This post could be a good starting point for beginners who may only want to try prepping one or two things and see how it goes from there. That being said, this meal prep menu isn’t complete, so maybe I shouldn’t call it a “menu”. This pseudo-menu only has two main meals and doesn’t including snacks and other things that I normally do. Next menu will feature all the other extras that I make on a more regular basis.

I started by rummaging through my pantry and fridge, making note of what I have and what I really need to use up before things start to go bad. In my case, it was some leftover canned corn, a block of mozzarella cheese, and some homemade pesto from last week’s pasta. With that in mind, I chose these recipes for the week: potato pancakes topped with hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, and pesto tortellini salad for lunch*.

I tried to choose recipes that have ingredients in common to prevent waste. Both use onions and spinach, plus the salad could potentially also have corn or even chopped boiled eggs if you wanted to add more volume and substance. The key in common ingredients, however, is to not go overboard and put everything in all the things to the point that both your meals taste the same.

So, I made a trip to the best grocery store in my town: Trader Joe’s, where rainbows full of beautiful, cheap produce and magical foods are kept at bay by the war zone in the parking lot… But, if you can brave through the sea of rogue shopping carts and vicious drivers, you will be rewarded with deliciousness.

Shopping List:

1 bag of baby spinach

1 dozen eggs

1 bag of tri-colour tortellini (can be frozen)

1 8 oz block of low-fat mozzarella cheese

8 oz of grape tomato

2 big potatoes

1 big onion

1 can of corn

nutritional yeast

Do you like cheese? Who am I kidding, who doesn’t? Well, when you want to add cheesy flavour to things but don’t want to change the texture or add a metric tonne of calories to your food, nutritional yeast is where it’s at. It looks weird and sketchy, I know… But don’t take my word for it. Go to the closest health foods store and pick some up. It’s usually sold in flake or powdered form, and it can last a while in a sealed container. Sprinkle it on some eggs, or even popcorn. It’s magical.

Both of these meals can last 4 – 5 days in the fridge. Potato pancakes are usually used as a side dish for meats like chicken or steak, but they also work really well for breakfast topped with eggs.

Savory Potato Pancakes Ingredients: 2 big potatoes of your choice

1 half of a yellow or red onion, diced

1 can of corn, rinsed and drained

1 handful of baby spinach, chopped

2 tbsp dried or fresh chives

1 egg

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

olive oil for frying

1 tsp crushed garlic

salt and pepper to taste Directions: Boil the potatoes and let them cool. In a bowl, mash the cooled potatoes and mix in the remaining ingredients. Make into 5 patties. In a large skillet, fry the patties for about 3 minutes per side on medium heat.

Pesto Tortellini Salad Ingredients: 5 servings of tortellini

3 tbsp basil pesto, homemade or store-bought

8 oz block of low-fat mozzarella, cubed

1 half of a yellow or red onion, diced

8 oz grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

4 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped

1 handful of fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

salt and pepper to taste Directions: Boil the tortellini according to package instructions. Allow them to cool for a few minutes. Toss the basil, oregano, and spinach together, then separate into 5 containers, making a bed of greens for your salad to sit on. In a bowl, mix the tortellini, pesto, cheese, onions, and tomatoes. Separate your tortellini salad into the 5 containers.

* Generally, I only fully prep breakfast and lunch, which I take to work every day. I don’t tend to do much prep for dinners because I sometimes go out, plus I don’t usually eat big dinners, so snack-sized meals work just fine for me at nighttime.