TLDR;
This video provides a guide on how to meal prep high-protein meals in under an hour, minimizing washing up and offering a variety of dishes for a healthy and energized week. It covers prepping proteins, vegetables, grains, and greens, along with making versatile sauces. The video also demonstrates how to assemble different protein bowls, toast options, and stir-fries using the prepped ingredients, emphasizing the flexibility and health benefits of the protein bowl formula.
- Efficient meal prep in under an hour.
- Versatile protein bowl formula for varied meals.
- Minimizing washing up with oven-safe containers.
High-protein food shop [0:00]
The video begins with an introduction to prepping healthy, high-protein meals with minimal cooking time and washing up, ensuring a variety of dishes for a healthy week. The initial step involves gathering all necessary ingredients, including proteins like chicken thigh and breast, firm tofu, smoked tofu, and eggs. Plant-based proteins such as pre-cooked lentils and frozen edamame are also included. The selection of greens consists of kale and spinach, while colorful vegetables include peppers, radish, and onions. Quinoa is chosen as the base grain, and various sauces are planned to add diversity to the meals throughout the week.
Step 1: prep proteins [1:45]
The first step in meal prepping is to prepare the proteins. Chicken thighs are placed in oven-safe containers with a minimal amount of oil to keep the flavoring simple, as the sauces will provide the main flavors. The tofu is crumbled and seasoned with soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, and a heavy dose of paprika to enhance its flavor. Both the chicken and tofu are then placed in the oven to cook for about 35 minutes.
Step 2: prep colourful veg [2:46]
While the proteins are cooking, the next step is to prepare the colorful vegetables. The peppers are roughly chopped and tossed with oil and salt. Radishes are also prepared for roasting, which makes them sweeter and tastier compared to eating them raw. Onions are simply wedged and seasoned with salt, with a top tip to roast a garlic bulb alongside the vegetables to infuse a garlicky flavor. Edamame is placed on a tray with a little soy sauce instead of salt. All the vegetables are then placed in the oven to cook for about 20 minutes, along with the proteins.
Step 3: prep grains [4:10]
For the grains, quinoa is used due to its high protein and fiber content. About 250g of quinoa is added to a pot with a stock cube and water, using a one-to-one method similar to cooking white rice. The absorption method is employed, where all the water should be absorbed by the quinoa by the end of cooking, which takes around 18-20 minutes. The video highlights the convenience of pre-cooked grain packs for quicker meal prep.
Step 4: prep greens [4:42]
The greens are prepared using pre-washed kale for efficiency. The kale is massaged to break down the cell walls, making the nutrients more absorbable. The massaged kale is then placed into Tupperware. For the spinach, kitchen towel is added to the bag to trap any moisture and keep the leaves fresh for longer when stored in the fridge.
Sauce prep [5:57]
Three different sauces are prepared to add variety to the meals. The first sauce is made with a big bunch of coriander, one lemon, tahini, seasoning, and water, all blended together to create a zingy green sauce. The second sauce combines harissa and cottage cheese for a creamy and flavorful pairing. For the third sauce, roasted garlic cloves are mashed with salt, then mixed with yogurt and tahini to create a tahini garlic yogurt sauce.
Protein bowl formula [8:06]
The protein bowl formula consists of a core protein (tofu), a plant-based protein partner (edamame), greens (kale), colorful vegetables (red onion), a base of quinoa, and a sauce (green tahini). This formula provides variety, a decent dose of protein, and plenty of fiber.
Bowl 1 [8:21]
The first bowl is a quick tahini kale protein bowl. It includes tofu, edamame, kale, red onion, quinoa, and green tahini sauce, with the option to add mixed nuts. This bowl is packed with protein from the tahini, edamame, and tofu.
Bowl 2 [8:57]
The second bowl is a chicken harissa protein bowl. It starts with chicken, chopped peppers, harissa cottage cheese sauce, quinoa, and roughly chopped spinach. Plant-based proteins like lentils are added to boost the protein and fiber content. A little olive oil and lemon juice are added for extra flavor.
Bowl 3 [9:52]
The third bowl is a garlic, yogurt, chicken, and rice protein bowl. Jasmine rice is heated in a dry stainless steel pan, and a chicken breast is added to cook through. The bowl is built with tahini garlic yogurt as the base, along with red onions, lentils, roasted radish, and kale. The cooked rice and chicken are added, and the bowl is finished with lemon juice and pepper.
On toast [10:58]
The video demonstrates how to use the prepped ingredients to make a quick and easy meal on toast. Scrambled eggs are made in a stainless steel pan, ensuring the pan is hot enough before adding oil. The toast is topped with harissa, massaged kale, lentils, and the scrambled eggs.
Stir-fry [12:02]
At the end of the week, leftover ingredients are used to make a quick rice stir-fry. Red onion and roasted garlic are chopped and added to a pan. Smoked tofu is cubed, and leftover red peppers are reused. Pre-cooked rice, edamame, soy sauce, and brown rice vinegar are added. Spinach is wilted in, and the stir-fry is finished with chopped peanuts and a touch of toasted sesame oil.