this week's healthy summer food prep

featuring what *may be* my best baked good recipe ever 🍋🫐

one bite of this lemon blueberry olive oil cake and my sister’s jaw was on the floor. i’ve been baking for 10+ years and forcing her to be my taste tester for just as long, so this is a HIGH compliment from her. it’s so fluffy and light! these bursts of lemon pop through with every bite alongside juicy, fresh blueberry bursts. i’m so obsessed.

this week, i’m leaning fully into crisp and fresh flavors— the creamy tahini cashew crunch salad i prepped for lunches and dinners is the epitome of summer. think vibrant colors, crunchy veg, and a velvety, flavorful dressing. everything is only enhanced by tossing in my classic oven-baked tofu for a protein punch.

every prep has a meatball recipe, because they’re truly my favorite protein source. being able to turn 1 package of ground meat into 4-5 servings of protein for meals during the week is such a life hack, and honestly not enough people are talking about it. i change up the flavors and meat base every week. these sun-dried tomato turkey meatballs are incredible on their own, but i have plans to serve them with a lemon orzo later this week. there’s so much you can do with them!

if you know me, you know i’m 1) always housing ripe bananas on my counter and 2) always looking for new ways to make banana-based baked goods. while my classic banana bread recipe never fails to hit the spot, i was feeling creative this week. i turned the last two ripe bananas i had sitting around into chocolate chip banana bread breakfast cookies! these are packed with wholesome, nutrient-dense ingredients, intentionally used to keep me full and satiated all morning long. perfect for grabbing before a morning workout (i always have something in my stomach) or even after lunch to satisfy that afternoon sweet tooth.

on the menu for this week:

• lemon blueberry olive oil cake

• creamy tahini cashew crunch salad

• oven baked tofu

• sun-dried tomato cheesy turkey meatballs

• chocolate chip banana bread breakfast cookies
  

  

the grocery list:

note that a handful of these items are pantry staples, so you may already have them on hand and won’t need to purchase :) or if you do need to buy them, i have plenty of other recipes that call for these ingredients, so you’ll have plenty of use for your purchase!

produce:

• 1 lemon

• 1 large container of fresh blueberries

• 1 red cabbage

• 2 medium cucumbers

• 1 bag of sugar snap peas

• 1 handful green onions

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro

• 1 handful of fresh parsley

• 2 large bananas

meat/tofu:

• 1 pound of ground turkey

• 1 block extra firm tofu

eggs/dairy:

• 1 tub of plain greek yogurt

• 1/2 dozen eggs

• 1 block of parm (or a container of grated parm)

misc:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• vanilla extract

• oat flour

• almond flour

• baking powder

• sea salt

• gluten-free breadcrumbs

• raw cashews

• 1 microwavable pack of quinoa (i find these at wegmans and whole foods)

• tahini

• rice vinegar

• coconut aminos

• maple syrup

• ground ginger

• garlic powder

• cornstarch

• 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes (i like the ones packed in oil)

• creamy salted peanut butter

• vanilla protein powder of choice

• ground flaxseed

• rolled oats

• chocolate chips

and now for the fun part— recipes below :)