This Week In The Kitchen: Meal Prep + Recipes

 I'm trying something new in sharing a post about some of my weekly meal prep.  Let me know if this is something that is useful for you.

I was able to get some meal prep done on Friday and Saturday.  I'm not a fan of spending an entire day in the kitchen, which means that it may take me 2 or 3 days to complete it all.  In general, I don't pre-make entire meals, rather, I try to either cook beans or meat, and/or prep parts of meals that will either last us for a few days or will give us a day or two fresh eating and a meal or two of frozen meals.

Every little bit of prep helps!

For refrigerator storage, I use glass containers with plastic snap lids.  For freezer storage of anything saucy or liquid I use (affiliate link) souper cubes silicone containers to freeze them and then transfer the frozen food cubes to freezer-safe plastic or silicone bags.  Here is what one of the souper cube trays looks like:

The key, of course, to prepping anything ahead of time is to ensure it all gets used up and not forgotten.  I'm fairly good with keeping an accurate freezer inventory although I like to re-inventory every quarter just to make sure I know what we've got.  As far as anything in the refrigerator, I use my meal prep days of Friday and Saturday to also go through the refrigerator to see if anything has been forgotten about.  That gets prioritized to Friday through Sunday's meals.  

I am sharing the recipes in this post but have not created printable versions.  I will try to get around to creating proper recipe posts for these, but you can simply highlight the recipe and select print (print selected text) on your computer to just get the recipe printed.

Not pertaining to meal planning, but pertaining to recipes, I had on my goal list last year to move this blog to another platform that offers printable recipes.  Blogger, unfortunately, does not.  I haven't done that yet for one main reason.  Learning a new system seems overwhelming for me at this time.  Because I'm also running our soap & skincare business, I am limited on time and, honestly, it gets a bit overwhelming thinking about figuring it all out.  So.... it's on hold for the moment and here we are with the old-fashioned copy and paste type of printing.  I try to keep photos out of the recipe instructions to make it easier for you to print just the recipes, without any photos.  I hope that helps!

Chicken Soup Base

On Friday afternoon I cooked up my husband's favorite chicken soup base.  This is simply chicken, carrots, celery, onions, spices, chicken bouillon, and chicken broth.  I freeze the resulting chicken soup base to use for soup (just add noodles, rice, etc.), chicken ala king (simply thicken, add a splash of cream, and pour over rice), or chicken and dumplings (thicken, add a splash of cream or milk and add dumplings).

I don't use a recipe for this, I just sauté the veggies, then sprinkle with poultry seasoning.  I remove to a bowl, so it doesn't get overcooked.  Next, I add the broth to the empty dutch oven and then add a chicken carcass or chicken quarters and bring to a boil.  Once it has boiled for 15-20 minutes, I add the veggies back in and continue boiling another 15-20 minutes.  I turn the burner off, remove the chicken and set aside to cool.  Once cooled I can take the meat off of the bones and return the meat to the broth.  This then is tasted to see if any additional bouillon needs to be added.  I allow it cool completely and then refrigerate and/or freeze in my (affiliate link) souper cube containers.

Hummus

Friday afternoon I also got a huge batch of chickpeas going in the instant pot.  I overcooked these so that I could use them exclusively for hummus.  I ended up making hummus on Saturday both for fresh eating and for freezing and froze a few bags of cooked chickpeas for future batches of hummus.  The photo above shows what I made on Saturday, and the hummus is a little thinner because I will be using it as a salad dressing this week.

The key to smooth hummus is overcooked chickpeas.  I almost always cook mine from scratch in the instant pot because I can leave it and forget it.  I soak them overnight and then cook them for 45 minutes (you would typically cook soaked chickpeas for 15-20 minutes in the instant pot).  If I use canned chickpeas, even though they are technically ready to use, I cook them in water for about 20-30 minutes because they are not overcooked, and this will soften them up nicely.

I also think using ice cubes makes a difference in the texture.  I make oil-free hummus, and it took a while for me to figure out how to get a texture that I enjoy.  This recipe is it!  Even my husband, who is not oil-free, loves it.  Below is the base recipe, but I do adjust it sometimes depending on what flavor profile I want.  Some days I add more lemon juice (and less water) to make it more lemon-flavored, and some days I add a few Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in addition to the lemon juice (and in place of the water) because we like the tangy flavor of them combined. 

Sometimes I add everything but the bagel seasoning (I use the salt-free one), or fresh herbs like dill, cilantro, and parsley for a green-goddess type of hummus.  I also always use white chickpea miso in place of the salt, but that's because I try to eat very low salt.  Miso has been shown to not have the effect on blood pressure that salt has because of the fermentation.  I also just really enjoy using fermented products so it's a delicious addition in my opinion!

The Best Oil-Free Hummus

2 cups overcooked chickpeas (or 1-19oz. can)

6 Tablespoons tahini (runny is preferred)

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

4 ice cubes

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste (or replace with miso as noted above)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1-2 Tablespoons water, if needed (or more if you'd prefer it thinner)

*See notes above about overcooking chickpeas.  If you are using canned chickpeas, boil for 20 minutes.*

Add cooled chickpeas and all ingredients except the water to a blender (a food processor will likely work too).  Blend until completely smooth and creamy, adding water, 1 Tablespoon at a time until you achieve the texture you would like.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  (to use from frozen, allow to thaw in your refrigerator overnight.  the texture will change slightly but it's still delicious)

Einkorn Pancakes

I like to make up a batch of pancakes from time to time and freeze them.  Although I almost always eat overnight oats with berries for breakfast, occasionally I like to have a pancake with nut butter.  It's also an easy breakfast to take on the go if needed.

