Weight-loss meal prep in 1 hour (for the week)

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This is a 5 day customizable meal plan that makes losing weight easy!

There’s step-by-step instructions, a shopping list and of course all the delicious recipes. These are healthy balanced meals that are easy to prep and keep well – they’re also gluten-free, dairy-free and there’s vegan options! Hope you enjoy! 🙂

How to never count calories again…

When I was trying to lose weight, I often heard people say things like, “I don’t believe in counting calories” and “just listen to your body!”, but I noticed that most of the people saying these things were.. let’s just say “naturally thin” people. People who had never struggled with their weight. 

It’s very different when you’re in the situation where you feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing’s working. 

That was me.. until one day my doctor said *very* nicely, “Maybe you need to look at how many calories you’re eating every day.” 

As much as I’d love to be one of those people who could literally just eat anything, anytime, and it didn’t make any difference to my waist line, I realized that for my body I needed to at least be mindful of what I’m putting in to it. 

So although I’m not trying to lose weight right now, this is the exact method I used to lose more than 40 lbs. 

After years of avoiding counting calories, I started keeping track of them, and it worked! I lost the weight I’d been trying so long to get under control. 

The problem is, I *HATED* counting calories! 

It’s tedious and boring and just not the way I wanted to live my life, having to constantly obsess over calories. 

So I came up with this meal prepping method where I planned, prepped, and accounted for all my calories for the week. Then I could just enjoy my meals and not worry about it again – knowing that I was on track with my weight. 

Of course, it’s about more than just calories. I realized that creating balanced meals with all food groups (whole carbs, protein, healthy fats, and fiber) was essential to having energy for the day and feeling good overall.. and, not feeling hungry all the time. 

There’s really no such thing as a “weight loss” meal, these are simply well rounded, nutritionally balanced meals that aren’t loaded with excess or empty calories. You can absolutely use them as part of any healthy diet. 

I want you to know that calories are good, we need them daily for energy! But not all calories are created equal, and the ones we need to be especially mindful of are “empty” calories. 

Empty calories usually come from foods with little to no nutritional value, such as solid fats and added sugars – which often add calories to food but few or no nutrients. 

With this meal plan, I have already done all the tedious calorie calculations for you – so you don’t have to! I have also made sure these meals are packed with nutrition and all the food groups so you can feel good while reaching your goal weight. 

And that’s the point of this meal plan. These aren’t random recipes; they’re filling, and balanced and don’t have excess or empty calories. 

When you go into your week with your meals ready, you don’t even have to think about cooking or calories again, you KNOW you’re on the right track to your ideal weight. 

I’ve made a few of these meal plans before, and so many people have told me how it’s worked for them, how much weight they’ve lost, and have asked for new meals – so here it is, a brand new week of meals! 

Make sure you check out my YouTube video that goes along with this meal plan, you can follow along with me there..

Download this week of meal prep!

You can also get all this (shopping list, step-by-step instructions + recipes) in the ebook I made to go along with this.. it’s FREE btw, so go download it here!

In this post, you’ll get:

• What’s on the menu (meals and snacks for 5 days)
• Shopping list (ingredients for 5 days of meal prep)
• How to prep all meals + snacks in about an hour (with time guidelines)
• Ingredients and instructions to prep 4 sauces in 10 minutes
• Ingredients list and instructions for each individual recipe
• Calorie guideline breakdown (1200-1800 per day)
• Container recommendations to keep meals fresh!

What’s on the menu?

Here’s a list of the meals and snacks for 5 days:

• Dinner #1: One-turn lemon chicken (2 servings)
• Dinner #2: Tomato tofu bake (3 servings)
• Lunch #1: Spring potato salad (2 servings)
• Lunch #2: Burst tomato chickpea curry (3 servings)
• Breakfast #1: Banana chocolate chip overnight oats (3 servings)
• Breakfast #2: Green raspberry smoothie (2 servings)
• Snack #1: Berry yogurt snack (3 servings)
• Snack #2: Hummus dip snack (2 servings)

SHOPPING LIST FOR 5 DAYS OF MEAL PREP

You can download a copy of the shopping list here!

