Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

meal prep

Recipe of the Week: Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Servings: 12 sandwiches

Calories per serving: 364 kcal

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 Light Multigrain English Muffins (try Thomas 100-Calorie)
  • 12 slices Sharp Cheddar Cheese (1 oz per slice)

MEAT (quantities listed make 4 servings of each, feel free to swap)

  • 4 slices Applegate Hickory Smoked Uncured Thick Cut Bacon 
  • 4 slices Hormel Black Label Canadian bacon
  • 1 lb Jennie-O Turkey Breakfast

*Cook breakfast meat according to package directions

EGGS

  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups egg whites
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 medium shallot, diced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

EGGS

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 13×18″ baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil or rendered bacon fat in a pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add shallot and bell pepper and sauté until softened and fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add baby spinach and toss with shallot and bell pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, continuously moving around the pan, until spinach is softened and bright green. Dump spinach mixture onto a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.
  3. Add whole eggs into a bowl with milk, salt, and pepper. Whisk until yolks are broken down and combined into the whites. Then add remaining egg whites and cooled spinach mixture and whisk until combined. Pour into greased baking sheet.
  4. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the eggs are no longer jiggly. Set aside to cool.

ASSEMBLE

*Note: ensure all components are completely cooled before assembling the sandwiches!

  1. Slice the cooled eggs into 12 pieces and break bacon slices in half so they fit onto the sandwiches.
  2. Place the English muffin bottoms on the counter (or onto a large baking sheet for easy cleanup). Add the cooled egg whites, then the cheese slices, then the meats. Add the muffin tops and tightly wrap the sandwiches in wax paper or foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.

RECIPE NOTES

  • Wrapping: I tried wrapping and freezing these sandwiches in plastic wrap, wax paper, and aluminum foil. The ones wrapped in wax paper fared the best in the freezer in the short term, and foil did better over time.
  • Storing: I also tried sticking some wrapped sandwiches in sealed plastic containers or reusable plastic bags. If using foil or using wax paper for short term (<1 week) freezing, the extra container or bag is totally unnecessary. 
  • Reheating: I tested a variety of reheating methods – air fryer, oven, microwave, microwave + toaster. My favorite was letting the sandwich thaw in the fridge overnight, then topless into the air fryer at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Then replace the top, flip it, and go at 300 degrees for 5 minutes.

This recipe originally comes from Peanut Butter & Fitness and can be found here!

Planning Healthy Meals for the Week

We asked Peak Performance’s own Exercise Physiologists about how they have created routine in their lives. From working out, to meal prepping to staying hydrated, read on for their best tips!

 

  1. Create a menu for the week by working around your schedule.

Which meals are going to be eaten at work/school? Are there any events where you may be home too late to cook? Any mornings where breakfast will be on-the-go? I try to pick one recipe for breakfast, maybe two for snacks, and three or four to cycle through for lunch and dinner. This helps create variety in my menu so I’m not bored of salads by Tuesday at dinnertime.

  1. Make a shopping list (and stick to it).

Once you have a menu of meals to prepare, it’s time to hit the grocery store. Do your food shopping from a specific list based on the recipe you are cooking and stick to that list – this will help avoid ice cream from ‘magically jumping’ in your cart. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the average American ends up wasting 25% of the food and beverages they purchase. By making that shopping list specific, you purchase just what you need to cook for the week based on your meal plan.

  1. Prepare your meals ahead of time to save time.

Ever hear of ‘Meal Prep Sunday’? Give yourself an hour or two over the weekend to cook in bulk so you have food prepared for a few days. Start by prepping all of the ingredients together, i.e. if two recipes call for chopped onion, chop it all at once; this will save time instead of going back to chop another 1/2 cup of something. When it’s time to get cooking, look at the recipes and stagger how they are going to be cooked in order to multitask. See what’s going to take the longest in the oven and get that going while work on another dish.

  1. Pack snacks (just in case).

I am a big fan of the second breakfast and always make sure I have something for the ‘witching hours’ between lunch and dinner. When packing your lunch box, add a healthy snack just in case that late morning or afternoon hunger strikes. If you have meals prepared, you will be less likely to reach for treats in the break room at work or head straight for the kitchen when you get home.

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser, MS

Meal Prepping for Success

With a busy schedule of work, school, taking care of a family, or whatever it may be, it can be difficult to find the time to cook every meal. Rushing around or not having meals readily available can lead to choosing the quickest option-which may not be the healthiest option. This often ends with takeout which in many cases can be loaded with sodium and empty calories. Meal prepping, which is simply planning and prepping your meals for the week, saves you the time and stress of having to cook every day. It also helps to keep you on track with healthy eating. Although meal prepping can seem like it would be very time consuming on the day, it does not necessarily mean that you must cook all your meals at once. Meal prepping can include cooking in bulk to plan for the week, cutting vegetables so they are ready to roast or eat raw for a snack, or even just having a set menu for meals each day. Not only will being better prepared lead to healthier eating, it will also be more cost efficient in the long run!

Getting Started…

Designating a specific day of the week to go food shopping is a good way to make sure that you are prepared for the week ahead. Going to the grocery store with a list ensures that you are getting everything that you need and helps to avoid picking up any unhealthy impulse buys. Stock up on various sizes of Tupperware to help store food in the freezer/refrigerator or when you are taking it on the go. This system is all about being organized and prepared when it comes to your meals!

Whether it is on the same day as your weekly grocery shop, or on another designated day of the week, look to prepare your food to make your meals easier when time is limited.

Some ways to do this are:

  • Peel, chop, and cut all raw vegetables, that way they are easily accessible when you want to use them for meals or to take as a healthy snack option.
  • Steam, roast, or sauté a large batch of vegetables and store them in clear containers in the refrigerator so they are easy to find when you need them. You can do the same with fruit, especially fruit that needs more preparation to eat such as a pineapples or strawberries. Having fruit already sliced and ready to eat also makes a healthy fruit smoothie easy to put together on the go.
  • Make meal choices that can be stored in the freezer and easily defrosted to cook or eat right away such as homemade soup, casseroles, and meat. They can be stored in serving sizes of 5 or 6 ounces so you are defrosting just what is needed.
  • Brown/wild rice and quinoa can also be made in large batches to have leftovers throughout the week.
  • Having snacks on hand helps to keep hunger under control and will help keep your metabolism up as the day goes on. Snacks such as veggies, fruit, hard boiled eggs, and nuts can be stored in proper containers or bags so they are easy to take with you.

Meal prepping can be kept as simple or made more thorough depending on how much time you have to put into it. Think what will save you the most time throughout the week and try to prepare that ahead of time. Also, try to balance out the meals you are making for yourself. When preparing lunches and dinners try and pack a protein, vegetable, and a carbohydrate. Again, there is no set way to meal prepping, it is all about working around your schedule and putting in some time and preparation to help yourself stay on track with a healthy diet even when your schedule is hectic!

 

By Lisa Cassata