I’m a huge fan of oatmeal. It’s got fibre, goes down easy, and there’s so many things you can do with it. So after years of eating oatmeal, I’ve finally perfected both the cooked and overnight variety! And the wonderful thing about this recipe is that it’s a base: you can make it your own! I typically go with the same flavours (vanilla + peanut butter + mixed berries), but the options are endless, so keep reading for more!
Since this is a base recipe, it can easily be modified to be vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients (italics are what you modify to make it your own unique flavour!):
Water: 1/3 cup for overnight oats, 2/3 cup boiling for cooked oats
1 tbsp ground or whole chia seeds (I assume ground flaxseed would also work fine, although I have not tried it myself)
1/2 scoop protein powder
1/3 cup quick oats (use gluten-free if needed)
1 tbsp nut butter
1/2 cup fruit
1/2 cup yogurt
Flavour Ideas:
My Tried and True - vanilla protein powder, peanut butter, frozen mixed berries, plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Raspberry Chocolate - chocolate protein powder, chocolate hazelnut butter/nutella, raspberries (fresh or frozen), raspberry or plain yogurt (any kind/milk type)
Peaches & Creme - vanilla protein powder, almond or cashew butter, diced peach, vanilla yogurt (any kind/milk type)
Apple Cinnamon - vanilla or cinnamon crunch protein powder, peanut or almond butter, chopped apple, vanilla or apple cinnamon yogurt (any kind/milk type)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup - chocolate or peanut butter protein powder, chocolate peanut butter, 1 sliced banana, plain yogurt (any kind/milk type) + 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 2 tbsp water if using PB protein powder
Berry Crumble - vanilla protein powder, peanut or almond butter, blueberries, blueberry yogurt (any kind/milk type) + crumbled graham cracker to top right before eating
Overnight Oats Directions:
To a jar or tight-sealing tupperware container, add water, chia seeds, protein powder, nut butter, and yogurt. Seal jar/container and shake so ingredients combine well. If doing Chocolate Peanut Butter flavour, also add the cocoa powder and extra water at this point.
Add oats and seal container and shake again.
Add fruit on top and store in fridge. Best to eat within 3 days, but can last up to a week.
Cooked Oatmeal Directions:
In a bowl, combine oats, chia seeds, and protein powder (if doing chocolate peanut butter flavour, also add the cocoa powder). Add boiling water and stir continuously until a thick oatmeal consistency forms (keep stirring to avoid clumping from chia and protein powder).
Stir in nut butter. Top/stir in fruits as desired.
Never sure which veggies and meats work best in your omelette and which ones make it fall apart? Always end up with burned cheese or spilled fillings? Look no further than this Omelette Guide!
I absolutely love omelettes. They are perfect for any meal, and you can stick them in the freezer to have throughout the week, so they are also perfect for meal prep! Below the break, I’ve included some extra cooking tips as well as my favourite filling combinations!
Extra Tips:
Use a non-stick pan or at least 1 tsp of vegetable oil to grease your pan
Don’t flip your omelette too early - wait until the egg on the top is nearly solid. This way you can avoid splatter.
The previous point is why you should be cooking on medium-low heat, and no higher than medium heat. You can avoid burning your omelette while the top cooks as well.
Don’t use too much when filling your omelette, or it won’t fold well. The above quantities are tried and true.
Favourite Combinations:
Spinach, 30 g crumbled feta, 2 slices turkey, 1 roasted pepper, side of avocado
Spinach, 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/2 large meatless Italian sausage, 1 roasted pepper, side of avocado and 2 baby pickles
Spinach, 1 slice cheddar cheese, 2 slices black forest ham, 1/4 cup edamame, side of avocado
Spinach, 30 g crumbled feta, 1/4 cup edamame, 1 tomato, side of avocado
If Freezing (Meal Prep):
Wrap in aluminum foil
Cook in convection oven, 10 min in aluminum foil and 5 min without
Or, unwrap from aluminum foil and use the defrost setting on your microwave for 3 minutes, then heat on high for 30 seconds
Recipe: Chorizo and Bacon Spaghettini with Steamed Vegetables
Finally finished up my meal prep this morning, and that included trying out a new recipe! Thought I’d share my pasta concoction with you all - super tasty and really easy to make.
Recipe and meal prep tips below the break! This also works great if you need to cook a big meal.
