Meal Prep April 2022

It’s Meal Prep Board time again! Some might ask themselves, well, how should a whole family of 5 persons be full for one week with these few ingredients? And you are right…

And that is also not the goal of my Meal Prep. I want to stay flexible during the week, but I’ve noticed over the last few years that if I have certain ingredients ready to eat, I need way less time to cook during the week.

During the month I will post some recipes that I make with these ingredients, because often I get the request if we are not super bored to eat always the same. You’ll see, you can always vary the ingredients and there is no trace of boredom on our table.

So here is my Meal Prep April 2022 board:

• as always: washed lettuce, I chose tender, fresh lettuce this time. As a sign of spring on the table… Be careful, they do not last quite as long as endive lettuce, so better buy slightly smaller quantities, wash twice a week and pack away.
• Pickled carrots and radishes. I pickled them in the same broth as the red onions, quick to make, pretty and very tasty in salads or on a hummus bread.
• Pickled red onions, a staple in the house… you know it!
• Lentil sprouts: delicious in a salad or even in a curry! Here are the instructions for growing sprouts.
• Vegan mayonnaise, also a classic in our fridge. Especially our oldest son loves it on sandwiches, with baked potatoes….
• Boiled potatoes, you already know it. They will turn into roast potatoes & co, they are always empty at the end of the week and very popular.
• Roasted sweet potatoes, also a classic, in salads or even as a quick spread. Since they caramelize so deliciously when roasted you can almost just snack them away. I have to be careful to pack them away in time, because if they are standing around in the kitchen, the tray empties mysteriously…
• Salad dressing, a large bottle is mandatory, in addition I usually make 1-2 variants, for example, the fresh lemon vinaigrette
• Kale, washed and ready to end up in a salad, stir fry or soup. Should it start wilting a bit by the end of the week: kale chips are always great!
• Pomegranate seeds, are not only very, very tasty but also very, very healthy! Only the coring of the seeds, intimidates a lot of people. But don’t be scared, it is easy and if you do it in batch, you can store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. I cut the pomegranate, take a deep bowl and a wooden cooking spoon (and sometimes put on an apron – just in case). Then I take the pomegranate half in my hand with the cut side down, turn it down into the bowl and hit the skin hard with the wooden spoon. The seeds loosen from the peel without making a big mess and the delicious juice is also collected at the same time. Pomegranate seeds taste pure, in salad, on pudding, in cereal….
• Roasted nuts, I roasted them in a pan until they start to smell, then deglazed with a little salt water and smoky paprika and roasted further until completely dry. Super snack, right out of the jar, as a topping for a bowl or on a sandwich. My mix this time was almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
• Vanilla and chocolate pots: our youngest is in speech therapy right now and has the most awesome homework assignment ever: Eating custard! And in order not to constantly buy the small custard cups packed in plastic, paper and aluminum, I have cooked some portions myself and filled into jars. The rest of the family is also happy about it.
• Ginger-apple-lemon shots: put all ingredients through the juicer, fill into small bottles and drink over the next few days. I don’t manage to juice every day and even if the juice loses a few vitamins, it’s better than nothing and tasty too!
• Carrot salad, once shredded in the food processor it holds for the whole week, on the picture is only a small glass to see, the large has not fit on it…
• Radishes, washed! That’s a must for us anyway. What goes into the fridge should be washed. Because then you just take it faster. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think so…
• Natural rice, same same as the potatoes. If the rice is already cooked, the fried rice is ready in 10 minutes. Or a filling rice salad for lunch, as a side dish in the bowl….