FRUIT AND VEG

• 2 medium tomatoes 
• 400g cherry tomatoes (14 oz)
• 1 large onion
• 2 medium green bell peppers
• 400g green beans (14 oz)
• 1 cup baby carrots (or 2 medium carrots)
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 2 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens)
• 1 or 2 sprigs of spring onion (or 1/4 onion)
• 3 lemons (keep zest from 1/2 lemon)
• 3 medium ripe bananas
• 1 and 1/2 cups fresh berries (I like blueberries or strawberries)
• 2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1 medium/ large avocado

PROTEIN 

• 1 can chickpeas (16 oz)
• 1 pack extra firm tofu (chicken alt: 10 oz skinless chicken breast meat)
• 8 oz chicken skinless breast meat (vegan alt: 10 oz extra firm tofu)
• 2 large eggs (vegan alt: 2/3 cup black beans)
• 2/3 cup hummus 
• 2 scoops sweetened vanilla protein powder (roughly 110 cal per scoop, vegan or regular)
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 3 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter)
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

FLAVOR + COOKING ESSENTIALS

• 4 tbsp + 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp light mayonnaise (vegan or regular)
• 3 tbsp maple syrup + 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp 
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• pinch cumin
• pinch ginger
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp corn starch

GRAINS + STARCHES

• 700g baby potatoes
• 3 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup dry + 3 cups water)
• 1 + 1/2 cups dry rolled oats

OTHER

• 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips (I use Lilly’s brand)
• (1 tub) 2 and 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut yogurt (or 1 + 1/2 cups plain low-fat dairy yogurt) 

*roughly 80 cal per serving of yogurt (3/4 cup coconut yogurt or 1/2 low-fat dairy yogurt per serving)

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

• A few fresh raspberries
• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh parsley 
• Black or white sesame seeds
• Cooking oil spray for easy pan greasing (I use avocado oil spray)

HOW TO PREP ALL YOUR MEALS + SNACKS IN ABOUT AN HOUR

OVERVIEW – PARTS 1 TO 6

Part 1 – We’re washing and chopping

Part 2 – We’re prepping the sauces

Part 3 – We’re cooking the things that take the longest – which are oven items and rice

Part 4 – We’re prepping all the breakfasts and snacks

Part 5 – We’re cooking all of the stove items

And part 6 – (Which is the fun part) We’re putting all the final meals together!

Before you start:

• Get all of your ingredients out of the fridge and the pantry
• Get out all of your meal prep containers
• Get out all of your pots, pans, and baking trays needed for cooking (2 large frying pans, 2 smaller frying pans, 1 pot for cooking rice, 1 big baking tray, and 2 baking dishes)
• Preheat your oven to 400 F / 200 C
• Boil some water in a kettle for the rice

PART 1: WASH & CHOP – 5 minutes to get organized! (1 hour left at start, takes 5 min total)

• Rinse the vegetables, potatoes and rice 
• Rinse and drain a can of chickpeas (also drain and rinse black beans if you’re making the vegan alternative for the eggs)
• Drain tofu and cut into big pieces (drain extra for the vegan option if you’re not using chicken)
• Cut chicken breast meat into big bite size pieces (prep extra if you’re not using tofu)
• Chop all veg (quarter 2 big tomatoes, chop half an onion finely, chop half an onion into big pieces, chop half a bell pepper finely, chop one and a half bell peppers into big pieces, chop 1 cup of celery into baby carrot size sticks, finely slice spring onion) 

PART 2: SAUCES – Prep 4 sauces in 10 minutes! (55 min left at start, takes 10 min total)

• Zesty lemon sauce (for the one-turn lemon chicken)
• Tangy tomato sauce (for the tomato tofu bake)
• Tangy mayo (for the spring potato salad)
• Tomato curry sauce (for the burst tomato chickpea curry)

PART 3: OVEN ITEMS AND BROWN RICE – 5 min to get oven items and brown rice cooking! (45 min left at start, takes 5 min total)

