how to partially prep your dinner

this week's recap

Keep scrolling to get all of the recipes I shared this week in one place, plus some more updates from me!

---

This week’s recap

I’ve been thinking for a few months now on how to achieve all the time savings of meal prep without actually having to cook whole meals ahead of time. Don’t get me wrong, I love meal prep—and I intentionally try to make all my recipes reheat well because of it—but sometimes I want to cook something and eat it right away rather than storing it. It’s with all those feelings in mind that I came up with the concept for my new “partially prepped” series.

The idea is this: take a little time the night or morning before you’re planning to cook something to save yourself time when you’re ready prepare dinner. My goal with this series is to demonstrate that you can still have a freshly cooked meal without all the chopping, prepping, and time it usually takes just by doing a little planning ahead.

---

Baked feta, chicken, & roasted veggie pasta

This is the first recipe from my partially prepped series & I’m putting the recipe right here in the newsletter. I encourage everyone to give this one try!

LEMON BASIL MARINATED CHICKEN

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)

• 2 tbsp coconut aminos, tamari, or soy sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves, packed

• 1 tsp salt + additional to taste

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 + 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast (not thinly sliced)

BAKED VEGGIES & PASTA

• 1 lb asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces

• 12 oz cherry tomatoes

• 8 oz feta block (can sub for crumbled feta)

• 9 oz pasta of choice, cooked (I used Trader Joe’s brown rice rotini)

• 1/3 cup fresh basil chopped basil leaves, for topping

• zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl or jar, add the olive oil, lemon juice, coconut aminos, minced garlic, basil leaves, salt, and black pepper. Whisk or shake to combine.

2. Place the chicken breast in large container or bowl that has a lid. Cover in the marinade (flip a few times to coat), put the lid on, then place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, or overnight for best results. If more liquid is needed to coat, feel free to add a few extra drizzles of olive oil.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the chicken and the marinade to a deep baking dish. Add the chopped asparagus and cherry tomatoes and mix to coat in the marinade. Clear an opening in the middle of the pan to place the feta block (you can also break up the block into smaller pieces and spread throughout).

4. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is at an internal temperature of 165 degrees, the feta is soft, and veggies are tender. While it bakes, boil a pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to package instructions.

5. When the chicken is done baking, remove from the baking dish and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Use a spoon to mix the feta and veggies until there are no big chunks of feta left. Mash the tomatoes slightly. Add back the chicken. Pour the cooked pasta into the baking dish and mix again to coat.

6. Serve immediately for best results, topping with a sprinkle of basil and lemon zest. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

p.s. I have some recipe notes on the blog post if you have questions!

---

My paid subscription is still 25% off through Friday! If you haven’t already, upgrade to get even more from me—subscriber-only printable grocery lists + meal ideas, my weekly 2-2-2 updates, bonus recipes, subscriber-only chat, subscriber-only Q&As, and more!

Recipe recap

Crispy peanut tofu bowls

I’ve been trying to eat more plants in 2024, and this crunchy and savory, protein-packed meal prep is a great way to do just that. My friend Remy and I made these crispy peanut tofu bowls together that end up coming to just $1.73 per serving. And on top of being affordable, plant-based, and full of protein, these meal preps are delicious. I’m not gonna lie to you, if you bring these meal preps to work, you’re going to be thinking about lunch all morning long.

One-pot tomato and turkey pasta

This is a recipe I made a few years ago, and I wanted to revisit it because I am ALWAYS down for a one-pot or pan meal. And like I remember it being a few years ago, this one was delicious, hearty, simple to make, and most importantly delicious. You just throw everything into one pot and let it cook together. This dinner will taste like you took a ton of time obsessing over all the details of a complicated recipe, without actually having to obsess over all the details of a complicated recipe.

---

I hope you all have a lovely week, and be sure to stay tuned over on Instagram and TikTok to see what I have for y’all this upcoming week!

Much love,

Jenn