Do I have a major life hack to share with you: SHEET PAN MEALS.
Nobody told me about sheet pan meals, and they are the EASIEST work-lunch. You literally batch them all at once, put them in cute little containers, refrigerate them, and goooooo.
Since I’ve found these beauties, Lunch and Dinner have both been SO much easier, especially when you have a husband who is always asking, “What’s for dinner?”— I feel like a homestead queen in a few easy steps.
Also, IT’S HEALTHY!!!! Guys, I could not even tell you how much money and how many calories I’ve wasted on fast food because it’s conveniently next to where I work, and “easy”. Since I have these sheet pan meals, I feel more full in my belly and in my wallet. And, we know that every body is a beach body, but we go to Barbados in June, and I’m trying to look and feel my best!
You just can’t get it wrong. I think my favorite thing (if I can pick a favorite) about this life-saver of a meal-hack, is that I don’t get bored. Because of all the different ingredients, this girl, who normally HATES eating leftovers, is excited to see what this new meal will be! It’s kind of like making trail mix, but it’s a meal.
So here’s the deal:
Grocery stores normally stress me out a little, but I know I can’t get it wrong at Corner Market, ANNDDDDD there’s one on my way home from work. So I stop by, and I grab the essentials for a sheet pan meal:
- a protein
- produce
- olive oil
- seasonings
It’s really that simple, but I’ll share with you a list of things I’ve put on the baking pan, and you can get creative!
- Cajun Sausage
- Kale
- Bell Pepper (I use every color because it’s so cute in my grocery basket!)
- Mushrooms
- Pearl Onions
- Garlic Cloves
- Sweet Potato
- Broccoli Florets
- Brussel Sprouts
- Put it with a side of rice!
You put it all on a baking sheet, covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper to save a bit of clean up, drizzle with olive oil, and any seasonings you choose! I like to put Tony’s or some paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
You stick that in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, checking to flip everything about halfway through.
I make the rice in an InstantPot like this:
1c rice : 1c water (I usually do 3c)
Pressure cook for 3 minutes, and let it naturally release for 10 minutes. It’s so fluffy and perfect!!!
Each time I do the sheet pan meals, I want to make sure everything touches the pan, so it takes me two baking sheets, sometimes four, to make enough to fill up nine meal prep containers, which is enough for me (and I always share a few with my husband). Corner Market has GREAT meal prep containers, and I use the Hefty Brand ones (you can get, like, a million at a time).
I really hope this helps you! Try this with chicken (remember to cook it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees), and you can’t go wrong with mixing up the produce! I can’t wait to see what you make!!
