Turn 3 Meals Into 6 Meals!

One of the easiest ways to meal plan and meal prep for the week is to stretch your proteins.  

Meaning, if you’re making steak and roasted veggies, cook enough steak to use in a second dinner.  You could use the leftover steak in a salad, tacos, Philly Cheese-steak sandwiches, or a minestrone soup.  

When I make stuffed peppers I double the meat mixture so I can use it in a spaghetti sauce the following night, sloppy Joe’s, or a taco salad.

Grab a notebook or use my Meal Plan Template and follow the steps below to plan a week of dinners.

Step 1:

• Grab a piece of paper and make three columns (breakfast, snacks, & dinner).  In the dinner column start by writing down 3 different protein meals that you can pair with a roasted vegetable side or salad.  
• I.E.

1. Asian baked chicken breast with roasted broccoli
2. Roasted salmon & brussel sprouts
3. Spaghetti (we love zoodles) with meat sauce & side salad

Step 2:

• What are other meals you can make using proteins from the first three dinners?  Write down 3 more dinner ideas.
• I.E.

Asian Chicken → Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Salmon → Fish Tacos

Meat Sauce → Stuffed Bell Peppers

Step 3:

• When making each of the first three recipes, make sure to double the protein.
• Store the cooked extra protein in a container in the fridge & make sure to use it in the next day or two.

Step 4:

• Now that you have six nights of dinners planned, move on to planning breakfast and snacks.
• You may be wondering, what about lunches??  Personally, I don’t really plan out my lunches.  I typically eat leftovers or have items on hand to make a lettuce wrap sandwich or tuna salad.  
• Add 3-4 breakfasts.  I keep this pretty simple with cottage cheese or yogurt and fruit, banana and peanut butter, heating up some of the previous night's veggies and topping with a fried egg.
• Look at your breakfast and dinner lists.  What are you missing?  Veggies, fruits, healthy fats, dairy, whole grains?  Plan your snacks to fill in those nutrient gaps.

Step 5:

• Put your meal plan somewhere it’s easily seen or accessible. 

Keep it simple whenever possible.

Over planning can feel complicated and overwhelming.  Find what works for your lifestyle and schedule and go with that.  

Planning meals and snacks like this saves on time, money, and stress in the kitchen.  Put that time, money, and happiness towards other areas in your life 🙂

Happy Meal Planning!  And as always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email or on IG, I’d love to chat!

~ Kitchen Floozy

When it’s good to be QUICK & EASY