15 Healthy Meals in 1 Hour Episode 2

This is the second episode in a series on how to make 15 healthy meals in 1 hour. Nutritionally balanced meals made with clean ingredients. The healthy meals in the first episode are dairy and gluten-free, this second episode does include dairy. If you’re just getting started with meal prep and clean eating, make sure you check out this Clean Eating for Beginners post first.

To get a grocery checklist and printable recipe card for this 1-hour meal prep session via e-mail you can sign up here:

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Protein – Chicken breast, salmon fillets, eggs, lentils. You can replace the chicken breast with turkey breast. However, cut it into strips so it cooks in the 15 minutes planned for the meal prep session. In my opinion, salmon is the best fish for baking but you can also bake Mahi Mahi. Essentially any type of fish that does not fall apart is fine. Do not replace the eggs. If you are allergic make overnight oats instead for breakfast. Stay clear of fish that fall apart. The lentils can be replaced by any other legume, such as beans or chickpeas.
• Carbohydrates – Potatoes and Rice. You can replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes. However, cut them into thick rounds and lay flat on a baking sheet in one layer. You can use either rice or quinoa maintaining the same cooking method.
• Fat – Olive Oil, Avocado Oil. Use any high smoke point oil or ghee for frying. Olive oil can be replaced by sunflower or avocado oil.
• Dairy – Greek yogurt, Feta cheese, Cheddar cheese. Make sure you use unsweetened yogurt. It doesn’t have to be Greek yogurt. Plain unsweetened yogurt works just as well. You can replace the Feta with Parmesan and Cheddar or any type of cheese that melts well, such as Swiss, Gouda, or Emmental.
• Extras – Peanuts, Raisins, Dijon, Honey, Chili Paste, Spices. Instead of peanuts, you can use any other type of nut. And instead of raisins any other type of dried fruit. It doesn’t have to be Dijon mustard, it can be any other type of mustard but for salad, Dijon is the most suitable. Honey can be replaced by maple syrup, chili paste can be omitted. I recommend keeping the spices as they are to ensure the flavor of all stays rounded.
• Veggies – I chose the veggies in these 15 healthy meals to ensure the best flavor and texture for the whole week. For example, the original lentil salad recipe contains tomatoes and cucumber but both become soggy and gross after about 2 days. Hence, the change in veggies to celery and bell pepper. I recommend sticking to the exact vegetables used by me.

How To Meal Prep Healthy Meals In Just Over An Hour

The trick to being fast and efficient during meal prep is to plan your healthy meals according to prep and cooking time that requires no “babysitting”. The idea is to use your oven or Instant Pot or low simmer on the stove for most of the meal prep so you can use the cooking time for prepping the next meal.

For these 15 healthy meals for example we use the oven a lot so we can concentrate on chopping and prepping the next meal while the oven does the cooking/roasting for us. We also use the Instant Pot for the rice so we can set it and forget it. We do not risk rice boiling over on the stove because we are distracted.

Careful planning and coordination are critical to be efficient.

How To Store 15 Healthy Meals

Animal and plant protein is safe to be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Now, that does not mean it gets poisonous on day 5 but simply that there is some risk associated with eating it.

If you feed this to a baby, are an elderly person, pregnant, or immunocompromised it’s always best to freeze some of the meal prep and leave only enough in the fridge that can be eaten within those 4 days. Then on day 4, you can place the frozen meals in the refrigerator to defrost and reheat on day 5.

The best way to store your healthy meals is in airtight containers. I prefer glass but plastic or stainless steel work great as well of course. Just make sure you have the corresponding lids and that you get a tight seal on them. You can find my favorite meal prep containers here.

Always refrigerate your meals as soon as they cool down slightly. I usually put them in my containers, leave them uncovered for about 10 minutes, and then close them and put them right in the fridge.

How Many Calories A Day Are In These Healthy Meals?

Each day will vary depending on how you mix and match but in the end, the average per day is roughly 1,350 calories. With 100g of protein, 120g of carbohydrates, and 50g of fat a day from your main meals alone. That leaves enough room for snacks. I recommend sticking to fruit as a snack and finishing that big container of yogurt you got for the yogurt sauce to up your protein even further if you want. This meal plan is fairly high in protein, fairly low in carbohydrates, and exactly right in fat. So try to increase your carbohydrate intake with fruit throughout the day so you don’t run out of energy.

6-Week Clean Eating Program

If you enjoy being organized and you want to commit to eating healthy check out my 6-Week Clean Eating Program.  It is a complete and thorough online omnivore meal plan that specializes in clean eating cooking skills and meal prepping. It teaches you to be organized, think ahead, and PREPARE, so you can be successful in the long run.