What Is Taco Salad?

Taco salad is everything you love about crispy beef tacos but in salad form! I’ve made sure it’s jam-packed with lettuce and extra veggies to keep you full all day long.

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Taco Salad

This taco salad recipe is super customizable without compromising on its hearty and satisfying flavors. It's the ultimate meal prep salad!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Total Cost ($17.89 recipe / $2.98 serving)

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 salads (about 2 cups each)

Calories 804kcal

Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

Dressing

• 4 oz. sour cream $0.49
• 2 limes, juiced and zested $1.00
• 1 clove minced garlic $0.05
• 1/4 tsp salt $0.01
• 1/4 tsp chili powder $0.03
• 1/2 tsp sugar $0.01
• 4 Tbsp olive oil $0.80

Ground Beef Mixture

• 1 lb lean ground beef $4.99
• 1 1-oz. packet taco seasoning $0.59

Additional Toppings

• 1/2 red onion, julienned $0.37
• 2 roma tomatoes $0.60
• 1 cup corn kernels $1.66
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed $0.89
• 1 avocado, diced $0.99
• 1 cup tortilla chips, crushed $1.44
• 1 cup shredded cheddar (about 1/2 of an 8-oz. block) $1.25
• 1 jalapeno, sliced into thin rings $0.30
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces $1.79

Instructions

• Gather and prep all topping ingredients: julienne red onion, chop tomato, defrost frozen corn, drain and rinse black beans, dice avocado, crush tortilla chips, shred cheddar cheese, and slice jalapeno. Set aside or mix together in a large serving bowl.
• Chop iceberg lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
• Combine sour cream, juice and zest from limes, minced garlic, salt, chili powder, sugar, and oil in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
• Add lean ground beef and taco seasoning packet to skillet. Break apart the ground beef with a spatula and mix in the taco seasoning. Cook until all of the ground beef has turned brown.*
• Top chopped lettuce with shredded cheese, prepped veggies and cooked ground beef. Toss all ingredients (except for crumbled tortilla chips) together.
• Drizzle a generous helping of dressing over the top with crumbled tortilla chips! Serve and enjoy.**

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*I used a lean ground beef, so I added my seasoning and beef at the same time. I didn’t have any fat to strain off at the end, which saved me a little prep time.

**If you are meal prepping, keep the wet ingredients (like the beef and salad dressing) separate so your veggies and lettuce do not wilt and the tortilla chips do not get soggy. Just dress and toss when you’re ready for lunch.

Nutrition

Serving: 1salad | Calories: 804kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 55g | Sodium: 1228mg | Fiber: 13g

how to make Taco Salad – step by step photos

Gather all topping ingredients. Julienne 1/2 red onion, chop 2 roma tomatoes, defrost 1 cup frozen corn, drain and rinse 1 can black beans, dice 1 avocado, crush 3 cups of tortilla chips, shred 1 cup cheddar cheese, slice 1 jalapeno. Set aside or mix together in a large serving bowl.

Chop 1 head of iceberg lettuce into bite-sized pieces.

Combine 4 oz sour cream, juice and zest from 2 limes, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 4 Tbsp oil in a small mixing bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Add 1 pound lean ground beef and 1 packet of taco seasoning to skillet. Break apart the ground beef with a spatula and mix in the taco seasoning.

Cook until all of the ground beef has turned brown. I used a lean ground beef, so I added my seasoning and beef at the same time. I didn’t have any fat to strain off at the end, which saved me a little prep time.

Top chopped lettuce with prepped veggies and cooked ground beef.

Toss all ingredients together.

Drizzle a generous helping of dressing over the top with crumbled tortilla chips! Serve and enjoy.

This hearty taco salad is sure to satisfy!

More Southwest-Inspired Recipes

Santa Fe Salad

$16.05 recipe / $2.67 serving

Southwest Lentils And Rice Skillet

$5.65 recipe / $1.41 serving

Chicken Enchilada Soup

$11.52 recipe / $1.92 serving

Cilantro Lime Rice

$2.50 recipe / $0.42 serving

The post Taco Salad appeared first on Budget Bytes.

What Kind of Smoked Sausage Should I Use?

You can literally use any type of smoked sausage for this recipe. I used beef sausage today, but you can use pork, turkey, kielbasa, or any other type of smoked sausage. The key here is to make sure it’s smoked sausage. You want that smoky flavor and a sausage that is firm enough to slice.

Can I Use Different Vegetables?

Absolutely! I would try to include some sort of onion in there, but other than that you can switch them up for anything else, like potatoes, zucchini, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, or even potatoes. Just try to cut your vegetables in similar sized pieces so everything cooks are a fairly similar rate.

