Meal “prep” is a term we hear frequently these days, or at least since before the pandemic. Typically, the preparation involves cooking healthy, whole foods over the weekend, and storing them in individual servings in the fridge or freezer to have ready to go during the week. Whether they are for your dinner, or to be slipped into a lunchbox to take to work or school, the concept has become very popular.
I’ve known folks who cook a large package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a slow-cooker and package them individually with servings of steamed broccoli to take for lunches for a few days.
The version of meal prep I recently participated in may not qualify as a completely healthy one, but at least it was made of whole foods, from scratch.
My mom used to cook a lot, and she still enjoys it, but occasionally I come up with a premade, hearty meal I can tuck into her freezer for her to have when she doesn’t feel like getting into the kitchen.
I’ve noticed recently, maybe due to the cold weather, she has really favored meat and potatoes in just about any form (don’t we all?). When thinking about a handy way to prepare a good comfort meal that I could easily divide up, I thought of mini meat loaves, which I made in muffin tins. I whipped up mashed potatoes as well, and then placed scoops of them in buttered muffin tins with a pat of butter on top. Once they browned in the oven, I let them cool, then popped them out the same way I did the meat loaves. I placed them each into serving containers for my mom, and took them over to freeze at her house. She heated portions of them in the microwave when she was ready for a hot meal.
Whatever meal prep looks like to you, a little work over one Saturday afternoon goes a long way during the week.
Enjoy food made fresh!
Mini Meat Loaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1½ pounds lean hamburger meat (93% lean)
½ cup breadcrumbs or crushed crackers
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease, or spray with non-stick cooking spray, 12 cups of standard-size muffin tin(s).
Place oil and butter into a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic and continue over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
In a medium mixing bowl, add hamburger, bread or cracker crumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, remaining salt, and pepper. Add 3/4 of the cooked onion and garlic. Gently stir to mix until combined, (do not overmix).
Using a standard-size ice cream scoop, divide mixture into 12 muffin tin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Top each mini loaf with a portion of the remaining onions and garlic, and cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. (Switch to broiler for about 1 minute, if you want to brown the cheese).
Serve warm, and/or place servings into sealable containers to preserve in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. If frozen, partially thaw before reheating in the microwave. Microwave times will vary so start with 30-second intervals.
Angelina LaRue, author of “The Whole Enchilada: Fresh and Nutritious Southwestern Cuisine,” grew up at White River Lake, lives in Idalou and writes a weekly food column for local newspapers.
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