Meal Prep #2: Overnight Oats - Vegetable Ramen Bowl - Italian Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup (recipes included!)

Back to dancing, back to meal prep! These are some of my favorite dishes to make in the cold winter months - all warm, comforting, and filling. Nutrient-rich for hard working ladies (and gents), but absolutely de-lish!

On the menu this week...

• Overnight Slow Cooker Oats (creamy creamy creamy)
• Vegetable Ramen Bowls (just as scrumptious as they are affordable!)
• Italian sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup (a favorite for many years now)

We'll go a little out of order for the sake of convenience and start with...

Lunch

First off, Ramen bowls! I was inspired by a gif on facebook (<-- click to view) but made a few changes to the recipe for my own convenience and preference. You'll need...

Ramen noodles - 1 to 2 packs, depending on how ravenous you are
Ramen seasoning packet  OR  Chicken bullion + salt & pepper
Bell peppers - 3
A red chili pepper  OR  about 1 Tb of sambal oelek (my fav), to taste
Scallions - 5 to 10 to taste
Fresh Ginger - 1 inch or so
Spinach - around 10oz
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Lime - just 1

1. CHOP IT UP! Slice the bell peppers into strips. Mince that chili pepper. Slice (on the bias, if you're classy) the green ends of the green onions (save the white ends for other uses... possibly in the soup). Peel and mince that ginger. Divide the lime into 5 slices.
2. PORTION IT OUT! Divide the bell peppers, chili pepper (or a scoop of sambal oelek), scallions, and ginger into 5 containers... one in an extra-large Tupperware or wide-mouthed jar, and four into smaller Tupperware to store in the fridge.
3. NOODLES, ANYONE? Into the large Tupperware, add in your 2 - 3 packets of ramen noodles and seasoning or bullion.
4. GREEN GOODS! Pack a handful or two of spinach, a fresh handful of cilantro, and a lime wedge in a separate container to keep them so fresh and so green.
5. LUNCH TIME! So you've arrived at lunch time. You have your large noodle / bell pepper / aromatics / seasonings tupperware and your greens tupperware ready to go. Use boiling water from an electric kettle or hot water dispenser and cover the ramen noodles in the large container to soften. Wait 1 - 2 minutes (stirring along the way), drain the water, squeeze in your lime, and mix in your greens! Voila!

I always look forward to lunch time, but ESPECIALLY when I have one of these bowls packed!

Dinner

Italian Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup! Ben found this recipe several years ago on nooga.com and it has been one of our favorites ever since.

Rather than writing this one out again, I'm just going to give you my pdf recipe...

If you're not able to find Italian-seasoned sausage, just toss some dry Italian herbs and red pepper flakes in while browning the sausage. Feel free to use the white ends of scallions in with the onion, as well as any other leftover aromatics you might have stored away in the fridge (leftover celery here!). Don't forget to save those ends of onions and kale stems in a gallon-size freezer bag to make veggie stock later on! I highly recommend preparing your mis en place beforehand.

Breakfast

I bought an adorable 1.5 quart slow cooker on sale and thought that some overnight oats would be perfect for my weekday breakfasts! I divided this Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats recipe (<-- click to view) by three and tossed it into the baby crockpot before I went to sleep! It turned out to be plenty for both Ben and I in the morning! Easy to toss together and then brew on low while you sleep!

I hope this guide is helpful, cost-effective, convenient and delicious! Meal prepping has changed the game for my busy schedule and I'm so glad I've begun doing it regularly!

Happy prepping! <3