Week of Healthy Meal Prep: January 20-26
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Sunday: Creamy Linguine With Peas, Carrots, and Prosciutto
Cream cheese makes this sauce impossibly creamy, coating the noodles with all kinds of silky goodness. The microwave technique we use for the prosciutto crisps it beautifully in less than 2 minutes, with less cleanup than stovetop or oven methods. If you’d rather skip that step, you could tear it into pieces or strips and toss with the pasta. A shower of shaved Parmesan echoes the salty notes of the prosciutto and makes a big impact with every bite; for the biggest flavor boost, go with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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Monday: Thai Turkey Lettuce Cups
A little sugar balances the vinegar tang in the turkey mixture and helps develop wonderful crispy bits in the pan. Delicate butter lettuce leaves have a nice cup shape for filling; you could also use romaine.
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Tuesday: Three-Bean Miso Chili
Craving an adventurous upgrade from the classic beef-and-tomato-based chili? Then look no further. This recipe combines three varieties of budget-friendly beans for textural contrast, along with a kitchen sink’s worth of aromatics. Miso is the ticket to achieving pronounced depth in this vegetarian soup, while peanut butter helps build body. Find white miso in the refrigerated section near the produce. To make this dairy-free, use coconut yogurt in place of Greek yogurt to amp up the creaminess. Bonus: One serving delivers half your daily fiber goal.
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Wednesday: Quick Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata is typically made with sliced chicken breasts, but we find chicken "thighccata" to be even more flavorful.
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Thursday: Sweet Potato Medallions With Almond Sauce and Chickpea Salad
It may seem too good to be true, but it’s not: This impressive, full plate requires only 5 ingredients (water, oil, salt, and pepper are considered freebies). Microwaved sweet potatoes are sliced into medallions, brushed with oil, and lightly seared so they become satisfyingly steak-like. The creamy, nutty sauce adds richness, and the lemon-dressed arugula-chickpea salad bulks up the plate beautifully. In place of almond butter, you could substitute any nut butter you like—peanut, cashew, or sunflower butter would be delicious. And if canned chickpeas aren’t in your pantry, you can use another mild legume; try cannellini or navy beans.
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Friday: Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos
A little bit of the black bean liquid brings the chunky mash together. The mash also helps to hold all the filling in place.
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Saturday: Salmon Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette
Cherry juice is a year-round alternative with the same anti-inflammatory benefits as fresh cherries. If you're packing this salad ahead, store the dressing separately and drizzle over the salad just before eating.