Inspiralized Meal Plan and Prep

Sunday Meal Plan and Prep

We’re trying something new! I’m going to post my previous week’s meal prep! If these...

Inspiralized Meal Plan and Prep

We’re trying something new! I’m going to post my previous week’s meal prep! If these are popular, I’ll continue to do them, so leave a comment on this post and let me know!

Now, before we get into it, this is what you’re going to get in this post (it’s all free!):

  • Lunch for Monday through Thurdsay
  • Dinners (for two) for Sunday through Thursday (all dinners are spiralized)
  • 2 new, easy recipes
  • Link to recipes (or references in my cookbooks), so if you don’t have my cookbooks, you may be missing out!
  • Notes on how to prep each recipe
  • Notes on how to reheat, if necessary
  • Shopping list, divided into lunch and dinner (in case you’re only prepping for one!)

Keep in mind, this is exactly what Lu and I ate for dinner last week. The lunches are for me only, so if you’re cooking dinners for just yourself (for one), you could just simply use the leftovers for lunch and skip my lunch prep.

The basic idea is that you do as much prep as possible so that during the weeks, when you go to make dinner, it takes 5-15 minutes, instead of much longer. I don’t love to cook full meals in advance (for flavor/consistency reasons), so my meal prep is a good balance of freshness and preparedness!

ALSO, keep in mind, that some of these recipes serve more than 2 – just save leftovers in the refrigerator and use them as snacks (yes, I like to snack on leftovers!) OR you can freeze them, of course. Usually, Lu eats an extra portion of two so we don’t have to do that, but if you’re worried about “leftovers”, those are my tips!

So, let’s get to it! Grab your Inspiralizer! And these are the storage containers that I like and use, but any will do:

LUNCHES

MENU

  • Monday through Thursday: Roasted Vegetable and Lentil Bowls with Avocado and Tahini Drizzle

SHOPPING LIST

  • 1 cup black beluga lentils (you can use any type of lentil)
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 pound halved brussels sprouts
  • florets from 1 medium head of cauliflower
  • 12oz trimmed string beans
  • soy sauce
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • balsamic vinegar
  • paprika
  • garlic powder
  • curry powder
  • tahini
  • avocado

Prep

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Lay out the string beans and brussels sprouts on one and the sweet potatoes and cauliflower on another. Drizzle all the veggies with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. On the cauliflower, season with curry powder. On the sweet potatoes, season with paprika. On the string beans, drizzle with soy sauce. On the brussels sprouts, season with garlic powder and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Roast everything together for 30-35 minutes or until cauliflower is browned and fork tender. If anything burns early, remove it and place in your storage containers.

While vegetables roast, prepare the lentils. Place the lentils and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.

When everything is done cooking, place everything in your storage containers. You could also build the bowls ahead of time to save even more time.

To serve

When you’re ready to serve, portion out vegetables and lentils. Drizzle with tahini and top with avocado (I usually use 1/4 of an avocado!) I like eating these bowls cold, but if you’d like to reheat, you can either saute everything together in a medium skillet OR stick in a baking dish in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes or use a microwave.

DINNERS

MENU

SHOPPING LIST

    • 2 (4oz) piece of salmon, skinless
    • 3 links Applegate Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
    • 1 pound ground turkey, lean
    • ¾ – 1 pound pork tenderloin
    • 1/2 pound lean ground beef
    • 4 eggs
    • mexican blend cheese
    • grated parmesan cheese
    • 3 medium red potatoes
    • 2 cups brussels sprouts
    • 2 cups broccoli florets
    • 3 red bell peppers
    • 2 green bell pepper
    • 1 avocado
    • cilantro
    • garlic
    • 2 carrots
    • 2 red onions
    • 2 celery ribs
    • 4 large zucchini
    • 2 sweet potato
    • 1 white onion
    • fresh ginger
    • 1 pound green beans
    • 1 ear of corn
    • 1 yellow onion
    • roma tomatoes
    • salt and pepper
    • soy sauce
    • coconut oil
    • rice vinegar
    • honey
    • dried oregano
    • cayenne pepper
    • chili powder
    • garlic powder
    • paprika
    • smoked paprika
    • onion powder
    • cumin
    • red pepper flakes
    • 24oz jar + 1/2 cup tomato basil sauce (I like Rao’s)

Prep

Salmon with Spiralized Red Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts (recipe at the end of the post)

    • After you’re done with meal prep, make this last and enjoy it for dinner!

