Tidbit Tuesdays: Turkey Meatball Meal Prep

This Tuesday, I am sharing another meal prep idea that is perfect for on the go freezer meals for busy schedules. I am completely guilty of buying the SmartOne, Lean Cuisine, and Healthy Choice meals at the grocery store. While these meals are okay every once in a blue moon, they are often high in sodium and lacking specific nutrients our bodies need. So, I started making meals that I can pre-portion in Tupperware to grab when I'm on the go for a long shift at work or just too lazy to make anything else.

I made turkey meatballs for this round of meal prep out of lean turkey, but I have since made another round of frozen meals and used boneless skinless chicken tenders for that one. Other healthy alternatives to either of these two ideas are salmon, other white fish (ie. tilapia, which I can't even spell because I won't go near it or fish...but that's just me), or other lean protein. I'm a huge fan of Pinterest and so I found my turkey meatball recipe through the site. I'll give credit where credit is due, so I found the recipe HERE, but then added a few of my personal touches by preference like adding seasoning salt and a few other spices not called for.

What else do I add to my main dish to make it a meal? Well, it depends. On the batch I recently made with chicken, I added a quarter cup each of corn and black beans and also a cup of broccoli and a little under half a cup of brown rice. To the turkey meatball meal pictured, I added half a cup of brown rice, a quarter of a sweet potato, a cup of green beans, and a couple pieces of broccoli that I had left over from another meal.

 

You can add whatever you'd like to the meal obviously, but I try to make sure there's a main source of protein, at least a cup of veggies, and a starch like brown rice, potato, or beans. Keep them in smaller containers like the one I show because it keeps the meal portion sized. Add salt and pepper and whatever else you desire to the bowl. With the turkey meatballs, I remembered to pack a container of ketchup or mustard to dip the meatballs in.

It may seem like a pain to spend a little extra time on a Sunday night cooking for the whole week, but you will be thankful later in the week when you are busy or just don't feel like cooking. Also, your body will appreciate you too for feeding it healthy foods instead of fast food or the high sodium rubbery meat tasting frozen meals found in the frozen aisles at the store. 

I'm off to go cool a large batch of turkey chili on the stove that I plan to package up for my next round of meals on the go! What are you having for dinner?