How Long Does This Keep?

As with most meal preps, I suggest keeping your meal for a maximum of about four days. This recipe probably isn’t the best candidate for freezing, but if you’re not too picky you might find it perfectly acceptable after freezing and reheating.

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Smoky Roasted Sausage and Vegetables

These Smoky Roasted Sausage and Vegetables are an easy sheet pan meal with a smoky homemade vinaigrette that gives an extra blast of flavor.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Total Cost $7.87 recipe / $1.97 serving

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 660.1kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Equipment

• Enamelware Sheet Pan
• Chef’s Knife
• White Cutting Boards
• Pyrex Glass Meal Prep

Ingredients

Smoky Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup olive oil $0.64
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar $0.20
• 1 tsp coarse deli mustard (or Dijon) $0.08
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.02
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano $0.02
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika $0.05
• 1/4 tsp salt $0.02
• freshly cracked black pepper $0.03
• 1/4 tsp sugar $0.02

Sausage and Vegetables

• 12 oz. smoked sausage $2.75
• 1 lb. broccoli crown $1.69
• 1 bell pepper (any color) $1.00
• 1 red onion $0.44

For Serving

• 1 cup long grain white rice (uncooked) $0.20
• 1 handful chopped parsley $0.20

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl or jar combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette (olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar). Whisk the ingredients together or close the jar and shake until combined. Set the vinaigrette aside.
• Slice the smoked sausage into 1/2-inch medallions. Cut the broccoli into small florets. Dice the bell pepper and onion into 1-inch pieces. Place the sausage, broccoli, bell pepper, and onion onto the baking sheet.
• Drizzle 2 Tbsp of the vinaigrette over the sausage and vegetables and toss to coat.
• Roast the vegetables in the fully preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until they're browned on the edges, stirring once half way through.
• While the sausage and vegetables are roasting, cook the rice. Add the rice and 2 cups water to a sauce pot. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest, undisturbed, lid in place, for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork just before serving.
• After the sausage and vegetables have finished roasting, add half of the remaining vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with an extra pinch of salt and pepper if needed.
• To serving, add about 3/4 cup rice to each bowl or container along with 1/4 of the roasted sausage and vegetables. Drizzle another spoonful of the vinaigrette over top, then finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 660.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 50.2g | Protein: 17.6g | Fat: 42.8g | Sodium: 1117.63mg | Fiber: 4.38g

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

These are Pyrex 3-cup glass food storage containers. You can find them in my Amazon Shop.

How to Make Smoky Roasted Sausage and Vegetables – Step by Step Photos

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a bowl or jar combine ¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp coarse deli mustard (or Dijon), ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and ¼ tsp sugar. Whisk the ingredients together, or close the jar and shake until combined. Set the dressing aside.

This time around I used smoked beef sausage, broccoli, red onion, and a yellow bell pepper, but you can modify this to meet your budget or what you have on hand. For some ideas of what else might work, read my suggestions in the paragraphs above the recipe.

Slice the smoked sausage into ½-inch thick pieces, cut the broccoli into small florets, and dice the onion and bell pepper into 1-inch pieces. Spread the sausage and vegetables over a parchment lined baking sheet (I don’t have parchment in the photo, because I like to fight stuck on food. J/K, it’s just better for photos). 

Drizzle 2 Tbsp of the smoky vinaigrette over the sausage and vegetables, then toss until they’re well coated.

Roast the sausage and vegetables in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until they’re well browned, stirring once halfway through.

While the sausage and vegetables are roasting, cook the rice. Add 1 cup white rice to a sauce pot with 2 cups water. Place a lid on top and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn it down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, and let it sit with the lid in place for another 5 minutes. Finally, fluff it with a fork.

After the sausage and vegetables have finished roasting, drizzle about ½ of the remaining smoky vinaigrette over top, and toss to coat. Season with an extra pinch of salt and pepper, if needed.

To serve, place about ¾ cup rice in a bowl or container, add ¼ of the roasted sausage and vegetables, and drizzle one last spoonful of the vinaigrette over top. Sprinkle a little fresh parsley over the bowl and serve.

You can refrigerate the Smoky Roasted Sausage and Vegetables for about four days. Hello lunch!

Love sheet pan meals? Check out my Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Dinner, Sheet Pan BBQ Meatloaf Dinner, or Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables.