• Toss the whole baby potatoes with oil on an oven tray
• Mix the sliced tofu (or chicken if you chose the alternative) in a baking dish with the 1/2 onion (cut in big pieces) and the 2 big quartered tomatoes, and toss with the prepped tangy tomato sauce 
• Toss the one and a half bell peppers (chopped in big pieces) with a spray of cooking oil in a small baking dish
• Get the potatoes, bell pepper and tofu (or chicken) in the oven
• Get the brown rice cooking on the stove with the hot water (about 1 cup dry brown rice with about 3 cups hot water – this should yield 3 cups cooked brown rice)

PART 4: BREAKFAST ITEMS AND SNACKS – 15 minutes to fully prep all breakfasts and snacks! (40 min left at start, takes 15 min total)

• Prep breakfast #1 (overnight oats): Smash bananas and mix all ingredients for the overnight oats in a bowl before dividing between 3 x 12 oz jars (5 min)
• Prep breakfast #2 (smoothies): Blend all smoothie ingredients together, then serve between 2 x 16 oz jars (5 min)
• Prep snack #1: Serve yogurt, berries and almonds between 3 x 30 oz containers for the berry yogurt snack (3 min)
• Prep snack #2: Serve the hummus between 2 x 8 oz containers (1/3 cup hummus per container), and the chopped celery sticks and baby carrots between 2 x 12 oz jars (I like to add water to the veggie stick jars after adding the celery and carrot to keep them fresh) for the hummus dip snack (2 min)

*Quickly check the oven items & take the bell peppers out of oven!

PART 5: STOVE ITEMS – 20 min to cook all stove items: bust tomato chickpea curry, one-turn lemon chicken, sautéed green beans and fried eggs (25 min left at start, takes 20 min total)

• Heat 2 large pans and 1 smaller pan over 3 burners on the stove (the brown rice should already be occupying 1 burner)
• In one large pan, fry the 1/2 onion (finely chopped) in a pan for the burst tomato chickpea curry over a medium to medium-high heat
• In a smaller pan, get chicken (or tofu for the vegan alt) cooking for the one-turn lemon chicken over a medium to medium-high heat (cook side 1)
• In the 2nd large pan, get green beans cooking (400g green beans)
• Check on the onion frying in the first pan, and add the drained chickpeas (from 1 can), the whole cherry tomatoes (400g), as well as the prepped tomato curry sauce
• Reduce the heat and let the curry simmer for 5-10 minutes, leaving the whole cherry tomatoes to burst on their own
• Once the chicken (or tofu if you chose the vegan alt) is almost fully cooked on the one side and you can only see a small amount of raw meat on top, turn the heat down and turn the chicken once (the underside of the chicken should be a bit crispy after turning, so should the tofu if you made the vegan alt)
• Once the heat has reduced, add the prepped zesty lemon sauce (shake or stir the zesty lemon sauce again before adding to make sure the corn starch is stirred in and not lumpy, and not settled at the bottom of the container)
• Let the sauce and chicken (or tofu) cook for another 2 minutes
• If needed, you can add 1-2 tablespoons water to the pan if the sauce is not saucy enough (but might not be necessary)
• Check on and reduce the heat for the green beans, adding a small amount of water when the heat has lowered 
• Take the one-turn lemon chicken off the stove (or the tofu)
• Use a second small frying pan on the burner where the chicken was cooking, and fry 2 eggs in pan on stove (omit this step if you’re making the black bean vegan alt)
• Once the eggs are done cooking (I like to keep the yolk a little bit soft), get all of the stove items off the stove (fried eggs, brown rice, green beans and burst tomato chickpea curry)

*Quickly check the oven items & take the tomato tofu bake and roasted potatoes out of the oven

PART 6: PUT FINAL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER – finish and serve out all dinners and lunches: one-turn lemon chicken, tomato tofu bake, burst tomato chickpea curry, and spring potato salad (5 min left at start, takes 5 min total)

• Put together dinner #1 (one-turn lemon chicken): Serve out the zesty lemon chicken with half the total roasted potatoes and half the total green beans between 2 x 36 oz containers (optionally garnish with extra pepper, sesame seeds and fresh parsley)
• Put together dinner #2 (tomato tofu bake): Serve out the baked tomato tofu with half the total brown rice (about 1/2 cup per container) and half the total green beans between 3 x 36 oz containers
• Put together lunch #2 (burst tomato chickpea curry): Serve out the chickpea curry with half the total brown rice (about 1/2 cup per container) and the roasted green peppers between 3 x 36 oz containers
• Prep the potato salad: Chop half the total roast potatoes as well as the 2 fried eggs, and toss with the chopped bell pepper, the sliced spring onion, and the prepped tangy mayo 
• Put together lunch #1: Serve out the potato salad between 2 x 30 oz containers

MEAL PREP COMPLETE! Cover all your containers and jars with airtight lids, and store in the fridge!

