Sunday Meal Prep for October 2nd, 2016

Carrying on the September slow-cooker and crock pot theme this week! For the first meal prep of October, most of the week’s meals are prepared ahead of time (thank you casseroles and crock pot!!). I’m dying to remake the Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole. This week will have a ton of time saved, as the only meal being fully prepared during the week is Thursday night’s dinner. But the good news is – leftovers = Friday lunch. Classic Project Meal Plan, making leftovers and saving time. Here’s the Sunday Meal Prep for October 2nd, 2016.

Goals: 1,700 calories a day, made up of 30% carbohydrates, 35% fat, and 35% protein (MyFitnessPal says this equals approximately 127g of carbohydrates, 66g of fat, and 149g of protein). In addition: 1) reduce costs and food waste, 2) help provide meal plan examples and preparation steps for any individual.

Meal Plan for October 3-7

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Turkey Bacon	Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Turkey Bacon	Greek Yogurt, Pistachios, Blueberries, Turkey Bacon	Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Turkey Bacon	Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Turkey Bacon
Lunch	Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole	Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole	Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole	Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole	Pesto Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Dinner	Crockpot Chicken Gnocci Soup	Crockpot Chicken Gnocci Soup	Crockpot Chicken Gnocci Soup	Pesto Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash	Crockpot Chicken Gnocci Soup
Snacks	Turkey pepperoni, Parm Cheese Crisps	Turkey pepperoni, Parm Cheese Crisps, Apple	Turkey pepperoni, Parm Cheese Crisps	Parm Cheese Crisps, Blueberries	Parm Cheese Crisps, Blueberries, Turkey Pepperoni
Macro Totals	Cal: 1,600 C: 124 g F: 61 g P: 131 g	Cal: 1,680 C: 146 g F: 61 g P: 131 g	Cal: 1,646 C: 125 g F: 64 g P: 138 g	Cal: 1,644 C: 103 g F: 75 g P: 145 g	Cal: 1,777 C: 143 g F: 67 g P: 150 g

What we’ll accomplish on Sunday:

• Turkey Bacon prepared for breakfasts
• Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Pancakes for breakfasts
• Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole for lunches
• Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup for dinners

Supplies List (for one person):

Grocery:

• rotisserie chicken
• boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds)
• 2 packages of turkey bacon (or your preferred bacon; about 16 slices)
• Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Waffle & Flapjack Mix
• grated parmesan cheese
• grated mozzarella cheese (2 1/2 cups)
• plain greek yogurt (about 1 1/3 cup total)
• mini potato gnnochi (2 pounds)
• 2 eggs
• butter
• 2 cups milk
• dry white quinoa (1 cup)
• chicken broth (4 cups)
• evaporated milk (2 cans)
• sun-dried tomatoes (not soaked in oil)
• traditional pesto (1/4 cup)

Produce:

• mirepoix (2 cups; mixture of chopped onions, carrots and celery)
• blueberries (one small carton)
• head of broccoli
• sliced white mushrooms (10 ounces)
• fresh baby spinach
• 1 medium spaghetti squash

Snacks:

• pistachios
• parmesan cheese crisps
• turkey pepperoni
• apple

Pantry:

• all-purpose flour
• cornstarch
• dried parsley
• dried oregano
• dried basil
• poultry seasoning
• italian seasoning (or homemade italian seasoning mixture)
• minced garlic
• red pepper flakes
• vanilla extract
• pumpkin pie spice
• cinnamon
• olive oil
• salt/pepper
• non-stick cooking spray

Equipment/Tools:

• large skillet
• rice cooker
• stove
• slow-cooker or crock pot
• meat thermometer
• Kitchen scale
• 4-cup Pyrex bowls for lunches, and large Pyrex bowls

Sunday Meal Prep Steps:

1. [5 minutes] Begin with the Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole quinoa. Grease rice cooker dish with coconut oil. Cook 1 cup quinoa and two cups water or chicken stock on the brown rice setting.
2. [15 minutes] Next, start the Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup by getting the chicken going in the crock pot (takes 4-5 hours on high, 6-8 hours on low). Follow the recipe for specific instructions. As the recipe indicates, the cooked bacon and spinach are added to the crockpot near the very end, so we’ll take care of that later.
3. [40 minutes] Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Pancakes are next. Follow the recipe to make 8 pancakes, two for each breakfast for four days. These can be frozen and then placed in the refrigerator the night before you plan to eat them.
4. [40 minutes] Preheat the oven and continue to work on the casserole, since the quinoa should be done now. Steam your broccoli, cook your mushrooms, then work on the sauce (detailed instructions on the recipe page). These steps can be done at your own pace. As explained in the Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole recipe, mix all components together in a 9×13 casserole dish, top with mozzarella, and cook for 25 minutes. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes on broil for a golden brown top.
5. [5 minutes] When the casserole is done, portion out into 6 equal portions (using a kitchen scale (affiliate link!)) and store in the fridge. Eat one portion for dinner or lunch on Sunday if you don’t need all 6 during the week.
6. [15 minutes] Dishes, dishes, dishes. You may want to wait to begin the next step until the chicken in the crock pot is nearly done.
7. [30 minutes] Cook bacon both for breakfast (2 pieces per day), and 6 pieces to add to the chicken gnocchi soup. Continue to follow instructions for the crockpot soup by adding the cooked bacon and spinach. When the soup is done, eat some for dinner and store the rest for the week!

Total Active Time Estimate: 2 hours, 30 minutes

This Week’s Featured Recipes:

Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Pancakes – Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday breakfast

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash – Thursday Dinner/Friday Lunch – Make this for yourself on Thursday night and have your Friday lunch already made!

Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup from Pinch of Yum – Monday-Wednesday & Friday Dinner – Creamy and delicious fall soup made in the crock pot. Your first full week of October has the perfect dinner prepared ahead! Thanks Pinch of Yum!

Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Casserole – Monday-Thursday Lunch

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Tag @projectmealplan on social media if you meal prep! I’d love to see what you’ve created! And follow me on Pinterest for meal inspiration every single day 🙂

– Danielle

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