Pin Recipe Jump to Recipe
This is the second episode in a series on how to make 15 healthy meals in 1 hour. Nutritionally balanced meals made with clean ingredients. The healthy meals in the first episode are dairy and gluten-free, this second episode does include dairy. If you’re just getting started with meal prep and clean eating, make sure you check out this Clean Eating for Beginners post first.
To get a grocery checklist and printable recipe card for this 1-hour meal prep session via e-mail you can sign up here:
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Protein – Chicken breast, salmon fillets, eggs, lentils. You can replace the chicken breast with turkey breast. However, cut it into strips so it cooks in the 15 minutes planned for the meal prep session. In my opinion, salmon is the best fish for baking but you can also bake Mahi Mahi. Essentially any type of fish that does not fall apart is fine. Do not replace the eggs. If you are allergic make overnight oats instead for breakfast. Stay clear of fish that fall apart. The lentils can be replaced by any other legume, such as beans or chickpeas.
- Carbohydrates – Potatoes and Rice. You can replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes. However, cut them into thick rounds and lay flat on a baking sheet in one layer. You can use either rice or quinoa maintaining the same cooking method.
- Fat – Olive Oil, Avocado Oil. Use any high smoke point oil or ghee for frying. Olive oil can be replaced by sunflower or avocado oil.
- Dairy – Greek yogurt, Feta cheese, Cheddar cheese. Make sure you use unsweetened yogurt. It doesn’t have to be Greek yogurt. Plain unsweetened yogurt works just as well. You can replace the Feta with Parmesan and Cheddar or any type of cheese that melts well, such as Swiss, Gouda, or Emmental.
- Extras – Peanuts, Raisins, Dijon, Honey, Chili Paste, Spices. Instead of peanuts, you can use any other type of nut. And instead of raisins any other type of dried fruit. It doesn’t have to be Dijon mustard, it can be any other type of mustard but for salad, Dijon is the most suitable. Honey can be replaced by maple syrup, chili paste can be omitted. I recommend keeping the spices as they are to ensure the flavor of all stays rounded.
- Veggies – I chose the veggies in these 15 healthy meals to ensure the best flavor and texture for the whole week. For example, the original lentil salad recipe contains tomatoes and cucumber but both become soggy and gross after about 2 days. Hence, the change in veggies to celery and bell pepper. I recommend sticking to the exact vegetables used by me.
How To Meal Prep Healthy Meals In Just Over An Hour
The trick to being fast and efficient during meal prep is to plan your healthy meals according to prep and cooking time that requires no “babysitting”. The idea is to use your oven or Instant Pot or low simmer on the stove for most of the meal prep so you can use the cooking time for prepping the next meal.
For these 15 healthy meals for example we use the oven a lot so we can concentrate on chopping and prepping the next meal while the oven does the cooking/roasting for us. We also use the Instant Pot for the rice so we can set it and forget it. We do not risk rice boiling over on the stove because we are distracted.
Careful planning and coordination are critical to be efficient.
How To Store 15 Healthy Meals
Animal and plant protein is safe to be stored in the refrigerator for up to4 days. Now, that does not mean it gets poisonous on day 5 but simply that there is some risk associated with eating it.
If you feed this to a baby, are an elderly person, pregnant, or immunocompromised it’s always best to freeze some of the meal prep and leave only enough in the fridge that can be eaten within those 4 days. Then on day 4, you can place the frozen meals in the refrigerator to defrost and reheat on day 5.
The best way to store your healthy meals is in airtight containers. I prefer glass but plastic or stainless steel work great as well of course. Just make sure you have the corresponding lids and that you get a tight seal on them.You can find my favorite meal prep containers here.
Always refrigerate your meals as soon as they cool down slightly. I usually put them in my containers, leave them uncovered for about 10 minutes, and then close them and put them right in the fridge.
How Many Calories A Day Are In These Healthy Meals?
Each day will vary depending on how you mix and match but in the end, the average per day is roughly 1,350 calories. With 100g of protein, 120g of carbohydrates, and 50g of fat a day from your main meals alone. That leaves enough room for snacks. I recommend sticking to fruit as a snack and finishing that big container of yogurt you got for the yogurt sauce to up your protein even further if you want. This meal plan is fairly high in protein, fairly low in carbohydrates, and exactly right in fat. So try to increase your carbohydrate intake with fruit throughout the day so you don’t run out of energy.
6-Week Clean Eating Program
If you enjoy being organized and you want to commit to eating healthy check out my 6-Week Clean Eating Program. It is a complete and thorough online omnivore meal plan that specializes in clean eating cooking skills and meal prepping. It teaches you to be organized, think ahead, and PREPARE, so you can be successful in the long run.
15 Healthy Meals in 1 Hour Episode 2
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 person
This is the second episode in a series on how to make 15 healthy meals in 1 hour. Nutritionally balanced meals made with clean ingredients.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs yellow potatoes
- 2 oz parsley - 1 large bunch
- 1 oz basil - 1 small bunch
- 1 oz dill - 1 small bunch
- 8 leaves mint
- 10 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 lbs asparagus
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lbs salmon fillets - 3 small pieces of approx 5oz each
- 2 lemons
- 2 lbs chicken breasts - 4 small ones of approx 8oz each
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 10 oz snipped green beans
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili or chili paste - ají amarillo
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- 2 cans lentils - two 14oz/400ml cans, approx 2-3 cups cooked lentils
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta
- 2 bell peppers
- 4 stalks celery
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1.5 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1.5 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Wash all your vegetables and weigh and measure your ingredients. If your green beans aren't snipped, make sure you remove their ends. Start with everything laid out and ready to go. **see notes
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Add the baby potatoes to an ovenproof dish, season with sea salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Then work the oil and seasoning into the potatoes with your hands and set aside.
