Happy Holiday season! I wanted to share some easy ways to simplify your meal prep routine this season. Things look different this year – we are cooking at home A LOT more. Cooking at home can be very intimidating – I totally get that. Over the past 10 months, I have tried my best to consistently do the small stuff ahead of time to make it easier, more approachable and enjoyable. Especially for the week-day eats where want to put things together quickly!
Ello Products have been my go-to food storage brand for years. Their meal prep kits and storage containers are amazing! I love the glass with silicon protection, the gorg colors and the perfect sizes. The products are made so well – easy to clean, dishwasher friendly, freezer friendly, oven and microwave friendly (w/out lid) and most importantly keep my food fresh! The ultimate meal prep essential. I love the Ello Duraglass 10pc Meal Prep Food Storage Container set. It comes with 5 3.4 cup containers that really keep food fresh! This set is featured in this post and I couldn’t love it more! It would make an amazing gift this holiday season too.
I also love their travel mugs and reusable zip bags. You can check out all their wonderful products here and use my code SARI15 for 15% off the entire website. Happy shopping!
Let’s get to to my 5 meal prep hacks for the holiday season!
1. PRECUT VEGGIES FOR EASY COOKING AND ROASTING
This makes life so much easier! Cutting up veggies ahead of time makes all the difference. For example, cutting up sweet potatoes so I can easily roast them or peppers to sauté easily or cucumbers to snack on. It is a huge time savor for me and helps me actually cook those veggies to enjoy daily!
2. PREPPED GRAINS
I always have some sort of prepped grain stored and ready to go! These days, I am loving quinoa! I can easy add to a soup, salad or protein for dinner. It stays fresh for so long in these containers too.
3. PREPPED PROTEIN
Protein is so important! Having some on hand and ready to go is key. There are so many options here – falafel balls, grilled chicken, tofu, salmon and hard boiled eggs. My favorite is hard boiled eggs. They make a great snack, addition to toast or salad topper. Love having them ready to go and stored well in my Ello container! Pro tip – I boil the eggs for 7 minutes and then plunge them in a bowl of ice water before peeling. This makes them perfectly “jammy” and soft boiled style. my fave!
4. WASHED AND READY GREENS
I harvest my own greens from my indoor garden! I like to do this ahead of time and store in an Ello container for freshness. Makes it easy to add to my meals. I try to enjoy greens most days! Pro tip – line the bottom of the container with paper towel so it absorbs the moisture! Helps keep them fresh even longer.
5. SOMETHING SWEET
I do not shy away from the sweet things in life! I always need to have a little something either after lunch or dinner. If that is prepped and ready to enjoy – even better! I love making banana bread, brownies, or sweet energy bites! The Funfetti Energy Bites below stayed so fresh in my Ello container! I store them in the freezer and they hold up so well. Grab the full recipe below or on my recipe page on the blog.
RECIPE: FUNFETTI ENERGY BITES
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 C Peanut Butter
1 tbsp oil (I used avocado oil)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1/2 C Almond Flour
1 Tbsp collagen (or protein powder or more flour)
Lots of rainbow sprinkles!
DIRECTIONS:
In a mixing bowl, combine creamy peanut butter, oil, vanilla, maple syrup and flour.
Mix well using a spatula until a batter forms. Add in sprinkles and mix again.
Add in collagen and mix again really well. Lastly, add more sprinkles. Keep mixing until batter is smooth and thick! Like cookie dough.
Chill in the freezer for 20 mins.
Remove from freezer and start making the bites. Using an ice cream scooper scoop inch size balls of dough. Roll around the palm of your hand to make circles. Sprinkle more on top and keep rolling to allow the sprinkles to stick.
Continue until all the dough is used. It makes about 10 bites. Store them in the Ello Products container and then back in the fridge or freezer. You can keep them in the freezer and then them thaw out for a few minutes when you want to enjoy – or keep in the fridge. Both work!
Thank you to my long time partner Ello products for sponsoring this post! I love sharing great products that help me live a healthy lifestyle. Don’t forget, you can use my code SARI15 for 15% off their site.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