I used my favorite pancake recipe (I previously posted here).  Here are the swaps that I always use:  for the oil I use applesauce instead, for the milk I use non-dairy, for the sugar I add a splash of maple syrup or date syrup or a Tablespoon of maple sugar, and I always omit the egg.  This time I also swapped the flour for whole wheat Einkorn.  

It is sooooo good.  With the whole wheat einkorn, it smells and tastes just like a graham cracker.  With Einkorn you sometimes have to add a bit more flour than what the recipe calls for, but I like to mix it with the 2 cups first and let it sit for 10 minutes or more to absorb the liquid and then decide if it needs any additional flour. 

I put the cooled pancakes into a freezer bag with parchment paper between them, and they are now in the freezer.

Flatbread

My husband LOVES homemade flatbread.  It's so easy and so much better than anything store bought.  He wanted gyros for dinner Saturday, so I made up a half batch of flatbread both for his dinner that night as well as leftovers for the next couple of nights meals.  These flatbreads are delicious!  They are pliable, thicker than a flour tortilla, and are pillowy soft.

A note about the gyros.  I will try to remember to photograph them the next time I make them so that I can post a recipe.  I make a beef gyro using ground beef and it's super easy to do.  I make the gyro meat, tzatziki, and flatbread from scratch and it really doesn't take that long!

During the summer I grill the flatbread on the grill which adds even more delicious flavor.  My husband likes them brushed with garlic oil, so I put a little olive oil in a small bowl and add crushed garlic. I brush it on the flatbread after it's been cooked.  

I do this for homemade pizza too (but instead brush it on the uncooked dough) but also add salt, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of italian seasoning.  So good!  Here is the flatbread recipe.

Flatbreads

Makes 8 - 6" flatbreads (recipe is easily halved)

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose or bread flour (plus additional for the counter)

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon baking powder

Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, turning off and scraping the sides as needed.  The dough should be smooth.  (if not using a stand mixer, mix by hand and then knead on a lightly floured counter for 2-3 minutes, until the dough is smooth)

Place 1 Tablespoon flour on the counter on pour the dough onto it.  Lightly grease the bowl (or a different bowl), work the dough into a ball, and place into the greased bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm area 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on the floured countertop.  Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls.  If you need to add additional flour to the counter, add another Tablespoon.  Keeping the dough balls a few inches apart (because they will rise slightly), cover with a towel and let rest on the counter 10 minutes or more.

When ready to cook them, heat a large skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat.  Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, roll into a rough circle approximately 6 inches in diameter (use additional flour to keep it from sticking).  When the skillet is hot, transfer carefully to the skillet, making sure to not let the dough get stuck to itself.  

Dry fry (no oil is used on the skillet) each flatbread for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown spots appear on the cooked side.  Flip and cook the second side for approx. 2 minutes, or until lightly browned spots are achieved.  **It's similar to cooking flour tortillas** 

Transfer cooked flatbread to a plate.  Brush with garlic olive oil if desired.  Continue with remaining dough balls.

Store in a sealed container or bag at room temp for up to 5 days.

Avocado

I had 2 avocado's that were on the verge of going bad, so I mashed them up in a bowl, added a bit of lime juice, and froze them in a (affiliate link) silicone mold about the size of typical ice cubes.  This will be the perfect amount for avocado toast or for using on a quesadilla or taco.

Vegan Liquid Mozzarella

I also made a quick batch of liquid "mozzarella".  It is SO GOOD!  Similar to Miyoko's brand, I think with a couple of optional ingredients this is so much better.  I was running out of time and did not take a photo while I was making it, so the photo above is what was left this morning.  I'll try to photograph it next time to do a proper post.  Here's the recipe.

Vegan Liquid Mozzarella

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 30 minutes in hot water

3/4 cup water (or use 1-2 Tablespoons less for thicker)

2 teaspoons olive oil, optional

1 small clove garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

3/4 teaspoon salt (or omit or sub with additional yellow/white miso)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon yellow or white miso

2 teaspoons tapioca starch

Optional ingredients that add a great umami flavor (add all or what you have): 1-2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon sauerkraut brine, 1/2 teaspoon mushroom powder (I use the one from Trader Joe's)

Drain the cashews.  Add all ingredients to a blender (I use a nutribullet) and blend until you have a smooth mixture.  Let sit 5 minutes and then blend again for 1-2 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes and blend again for 1-2 minutes.  This will eliminate any grittiness.

The cheese sauce can now be used as is, or you can cook it for 2-3 minutes on the stovetop in a small saucepan if you prefer a thick cheese sauce.

*This sauce will be white.  If you prefer it to have a yellowish tint, add a pinch or two of turmeric powder before blending.*

**As a thin sauce (uncooked), it is the perfect consistency to drizzle/pour over pizza or tacos.  As a cooked sauce, it's perfect dolloped onto a pizza or in a burrito, or any other place you would like a bit of "cheese" saucy flavoring!**

I hope this post was helpful for you!  Our Monday has been sunny, low 50's, and beautiful!  It FINALLY feels like spring is coming.  Wishing you a wonderful week!

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