Mexican Inspired Meal Prep Bowls

To be honest, I’m excited to be going back to school. It’ll be good to get out of the house and see some other humans. I’m even a little excited to make lunches again! Although I know I’ll probably be sick and tired of it after the first week. That’s why there’s this awesome thing called MEAL PREP. You just make a bunch of delicious food, throw it in containers, and store it in the fridge for when you need it next. A while ago I published a Black Bean Stew that’s great for meal preppin’, and I also have a TON of freezer meals that you can make and then just reheat in the morning. Today I made some Mexican Inspired Meal Prep Bowls, which are AMAZING and full of flavour and good stuff that’ll fill you up. Because not being full is reason number 353378 that school lunches can sometimes suck. Keyword sometimes. Your lunches won’t suck after this.

In these bowls I put a lot of veggies, some quinoa, delicious refried beans, and a KILLER homemade salsa that will knock your socks off. This can all come together in about 30 minutes, and that 30 minutes will save you from a lot of pain later on in the week. You know when you’re like, oh, I’ll just throw a random granola bar in my bag because that’s all I need, and then you seriously regret it at lunch? Problem solved. Now you can throw this in your bag instead. Just maybe don’t actually throw it because then the lid might come off and your backpack will smell like salsa.

I know I said this last year and probably every year before that too, but this year I’m really going to be more organized will meal prepping. Join me in this quest to end LLS (Lazy Lunch Syndrome). I’ll definitely be posting more meal prep recipes, and some tips and tricks for making awesome lunches. Make sure you’re following me on Instagram to stay up to date!!

Mexican Inspired Meal Prep Bowls

Serves: 2 (feel free to double or triple the recipe to prepare for the entire week)

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
  • 1 small carrot, grated
  • 1 can of **ORGANIC** black beans; reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid, then drain and rinse the rest. Please use organic black beans, because when using the liquid you want to make sure it’s just water and salt, and there’s no preservatives.
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro
  • A big handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/4 of a white onion, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the black beans and use a fork or wooden spoon to mash them a bit. After cooking for about 2 minutes, add in the liquid from the can, then stir and continue mashing. Season with salt and pepper, and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. Cook until the beans have thickened and most of the liquid is evaporated, about another couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Place the diced tomato, diced onion, garlic, cilantro and the rest of the juice from the lemon in the blender, and season with some salt and pepper. Give in a few pulses until it reaches your desired consistency.
  3. Evenly divide the quinoa, corn, grated carrot, refried beans, cherry tomatoes, and salsa into two tupperware containers. Store in the fridge until needed!!

I hope you guys try these out! Have a great rest of your Monday, and an awesome first day at school, however that will look like for you!!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Cilantro Week: Mango Salsa

Hello;) Week three of herb month is here; Cilantro Week! The first recipe that I have for you guys was shown to me by my aunt, and is perfect for summer. This mango salsa works great with chips, on tacos, or as a side with any main course. It’s super fresh and colourful as well! As a side note, does anyone else have an obsession with mangoes? I think that I could eat them everyday. Put them together with some avocado, red onion, red pepper, tomatoes and cilantro……. delicious! But as with every week, first I’m going to give you some tips on growing this week’s herb.

Apparently cilantro does better in the cooler temperatures of spring and early fall, but my plant has been doing just fine sooooo…… Keep the dirt around your plants moist, and once they start to provide leaves, you can cut or pick them off. That’s pretty much it, cilantro is pretty low-maintenance. Here’s the Mango Salsa recipe!

Mango Salsa

Serves: 4-6

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 mango, diced
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1/4 of a red onion, diced
  • 1/2 a red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 an avocado, diced
  • 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions:

  1. Once all of the veggies are diced, toss them in a bowl with the lime juice and cilantro.
  2. Enjoy!

Enjoy this recipe and have a great week! See you later;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked