FIVE EASY BATCH PREP PROTEINS
You may be tired of hearing me talk about batch prepping, but I just can’t stop because it is such a helpful way for us to simplify both our expectations and the reality of how we can prepare food that aligns with our goals.
Batch prepping refers to cooking large quantities of food ahead of time so that you can easily throw together a meal when it’s time to pack your lunch for the day or feed your family for dinner. When batch prepping, we can think less about the specific meals we are going to eat for the week, and more about creating the building blocks of those meals. This also makes grocery shopping and any meal planning you may do much easier! Batch prep proteins, carbs, and produce to create those building blocks for meals. Then you can toss in some yummy fats, flavors, and condiments to create a meal!
One of the biggest challenges we see often when it comes to approaching our nutrition is getting enough dietary protein.
For a refresher,
HERE is how to find your personal protein needs,
and HERE are some additional tips for how to meet those needs.
Batch prepping can come in handy when eating enough protein, so today I’m sharing five easy batch prepped proteins that can help you simplify your meal prep, make tracking macros easier, and get you closer to your goals.
MACRO-FRIENDLY CARNITAS
This carnitas recipe is a simple spin off of a traditional family recipe taken from the Sol Food Cookbook. These carnitas are easy to prepare and can be used in countless dishes throughout the week.
Prep time: 15 minutes || Cook time: 6-8 hours (slow cooker) or 45 minutes (Instant Pot)
WHAT YOU NEED
FOR THE PORK:
4lbs boneless pork loin
Cooking spray
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
FOR THE WET RUB:
50g brown sugar
25g lime juice (1/2 lime)
FOR THE CROCKPOT:
200g onion, chopped
200g bell pepper, chopped
300g celery, chopped
50g serrano or jalapeno pepper, sliced
WHAT TO DO
Heat a pan on the stove as you season pork loin liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the pan is hot, sear pork loin on each side until all sides are brown and crispy.
Add chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and serrano peppers to the bottom of the crockpot and lay the pork on top. Mix together lime juice and brown sugar then coat the pork loin on all sides. Add an additional ½ cup of water to the crockpot and place the lid on top.
Cook in a crockpot for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Once cooked, remove and shred the pork then replace it in the crockpot and mix well with the remaining juices.
For authentic carnitas: Heat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread pork out evenly. Cook for 10-12 minutes and then broil for an additional 5-10 minutes so pork becomes crispy.
INSTANT POT: If cooking in the Instant Pot, season pork and sear on saute mode. Add wet rub and 3/4 cup water and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Cook vegetables separately and add to the finished recipe.
MACROS PER 100g: 30P/3F/8C
You can find the recipe in the MyFitnessPal database by searching: “KLN Sol Food Carnitas”
EASY CROCKPOT SHREDDED CHICKEN
It’s easy to overlook something as simple as shredded chicken in the crockpot. True, it’s not an exciting recipe, but it is a versatile staple for a week of batch prepped meals!
Some ways you can use your shredded chicken:
Top a veggie-packed salad with shredded chicken for some easy protein
Use as a main protein for tacos or a fajita bowl
Throw into a stir fry or fried rice
Roast some veggies and enjoy with an additional carb like rice or quinoa
Mix pasta, pesto, and chicken along with tomatoes for an easy pasta salad
Add to a grain bowl (farro, quinoa, couscous, etc.) along with veggies and hummus
Use as a protein in a sandwich, wrap, or panini
Sub in for any of these rotisserie chicken based recipes
THE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS
Having hard boiled eggs means an easy ingredient that can be added to a meal (like on top of a salad or ramen bowl), eaten on its own, or used as the base of a recipe like an egg salad.
There are a many ways to go about making the “perfect” hard boiled egg, and here are just a few:
On the stovetop: Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with one inch of water. Bring to a boil, let boil for 7-10 minutes, then transfer to cold water for 5 minutes before peeling.
In the oven: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place eggs in a muffin tin. Bake for 30 minutes then transfer to cold water for 10 minutes before peeling.
In the Instant Pot: Add trivet to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add eggs in a single layer and pour in 1C of water. Cook on HIGH pressure for 7 minutes then manual release. Transfer to cold water for 10 minutes before peeling.
In the air fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 270 degrees. Add eggs in a single layer and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer to cold water for 10 minutes before peeling.
EASY MEAL PREP BURGERS
This specific recipe is for Coach D’s Southwest Turkey Burgers, though any type of burger (lean ground turkey, chicken, or beef) can be a handy batch prep item to have on hand.
PREP TIME: 10 minutes || COOK TIME: 15-20 minutes || MAKES: 6 servings
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 ½ lbs. 93/7 lean ground turkey
5g minced garlic
5g Cilantro, fresh, chopped
25g Green onions, fresh, chopped
5g Taco seasoning
6 burger buns we used Nature’s Own Whole Wheat kind
6 slices of pepper jack cheese
Lettuce, tomato, avocado (your choice of burger toppings)
MACROS PER SERVING: 31P/16F/26C | 385 calories
You can find the recipe in the MyFitnessPal database by searching:
“KLN Recipe: Coach D’s Southwest Turkey Burgers”
A VERSATILE PLANT BASED PROTEIN: LEGUMES
A plant based approach to your nutrition can make protein intake a little trickier. That doesn’t mean it is impossible! It just means that there may be more intention required when reaching your protein goal. Most plant-based protein sources are also carbohydrate sources. One of the best bang-for-your-buck plant based protein sources are legumes:
Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans
Black beans
Green peas
Kidney beans
Pinto beans
Lentils
Using a stovetop, crockpot, or Instant Pot, make a batch of your legume of choice. You can then use this as a protein staple in various meals throughout the week. You can either cook a plain batch of legumes or utilize a recipe and make something like lentil or black bean burgers, a chili or stew, black bean soup, hummus, roasted chickpeas, split pea soup, or bean salad.
This post only offers a small sampling of what batch prep can look like. The options are endless and what is most important to remember is that reaching your nutrition goals (like eating enough protein) doesn’t have to require hours in the kitchen, making complicated recipes, or only eating out of pre-packed tupperware.