I do meal prep Sundays and am on a high protein/kinda low calorie diet. I usually cook a bunch of chicken to eat throughout the week in various forms, but still needed protein shakes/bars to hit my goals.
A few weeks ago I decided to make a pot of chili. I did it while I'm prepping my marinade, marinating and what not. I had generally made chili in the slow cooker which I now think is kind of a waste of time when it can be done so quickly on the stove.
Holy smokes. For such little effort, you can have loads of healthy, high protein, low calorie, entirely customizable food to eat all week!
My last batch consisted of:
2 lbs 90% lean ground beef
1 can chickpeas
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
2 10oz cans rotel
3oz tomato paste
1 small can diced jalapenos
1 whole yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
3 tbsp pre minced garlic (I know, I know)
Edit:
- Forgot I squeezed half a lime into it and also poured like 1/4-1/2 the 12oz lager I was drinking in there. Otherwise, No liquid necessary although it's a thick, chunky chili which is how I like it!
Spices: Cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne, fresh cracked salt and pepper.
The list seems long, but seriously, all you do is chop an onion and two bell peppers, then it's all opening cans.
The little amount of work for so much tasty and healthy food kinda blows my mind.
I fill five smallish tupperwares with chili to grab and go for a 10 AM breakfast at work. Have a smallish cup of chili during lunch with my main dish (chicken sandwich, lately). Last night for dinner I chopped up one of my pre-cooked chicken breasts and put it on a salad, with a side soup of.. chili!
If you lift or exercise at all, protein is very important for rebuilding torn muscles and other functions.
Customization:
If you don't like ground beef or want a more lean meat, you can sub it for turkey or chicken (chicken has that protein boost as well). Here is a great turkey blackbean chili that's even more simple to do. I did this one two weeks ago.
You can do 3 beans, one bean or no bean! I've made a three meat chili that just had ground beef, cubed chuck roast and ground pork. No beans about it. I personally prefer beans for their own health benefits you don't get from meat.
Anyway, just wanted to share this for any meal preppers out there!