Finely chop the parsley. Separate 1/2 cup chopped parsley and add to a large bowl (lentil salad bowl). Separate 1 Tbsp chopped parsley and add to a small bowl (yogurt sauce bowl). Separate 1/4 cup chopped parsley and set aside. Leave the rest on the chopping board.
Finely chop the dill. Separate a little for salmon. Separate 1 Tablespoon and add to yogurt sauce bowl. Leave the rest on the chopping board.
Finely chop the mint leaves and add half to the yogurt sauce bowl and half to the lentil salad bowl.
Finely chop the basil and leave it all on the chopping board.
Crack 10 eggs into a blender, add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and blend on low. Once blended, add the herbs from the chopping board and just blitz once or twice to mix in but not blend.
Line a muffin tray with 10 silicone cups and divide the egg herb mixture evenly. Then top each with a little of the grated cheddar cheese.
Add the baby potatoes and herb egg muffins into the oven and set a timer for 18 minutes.
In the meantime, cut off the dry ends of the asparagus and place it on a large baking sheet. Line the rest of the baking sheet with parchment paper to place the salmon fillets on it.
Chop 4 cloves of garlic. Separate 1 Tablespoon and add to the yogurt sauce bowl. Separate about 1/2 Tablespoon and add to the salmon fillets. Leave the rest on the chopping board.
Season the salmon and asparagus with sea salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Work the oil and seasoning into the salmon and asparagus with your hands. Then slice one lemon and place the slices on the salmon and asparagus. Set the baking tray aside.
Peel and finely chop a large yellow onion and leave it on the cutting board next to the remaining chopped garlic.
Peel and finely chop 1/2 a red onion and add to the lentil salad bowl.
By now, your timer probably went off so it's time to take out the herb egg muffins and set them aside and place the salmon and asparagus into the oven. Leave the baby potatoes in the oven and set a timer for 12 minutes.
Now work very quickly: Add the chicken breasts to a small baking sheet and season with sea salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika. Drizzle with a little avocado oil and work the oil and seasoning into the chicken with your hands.
Pull out the Instant Pot and add the Basmati rice, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, turmeric, and 1 cup water to the pot and stir. Then add the chopped green beans on top without mixing in. Seal the pot and set it to 3 minutes on high pressure. Then let pressure release naturally.
By now, your 12-minute timer probably went off so it's time to take the salmon and asparagus out of the oven and set aside. Check if the baby potatoes are fork tender, if yes, take them out of the oven, if no, leave them in there for 15 more minutes.
Add the chicken to the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat a large pan over medium heat. Once hot add a drizzle of avocado oil and your chopped yellow onion and chopped garlic and stir-fry until beginning to brown.
While stir-frying deseed and finely chop the bell peppers and the celery. Simply stir a little, chop a little, stir a little, chop a little until the veggies are chopped and the onions browned.
Add 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon chili to the onion and stir fry for a few more seconds, then turn off the heat, add the peanuts and raisins, and set aside.
Add the chopped bell peppers and celery to the lentil salad bowl, add the rinsed and drained lentils, and crumbled feta, and prepare the dressing. Add 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon honey, the juice of half a lemon, and 1/4 cup olive oil to a sealable jar, shake to combine, pour over the lentil salad, and mix well.
By now, your 15-minute timer probably went off and it's time to take the chicken out of the oven.
Now all there is left to make is the yogurt sauce by adding the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1 cup Greek yogurt to the bowl, season with sea salt, and mix well.
Add the onion-peanut-raisin mix to the yellow rice in the Instant Pot, add the 1/4 cup of chopped parsley we set aside earlier, and mix well.
Now divide the yellow rice among 4 meal prep containers and add one chicken breast to each container. This is served with the yogurt sauce but keep the sauce separate in case you want to freeze or reheat any of the chicken & rice bowls. The yogurt sauce cannot be heated or frozen but the chicken and rice can.
Divide the potatoes, asparagus, and salmon among 3 meal prep containers and add the little dill we set aside earlier to them. These can be frozen or reheated.
Divide the lentil salad among 4 meal prep containers. These cannot be frozen or reheated.
Add the herb egg muffins to a sealable container or freeze on a baking sheet and once frozen add to a freezer bag. This way they won't stick to each other. One meal is meant to be 2 egg cups. These can also be reheated.
Notes
** I recommend watching the video several times before getting started to be familiar with the recipe flow and work efficiently.
Nutrition
Calories: 6725kcal | Carbohydrates: 599g | Protein: 512g | Fat: 264g | Saturated Fat: 60g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 51g | Monounsaturated Fat: 127g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 2571mg | Sodium: 3225mg | Potassium: 16520mg | Fiber: 118g | Sugar: 83g | Vitamin A: 24478IU | Vitamin C: 755mg | Calcium: 2079mg | Iron: 73mg
Course Breakfast, dinner, lunch, meal prep
Cuisine International
Keyword healthy meals, how to meal prep, meal plan
What’s your clean eating vibe?Take this fun QUIZZ and find out in 10 seconds!