The post Smoky Roasted Sausage and Vegetables appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Ideas for Swaps and Substitutions

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Mediterranean Hummus Bowls

Just about any protein or vegetable can be added to these filling and tasty Mediterranean Hummus Bowls to make them your own and use up your leftovers!

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Total Cost $9.93 recipe / $2.48 serving

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 644.3kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

Seasoned Ground Beef

• 1/2 lb. ground beef $2.65
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano $0.05
• 1/2 tsp cumin $0.05
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.02
• 1/4 tsp salt $0.02

Bowl Ingredients (all ingredients optional)

• 4 cups cooked rice $0.70
• 1 cup hummus* $1.48
• 1 pint grape tomatoes $1.89
• 1/2 English cucumber $0.75
• 1/4 red onion $0.07
• 1 cup kalamata olives $0.90
• 2 oz. crumbled feta $1.10
• handful fresh parsley, chopped $0.25

Instructions

• Add the ground beef to a skillet, along with the oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Cook and stir the beef over medium heat until fully browned and evenly combined with the spices.
• To build the bowls, add 1 cup rice and 1/4 cup hummus to each bowl. Divide the remaining ingredients among the four bowls, or in any amount that you desire. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Make Homemade Hummus to save the most $$$

This recipe works great for meal prep! I’d eat the meal prepped bowls cold rather than reheated to avoid cooking the raw vegetables.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 644.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 20.93g | Fat: 31.88g | Sodium: 1790.08mg | Fiber: 7.3g

How to Make Mediterranean Hummus Bowls – Step by Step Photos

Add 1/2 lb. ground beef to a skillet along with 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook and stir the beef over medium heat until it is fully browned and combined with the spices.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the rest of your toppings. I used grape tomatoes, English cucumber, some leftover red onion that I had, leftover kalamata olives, a handful of parsley, and some leftover feta cheese. Here’s a tip for red onions: let them soak for about 5 minutes in ice water and that will take the super spicy edge off and make them a little easier on the stomach. :)

Then it’s time to build your Mediterranean Hummus Bowls! Start with about one cup of rice per bowl, add 1/4 cup hummus, then just go ahead and divide the rest of your ingredients among the four bowls. You can serve them right away, or pack them away in meal prep containers for later. They’ll keep in the fridge for about four days.

Are you already a hummus bowl eater? What are your favorite topping combos? I’d love to hear more ideas! Leave your favorite ingredients for me in the comments below.

The post Mediterranean Hummus Bowls appeared first on Budget Bytes.

For more information about meal prepping, how it works, and why I do it, check out Meal Prep 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Prepping and Portioning Meals, or check out my entire Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Archive.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf Meal Prep

This Meal Prep Includes:

Cheddar Cheeseburger Meatloaf (4 servings): $7.31 

Fluffy Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes (6 servings): $2.05

1 pound Green Beans: $1.39

Total Cost: $10.75

Cost Per Serving: $2.52

Cost of Leftovers (2 servings mashed potatoes): $0.68

The glass meal prep containers pictured above can be found here. All my other glass meal prep containers can be found in my Amazon store. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Green Beans:

Instead of steaming fresh green beans this time, I just bought a bag of frozen green beans from Aldi. Since the green beans are blanched before freezing, they are already partially cooked and will complete cooking as you reheat the lunch box, so I just thawed them and put them straight in my meal prep containers. That being said, I like my green beans cooked only to the point where they still have a little tooth. If you prefer them softer or more well cooked, you may want to boil or steam them for a few minutes before packing them into your containers.

Leftovers:

The recipe for Fluffy Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes makes about 6 cups, or six 1-cup servings, but I generally only pack 4 days worth of food at a time (for best quality). The extra mashed potatoes can either be eaten at other meals (I can never get enough mashed potatoes) OR you can actually freeze them. Just scoop them out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for longer storage.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf Meal Prep – Such a classic!

The post Cheeseburger Meatloaf Meal Prep appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Vegetable Substitutes

You have a few options with this meal. I highly suggest tailoring the vegetable selection to what you have available for a good price in your area at the time. Some other vegetables that work well for roasting are eggplant, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Whichever vegetables you choose, try to get a range of color.

How to Serve Beef Kofta Meatballs

I placed my meatballs and roasted vegetables over a bed of rice because I loooove rice, but if you want to go a low carb route you can place them over some spinach or baby greens. If you want something a little more special than plain rice as a bed, you can do Spinach Rice with Feta. If you’re the type that likes your meals saucy, you can do a simple yogurt dill sauce, like the one in my Greek Chicken Wraps, or my famous Lemon Tahini Dressing, which can be in my Mediterranean Farro Salad recipe.

