If you watch our videos at all you know that meal prep is not our thing. I’ve tried to do it on numerous occasions but it just never works out. I don’t know if there are people out there like me, but I get so incredibly bored eating the same meal everyday. Even my favourite meal, I wouldn’t be able to eat everyday for a week. That’s why a lot of meal prep recipes out there just don’t work for me. Instead of giving up, I decided to make one that worked for people like me. Introducing our Customizable Lunch Meal Prep.
Instead of making a meal, we opted to make a variety of vegetables and proteins that could come together to make unique dishes everyday of the week. Whether you want a noodle bowl, wrap, salad, or sandwich – you can make what you feel like having with our ingredient prep. Our personal favourites are zucchini noodle bowls and wraps.
This meal prep is complete with six different vegetables, two proteins, and one delicious dressing. Add a whole new level of customization by making another dressing option. Why not try our tahini ginger dressing from our Tempeh Buddha Bowl, which is a favourite around here.
Customizable Lunch Meal Prep
Ingredients
Protein
- 1 block tempeh
- 1 block smoked tofu
- 1 serving smoky tempeh marinade, (see link to recipe in instructions)
Vegetables
- 2 crowns broccoli
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 2 small yellow onion
- 1/2 tsp oil
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 zucchinis
Sauce
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/3 cup water, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Prepare the smokey tempeh marinade and set aside. Cube tempeh into desire sizes, we did about 1 cm pieces. Add tempeh to marinade and marinate for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Chop smoked tofu into cubes about the same size as the tempeh. Place in the corner of a large baking sheet. Using your hands tear the broccoli crowns into smaller florets and add those to the baking sheet as well. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes.
- Now prep your sweet potatoes by washing, peeling and dicing into 1 cm cubes. Cook in an air-fryer for about 15-20 minutes.
- Slice the onion into thin pieces, and set aside until ready to cook them.
- Prep your raw ingredients. Julienne or shred your carrot and add to a small container. Thinly slice the cucumber and add to small container for storage. Finally you want to spiralize the zucchinis. If you don't have a spiralizer you can use a knife to thinly slice into long strips or using a julienne grater. Set aside in a container.
- To make the peanut sauce combine all ingredients, except water, in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. If too thick add a bit of the water. Only add as much water as you need for a smooth dressing-like consistency. Pour into a seal-able container and place in the fridge for future use.
- One the sweet potatoes have finished air frying, add to a container and set aside. Add onions to the air fryer now along with 1/2 tsp oil. Fry until golden and carmelized - about 10-15 minutes. Remove onions once cooked and place in a jar. Finally cook marinated tempeh in air fryer (without all the liquidy marinade) for about 15-20 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Store into separate containers and use to prepare lunches each morning. We suggest wraps, zoodle bowls, salads, sandwiches, or rice bowls.
