ThePrep: Easy Fall Dinners to Get Back on Track

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After a vacation, I always have this urge to try to maintain the sense of calm I had during my time off. To make the transition back to normal life as smooth as possible, it means actually going grocery shopping over the weekend, actually doing a bit of meal prep and actually unpacking my suitcase rather than letting it sit for two weeks. Likewise, when we enter a new season, particularly fall, I try to do what I can to start things off on the right foot. The bit of legwork I put in at the beginning of the week makes a big difference during the busy week, and this week’s plan and simple prep steps make it easy to do.

Your Meal Plan

This week’s fall dinners feature some of the season’s best flavors, like the Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Burrata, the Cheesy Spinach-&-Artichoke Stuffed Spaghetti Squash and the Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese. These cozy dinners hit the spot on cooler nights and with all the fall-fresh flavors, they definitely help to start the season off right. These dinners are pretty easy as-is, but you can do some simple prep steps, like chopping broccoli and peeling butternut squash, to make them even easier. Check out these meal-prep steps for getting ahead on dinner, lunch and treats this week:

1. Cut 1 pound of broccoli into florets for Sunday; peel and cube 1 medium butternut squash for Monday.
2. Meal-prep the Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl to have for lunch this week.
3. Bake up a batch of Bev’s Chocolate Chip Cookies to treat yourself.

Sunday: Ginger-Roasted Salmon & Broccoli over Easy Brown Rice

Monday: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Burrata

Tuesday: Honey-Sesame Turkey Meatloaves with Broccolini

Wednesday: Cheesy Spinach-&-Artichoke Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Thursday: Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

Friday: PLT Pizza

Get the shopping list here.

Meal-Prep Lunch

This satisfying high-protein lunch is ready in a quick 30 minutes and makes enough to have for four days of the workweek. This means there’s one day where you can treat yourself to takeout or leftovers from one of this week’s yummy dinners (like Thursday’s Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese). Not only will this lunch energize you through the afternoon but it also delivers the flavors—and benefits—of the Mediterranean diet. Watch me make this recipe here!

Get the Recipe: Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl

Treat Yourself

With the Vermont nights getting cooler and cooler, I’m back into baking mode. I’m not the best baker, so I like to keep it simple most of the time and Bev’s Chocolate Chip Cookies are the most satisfying treat for when you want something easy and delicious. And a bonus is that I already have all the ingredients on hand!

Get the Recipe: Bev’s Chocolate Chip CookiesI hope you all have a safe and happy week, and if you have any questions or requests for future newsletters, please let me know by emailing ThePrep@eatingwell.com!