This is one of my family's favorite and easiest bulk meal prep meals.  I cook once and have at least 2 family dinners out of it, sometimes 3 or 4.  I made sure to have a couple of batches of this in the freezer for when baby arrived too.  It's also an incredibly easy recipe to modify.  You can use whole wheat pasta, gluten free pasta and swap in ground beef for the turkey.  You could also use nutritional yeast as a substitute for the cheese if you want to make it dairy free.

I like to use a cast iron skillet when I stir fry the meat and veggies together because then I can just slide that same skillet into the oven for the batch that I'm going to use for dinner that same night once I add in the pasta and cheese.  Less dishes are always a win!

Here's what you'll need for this simple family crowd pleaser!

Ingredients
-2 x 1 lb boxes of pasta
-1 package of frozen, chopped spinach or 2-3 cups fresh spinach
-1-1 1/2 lb of lean ground turkey
-2 x 28 oz cans tomato sauce plus 1-2 cups additional sauce for topping when baking - each dish
-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese plus additional for topping when baking each dish
-2 tsp garlic powder
-2 tsp oregano

Directions
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions While the pasta is cooking, spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray, heat on medium heat and add the ground turkey to the heated skillet. Pan fry the turkey until fully cooked and there is no pink meat throughout. Drain the turkey of any excess water. Prepare the frozen spinach in the microwave or on the stove top based on the directions on the package. Once the spinach is cooked, drain of any excess water and use a fork to separate all of the spinach and ensure it is not frozen anywhere in the middle. If using fresh spinach, add it to the turkey and stir fry until cooked and significantly reduced in volume.

Once the pasta is cooked, strain to remove the water and return the pasta to the large pot. Add in the turkey, spinach, 2 large cans of tomato sauce, the garlic powder and oregano. Stir until well combined. Add in 2 cups of shredded cheese and stir again. Prepare 2 casserole dishes by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and pour half of the pasta into each prepared dish. For the dish you are cooking now, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, spread an additional 1-2 cups of sauce on top and sprinkle some extra cheese on top. Cover & bake for 30-40 minutes until cheese is melted and dish heated throughout.

For the dish you are placing in the freezer, allow to cool, cover, label and store in the freezer. When ready to use the freezer dish, transfer to the fridge approx. 2 days ahead of time. Top with additional sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 minutes until heated all the way through.

Enjoy a night off of cooking!

My favorite season is rolling in! I don't think I could live anywhere that doesn't have Fall....I love the leaves, the sweater and rosy cheek weather, the fall fashion, the pumpkin everything and those cool, crisp nights. Love. It. I also find that September is a natural time to reorganize and plan.  Maybe it's that back to school vibe...maybe it's that it's the last quarter of the year.  Either way, it's had me thinking about meal prep.  I got away from a lot of meal prep as I navigated the postpartum period after this sweet little baby joined us and I've been winging it. It's time to get back to a little bit more organization....and less cereal for dinner if I'm being completely honest here.

This breakfast bowl combines apples, sweet potatoes, turkey sausage and spinach.  This fall sweet potato home fry mixture is paired with scrambled eggs for a wholesome start to the day.  It's easy to put together and makes 4 meals ready to go.  

Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients
-1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
-1 medium to large apple, peeled and chopped
-1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
-1-2 generous handfuls of spinach
-6-10 turkey breakfast sausages
-salt
-pepper
-5-6 TBS olive oil
-6 eggs

Directions
Add approximately 3 TBS olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium.  Once heated, add the chopped onion and stir fry until softened, which takes approximately 2-3 minutes.  Add the sweet potato and apple. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to stir fry together for approximately 20-25 minutes until the sweet potato and apple are fully cooked.  Add more oil as you feel like the ingredients are getting dry and sticking to the pan.  In a separate skillet, prepare your turkey sausage (or you can substitute any sausage you prefer) according to the directions (I used a 10 pack of turkey breakfast sausage links).  Once fully cooked, remove from the heat, chop into pieces and add into the large skillet with the other ingredients.  Toss 1-2 generous handfuls of spinach into the skillet and stir fry until reduced in volume and cooked throughout the other ingredients.  Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool.

Prepare 6 eggs by scrambling them in another skillet.  Divide the eggs and fall sweet potato mix into four separate meal containers.  Store covered in the fridge and enjoy!

I've made banana oatmeal pancakes in my blender for years, but I just never got to putting pen to paper, measuring everything out and getting the recipe finalized...until now.  Maybe it took this quarantine to get this out of my head and onto the blog.  These pancakes are a weekend favorite around here and our toddler especially loves them.  They're easy to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a reheated, quick breakfast too and you can make these vegan or gluten free by subbing in GF oats and/or using a flax egg instead of regular eggs!

Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients
(makes 10-12 pancakes)

-1 cup vanilla almond milk (you can sub in your choice of milk here)
-2 eggs or flax eggs
-2 ripe bananas
-2 cups oats (sub in GF oats for GF version)
-2 tsp baking powder
-pinch of salt
-1-2 tsp cinnamon

Directions
Heat a skillet on medium heat and coat it with non-stick cooking spray.  In a high powered blender, add the ingredients in the order of the milk, eggs, ripe bananas and then the dry ingredients. Secure the lid and turn the blender on low and then increase speed to medium/high.  Once the batter is formed together, turn off the blender and pour out each pancake onto the heated skillet, approx. 1/3 cup batter at a time.  Allow to cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side.  You will see the edges forming, turning golden and bubbles appearing in the pancake when it's time to flip.  Continue the same on the second side.  Remove from the pan and continue until all of the batter is used.  Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup or store in an air tight container in the fridge for a quick breakfast another day.  Enjoy!