Pork and Green Bean Stirfry with Sweet Potato Rice

    • Make the fried rice ahead of time and store in a container
    • Cook the green beans ahead of time and store in a container
    • Slice the pork according to the recipe and store in a container
    • Prepare the sauce and place in a small container

Bell Pepper Taco Skillet from Inspiralize Everything

    • Spiralize all of the vegetables and place in a zip-tight bag or container
    • Prepare the fajita seasoning and place in an small container
    • Prepare the corn and place in a container (or omit – I like to omit corn if I’m not in season!)
    • Cook the meat ahead of time and store in a container (I subbed quinoa instead of ground meat, so I cooked the quinoa.)

Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles

    • Spiralize the zucchinis and place in a zip-tight bag or container
    • Prepare the meat sauce completely and place in a container

Chicken Sausage, Broccoli, and Bell Pepper Stirfry with Brown Rice (recipe at the end of the post)

    • Spiralize all of the vegetables ahead of time and place in a zip-tight bag or container
    • Cook the brown rice and place in a container

Inspiralized Meal Plan and Prep

To serve

Salmon with Spiralized Red Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

    • This is made fresh – I usually meal prep from 4-6:30pm and go right into this recipe!

Pork and Green Bean Stirfry with Sweet Potato Rice

    • Place the sweet potato fried rice in a large skillet over medium heat and stir until reheated
    • Meanwhile, cook the pork (you’ll have to mince garlic and ginger) according to the recipe, add the pre-cooked green beans and prepped marinade, and then serve over the reheated fried rice.

Bell Pepper Taco Skillet from Inspiralize Everything

    • Cook the recipe according to the cookbook (you’ll have to do some additional prep that couldn’t be meal prepped – like chop tomatoes and garlic)

Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles

    • Place the prepared bolognese/meat sauce in a pot over medium heat and stir until reheated
    • Meanwhile, cook the zucchini noodles according to the recipe and serve together.

Chicken Sausage, Broccoli, and Bell Pepper Stirfry with Brown Rice

    • Cook according to the recipe!
    • Reheat the brown rice by tossing it a skillet – or use a microwave, if you use microwaves.

Extra recipes

Salmon with Spiralized Red Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Serves: 2

Ingredients

    • 2 (4oz) piece of salmon, skinless
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 3 medium red potatoes, Blade D, noodles trimmed
    • 2 cups brussels sprouts, halved or sliced
    • salt and pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
    • soy sauce, to drizzle

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out the salmon and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until salmon flakes and is cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in two medium lidded skillets over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the potato noodles to one and the brussels sprouts to the other. For the potato noodles, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Cover when cooking if the noodles start to stick to the pan.

For the brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper and toss. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Halfway through, drizzle with soy sauce (about 2 teaspoons.)

Once the veggies and salmon are done, divide onto two plates and serve.

Chicken Sausage, Broccoli, and Bell Pepper Stirfry with Brown Rice

Serves: 2

Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 large garlic clove, minced
    • 3 links Applegate Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
    • 2 cups broccoli florets
    • 2 red bell peppers, Blade A, noodles trimmed
    • 1 green bell pepper, Blade A, noodles trimmed
    • 1 red onion, Blade A, noodles trimmed
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • salt and pepper
    • 1/2 cup Rao’s jarred tomato basil sauce (or more, if you like more sauce)

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the garlic, chicken sausage, vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, and onions), season with oregano, salt and pepper, and toss well. Let cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. When done, pour over the sauce and toss well to combine.

Divide the rice into bowls and top with the sausage and vegetable mixture.

Happy meal prep and planning!