Servings: 6
Dietary: adjustable to Gluten-Free
Ingredients:
4 chorizo sausage links (I use chicken chorizo sausages from a local farm here in Alberta)
4 slices bacon, cooked; set aside the bacon grease into a separate dish and allow to harden
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
~300 g (1/2 lb) spaghettini or spaghetti (I buy PC spaghettini nests and used 12 of them; gluten-free pasta will work just as well!)
2 medium zucchini
1 small eggplant OR 3 red bell peppers
~250 g (1/2 lb) white or Crimini mushrooms
Optional: 12 cups baby spinach (I only add it to my meal prep for a nutrition boost)
Directions:
Set spaghettini/spaghetti to boil according to package instructions. Be sure to put lots of salt in the cooking water.
In a frying pan or stovetop grilling pan (I use a non-stick one called “Flavorstone”), cook bacon and chorizo sausages. Set meat aside to cool and pour bacon grease into a separate container to harden.
Chop zucchini, eggplant/bell peppers, and mushrooms. Set aside. After meat is done cooking, cook these vegetables in the same pan.
Once pasta is cooked, drain and toss with approximately 1/2 tbsp of the set aside bacon grease - this adds a little extra flavour and uses up the bacon grease so you don’t have to chuck it, but olive oil works just as well!
Once cool, chop up the bacon and chorizo sausage into small chunks. The size is really up to you!
For Bulk Cooking - To the pot with the pasta, add the tomato sauce and chopped bacon and sausage. Toss together, garnish with parsley, and serve with a side of the cooked vegetables.
For Meal Prep - Divide the pasta among 6 meal prep tupperware containers. Then, divide the bacon and sausage among these 6 containers. Finally, add 1/2 cup tomato sauce to each container. When veggies are done cooking, portion them off among the 6 containers as well.
Optional Spinach Step - Steam spinach until just wilted, season with salt, pepper, and a little bit of olive oil. Serve as a side or portion off between your meal prep tupperware.
Having pancakes for breakfast almost seems like a luxury when you have school taking up 90% of your time and a student budget to worry about... but who said you couldn’t meal prep pancakes?
I typically make 6 times the recipe below the break so I have breakfast lined up for almost the entire week. Another nice thing about this recipe is that it’s a very adaptable base - one week, I’ll make vanilla cinnamon pancakes. The next, double chocolate pancakes. Easy recipe to follow, very nutritious, and in terms of grocery, it comes to about $2.50 CAD per serving.
Keep reading for the recipe, flavour combos, and meal prep tips!
Servings: 1 jar
Dietary: Vegetarian, adjustable to Gluten-Free, High Protein
Ingredients:
1/3 cup quick oats (use gluten-free oats to make this a gluten-free recipe!)
1 tsp baking powder
Sweetener of choice, to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp stevia)
1/3 cup cottage cheese (I prefer to use 2%)
1/3 cup egg whites
Flavouring of choice: my go-to is 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. If you’re adding cocoa powder, it will really thicken up the batter so have some sparkling water/club soda on hand to thin it out*
1 tbsp nut butter of choice
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or yogurt of choice - skyr is a personal favourite of mine)
1/2 cup fruit (I typically use frozen mixed berries, but just about anything works!)
*I use sparkling water in pancakes instead of flat for extra fluffiness, but flat water will work just fine to thin out the batter!
Directions:
In a blender, Magic Bullet, or food processor, add oats, baking powder, sweetener, cottage cheese, egg whites, and flavouring. Blend until smooth (you can leave some oat chunks if you prefer this, but be aware that it will affect the consistency of your batter).
On a non-stick or greased skillet, pour about 1/8 cup of the batter and cook until browned. Flip and brown the other side. Set pancake aside, and repeat with remaining batter.
Line the inside of a jar or tupperware container with nut butter. Add a pancake to the jar/container, top it with some of the yogurt and fruit, then add another pancake. Continue until you’ve used up all your pancakes, yogurt, and fruit.
Tighten the lid to your jar/container, stick in the fridge, and get excited for a delicious, pre-made, on-the-go breakfast in the morning!
I typically multiply the recipe by 6 if I’m meal prepping - be careful with this much of baking powder, the batter will gain a lot of volume so ensure you have a lot of space in your blender.
While the pancakes are cooking, I line my jars and containers with nut butter
As you make the pancakes, add one to each jar before adding the second
This is a really easy meal to assemble while the pancakes are cooking, and the clean-up isn’t bad, so if you’re making enough for the week it should take about an hour total