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Beef Kofta Meatballs with Roasted Vegetables

Beef Kofta Meatballs with Roasted Vegetables are the perfect well-rounded easy dinner or meal prep to keep you fed and happy throughout the week.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Total Cost $10.99 recipe / $2.75 serving

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 672kcal

Ingredients

Roasted Vegetables*

• 1 zucchini $0.84
• 1 yellow squash $0.58
• 1 pint grape tomatoes $1.89
• 3/4 red onion $0.48
• 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.26
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.02
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano $0.05
• salt & pepper $0.05

Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground beef $5.29
• 2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16
• 1/4 red onion, minced $0.16
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped $0.11
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano $0.05
• 1/4 tsp cumin $0.03
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon $0.02
• 1/8 tsp cloves $0.02
• 3/4 tsp salt $0.03
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.08

Other

• 4 cups cooked rice $0.76
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped, for garnish $0.11

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Dice the zucchini and yellow squash. Reserve 1/4 of the red onion for the meatballs and cut the remaining 3/4 into 1-inch slices. Place the chopped zucchini, squash, onion, and grape tomatoes on a large baking sheet.
  
• Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables, then add the garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss the vegetables in the oil and spices until they are evenly coated. Spread the vegetables out evenly over the baking sheet, then transfer them to the oven.
  
• Roast the vegetables in the oven for 40 minutes, or until they are wilted and browned on the edges, stirring once half way through.
  
• While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the meatballs. Mince the remaining 1/4 red onion. Add the ground beef, red onion, minced garlic, chopped parsley, oregano, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl. Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined.
• Shape the meat mixture into 16 ping pong sized meatballs. This is a good time to begin cooking your rice so that it’s finished at the same time as the meatballs and vegetables.
  
• Heat a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, 1 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add half of the meatballs and cook on each side until well browned (about 7 minutes total). Be careful as you turn the meatballs, as they can be quite delicate. If it’s easier, you can flatten them into mini patty shapes. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a clean plate, add more oil to the skillet, and cook the second batch in the same manner.
  
• Once the meatballs are cooked and the vegetables have finished roasting, it’s time to assemble the meal. Place about 1 cup cooked rice on each plate or container, add 1/4 of the roasted vegetables, then top with four of the beef kofta meatballs. Top with a little more chopped parsley and enjoy!
  

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

You can substitute vegetables to match what is in season or on sale in your area at the time. Other vegetables that work well in this dish are eggplant, mushrooms, and bell peppers.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 672kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 38g | Sodium: 674mg | Fiber: 4g

How to Make Beef Kofta Meatballs – Step by Step Photos

Start with a few vegetables for roasting. Be sure to pick vegetables that are in season or on sale for a good price in your area at the time. This recipe is wonderfully flexible in this way. I used a zucchini, a yellow squash, a red onion, and a pint of grape tomatoes, but you could also choose something like an eggplant, mushrooms, or bell peppers. Preheat your oven to 425ºF.

Dice the zucchini and squash into one-inch pieces. Reserve 1/4 of the red onion for the meatballs, and slice the rest of it into one-inch slices. Place the chopped zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and the pint of cherry tomatoes on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil, then add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables until they are evenly coated in oil and spices.

Roast the vegetables for about 40 minutes, or until they are wilted and browned on the edges. Stir once, half way through. While the vegetables are roasting, you can prepare the meatballs.

Mince the remaining 1/4 of the red onion. Add 1 lb. ground beef to a bowl, then add the minced red onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, and 3/4 tsp salt.

Use your hands to mix the beef and seasonings together until they are well combined.

Shape the meat mixture into 16 ping pong sized meatballs. The easiest way to do this is to divide the mixture in half, then in half again, then in half again and so on until you have 16 fairly equal sized pieces, then shape them into balls. This is also a good time to start cooking your rice if you want it to finish cooking at roughly the same time as your vegetables and meatballs.

Place a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil (high-heat oil of your choice) and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add half of the meatballs and cook them until they are browned on all sides. Turn them carefully as they cook because they are fairly delicate. They should take about 7-ish minutes to cook on all sides, but this will depend on the heat of your skillet. Once cooked, transfer the meatballs to a clean plate, add a little more oil, and cook the second batch in the same manner.

When your meatballs are finished cooking, the vegetables and rice should be finished at about the same time. And then it’s time to build your bowls/plates/containers! Place about 1 cup cooked rice on your plate, top with 1/4 of the roasted vegetables, and 4 of the cooked meatballs. Sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top, and enjoy!!

