Winter Meal Building 2019

Ah, the cold and relentless Portland Winter. Filled with heated blankets, blue-light boxes, mugs of hot coffee, and drenched rain coats. The start of a new season means it’s time for a new Meal Building schedule. This winter has a heavy focus on super simple, fast, and cheap meals.

Got your mittens on? Okay, now let’s dive in!

>> If you’re unfamiliar with Meal Building, I recommend reading more about it here before embarking on the rest of this post.

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3 Weekly Tasks

1 - My Game Plan

This winter I’ve been including significantly more budget friendly Banana smoothies and recipes that rank low on the Difficulty Scale. Seeking simplicity and cheap means slightly less emphasis on local or seasonal produce.

I’ve planned to eat 2x Meal Building meals a day and fill in the blanks with other meals and snaxks. The following list includes all of my Meal Building favorites, some of which I make weekly, others I rotate having in my fridge.

winter meal building favorites

• Structures: Kale Salads, Romaine & Arugula Salads, Rice Bowls

• Bases: Zesty Beans and Corn, Roasted Sweet Potato, Cheezy Quinoa

• Toppings: Baby Tomato, Arugula, Pickled Jalapenos

• Sauces: Agave Mustard Dressing and Cashew Lime Crema

winter BREAKFAST AND SNAX

• Coffee & Tea: Of course

• Smoothies: Banana, Banana, Orange Smoothie, and Tropical Greens Smoothie

• Snacks: Navel Oranges, Pears, Bananas, Walnuts, Dates, Apple Pie Lara Bars

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2 - Grocery Shop

Between what I pick up from Trader Joe’s and ingredients I already have at home, I can make most items in the game plan listed above.

I’ve allotted $50 a week on groceries for myself. The following picture is an example of what I was able to purchase for this amount. It added up to be about 1.5 weeks worth of groceries and 1 week of food prep - almost everything organic.

Some of the produce in this example will last me longer than a week, which allows me to stay within budget if I need to purchase any spices, nuts, or seeds next time I shop.

Below is the master grocery list that I pull from whenever I head out to the store.

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My Grocery List:

1-2 heads Kale
3-6 heads Romaine
12 oz Baby Spinach
12 oz Arugula
5# Sweet Potatoes
20-30 x Bananas (yes seriously)
9 x Navel Oranges
6 x Pears
2 x 16 oz Baby Tomatoes
3-6 x Limes

1 jar Tahini
1 can Black Beans
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Green Chilis
1 jar Pickled Jalapenos
12 oz Frozen Mango
12 oz Frozen Pineapple
12 oz Frozen Corn

Typically on hand:

Jasmine Rice, Veggie Bouillon, Quinoa, Nutritional Yeast, Cashews, Mustard, Agave, Spices, Walnuts, Dates, Hemp Seeds, Lara Bars

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3 - 1-1.5 hours Prep

I can knock all this out in 1.5 hours, including a mid-prep salad break. If you’re not taking pictures and eating lunch whilst prepping, I bet this could be done in about an hour.

WEEKLY PREP LIST

1. 1.5 cups (dry) Jasmine Rice, cooked in Veggie Bouillon

2. 1 batch Simple Roasted Sweet Potato

3. 1 batch Zesty Beans and Corn
   and/or 1 batch Cheezy Quinoa

4. 2 pints Baby Tomatoes, halved*

5. 3 heads Romaine, chopped

6. 2 bunches Kale, chopped*

7. 1-2 batches Agave Mustard Dressing
   or 1-2 batches Cashew Lime Crema

* In order to keep prepped ingredients fresh, I split the prep of certain foods between two days. Mid week I chop my second head of Kale, second pint of Baby Tomatoes, and will whip up another batch of sauce if needed.

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Examples of Meals

If you’re wondering how all this comes together, here are my go-to meals using this Winter Meal Building prep.

Cozy sweet potato Bowl

Structure - Jasmine Rice
Base - Roasted Sweet Potato
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes, Arugula
Sauce - Agave Mustard Dressing

Comforting Salad

Structure - Romaine & Arugula
Base - Roasted Sweet Potato, Cheezy Quinoa
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes
Sauce - Agave Mustard Dressing

Hearty Kale Salad

Structure - Kale
Base - Roasted Sweet Potato, Cheezy Quinoa
Toppings - n/a
Sauce - Agave Mustard Dressing

Southwest Salad

Structure - Romaine & Arugula
Base - Zesty Beans and Corn, Roasted Sweet Potato
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes
Sauce - Cashew Lime Crema

Bright & Fresh Rice Bowl

Structure - Jasmine Rice
Base - Zesty Beans and Corn
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes, Arugula
Sauce - Cashew Lime Crema

Sweet Bean Salad

Structure - Romaine & Arugula
Base - Zesty Beans and Corn
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes
Sauce - Agave Mustard Dressing

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Tips & Tricks

Consider making your lunch while you prep. I like to take any prepped foods that don’t fit perfectly into a storage container and whipping up a meal. If you’re not hungry at the time, try putting it in a jar for tomorrow’s lunch!

Be sure to eat foods that spoil, first. I always like to assess my prepped fruit & veggies based on their shelf life. Veggies like Kale will hold up in the fridge longer than a thinner leaved veggie like Romaine and Arugula. Therefore, I tend to eat more lettuces in the beginning of the week and Kale salads towards the end.

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