Prep Cook: Pineapple Cashew Roast, Purple Power Bowls, Breakfast Burrito & More

Welcome to Prep Cook , where we plan and test meals for the week so you can spend your time and money on the tastiest! This week’s menu includes pineapple and cashew roasts, mini tarts, cinnamon rolls and more.

Everyone has a different schedule (and different tastes), so the menu is organized by meal, not by day. I ordered them to provide variety throughout the week, but you can skip meals you don’t like or switch between meals depending on how much time you have to cook when you get home (multicooker dishes are great fit for a few days when you want to eat as soon as you walk in the door). If you really want to get ahead, set aside two to four hours on weekends to prepare the ingredients for the week (chop foods, mix sauces that will last, prepare foods that can be frozen, etc.).

Breakfast

Breakfast Burritos Freezer : Breakfast burritos are full, easy to reheat, and ready to go. These are great because you can cook enough for a week (or even a couple of weeks) at a time and freeze them until you need to eat.

• Complexity of preparation: difficult (but worth it)
• Reinforce: Serve with a spoonful of sour cream or sprinkle with avocado puree.
• Add meat: add chorizo ​​or minced meat.

Overnight Peanut Butter Oatmeal : Really simple to assemble and not to cook. For breakfast, this is a hearty snack or a great snack.

• Difficulty of preparation: Easy
• Fortify it: Add any dried fruit, nuts, or sweetener you like. I usually put some chocolate shavings in myself.

World’s Easiest Cinnamon Rolls : Cinnamon rolls are pretty darn delicious. This is the only reason you need to do them.

• Difficulty of preparation: Easy
• Reinforce: Top with citrus zest just before serving.

Dinner

Cashew Pineapple Roasting : Roasting is a great way to use leftover vegetables and rice and turn them into something that tastes different (and delicious). It packs great for lunch too.

• Difficulty of preparation: Easy
• Turn it up by lightly undercooking the rice to make it nice and crispy in the skillet. Brush the pineapple with cinnamon before caramelizing it in a skillet. Trust me, this is so good .
• Add meat: Toss in the diced chicken and marinade.
• Special Notes: You can throw whatever you have in the fridge into this roast. Pineapple and cashews are the only constant ingredients.
• Pack it for lunch: drop it in the container and you’re done!

Black bean and avocado enchiladas : Depending on how many people you feed, this dish is enough for more than just one dinner and lunch. Enchiladas are easy to assemble and prepare.

• Complexity of preparation: medium
• Turn it up: Make the sauce really hot (if you can handle it).
• Add the meat: Shredded chicken goes well with enchiladas.
• Pack it for lunch: Know that this one will be a little wet the next day, especially if you don’t have a toaster to warm it up at work.

Purple Power Bowls : Since most of this dish is raw, it’s very quick to cook. It took me almost 15 minutes to make the filling, so I just waited for the rice to finish.

• Difficulty of preparation: Easy
• Turn it up: replace tahini sauce with peanut sauce (because peanut sauce is very good). Be sure to add spices to any sauce you use, otherwise the dish will turn out to be rather bland.
• Add meat: Spiced chicken breast, chopped beef, or fish can be used on top of this bowl.
• Special Notes: I replaced the chickpeas with a crispy tempeh because I wanted a slightly different texture from raw vegetables.
• Pack it for lunch: Keep your rice separate from everything else so it doesn’t go soggy. Add the lemon slice to be squeezed on top just before eating for extra brightness.

Slow Cooker White Bean Soup: Soup is a light meal that can be complemented with other ingredients such as bread or salad. I love multicooker soups because I just put in the ingredients before I leave for work, and dinner is mostly ready when I walk in the door after work.

• Difficulty of preparation: Easy
• Reinforcement: Serve with crispy, thick bread slices. Make garlic bread if you want to get creative.
• Add meat: chopped sausages at the end.
• Pack it for lunch: make sure you use an airtight container. I always wrap it in a plastic bag just in case.

Spaghetti and lentil and mushroom balls with marinara in a slow cooker : Pasta is probably my favorite, especially with the classic marinara sauce. This combination is easy to make and has a ton of flavor as the sauce is stewed in a slow cooker all day (but you don’t need to watch it).

• Complexity of preparation: medium
• Fortify it: add a little more balsamic than the recipe calls for. It gives the sauce a slightly sweet umami flavor. Add vegetables of your choice to add bulk to the sauce (I added frozen spinach).
• Add meat: Swap mushroom and lentil balls for handmade or pre-made meatballs (check the meat counter / delicatessen section of the store).
• Special Notes: Medium to light results if you swap the cooked meatballs. Be sure to cook the onions before adding them to the multicooker, otherwise your sauce will taste like nail polish remover (raw onions are not fun). If you are making balls of lentils and mushrooms, skip the dried cranberries and sauce (since you serve them with marinara).
• Pack it for lunch: put it all together to blend the flavors.

Mini Pies with Crispy Superfood Salad : You basically make pot stews and cookies rather than a bunch of small pies in a pot, which makes the process a little easier (less assembly). They are really cute, so if you have someone out for dinner, I recommend serving them with salad as a meal, or with potted pies as a snack.

• Complexity of preparation: difficult
• Power it up: Make the salad dressing super flavorful by replacing toasted sesame oil.
• Add Meat: Toss diced or grated chicken into the pie filling.
• Pack it for lunch: Store the pie filling and cookies separately. You will probably eat this for lunch, which is more like a thick soup with cookies and salad.

Cups of tofu, pine nut and jicama salad : this is something you probably won’t, so it’s good to try it! Step outside your comfort zone when eating (and preparing food). The results are delicious, I promise.

• Complexity of preparation: medium
• Fortify it: add twice as much ginger as the recipe calls for.
• Add Meat: Just about any minced meat will work with this dish as it matches the overall texture.
• Special Notes: This is not too difficult to cook, you need to cut up anything that requires work. If you can, split the chop between two or more people and the preparation time will be drastically reduced. It’s a bit of a job, but I would seriously eat this for a week if I had to because there are so many layers of texture and flavor in it.
• Pack it for lunch: it will make lunch messy, so it’s good for a day you’re eating alone (ah, the peace and quiet of your lunch break). Pack the filling and salad separately and collect with meals.

Share your tips and tricks in the discussion below as you try these recipes.

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