PREP 4 SAUCES IN 10 MINUTES

When testing this meal plan, I found that one of the biggest time savers was simply prepping all the sauces together, right at the start. Once you have all the ingredients ready and out, it’s actually quite easy to get them all done really quickly.

1. Zesty lemon sauce (for the chicken)
2. Tangy tomato sauce (for the tofu)
3. Tangy mayo (for the potato salad)
4. Tomato curry sauce (for the chickpea curry)

1 – ZESTY LEMON SAUCE

Zesty lemon sauce (ingredients):

• Juice from 1 lemon
• Zest from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• Salt + generous amount of pepper
• 1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1 or 2 tbsp water (if needed after adding sauce to pan, up to 1/8 cup)

Zesty lemon sauce (how to prep and use):

• Prep the zesty lemon sauce by grating the zest from 1/2 a lemon, before cutting the lemon in half to squeeze out the juice
• Mix the juice from 1 lemon and zest from 1/2 a lemon in a small container with 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce), 1/2 tsp onion powder, salt, a generous amount of pepper and 1/2 tsp corn starch
• Cover the small container with a lid and shake to get rid of lumps from the corn starch 
• Before adding the sauce to the chicken, shake or stir the zesty lemon sauce again to make sure the corn starch is stirred in and not lumpy (or settled at the bottom of the container)
• If needed, you can add 1-2 tablespoons water to the pan if the sauce is not saucy enough (but might not be necessary)

2 – TANGY TOMATO SAUCE

Tangy tomato sauce (ingredients):

• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Salt and pepper to taste

Tangy tomato sauce (how to prep and use):

• Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl and set aside
• Add the sauce to a baking dish with the sliced tofu, onion and tomato 

3 – TANGY MAYO SAUCE

Tangy mayo ingredients:

• 3 tbsp light mayonnaise (vegan or regular)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• Salt and pepper

Tangy mayo (how to prep and use):

• Mix all of the ingredients for the tangy mayo in a bowl and set aside (use vegan or regular mayonnaise)
• Mix the tangy mayo in a bowl with the chopped potatoes, egg (or black beans), bell pepper and spring onion

4 – TOMATO CURRY SAUCE

Tomato curry sauce:

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup 
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• pinch cumin
• pinch ginger
• Salt and pepper

Tomato curry sauce (how to prep and use):

• Mix all of the ingredients for the tomato curry sauce together in a small bowl and set aside 
• Add the tomato curry sauce to the pan with the caramelized onion, cherry tomatoes and chickpeas 

THE RECIPES

DINNER #1

ONE-TURN LEMON CHICKEN – serves 2, roughly 400 cal per serving 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz skinless chicken breast meat (vegan alt: 10 oz extra firm tofu)
• 350g baby potatoes
• 200g green beans (7 oz)
• Optional: black or white sesame seeds, and fresh parsley

Zesty lemon sauce ingredients:

• Juice from 1 lemon
• Zest from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• Salt + generous amount of pepper
• 1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1 or 2 tbsp water (if needed after adding sauce to pan, up to 1/8 cup)

How to prep:

