Santa Fe Style Meal Prep

I’ve decided to take OMP for a field trip to MEAL PREP land! Follow along with me while I teach you how to maximize your food prep day with delicious, calorie smart meals that KEEP you satisfied. Y’all, it doesn’t have to be boring. I promise, it can be flavorful and exciting and still keep you on track!

Let’s kick week one off with my fave style, Southwest! I’ve created power bowl and power salad pairings perfect for after the gym, at/after work, or just to be mindful on your calorie budget!

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Look forward to your lunch!

Prep for protein above, salad and power bowls below.

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The most efficient way to maximize our time in the kitchen when we take on a day of meal prepping is to use the same ingredients for multiple dishes. You’ll find all my meal prep posts are easy to mix and match or keep together within one cuisine style. Our diet doesn’t have to be a punishment when it comes to losing/maintaining our weight. When we move our body and plan ahead for balanced eating, we set ourselves up for success and feel great in the process!

POWER SALADS: approx. 350-400 Cal.

POWER BOWLS: approx. 500-650 Cal.

Every prep recipe will have 12 meals, (lunch/dinner) leaving room for daily breakfast of choice and 1 cheat day. I shoot for a general calorie budget of 1500-1700 per day to help you estimate where your budget falls.

*Keep in mind this is not accounting for cooking oils, dressings or other condiments you may choose to add.*

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COST: $$
Prep Time: 15 MIN
Cook Time: 30 MIN
Serving Size: 12 Meals

Tools

Chef’s Knife
(3) Large Mixing Bowls
Strainer
Grill or Grill Pan
Skillet Pan
Large Sauce Pan + Lid
6 Deep Square/Circular Food Prep Containers
6 Deep Rectangular Food Prep Containers

Ingredients

Protein:

4 LBS Flank Steak or Thin Sirloin
2 Cans Black Beans, rinsed

Produce:

4 Hearts of Romaine, chopped
2 Cups Spinach, chopped
2 Bell Peppers, diced
6 Bell Peppers, cored
3 Jalepenos, diced
4 Roma or Vine Tomatoes, diced
2 Bunches Cilantro, chopped
1 Red Onio, diced
1 Cucumber, sliced
3 Avocados, pitted and quartered
2 Limes, squeezed


Dry Rub:

2 TBS Cumin
1 TBS Chili Powder
1 TBS Coriander
2 TBS Garlic Powder
1 TBS Sea Salt
2 TBS Black Pepper
2 TBS Aleppo Pepper
1 TSP Cayenne Pepper

Extras:

Spray Olive Oil
1 Can Yellow Corn, rinsed
5 Cups Quinoa, cooked
1/2 Cup Cotija Cheese
1 Cup Pepperjack Cheese, cubed
1 Cup Red Salsa or Taco Sauce
12 TBS Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing (2 TBS per salad)

Instructions

1. Season your Steak with the dry rub, coat well and cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Cook your quinoa. We need about 5 cups cooked so that’s around 3 cups dry quinoa to 6 cups water. Bring quinoa, water and some olive oil to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer until done, about 10-12 minutes. Cool and set aside.

3. Prep your lettuce and veggies, you’ll be using a lot of the same ingredients for both dishes so it’s best to use one bowl for lettuce, one for raw veggies and one for veggies that will be cooked.

4. Assembly line your deep rectangular prep dishes, add 2 cups/handfuls of lettuce per dish. Follow with around 1/4 cup of each: tomatoes, avocado, red bell peppers, cucumbers, red onion, black beans, quinoa, corn, and jalepenos. Top with cotija and cilantro, measure in your dressing on the side and your salads are almost complete. (Steak goes on last)

5. Cube the pepper jack cheese and set aside. Core the 6 bell peppers intended for stuffing.

6. Scorch the outside of your cored peppers on your hot grill pan to help soften them a bit. Set aside.

7. In the same grill pan on medium-high heat, cook the steak. Remember, we’re reheating this later so it’s best to sear it only 1-2 minutes per side. Once cooked, slice/cube and set aside. Save half of the steak for your salads and top them now with an equal amount (shoot for 3oz each).

8. Flash cook your remaining veggies (we don’t want them mushy on the reheat, so literally only cook them for 1-2 minutes on high heat in a skillet pan). Add them back into the mixing bowl, add the cubed steak, and set aside.

9. Set up your deep square/round prep dishes in an assembly line. In a mixing bowl, mix together the remaining quinoa, black beans and 1/2 cup salsa or red taco sauce. scoop 1/2 cup of the mix into each dish.

10. Place a cored, scorched bell pepper into each dish atop the quinoa mixture. Stuff each pepper with your remaining steak/veggie mixture and a few cubes of Pepperjack cheese.

11. Top with avocado slices, cotija cheese and cilantro. These reheat best in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and the cheese melts perfectly! Enjoy!

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