My goal with meal prepping is to save time, save money, and eat something delicious that doesn’t ruin my health goals!
Have you ever tried meal prepping and thought:
I’m going to lose my marbles trying to figure this out!?
Meal prepping can be stressful, so I want to save you that stress by laying out the whole plan. (What does that mean?)
The WHOLE plan – when to start one pan while the other is going, that sort of thing.
This lunch meal prep recipe has lean ground turkey meatballs, sauteed zoodles, and sauteed spinach recipe. It is exactly what I need to feel full until dinner. You can make four huge lunchboxes (or pre-made dinners) that are filling and full of protein and fiber.
Since I have the three recipes already set up and published on the blog, I want to specify the order of prep and cooking here in this post – skip below the Youtube video for instructions. You will see the recipe for the meal prep with steps. But, if you just want to make one of the recipes, I will add the links to all 3 full recipes and posts below as well.
If you prefer video, let me show you exactly how to meal prep in order on my Youtube video here:
Lunch Box Meal Prep – Steps
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix and roll the meatballs, according to this recipe.
Place the meatballs in the oven when ready, then start on the veggies.
Mince 4 tablespoons of garlic, and divide in half. You will use 2 tablespoons in each veggie recipe.
Trim and make your zoodles from the fresh zucchini. Tips for making zoodles are in this post.
Start the oil for the zoodles recipe. While it’s warming, dice two roma tomatoes for the zoodles recipe.
Start cooking the zoodles according to the recipe. Once the zoodles go in the pan, start heating the oil for the sauteed spinach, and follow the spinach recipe.
Once your veggies and meatballs are complete, start plating your lunchboxes. I like these meal prep containers, and I have used them for years (affiliate link)!
Start with your zoodles:
Add the meatballs:
Place the spinach:
Then, garnish as you wish. I added a smear of marinara (not needed for taste, I promise!), shaved parmesan cheese, and chiffonaded basil.
How do you chiffonade basil?
This is SO easy, and so cute! Just lay your basil leaves on top of each other.
Roll the layer up lengthwise.
Then, make slices on the short side:
How do you re-heat the meal prepped zoodles lunch?
To reheat, remove the plastic lid from your container. Cover with a damp white paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute. Gently stir and/or flip the meatballs. Microwave for 30 seconds and check the temperature. Repeat in 30 second increments or until hot.
Meatballs, Zoodles, and Spinach Meal Prep Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together until uniform. Roll the meatballs into 1″ meatballs. Place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, trim the ends off of your zucchini, and then turn the zucchini into zoodles with a zoodle maker.
- In a saute pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds to a minute.
- Add the zoodles to the pan, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Saute the zoodles, stirring, for about 3-5 minutes or until softened, but not mushy.
- While the zoodles are sauteeing, heat the oil for the spinach in a saute pan over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the baby spinach all at once, and immediately salt the spinach.
- Stir to coat the spinach in the oil until mostly wilted. Add broth to the spinach and cover, turning the heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- When the zoodles are cooked, taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Stir in diced roma tomatoes, and saute for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- Uncover the spinach, and add a splash of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, to taste.
- When the 20 minutes is up for the meatballs, check if they are done and slightly browned. If not, flip the meatballs over, and bake for 3-5 more minutes or until cooked through.
Video
*Please consult your health professional for health and nutritional advice.