• Preheat your oven to 400 F (or about 200 C)
• Toss the baby potatoes in a small amount of cooking oil spray and add to a baking tray
• Roast the baby potatoes in the oven for about 40-45 minutes
• When the potatoes are at least 20 minutes away from being done, you can prep the zesty lemon sauce before starting to cook the chicken (or tofu) and green beans
• Prep the zesty lemon sauce by grating the zest from 1/2 a lemon, before cutting the lemon in half to squeeze out the juice
• Mix the juice from 1 lemon and zest from 1/2 a lemon in a small container with 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce), 1/2 tsp onion powder, salt, a generous amount of pepper and 1/2 tsp corn starch
• Cover the small container with a lid and shake to get rid of lumps from the corn starch 
• Set the sauce aside
• Heat 2 large frying pans on the stove, and grease each one with a small amount of cooking oil spray 
• Cut 8 oz chicken breast meat into bite size pieces (or cut tofu into big pieces for the vegan alt)
• Add the chicken (or tofu pieces) to one of the heated pans and cook side 1 over a medium to medium-high heat (don’t toss)
• Add 200g green beans to the other heated pan and cook over a medium to medium-high heat
• Once the chicken (or tofu) is almost fully cooked on the one side and you can only see a small amount of raw meat on top, turn the heat down and turn the chicken once (the underside of the chicken should be a bit crispy)
• Shake or stir the zesty lemon sauce again to make sure the corn starch is stirred in and not lumpy (or settled at the bottom of the container), before pouring over the chicken
• Let the sauce and chicken (or tofu) cook for another 2 minutes before removing from the heat completely 
• If needed, you can add 1-2 tablespoons water to the pan if the sauce is not saucy enough (but might not be necessary)
• Turn the heat down for the green beans, and when the heat is reduced you can add a small amount of water to speed up cooking time (be careful not to add the water while the pan is too hot)
• Once the chicken (or tofu) is off the stove, you can serve it out between 2 x 36 oz containers
• When the potatoes and green beans are done you can remove them from the oven and stove respectively 
• Serve the roasted baby potatoes and green beans between the 2 containers with the lemon chicken (or tofu)
• Optionally sprinkle extra pepper, sesame seeds and fresh parsley over the chicken (or tofu)
• Let the meals cool for 5 minutes before covering them with airtight lids and storing them in the fridge to keep them fresh

How to heat and eat:

• This one-turn lemon chicken can be eaten hot or cold, but I like to eat it hot! 
• I like to remove the lid from the container, and then cover the container with a small microwavable plate (alternatively, transfer the meal to a bowl or plate and cover) 
• I microwave my meal in my glass container for 2-4 minutes (amount will vary depending on the microwave used)
• Eat and enjoy!

DINNER #2

TOMATO TOFU BAKE – serves 3, roughly 400 cal per serving

Ingredients: 

• 1 pack extra firm tofu (or 10 oz skinless chicken breast meat)
• 1/2 cup dry brown rice (1 + 1/2 cups cooked brown rice)
• 1 + 1/2 cups hot water
• 200g green beans (7 oz)
• 2 medium tomatoes (cut in quarters)
• 1/2 large onion (cut in big pieces) 
• Optional: fresh parsley to serve

Tangy tomato sauce ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Salt and pepper to taste 

How to prep:

• Preheat your oven to 400 F (or about 200 C)
• Boil some water in a kettle to make the rice
• Mix all of the ingredients for the tangy tomato sauce together in a bowl and set aside 
• Drain the tofu and cut into big pieces (or for the chicken alternative, cut 10 oz chicken into big bite size pieces)
• Cut the 1/2 onion into big pieces, and quarter the 2 tomatoes
• Grease a baking dish and add the chopped onion and tomato to it with the sliced tofu (or the chicken pieces)
• Finally add the prepped tangy tomato sauce to the dish and toss the tofu (or chicken), onion and tomato in it
• Bake the tofu for about 40-45 minutes (or bake the chicken for about 20 minutes, or as needed)
• To prep the rice start by adding 1/2 cup of dry brown rice to a pot with roughly 1 + 1/2 cups hot water, bringing it to a boil on the stove and then letting simmer for about 40 minutes 
• When there is about 10 minutes cooking time left for the tofu and the brown rice, heat a large frying pan on the stove and spray it with a small amount of cooking oil
• Add 200g green beans to the heated pan and cook over a medium to medium-high heat
• After 5 minutes, turn the heat for the green beans down, and when the heat is reduced you can add a small amount of water to speed up the cooking time (be careful not to add the water while the pan is too hot)
• When the tofu (or chicken), brown rice and green beans are all cooked, remove the tofu from the oven and the rice and beans from the stove respectively 
• Serve the brown rice between 3 x 36 oz containers (each serving should yield about 1/2 cup cooked rice)
• Serve the tomato tofu bake (or chicken) between the 3 containers with the rice
• Finally, serve the green beans between the 3 containers
• Let all the meals cool for about 5 minutes before covering them with airtight lids and storing them in the fridge to keep fresh 

