After switching my diet slowly over the years from “crap fest” to “whole food,” I have found a few firm tenets that cross all healthy eating plans. So whether you are paleo or vegan, “Pre-prep” is king.
Having ready meals on hand to throw together in a pinch is paramount. The “grab and go” that many of us do when in a hurry usually leads to more calories, processed ingredients, and regret.
But, pre-prepping seems like an intimidating undertaking to many. It doesn’t have to be. Over the next several months, I am going to profile some simple pre-prep ideas that will blow away the preconceived notion that prepping food, to have on hand, takes hours and hours.
Todays Pre-Prep idea is so simple I am not even going to put it into recipe form!
SPAGHETTI SQUASH, BACON, AND VEGGIES
This recipe is one of my most favorite, delicious and filling meals. Once prepped takes about three to five minutes to throw together.
THE PRE-PREP
1) BACON: Place bacon strips on a cookie sheet and put in a COLD oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees and cook until bacon is quite crisp, about 20-21 minutes. Drain on paper towel and then put in Tupperware and refrigerate.
2) SPAGHETTI SQUASH: Cut squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Baste the insides in a little olive oil salt and pepper. Put squash face-side down on a foiled cookie sheet and cook for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees. (Do this right after the bacon is finished). When done, you should be able to fork the meat of the squash easily. Let cool on the stove top. Once cool, gently fork out all the “spaghetti” and put in a Tupperware container. Refrigerate.
3) VEGGIES: chop finely (this food chopper is the bomb) your choice of carrot, green onion, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms. Put in Tupperware and refrigerate. I do this while the squash is cooking.
Total time approx.: 75 minutes. Yields easily 4-6 meals. (Keeps up to a week)
MEAL DAY: FAST PREP
Take a wok or large frying pan. Put one teaspoon of coconut or almond oil in the bottom and heat on medium. Add a small portion of your veggies and some crumbled bacon. Sauté until warm and then add a portion of the spaghetti squash. Continue to sauté until warm through. I add salt, pepper, rosemary, oregano or whatever spices I might have on hand. It is delicious with some fresh chopped tomatoes sprinkled over the top or a fried egg!
Total time: 5 Minutes.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
CITRUS CARNITAS-A TWIST ON A MEXICAN FAVORITE
I hope you enjoy. What are you go-to pre-prep ideas? Please share in the comments section below.
HELPFUL LINKS
GLASS TUPPERWARE I USE
FOOD CHOPPER FOR YOUR VEGGIES
28 Responses
Wow, I was surprised at how good this looked. I think it was the bacon that did me in. I am definitely going to try this this week as well as check out the rest of your website.
Wow! Thanks McKaye! Bacon is the universal “doer inner” don’t you think?? Hee Hee
I love this idea! Thank you for starting this series, I’m excited to learn more recipes and how to pre-prep them. Such a great idea.
Thanks, LeeAnn. I definitely hope to do more of these to make the whole pre=prep idea more manageable. Thank you so much for your comment. xo
This meal prep meal looks so yummy. Especially with bacon. Thanks for sharing because I am always looking for new recipes
Thank you for commenting. I will definitely be posting some other options soon as well!
Oh I love the ‘pre-prep’ idea. I can’t wait to see/read more! This spaghetti squash dish looks SO delicious!
THANKS! I am hoping to post some other “pre-prep” recipes as well. Saves so much time during the week!
Oh hubba HUBBA! I loveeeee spaghetti squash with EVERYTHING – and bacon, oh yes, swoon!
GiGi, I love that you took a moment to comment on my blog. I met you at Fitbloggin and loved you attitude, style, poise, and “zutspa”. You are a treasure. I love bacon too!
This looks delicious! Also I think the biggest lesson for me here is that I need that veggie chopper – I hate all the time it takes me to chop up veggies!
I cannot live without mine. I stopped putting it in the dishwasher because I was always going into a dirty dishwasher to get it! THanks for commenting Becky.
Wow! That looks really good! I def want to try this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
http://www.HometownQueenBee.blogspot.com <3
Thanks for responding Cindy! It is quite delicious. 🙂
This looks amazingly yummy…I will definitely being making this soon. I usually cook my spaghetti squash in a crockpot, but your way is a lot quicker.
Ohhhhh crock pot. But there’s an idea. Thanks for commenting Kim. 🙂
The food looks great and I love the pre-prep.
Thanks Jenny. I hope to do a few more quick option posts like this one. Thanks for commenting!
Oh man this looks good – just added it to my list for the week. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for trying it out Angelique!
yes yes yes! I love it! “pre-prep is king” amen! I make a white cheese and chicken lasagna that has A LOT of prep and is a super stressful meal if you don’t pre-prep. I learned that lesson the hard way! Thank you for sharing!
It is so nice the night of right? I love having something that is so quick to prepare during a busy week. 🙂
This looks delicious! I’ve just recently tried zucchini spaghetti and loved it. I will have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Always looking for new yummy recipes.
OMG! I love spiralized zucchini! How do you prepare yours? I just saute with olive oil and salt and pepper and a bunch of veggies. yum!
This recipe looks absolutely delicious Heather, and it has bacon, what more can I say 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Bacon is the universal food pleaser right Davina? Thank you for commenting!
This looks absolutely delicious! Pre-prep is something that I definitely need to get better at.
xx katie // A Touch of Teal
People don’t realize it actually saves time! Thanks for commenting Katie! 🙂