Air Fryer Burrito

I’ve been trying a different “mix and match” method of prepping food for the week. You cook a few components like proteins, vegetables, and sauces, and then reheat and rearrange them to create different meals. Here’s my method, inspired by the Downshiftology approach:

1. Pick 2-3 proteins, a few vegetables, and at least one sauce to prepare. I also like to bake a snack.
2. On Sunday, do your cooking.
3. During the week, eat one protein, some vegetables, and some sauce with a starch. Change up the starches and proteins to create variety.

Meal plans so far:

Week 1

• Cooked: Greek sheet pan chicken with roasted potatoes and vegetables (sheet pans are the ultimate meal prep hack), salmon bites, crispy air fryer chickpeas, tzatziki sauce, chocolate chip cookies.
• Dinners: chicken and potatoes, salmon and fries, chicken and pasta, salmon rice bowls, chicken and rice.
• Lunch: chickpeas with salad and focaccia.

Week 2

• Cooked: Instant pot ground turkey, sheet pan vegetables, cubed sweet potatoes, morning glory muffins.
• Dinners: Ground turkey and pasta, ground turkey and mashed potatoes, ground turkey and nachos, tinned fish and pasta, burgers from the freezer.
• Lunch: Black bean and sweet potato rice bowls and burritos.

This week I made balsamic chicken (pictured) and vegetables, plus marinated tofu to air fry another day, and blueberry muffins. I really appreciate how flexible this approach is. A protein / pantry staple like black beans doesn’t need cooking — just opening a can. I can also switch to a store-bought sauce when I have less time. There’s less waste, and it’s a relief not to worry about what’s for dinner.