Let’s get into it, shall we?
Start with the recipe that excites you most, and remember, these preps are meant to make life easier, not stricter. Mix, match, and adjust to fit your week!
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple (I like Pink Lady, Gala, or Fuji)
- 1 flavored instant oatmeal packet, such as Maple & Brown Sugar (I like Better Oats because of its short ingredient list)
- 1 tablespoon cold butter (either unsalted or salted is fine)
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- Slice the apple in half crosswise. Scoop out the seeds + a little extra to create a small well (you can snack on the scraps). Cook, cut side down on parchment paper (or an air fryer liner), until beginning to wrinkle and soften, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the oatmeal packet with the butter (I cut mine into 4 pieces to make things easier) and squeeze together until large, moist crumbs form. Some oatmeal packets are larger than others — add more butter if your mix is looking dry!
- Flip the apple halves and fill with the topping. Return to the air fryer until the apple is tender and the topping is crisp, 12 to 14 minutes (cook time will vary depending on the size of your apple).
- Serve as-is, with ice cream, or my personal favorite: plain Greek yogurt, honey, flaky salt, and cinnamon.
To bake in the oven: bake apple at 400°F for 12-15 minutes. Fill and return to oven for 18-20 minutes.
Inspired by a shortcut skillet apple crisp recipe I created for Simply Recipes.
Ingredients
for the dressing:
- 2 small cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
for the salad:
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large or 2 small bell peppers, diced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, diced
- 1/4 small red onion, sliced
- 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
- 4 ounces feta cheese, diced
- thinly sliced romaine (optional)
Instructions
- You’ll be dividing everything between two deli containers to create two entree-sized salads:
- To each container, add 1 clove grated garlic (grate it directly into the container), 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon Dijon, 1 teaspoon oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then swirl the container to help the ingredients emulsify. You want to build the dressing first so that it can start to flavor the chickpeas and veggies immediately.
- Divide the remaining ingredients between the containers: chickpeas, tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, olives, and feta. Lid the containers and shake until combined (or wait to shake until right before eating). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy straight from the container, or eat with thinly sliced romaine. Will keep in the fridge for ~3 days.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup 2% or full-fat small-curd cottage cheese (I always use Good Culture)
- 3/4 cup dairy or non-dairy milk (I use Fairlife 2% for extra protein)
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose, white whole wheat flour, or a 1:1 GF flour blend, such as Bob's Red Mill
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) vanilla whey protein powder*
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium bowl; let cool slightly. Add the cottage cheese, milk, pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, protein powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Let the batter rest while you preheat the waffle iron.
- Coat the iron with cooking spray. Scoop 1/2 cup of the batter into a standard-sized waffle iron (it's okay if the batter doesn't spread all the way to the edges while cooking) or a scant 3 tablespoons into a mini waffle iron (I use a #20/1.5 oz cookie scoop).
- Cook the waffles according to manufacturers directions. The protein powder makes them a little more delicate, so try not to lift the iron until the outsides are brown and crisp.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining batter, coating the iron in between each batch.
- Freeze the waffles directly on the rack in a single layer until solid, then transfer to an airtight bag and return to the freezer.
- To reheat in the toaster: Break larger waffles along the center seam to fit into the toaster, if necessary. Toast directly from frozen until crisp and heated through. Serve warm, with butter and maple syrup, if desired.
*If you’d prefer not to use protein powder, use 2 1/4 cups total flour and omit the protein powder altogether.
To start with protein pancake/waffle mix, such as Kodiak Cakes: Omit the maple syrup from the wet ingredients. Use 2 1/4 cups of the store-bought mix in place of the flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Continue as directed in the above recipe.
