The Ultimate Meal Prep Recipe: A Harvest Bowl

 

Over the past 4 months, I have spent a lot of time using the "gifts" of 2020, aka staying at home, to work on becoming the most authentic and best version of myself! A lot of that has been in the ways of going to daily walks, eating more clean (I can't completely cut out red wine and chocolate- who do you think I am?!) and at-home workouts that are kicking my A**- I may never pay for a gym membership again! LOL

But a big part of this year has been the gift of time. Time to make more memories with my family, catch up with old friends and friends who I don't get to talk to as regularly as I would like, plus my favorite- time in the kitchen! While I do feel that I have all this time, I do work a 9-5 job that does make it difficult to make gourmet lunches every day. Hence, I have gotten into meal prepping on Sundays!

Every Sunday I get to do one of my favorite activities, I go grocery shopping. (Something I enjoyed even before the pandemic) I know, some people may think I am crazy that I enjoy this weekly routine so much, but have you ever been to a Trader Joe's? The first time you go it truly is a religious experience!

So I spend my Sunday morning getting all the goods for the coming week, basic breakfast items, some things that stick out to me to try for dinners that week, and then all the ingredients to make a beautiful and easy to grab lunch for during the week! 

And I want to share the best meal prep that I have made to date: A Harvest Bowl!! Who knew Kale could be so good?!

Harvest Bowl (makes 6 servings):

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup Chicken Bone Broth (or vegetable broth to cook with quinoa)

2 cups water (to cook with quinoa)

2-3 medium sweet potatoes 

1 tbs olive oil or preferably avocado oil (due to higher heat) to cook sweet potatoes 

1 big bag of Organic Kale (preferably shredded - 10/10 recommend the kale from Trader Joe's)

1 container of crumbled goat cheese

Spices & Herbs: salt, pepper, rosemary

+ Turkey Meatballs: Inspired by The Best Meatball Recipe!

1 pound lean ground turkey (93% or 99% fat-free)

1 egg

0.25 cup low-fat milk 

0.5 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 small onion (chopped finely)

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Spices & Herbs: salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and Crushed Red pepper flakes

Lemon Tahini Dressing (makes for about 8 salads- or 6 if you like a ton of dressing): 

0.5 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

2 tbs Agave (or honey)

3 tbs Sesame Tahini

2 fresh squeezed lemons (I sometimes like extra lemon- so make it 3 lol)

2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar 

Directions:

1. Set oven to 425 F

2. Wash and chop sweet potatoes, then toss in a bowl with avocado oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. (For spices & herbs always use the amounts that feel appropriate to you- in this case, you probably will double the amount of rosemary as you do for salt and pepper)

3. Place sweet potatoes in the oven for roughly 25 minutes until slightly soft.

4. In a bowl mix the panko breadcrumbs and milk and let that rehydrate while you chop up the onion and mince the garlic. Then combine the panko mixture with the onion, garlic, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. Once you have all those ingredients combined fold in ground turkey until consistent texture. 

5. Then create roughly 12 meatballs and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook in the oven for roughly 12 minutes or until lightly browned on outside or 160 F internal temperature of meatballs. 

6. In a pot pour in 1 cup uncooked quinoa, 1 cup chicken bone broth (or vegetable broth), and then 2 cups of water. Cook on medium heat until it starts to boil- add more water as needed and cook on low until quinoa adorbs all the liquid and you are left with a fluffy like couscous texture. 

7. Make the dressing: combine olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, agave, and apple cider vinegar into a bowl and mix until a thin dressing consistency.

8. Time to assemble the harvest bowl. IMPORTANT STEP: massage (with your hands) the kale in the dressing to make the kale softer and less bitter to eat. (Which is why we have agave, lemon, and apple cider vinegar in the dressing to break down the kale's texture and bitterness)

9. Then finish assembling the harvest bowl by adding the quinoa, sweet potatoes, goat cheese, and two meatballs (ideally break them up) then toss the bowl and Enjoy!!

* I ideally make this on Sunday for lunch and then am left with the ingredients for 5 remaining bowls for the coming work week. I recommend keeping your ingredients separated by dressing, goat cheese, and then meatballs with sweet potato and quinoa. Then you can assemble the bowl by pulling some kale from the bag to massage with the dressing and then add the goat cheese while you heat up the remaining ingredients for roughly 60 seconds in the microwave. 

Bon Appetit,

Robin