How to heat and eat:

• You can heat this baked tomato tofu meal however you prefer (for example: 2-4 minutes in the microwave should be fine), but I like to heat it on the stove
• I like to heat a small frying pan on the stove with a quick spray of cooking oil
• I then transfer the full meal (tofu, rice and green beans) from the container to the frying pan, keeping the tofu, rice and green beans as separate from each other as possible in the pan
• Sometimes I add a small amount of water to the rice to get it heated through fully
• After 5 minutes in the pan with minimal tossing, everything should be heated through!
• Serve in a bowl or on a plate, eat and enjoy!

LUNCH #1

BURST TOMATO CHICKPEA CURRY – serves 3, roughly 400 cal per serving

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas (16 oz)
• 1/2 cup dry brown rice (1 + 1/2 cups cooked brown rice)
• 1 + 1/2 green bell peppers (roasted w/ 1 extra tsp oil)
• 1/2 large onion 
• 400g cherry tomatoes (14 oz)
• Optional: fresh cilantro to serve

Tomato curry sauce ingredients:

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup 
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• pinch cumin
• pinch ginger
• Salt and pepper

How to prep:

• Boil water in a kettle to make the rice
• Add 1/2 cup of dry brown rice to a pot with roughly 1 + 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a boil on the stove and then let simmer for about 40 minutes 
• When there is about 25 minutes cooking time left for the brown rice, preheat your oven to 400 F (or about 200 C)
• Chop one and a half green bell peppers into big bite size pieces
• Toss the chopped bell peppers in a small amount of cooking oil spray before adding to a baking dish 
• Roast the bell peppers for about 20 minutes in the oven 
• Once the peppers are in the oven, heat a pan on the stove and grease with a small amount of cooking oil spray
• Chop half an onion into small pieces and add it to the heated pan
• Let the onion caramelize while you drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and prep the tomato curry sauce
• Mix all of the ingredients for the tomato curry sauce together in a small bowl and set aside
• Once the onion is slightly browned, add the drained can of chickpeas, 400g whole cherry tomatoes and the prepped tomato curry sauce to the frying pan 
• Let the curry simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (only stirring occasionally, don’t smash the cherry tomatoes and let them burst on their own)
• Once the bell peppers are cooked, remove them from the oven
• Once the burst tomato chickpea curry and the brown rice are cooked, remove them from the stove 
• Serve the brown rice between 3 containers (I use 36 oz containers), it should yield about 1 and 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (1/2 cup cooked brown rice for each serving)
• Serve the burst tomato chickpea curry between the 3 containers with the rice 
• And finally, serve the roasted bell peppers between the 3 containers (optionally garnish the meal with fresh cilantro, salt and pepper)
• Cover all of the containers with airtight lids and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh!

How to heat and eat:

• This burst tomato chickpea curry can be eaten hot or cold, but I like to eat it heated!
• I like to remove the lid from the container, and then cover the container with a small microwavable plate (alternatively, transfer the meal to a bowl or plate and cover) 
• I microwave the meal in my glass container for about 2-4 minutes (amount will vary depending on the microwave used)
• Eat and enjoy!

LUNCH #2

SPRING POTATO SALAD – serves 2, roughly 400 cal per serving

Ingredients:

• 350g baby potatoes
• 2 large eggs (vegan alt: 2/3 cup black beans)
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 or 2 sprigs of spring onion (or 1/4 onion)
• Optional: fresh parsley to serve

Tango mayo ingredients:

• 3 tbsp light mayonnaise (vegan or regular)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• Salt and pepper

How to prep:

• Preheat your oven to 400 F (or about 200 C)
• Toss the baby potatoes in a small amount of oil and add to a baking tray
• Roast the baby potatoes in the oven for about 40-45 minutes
• When there is about 10 minutes cooking time left for the potatoes, heat a small frying pan on the stove and grease with a quick spray of cooking oil
• Crack 2 eggs into the pan and fry for about 5 minutes over a medium to medium-high heat (I like to leave the yolk a little bit soft)
• Vegan alt for the eggs: Rinse and drain 2/3 cup black beans to replace the fried eggs, and set aside
• Chop 1/2 a green bell pepper and 1 or 2 sprigs of spring onion into small pieces (you can replace the spring onion with up to 1/4 of an onion)
• Mix all of the ingredients for the tangy mayo sauce in a bowl and set aside (you can use vegan or regular mayonnaise to make it)
• Once the potatoes and eggs are cooked, remove them from the oven and stove respectively
• Chop the roasted potatoes and fried eggs into pieces (this will be easier if you let them cool for 5 minutes before chopping)
• Mix the chopped potatoes and eggs (or black beans instead of the eggs for the vegan option) in a bowl with the chopped bell pepper, sliced spring onion and the prepped tangy mayo sauce
• Serve the prepped spring potato salad between 2 containers (I use 30 ounce containers), before covering them with airtight lids and storing them in the fridge

How to eat:

• I like to eat this spring potato salad straight out of the container with a fork!

BREAKFAST #1

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP OVERNIGHT OATS  – serves 3, roughly 400 cal per serving

Ingredients:

• 3 medium ripe bananas (smashed)
• 1 + 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 + 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips (I use Lilly’s)
• 3 tbsp peanut butter or almond butter
• Optional: extra chocolate chips for topping 

How to prep:

• Smash the 3 bananas with a fork and add to a mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients 
• Mix all the ingredients together
• Serve the overnight oat batter between 3 x 12 oz jars to make 3 portions 
• Optionally sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top of the oats
• Cover the jars with airtight lids and store them in the fridge 

How to eat:

• I like to eat these overnight oats with a spoon straight from the jar!

BREAKFAST #2

GREEN RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE – serves 2, roughly 400 cal per serving 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1 medium/ large avocado
• 2 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens)
• 2 scoops sweetened vanilla protein powder (roughly 110 cal per scoop, vegan or regular)
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 + 1/2 to 2 cups water (to blend)
• Optional: a few fresh raspberries or berries for a topping (3-4 fresh raspberries per smoothie)

How to prep:

• Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
• Divide the smoothie mix between 2 x 16 oz jars to make 2 portions
• Optionally top each smoothie with 3-4 fresh raspberries (or other fresh berries) to make them look cute!
• Cover the jars with airtight lids and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh!

How to eat:

• I like to eat my green raspberry smoothie with a spoon (I use a long ice cream spoon) straight from the jar! (You can also use a reusable straw)

SNACK #1

BERRY YOGURT SNACK – serves 3, roughly 200 cal per serving 

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups fresh berries (I like blueberries or strawberries)
• *1 tub or 2 and 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut yogurt (or 1 + 1/2 cups plain low-fat dairy yogurt) 
• 1/4 cup almonds (about 10 almonds per serving)

*roughly 80 cal per serving of yogurt (3/4 cup coconut yogurt or 1/2 low-fat dairy yogurt per serving)

How to prep:

• Serve 80 calories worth of yogurt (roughly 3/4 cup coconut yogurt, or 1/2 cup plain low-fat dairy yogurt) to each of the 3 containers for this snack (I use 3 x 30 oz containers)
• Add 1/2 cup fresh berries to each container with the yogurt (I like to use blueberries or strawberries, or a mix of both)
• Top each berry yogurt snack with some almonds (I use 1/4 cup almonds in total for all 3 snacks, this will be roughly 10 almonds per snack)
• Cover all the containers with airtight lids and store them in the fridge

How to eat:

• I like to eat this berry yogurt snack straight from the container with a spoon! (Dip the berries in the yogurt, or get a little bit of everything on each spoonful)

SNACK #2

HUMMUS DIP SNACK – serves 2, roughly 200 cal

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup hummus (1/3 cup per serving)
• 1 cup chopped celery (1/2 cup per serving)
• 1 cup baby carrots (or 2 medium carrots) 
• Optional: black pepper and fresh parsley to garnish hummus

How to prep:

• Serve 2/3 cup hummus between 2 x 8 oz containers (roughly 1/3 cup into each container)
• Optionally top each hummus portion with pepper and fresh parsley (to make it look pretty)
• Chop about 1 cup of celery into pieces the size of a baby carrot
• Pack 2 x 12 oz jars with carrot sticks and celery pieces
• Add water to the jars packed with the veggies to keep them fresh
• Cover the jars and containers with airtight lids and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh

How to eat:

• Drain the water from your veggie stick snack jar before just before eating
• Dip your celery and carrot sticks into the hummus and enjoy!

