasta and some bread and then there are plant proteins we've got some lentils tofu and hummus some flavor makers like vegan pesto Buon cubes and then there are Pantry Staples that I didn't need to buy personally cuz I already have them at home and maybe you do too things like soy sauce vinegar and some seasonings and if you do want to follow along just to make it a little bit easier for you I have created a free downloadable PDF guide the link for that is in the description box below but for now let's turn some of these ingredients into meal components for the meal prep to come together in just one hour we're going to need to multitask so I've outlined the steps in the order that you're going to want to complete them that way while one thing is cooking we can chop another thing and it all just comes together at the same time before I start I also like to have a little bowl handy for scraps this just helps to speed things along and keeps the work surface clean you might also want to bring a kettle of water to boil and that's it let's start a timer and get started first we're going to make a hearty lentil stew let's heat up some oil in a large pot and while that's heating up we're going to chop up three onions and then we're going to cook them until they're lightly golden while that cooks we're going to chop up four tomatoes if you want to speed this up you can try making this with diced tin Tomatoes instead when the onions are golden we're going to add in a tablespoon of grated Ginger that you could use crushed garlic here instead if you prefer and then we're going to cook this for another minute or two before we add in the diced tomatoes two crumbled veggie buong cubes and 2 and 1/2 cups of rinsed red lentils this makes for a brilliant affordable source of plant protein then lastly we're going to add 2 and 1/2 cups of water give everything a good stir then cover the pot with a lid and let it cook for about 15 to 18 minutes just be sure to give it a stir every few minutes so that it Cooks evenly while that's simmering away we're going to cook up our pasta my Italian friends I feel like I can already feel some of you cringing at the idea of making pasta ahead of time if you want to make it fresh on the day of please feel free to but I am meal prepping so I'm going to be also meal prepping the pasta so we all know how to cook pasta we're just going to cook it until it's Al Dente and when it is we'll drain it rinse it underw and then optionally you can consider tossing it in just a little touch of oil to help prevent it from sticking together all right next up we're going to fry up some tofu we're going to slice up some firm tofu Into Thin strips We'll add it to a bowl along with some cornstarch and a little bit of salt then gently massage the cornstarch into the tofu so it's well coated and then we can fry this up until it's golden on both sides meanwhile let's prep some couscous we're going to add 3/4 of a cup of dry couscous half of a crumbled buan Cube and 3/4 of a cup of boiling water to a container give it a quick stir and then cover it after about 8 minutes or so give it a Fluff with a fork and this one is done and by now the tofu should also be cooked so we're going to pack that up and then heat up some oil in the now empty pan cuz we're going to be cooking up some zucchini next first we're going to chop up the zucchini into little cubes and add it to the pan we're going to cook this for a few minutes until it's lightly golden before we add in a teaspoon of curry powder and a little bit of salt we'll cook this for another 2 to 3 minutes or so and it's done next we're going to make a dressing we're going to add three roasted bell peppers to a food processor or you could use a blender We'll add 1 and 1/2 cups of hummus 3 tbspoon of soy sauce and 2 and 1/2 tbsp of vinegar and optionally a little bit of black pepper then we're going to pop the lid onto it and Blitz it up and then this one is done too now last but not least we are going to prep a few veggies so that they're grab and go ready we'll start by grating three carrots and then just add them to a container and cover them in plenty of water adding the water keeps the carrots from going brown and we are going to store this in the fridge but you do also want to change out this water every 1 to 2 days or so to keep it fresh we're also going to be needing about six cups of fresh spinach and we'll chop up one tomato to store as well with everything packed up in airtight containers your prep day is done and look at that just about 1 hour all right now it's meal time when you're ready to enjoy the meals they should come together really quickly because we've already prepped everything and my intention was that they should come together in about 5 minutes if you can also start with making the recipes that use up the freshest ingredients first that would be best and that's why we're going to start with making the hummus pasta salad we'll grab a large bowl and add to it half of the cooked pasta half of the cooked zucchini a thir of the grated carrot a handful of spinach all of the chopped tomato and some optional fresh parsley then we're going to add a generous just over half portion of the dressing to the bowl and then stir it all together and this lunch or dinner is [Music] ready it's fresh wholesome Saucy and on honestly the sauce is the best part the flavors just work so well together all right next is a loaded roasted bell pepper pesto sandwich perfect for lunch first we're going to heat up some oil in a pan then we're just going to grab our bread and toast it up then we can layer on some store-bought hummus and pesto if you can't snatch up a store-bought vegan pesto you can always make it yourself from scratch and we do have a homemade recipe that's really quick and easy on our website I'll link it for you below all right now we can start building we're going to add a handful of spinach to each toast add a roasted bell pepper as well or half of a bell pepper if you think that might be too much we'll add half of the cooked tofu and lastly some sliced up avocado optionally you can crack some black pepper over it and squeeze over a little bit of lemon juice and call it a day it's a simple sandwich with a beautiful mix of textures and flavors for the third meal we're serving up a lentil Harvest Bowl here's how we're going to bring it all together we'll divvy up the couscous between the two bowls and add about 1 cup of the prepared stew along with half of the remaining carrots the remaining half of the cooked zucchini and all of the remaining tofu we're going to drizzle over the remaining dressing but feel free to serve some of it on the side as well and then you can enjoy this one either cold or pop it in the microwave to heat it up whatever suits your mood next on the menu is a lentil bolones for this recipe and for the next one we're going to be heating up some of what we've prepped so it makes it a great recipe to enjoy after we've eaten some of the previous fresher meals so we're going to start with adding some oil to a pot We'll add in about 2 cups of the lentil stew the remaining carrot a teaspoon of Italian seasoning half a teaspoon of garlic powder and some salt if you feel that you need to you can rehydrate with a little bit more water to loosen up the lentils and then we'll just let this all heat through when it's heated through we can then add in the cooked pasta half of a cup of store bought pesto and 2 cups of spinach when everything is heated up again we're just going to dish it out and that's all there is to it and you can also enjoy it with some optional chili flakes on top if you like a little bit of heat it's a simple pasta but it's very hearty and filling last but not least let's dish up a cozy curried lentil soup we're going to add the remaining 3 cups or so of this lentil stew to a large pot but if you've got more or less stew than that it's all good just add whatever's left then we'll add in half of a buang cube 2 taspo of curry powder a roasted bell pepper and 2 cups of water and then just let everything heat through before you puree it with an immersion blender if you want to skip the blending step you definitely can but in that case just chop up the bell pepper before you add it to the soup and then you'll have a more textured soup but you can skip this then we'll add 2 cups of spinach and when it's wilted we can serve this up in some bowls I like to enjoy it with some toasted bread on the side I add some optional chili flakes for heat and a squeeze of lemon juice is non-negotiable for this this one it just gives it a beautiful bright finish I think if I could sum up all of these recipes in three words they'd be wholesome hearty and comforting and the soup is no exception so there you have it friends 10 meals that come together from just 1 hour of meal prepping not bad everything you're going to need is in the PDF the link for that is in the description box below I hope this whole meal prepping thing makes your week nights a little bit more manageable and a lot more delicious but if you do want to make just one of the recipes in isolation too you can find it on our website and in our apps so have fun exploring and thanks for hanging with me today I really appreciate it pick a lime signing off and I'll see you in the next video this makes for a an a brilliant the humus pasta salad little water I like [Music] it and look at two servings all together so we'll be making 10 meals in total with the things that we've prepped