Let me know what you think of this post – the format, the content, etc! If these are popular, I’ll continue to share! I always wanted to make sure I’m giving you content that you want, that’s helpful for you to live your healthiest, best life! Thanks for growing with me!

with love, Ali

leave a comment

comments

  • Perfect timing! Life has just gotten stressful and even though I have your cookbooks planning takes time. Lunch is a weak link for me. I've drifted away and now need to get back on track for health. Last night was delish with Deconstructed Spinach Manicotti with Spiralized Potatoes and Zucchini. Thanks
  • Wow this is SO helpful! I may do that lunch prep next week! I would love to see more of these!!! THANK YOU ALI!!
    • Hey Hillary - thank you so much for the feedback!!
  • YES!!! Thank you! And thank you for including lunches.
  • This is amazing! Can’t wait to try them all!
  • Yes! A thousand times yes!! I need to plan for one person...to have this all planned will take a lot of pressure of me to eat regular planned meals, not just grab a frozen dinner!
  • What do you do with the rest of the avocado from lunch? How do you keep it from browning? I’ve tried the lemon/lime juice trick but doesn’t seem to last longer than a few hours.
    • I keep it wrapped in a Food Hugger! https://rstyle.me/n/cz6sxcbqbvf
    • Keep the pit in the side you dont use. The pit helps it stay mostly green!
  • Loved your meal plans (although I had to double them so there was enough for 2 dinners and 2 lunches) and super into this idea! Do you get bored eating the same lunch every day?
  • Please keep the meal prep and planning going, love it! I have your cookbooks and Insprializer but can not seem to get in gear with the meal planning, so this is a big help. Thank you!!
  • Thank you so much for posting this! I try to meal prep as much as possible but fall short on ideas for foods that will keep well. It's also very helpful that these plans only serve one-two. Most of the time we end up eating the same two meals for lunch and dinner all week since it's just two of us so I'm looking forward to adding more variety in!
  • I am loving these preps. I have a 10 month old little man and have been LOVING your journey! I so appreciate your BF posts, and how you empower us women to feel more confident in our skin and feeding our babes. I have gained so much confidence since becoming a mom (even though my body isn't quite back to what it used to be), you have really been a positive influence.
  • Yes! Please keep this going! I usually enjoying planning meals, but lately I've been really burnt out on it. I've tried food delivery services (too expensive, boring food) and other meal plans (too hard if you cook for one like me) and nothing has worked. This plan sounds exactly like what I've been looking for and it's healthy! Thanks so much, Ali!
  • Yes! More easy meal prep, please!
  • Yes keep doing them! I can probably choose two of these recipes since I work full time and a single mom of a 15 month old. I can probably double some recipes so I can have more leftovers! I have been wanting to eat more healthy so this is perfect!
  • I luv the idea! Keep it up.
  • Thanks so much. I have been meal prepping for quite awhile but, love your ideas. I now have a new purpose for my inspiralizer!!!
  • YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES
  • This is fantastic!! Thank you so much!
  • This is wonderful. Would love to see more!
  • Thank you for doing this--please continue! :)
  • Love this! Thanks for sharing. I hope you’ll post more of these!
  • I've started prepping lunches, so these are some yummy additions! I've planned dinners, because commute + 2 kids means everyone is hanrgy when we get home. Prepping would take it to another level, so I'm excited to see more!
  • Awesome idea, I love it. Thanks.
  • This is awesome! Can't wait to prep this weekend!
  • this is terrific! Thank you!
  • Yes, yes, yes!!! Thank you :)
  • This is fantastic-thank you!! I watch your IG stories daily and read your recipe blogs, but have yet to actually make a recipe. This Sunday I am DOING IT!! Thanks for being such an inspiring woman and Mama!
  • Amazing. Thank you!
  • I love this! Please keep doing this! As a mama to a little one as well (11 months) the weekdays are stressfull enough! Anything I can do to allow me more time with my little man is greatly appreciated!!
  • I love this, can't wait for your new book to arrive in my mailbox! I'm curious, what do you do for breakfast and snacks (if any?).
  • Loving this! I a big meal prepper and enjoy planning my weekly menu, so always looking for inspiration. I'd love for you to keep this going.
  • This is fantastic! So organized and easy. Thank you! I’m looking forward to a kitchen renovation, not in small part because my Inspiralizer will be able to grip the new countertop (unlike the current tiled counter that provides no suction so spiralizing requires 3 hands).
