february ingredient prep guide

get 12 meals for about $50 by ingredient prepping 6 simple components 🌱

Hello and happy Friday!! Today is one of my favorite newsletters of the month: an ingredient prep guide! I may be biased, but I think this one is extra good with light, citrusy flavors and fresh herbs keeping things bright, while hearty proteins, grains, and veggies make the assembled meals filling and balanced. The ingredient prep itself is simple—easy proteins, grains, veggies, and sauces—nothing complicated, leaving you with six flavorful components you can mix and match all week long. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a meal prep rut or dreading the same prepped meals by mid-week, ingredient prep is your way out. You’ll have everything ready to go but still have the flexibility to eat what sounds good in the moment!

All in, I spent about $50 on groceries and less than 90 minutes on prep.

The ingredient prep guide strategically takes you step by step through prepping each component—starting with marinating the chicken thighs and moving on to prep the five other components in the meantime. Keep scrolling to get the full guide on how to utilize a simple ingredient prep to get ahead on lunches or dinners and have your components prepped for easy assembly during the week. You decide if you want to store the components separate or go ahead and assemble the meals ahead of time—keep scrolling for the full rundown and an all-in-one ingredient prep guide with the grocery list, prep instructions, and full recipes for everything!

(If you’re all set for meals next week with the February meal prep plan we have going on, save this one for when you’re ready! We’re using late winter seasonal veggies that you can pick up.)

How it works:

1. Grab your groceries from the list.

2. Prep the six simple components using the ingredient prep guide.

3. Store the prepped components in your refrigerator.

4. Make each of the three recipes linked below using your prepped components during the week when you’re ready to assemble!

By the end, you’ll have the prep done to assemble and enjoy four servings each of these recipes:

🍋 Lemon basil quinoa, chicken, and grapefruit salad — THE late winter seasonal salad

🍠 Pesto chicken stuffed sweet potatoes — Inspired by the sweetgreen chicken pesto parm!

🥘 Chicken sausage and pesto bean skillet — Because a simple bean skillet is my go-to

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If any of this doesn’t sound like your jam, don’t worry, I’ve got subs & swaps below, including plant-based options. Or ask me in the chat or comments😊

Access all our past ingredient prep guides in the eat goood archive here.