The last thing you want to do after a long commute back home from work is start washing, chopping, and cooking every component of your meal each day of the week. Meal planning or meal prepping may be a solution.
Take one day - popularly Sunday - to prepare various components of meals you will create for the following week. Since this month's issue focuses on vegetables, consider this quick guide to meal prepping various groups of vegetables to use for the following week in different recipes.
Leafy Vegetables
Prepping these veggies in advance and having them handy makes it easier to use in salads, smoothies, or sauteed as a side dish. Leafy greens, such as romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, swiss chard, or kale, are more delicate and need to be stored carefully. Wash them, pat them dry, and lay them out on a few paper towels. Roll up the towel and store in a ziploc bag slightly unsealed for airflow. Store for 5-7 days.
Lettuce spinners are one of the best and easiest ways to remove excess water.
For fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley or cilantro, wash them, shake them dry and wrap them in paper towel before storing in a resealable bag. These last at least one week in the fridge.
Root Vegetables
Carrots, beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, or other root vegetables can last for at least 1 week in the fridge after being cut. Store them in containers.
A great way to prepare in advance for using them the following week is to roast a big batch for about 25-30 minutes (tossing once halfway through). Roasted veggies can be used as a side dish with an extra drizzle of balsamic vinegar or olive oil, in a salad, a sandwich, in tacos, burritos, in a pasta dish, or in a whole grain bowl. Remember to use aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, or cabbage can be washed, cut, and stored in airtight containers. They can last for at least a week in the fridge.
Other Non-starchy Vegetables
Many non-starchy vegetables can be prepped and kept raw to be used as snacks for dipping (such as hummus or your favorite dip), in salads, or for a quick side dish. Vegetables you can keep raw for these purposes include carrots, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, cherry or grape tomatoes, radishes, or snap peas.
Some softer non-starchy vegetables are best kept intact until you need them in a dish. These include avocados, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini squash.
If you're really short on time, aim for veggies with the easiest preparation required - easy to chop, soft skins, or no skins to peel: asparagus, bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, eggplant, cucumbers, okra, tomatoes, zucchini, or snow peas.
Many non-starchy vegetables, such as asparagus, mushrooms, eggplant, bell peppers, or broccoli, can be combined with root vegetables on your meal prep day for a big batch of roasted vegetables. When roasting vegetables, cut them all the same size so they evenly cook. Use an oil that can stand high heat, such as avocado oil. You may prefer to group vegetables on your baking sheets. Or, you can make three different sections of mixed vegetables and season them three different ways to offer more variety of flavors throughout your week.
Roasted veggie seasoning ideas in addition to your basic olive oil/salt/pepper combination include ground spices, dijon mustard, soy sauce, tahini, everything bagel seasoning, or balsamic vinegar.
You may want to use two baking sheets - one for veggies with shorter cooking times and one for veggies with longer cooking times.
Aromatic Vegetables
Your aromatics - everything from ginger and garlic to green onions and leeks - can be pre-cut and stored in an airtight glass container for up to 5 days. This will make it easier to quickly start sauteeing or stir frying a protein or veggie dish in your upcoming week.
No-Prep Veggies
Another way to look at veggies is as zero-prep-required or no-prep veggies. Many markets sell pre-washed and pre-cut vegetables (such as boxed or bagged salad mixes or baby carrots) or very easy to use veggies (cherry or grape tomatoes). You may also find chopped broccoli, shaved brussels sprouts, riced cauliflower, sliced cabbage, grated carrots, and even diced onions.
Other no-prep veggies include frozen vegetables. All you need to do is throw them in a pan to steam them, in a broth for soup, or in a casserole to bake.
Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash is a great low-carb way to get more veggies in the day and still make delicious “pasta” dishes. After baking for 40-45 minutes, the insides scrape out in the form of spaghetti.
General Vegetable Storage Guidelines to Remember(for safety and/or quality):
chopped (uncooked)- 5-7 days in the fridge
cooked- up to 4 days in the fridge
freezer- up to 3 months