  • especially love the lunch prep!
  • I think this is GREAT!!! Meal prepping is such a great way to stay on track throughout the week. Thanks for making it so approachable! Definitely a series to keep!
  • AWESOME!!! Thank you! I meal prep all the time and, quite honestly, my menus are starting to get a bit repetitive and boring. (Cue the stupid Easter candy which I am trying to avoid). This is amazing and will be my menu for next week! I love your blog.
  • love love love this! keep it up!
  • Veggie bowls sound absolutely delish!! Will definitely be making for next weeks lunches!
  • I am retired, so don't need to plan/prepare meals ahead of time. However, I love having the recipes, and especially the shopping list. I am hooked on my Inspiralizer, and feel like it's the best toy I've found in years!
  • Thanks for an awesome post! I can tell a lot of time went into it and I like the idea! A few (hopefully constructive) suggestions: 1. Do you ever use leftovers for lunch? If so, it could be nice to include a few recipes that serve four and then end up using some of the leftovers for lunches. (That’s also a good idea of which recipes make good leftovers since a lot of the recipes on this site default to four servings!) 2. I really like the simple new recipes but they were hard to find at the bottom and will be difficult to come back to in a few weeks. In the future, you could possibly put these in separate posts (even if they’re simpler than your normal blog posts—like a Meal Prep or Weeknight Inspiralized series or something) so that we can find them more easily :) Thanks again for all of this! I’ve made over a hundred of your recipes from the blog and your two cookbooks.
  • Thanks so much Ali - I had my baby girl the same day you had your baby boy and still working to get off my weight - this is GREAT! Thank you!
  • what a great idea - very useful. Thankyou very much.
  • Love this! Please continue :-) On Sunday I was at the grocery store and went through some of your old Instagram posts to find inspiration for work lunches this week and I ended up doing a similar grain bowl! With quinoa instead of lentils and added roasted chicken sausage. And now it's so helpful to have all your meal prep ideas in one place - so perfect! Thank you!
  • Love this series, keep ‘em coming! I’ve been prepping the spiralized taco bowls for lunches recently!
  • Just bought all the ingredients to make your vegetable bowls! Can't wait to try them!
  • Amazing. Thanks so much. Only suggestion is that if you could... pics of the meals after would be great too... helps inspiralize us! X
  • Yes please post meal preps! I already try to follow along during the week for meal ideas but this would be so helpful :) inspiralized is my favorite blog and social media follow, thank you for being awesome!
  • Thank you so much for posting this! I’m a CPA and during tax season I do meal prep Sunday’s so I don’t have to eat Taco Bell every night. I’m in a rut and looking for variety in my meals and you have everything perfectly laid out. Thank you for taking the time!
  • I love this idea. I am trying to cook only vegan meals. I would love to see more vegan ideas that are easy to prep for my busy weeks, so I am not spending so much time in the kitchen. Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas! Love to spiralize!!
  • Thank You! This is so helpful. I'm on Holiday right now, but this will be my menu for the week after Easter! You've just made my life easier!.. I love not having to think after Holiday.
  • Love this post. Thanks for all the helpful tips. Please keep this series going!
  • Amazing and really helpful - please please continue
  • We are retired, live in a motorhome and travel for at least six months of the year. I got my Inspiralizer last fall and have been using it three or four times a week. Cooking for two often involves making a recipe that serves four and eating leftovers the next night. Many times the meals are so good it is hard toot eat it all at once! We presently live quite far from a grocery so I have to plan meals ahead. You cookbook and web page have been wonderful. Thank You
  • Ali, this is a lovely idea and very helpful...thanks for all the work you put into your blogs. You have many great ideas and helpful hints.
  • I love this! I work long hours, so I meal prep on Sundays. Posts like this are a huge help!
  • Love this! Thanks for the motivation !
  • This is so helpful! I want to see more posts like this.
  • Thank you! I often do my meal prep on Sunday as well. Love seeing your version and adding recipes to my repertoire. I have not used my inspiralizer as much because I felt it was too much work during the weeknight after working all day. This post makes me reconsider that thought!
  • Love this! Please continue this weekly!
  • This is one of my favorite posts you've published! I work 9-10 hour days so my meal prep on Sundays are essential. I am excited to get my fiancée into the spiralized life. Thank you for all the work you've put into this post.
  • This meal prep post is amazing! Sometimes I fall into a rut and I’m uninspired for what to make for the week. Posts like this take all the thinking out and make it super simple. I eat very similarly to you for lunch (mostly plant based) but I cook meat for my boyfriend and I for dinner. Your servings are perfect for us! Thank you for all the work you put into the blog and the brand, you are amazing.
  • Thank you for this post! Meal prep requires so much planning and time, but the payoff is worth it!
  • Just started prepping...trying to make it a bit more vegetarian for my daughter...and added other things I have on hand. I think this idea is great. I already have your other 2 meal plans and love them!!! How about some instant pot additions??? I am making lentil taco "meat: instead of hamburg for the Bell Pepper Taco Skillet...
  • This post is great! The way you break down each meal is very easy to follow and love that you reference meals from your cookbooks. Keep the coming!
  • Love this! May I request you add meal prep for dinners that can be made vegan (easy to add meat for meat-eaters)?? This is such a life/time saver!
  • I just made the Sunday Meal prep for my lunches for next week. Well.....it all looked so good that I had a portion for lunch today. Let me tell you....it was worth the prep. Absolutely fabulous. And I am so full. Lentils and Brussels sprouts and cauliflower and green beans....oh my. Thanks so much Ali. I highly recommend everyone to make this. I am set for the week. And as I am gluten free....this is perfect.
  • Thank you for taking the time and thought to put this post together. I’ve been meaning to start meal prepping for a long time now and this was just the inspiration (and instruction!) that I needed. Many thanks!!
  • I'm always hunting for a healthy meal plan to follow. I seem to have just run out of ideas and have the same few meals week after week. I don't like spending much time in the kitchen and will look forward to prepping for the week to be able to put healthy meals on the table in a hurry. I have a slow cooker but not an instant pot. I would appreciate it if you include an instant pot recipe to have an alternative cooking method as well. Keep up this great resource!
  • I love your meal prep idea! Thank you!!
  • Thank you for posting this! This helps us out so much and took all the guess work out of planning what ingredients I needed for whatever recipes I need to make. I’m he same as others noted above...work very long hours, so this is fantastic!
  • This was a wonderful post! The organization of prepping was most helpful, thank you. Would like more of these posts.
  • I meal prepped your lunches for this week, and I'm super excited about them! I used quinoa instead of lentils because it's what I had on hand and for my veggies I used sweet potato, broccoli, green beans, and mushrooms (what was at the farmers market!) - thanks for the tips!! I ate one serving for dinner and it was delicious! I'm going to play around with what sauces to top them with!
  • My biggest challenge to eating healthy and staying on goals (both weight and finances) is meal prep....this type of post is fabulous---thank you for doing it, and I'd absolutely love to see more of them!
  • LOVE THIS!! :)
  • Love this blog post! I have been following along this week and am really enjoying all of the meals. Please keep doing this!
  • I jumped in with both feet and shopped for the whole week's dinners! I work all day, and being faced with a major meal prep every night is just too much. It's so helpful to have someone else plan the meals. The dinners were for two servings, but they were huge! We each had a really big serving, and I still had another hearty helping to take for lunch. It was a ton of food for two. This is a great idea, and I hope you keep it up. The only improvement I will suggest is to combine the prepping a little more. For example, mincing all the garlic and onions I will need for all of the meals at once, and lining up everything that's going to get spiralized, etc. Overall I'm totally stoked about this, and looking forward to the next one.
  • Ali, big thanks for a thorough and thoughtful post. As a teacher, after working all day and bringing home work every evening and weekends, thinking about meal prep is way down on my list. Please continue sharing your meal plans with us; you’re a lifesaver.
  • This is wonderful, thank you!
  • This looks awesome and so easy! Thanks, Ali!
  • Please continue to do this! It's incredible! I'm vegetarian and trying for a full vegan diet for health reasons. Planning is my biggest obstacles. I'm do happy to have found you and these amazing!
  • This there a print button? I am on my phone at the moment and don't see a print function. I love this idea and thank you for sharing