For more meal prep & meal plans…

CALORIE GUIDELINE BREAKDOWN

Everybody’s body is different! The amount of calories you need to lose weight is completely dependent on your body, your current weight, and your activity level. So that’s why this plan is customizable, so you can adapt it to work for you!

All the meals are 400 calories and all the snacks are 200 calories, so you can easily mix and match them to build a meal plan! The average women needs roughly 1200-1800 calories per day to lose weight, so I’ve designed this meal plan around those amounts.

1200 CALORIES PER DAY: 3 meals

For a 1200 calorie meal plan, you can have a breakfast, lunch and dinner per day. Just leave out the snacks!

• 3 x 400 cal meals per day (1 x breakfast, 1 x lunch and 1 x dinner)

1400 CALORIES PER DAY: 3 meals and 1 snack

For a 1400 calorie meal plan, you can have a breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack per day. This is actually the exact one I prepped in my youtube video (that goes along with this post), because I find that most people start with this one and go from there… If you don’t know where to start, you can try this one!

• 3 x 400 cal meals per day (1 x breakfast, 1 x lunch and 1 x dinner)
• 1 x 200 cal snack per day (berry yogurt snack, or hummus dip snack)

1600 CALORIES PER DAY: 3 meals and 2 snacks

For a 1600 calorie meal plan, you can have a breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks per day… So you’ll just double up the snacks!

• 3 x 400 cal meals per day (1 x breakfast, 1 x lunch and 1 x dinner)
• 2 x 200 cal snacks per day (berry yogurt snack, and hummus dip snack)

*make 5 berry yogurt snacks instead of 3, and 5 hummus dip snacks instead of 2

1800 CALORIES PER DAY: 4 meals and 1 snack

And for a 1800 calorie meal plan, you can have 4 meals a day and a snack! The way I do it is have a regular breakfast (the oats), a brunch breakfast (the smoothie) and then a regular lunch, dinner and snack.

• 4 x 400 cal meals per day (2 x breakfast, 1 x lunch and 1 x dinner)
• 1 x 200 cal snack per day (berry yogurt snack, or hummus dip snack)

*make 5 overnight oat breakfasts instead of 3, and 5 green raspberry smoothie breakfasts instead of 2

CONTAINER RECOMMENDATIONS

You can use any type of containers that you prefer to store your meal prep. However, the containers should be airtight to keep the food fresh! Here are the sizes and amounts of containers I use for each meal..

CONTAINERS FOR EACH MEAL

• Dinner #1: One-turn lemon chicken (2 x 36 oz or medium containers)
• Dinner #2: Tomato tofu bake (3 x 36 oz or medium containers)
• Lunch #1: Burst tomato chickpea curry (3 x 36 oz or medium containers)
• Lunch #2: Spring potato salad (2 x 30 oz or medium containers)
• Breakfast #1: Banana chocolate chip overnight oats (3 x 12 oz jars)
• Breakfast #2: Green raspberry smoothie (2 x 16 oz jars)
• Snack #1: Berry yogurt snack (3 x 30 oz or medium containers)
• Snack #2: Hummus dip snack (2 x 12 oz jars + 2 x 8 oz containers)

TOTAL CONTAINERS NEEDED

• 8 x 36 oz containers (medium size)
• 5 x 30 oz containers (medium size)
• 2 x 16 oz jars
• 5 x 12 oz jars
• 2 x 8 oz containers

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Recipes and meal plan by Liezl Jayne Strydom for liezljayne.com – photos and video by Liezl Jayne Strydom and Rob Williams