And like I said, these Beef Kofta Meatballs with Roasted Vegetables make the PERFECT meal prep! If you feel like you need some sauce, you can do an easy dill yogurt sauce (like the one in this recipe) or my lemon tahini dressing (like in this recipe). I would pack the dressings separately from your meal prep containers so you can heat them up and add the dressing after.

More Meatball Recipes

Swedish Meatballs

$5.83 recipe / $1.46 serving

Easy Homemade Meatballs

$10.92 recipe / $1.82 serving

Spinach and Feta Turkey Meatballs

$7.83 recipe / $1.96 serving

Giant Slow Cooker Meatballs

$8.00 recipe / $2.00 serving

The post Beef Kofta Meatballs with Roasted Vegetables appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Sadly, I’ve gotten away from the meal prepping model lately and I know that I desperately need to get back into the swing of it. So, I’ve decided to start a new weekly series showcasing how I approach weekly meal prep. Meal prep can be a bit daunting for beginners, so I figured it would be helpful to see how I do it and give some weekly meal prep inspo for veterans along the way.

I’ll be using recipes that are already available on Budget Bytes and pairing them with other items to make a well rounded meal. The Sunday Meal Prep examples will just be one meal, like a lunch or a dinner, rather than a three-meal-per-day seven day plan (I don’t like to get that strict–I need some flexibility), but even having one of your daily meals prepped for the week is an enormous help. And once I have several weeks of examples, you can always combine them to do a three meal per day plan of your own.

And lastly, most of my Sunday Meal Prep posts will be for 4-6 servings. I only like to prep 5 days in advance, tops, because things just don’t last much longer than that in the fridge. For recipes that make six servings, I’ll usually stash one or two of the servings in the freezer for later. So if you only prep four servings of something at one time and there are seven days in a week, what do you do for the rest of the days?? Well, you can cook in four day cycles, you can have one “freebie” day, like date night, or you can fill in the extra days with items that you have stashed in the freezer like I mentioned above. It’s a wonderful system and once you get going you’ll feel like you have this adulting thing OWNED. ;)

So let’s get prepping, shall we??

For more information about meal prepping, how it works, and why I do it, check out Meal Prep 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Prepping and Portioning Meals, or check out my entire Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Archive.

Skillet Meatballs and Marinara Meal Prep

I was totally craving good old-fashioned pasta and marinara this week and I happened to have some Italian sausage in my freezer, so I knew exactly what I was going to meal prep. Skillet Meatballs and Marinara! This simple recipe requires very few ingredients and is super satisfying. I added some lightly steamed broccoli to round it out, and a banana for “dessert.”

This Week’s Meal Prep Includes:

Skillet Meatballs and Marinara (6 servings) $7.98

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan $0.31

1 Large crown Broccoli, steamed $2.40

4 Bananas $0.99

Total cost: $11.68

Each meal (with banana) $2.03

Each meal (without banana) $1.78

I only purchased four bananas because I planned on freezing two portions of the pasta and broccoli)

This is typically the type of meal that I would bring for myself for lunch when I still worked in the laboratory. The banana would be eaten as a snack earlier in the day or with my lunch as a sort of dessert.

If you’re buying lunch out every day when you work, you can see the extreme savings here, not to mention the health benefits. If the broccoli is prepared and there in front of you, you’re WAY more likely to eat it. I even used whole wheat pasta this time around to get a little extra fiber. :) Plus, these meals have automatic portion control. #win

Tips:

• Only partially cook the broccoli so that when you reheat your meal, it doesn’t over cook and become mushy. I steamed my broccoli just until it was bright green and the stems barely began to soften.
• It’s always good to reheat your “meal box” in increments, stirring between each increment. I usually start with one minute, stir, and add 30 seconds more at a time until it’s heated through.
• Label and date items that you put in the freezer so you can stay on top of your inventory and eat older items before they get too old. A little masking tape and a sharpie will do the trick and then you can just remove the tape before washing the container.
• These blue top Ziploc containers are my favorite because they can go into the freezer, fridge, microwave, and dishwasher. But, if you don’t like reheating or eating out of plastic, there are several great glass food storage containers on the market as well.

So that’s all I have this week, but since this is a new series, I’d love to hear what information you’d enjoy seeing in the Sunday Meal Prep posts. If you have any questions, ideas, or just want to share your own tips for meal prepping, please leave a comment below. And just remember, if you’ve never left a comment before, your comment will be held in moderation until I can verify that it’s not spam. :)

Until next week!

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Sunday Meal Prep: Skillet Meatballs and Marinara appeared first on Budget Bytes.