Meal Prep Ideas #2 Chickpea Koftas & Chocolate Risotto

Hello Everyone! 

Week one of meal prep was so awesome that I wanted to do another one. You guys seemed to enjoy it too, so thank you for all of your lovely comments! Meal prepping has honestly made me feel so much more organized and my body felt clean all week. I thought I might get sick of having the same thing for lunch everyday but I really didn't. It's honestly been such a weight off my shoulders when I know I don't have to worry about creating something healthy everyday. I definitely should have started this a long time ago!

This week's lunch was:
Pumpkin and Chickpea Koftas
Brown rice
Frozen broccoli and peas
Buckwheat flatbreads

Afternoon Snack: Apples
Dessert: Chocolate Quinoa Risotto

I was craving some kind of Indian dish and since I always order the vegetarian koftas, I decided to find/create a healthy and simple recipe for the week ahead. They may look like a bit of a mess, but oh man are they tasty!

I pretty much just made the recipe up as I went along and it worked out well!

Pumpkin and Chickpea Koftas (makes 12)

2 cans of chickpeas, risnsed

1 & 1/2 cup of cooked pumpkin 

2 chili 

1 teaspoon of garam masala

 1/2 teaspoon of cumin 

A handful of fresh coriander, chopped

1/3 cup sesame seeds

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, then get a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and form round patties. Roll them in sesame seeds and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to help hold their shape. 

Brown both sides of the koftas in a pan over a medium heat until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

For the sauce:

1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2  dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
 1 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
300mls coconut milk 

In a small saucepan over a medium heat, mix the dried spices for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion, tomato paste, garlic, and ginger. Mix until the onions are coated in the spices and have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer until it thickens and you are happy with the taste. 

   Pour over the sauce over the koftas and simmer over a low heat for 5-10 minutes. Pair with brown rice or quinoa!

I made another batch of buckwheat flat-breads this week to go with my lunch. You can find the super easy recipe on my previous meal prep post.
 I was really happy with how these turned out. They kept me full for ages and tasted so good. Plus the added chili I put was great to boost my metabolism with the heat! Once again, it kept in the fridge really well all week and still tasted great on Friday.

Dessert Time! A big part of eating healthy for me is making sure I don't feel like I have to skip having an evening treat. But I still do my best to keep it clean and healthy too. Here's how to make Lola Berry's Chocolate Quinoa Risotto (from her cookbook The Happy Life) :

You will need:
1/2 cup of quinoa, rinsed 
1 cup of coconut milk (plus extra of needed) 
1 tablespoon coconut oil 
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon of maple syrup (or honey)

Raspberries & shredded coconut to serve

In a saucepan, mix the quinoa, coconut milk & oil over a medium heat. 
When it boils, reduce the heat and add the maple syrup and cacao powder. 
Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the quinoa has tripled in size. 
Add more coconut milk if the quinoa absorbs it too quickly. 

I probably didn't add enough coconut milk at this point, but mine still tasted great. I ended up having mine with some natural yogurt and a tonne of raspberries. Quinoa is so great to have during the week for some extra energy, and when it's chocolate flavored it's hard to resist! I can't recommend Lola's books enough. I've found some amazing and healthy recipes that are staples in my diet now.

I was really happy having these all week long. My Sundays will feel incomplete if I'm not in the kitchen prepping my food for the week. It's letting me try out tonnes of recipes and even creating my own. I've also been getting a lot more blog work done in the time that I'm saving as well.

Have you tried out any great recipes lately?
Steph x.