I don’t always meal prep, but when I do, I’m often left wondering why I’m not always meal prepping.
“Meal prepping” sounds like an aspirational habit, practiced only by lifestyle influencers or our most organized, orderly peers. Personally, as a working parent with a three-year-old, the prospect of having multiple days’ worth of meals prepped seems like something out of my wildest, wild-caught dreams.
Of course, every time I do manage to carve out an early morning or afternoon for meal prep, I find that the dream becomes an attainable reality. I don’t exaggerate when I say that it’s practically a form of culinary self-care, something that allows me to take comfort in knowing that I can enjoy a healthy, home-cooked meal — even after unexpectedly long days, or just to treat myself to a night off.
I’m inclined to think that meal prepping, even sporadically throughout the season, might be exactly what we need to be a little more organized and orderly — whether because we have the convenience of ready-to-eat meals lined up on the fridge shelf, the efficiency of a more streamlined kitchen routine, or even the guaranteed abundance of wild-caught seafood and vegetables in our diets each week.
That’s why I’m looking forward to trying out a fun, summery new series of recipes that are up on the blog now, featuring Pacific halibut, summer veggies, and homemade tzatziki. It all starts at the grill, where you’ll cook up a generous platter of Mediterranean-Marinated Pacific Halibut Skewers that you can eat al fresco.
If you make enough for leftovers, the skewers can be enjoyed gently reheated, or transformed into either an easy Couscous Bowl or a Creamy Pacific Halibut Salad Gyro. Each of these two recipes is made from the same combination of ingredients as the first recipe, with the quick addition of a carb to change things up for some variety.
And yes, in case any of you were wondering, you should absolutely eat leftover fish. Though it’s a delicate protein, if stored properly, cooked seafood will last for about 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator according to the USDA. That means you can safely meal prep 3 or 4 days’ worth of seafood meals — enough to get you about halfway through the week.
Even if meal prepping isn’t your thing, I hope you’ll try out one version of these recipes on the grill this weekend, if the weather allows where you are. No Pacific halibut in your freezer? You might consider adding a 2-pack of bone-in Pacific Halibut Steaks to your next box by visiting your Member Special page. These hearty cuts are perfect for the grill — I suggest marinating them in the Mediterranean-inspired marinade that’s part of the meal prep recipes above.
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: A platter of grilled Pacific halibut skewers and summer veggies, ready to be dipped into cool, cucumber-mint yogurt.
