In this week’s meal prep I make a pork shoulder with spicy cabbage slaw and a beef & broccoli stir fry kind of thing.
Now I’m still figuring out the best way to put these posts together, what information is needed and how this should look.
With that being said, there is no way I’m doing a full recipe for each of the things I make in this video.
And in the coming weeks I will show you exactly what a full week of eating looks like for me including breakfast and snacks. It’s pretty simple since I split up my week into two days; A (Monday/Wednesday) and B (Tuesday/Thursday).
Pernil (Pork Shoulder):
garlic, onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder
This one starts the night before since you want to let your pork have a chance get some flavor. Crush up 6 cloves of garlic depending on size and mix with olive oil. You will want to get under the skin by cutting it back between the skin and the meat. Don’t pull it off entirely. Rub entire shoulder with olive oil and garlic mixture. Then season liberally with salt pepper and garlic powder. Cover and place into fridge overnight.
Next morning cook low and slow covered at 225 degrees, then 40 minutes uncovered at 375 degrees. Timing is dependent on the size of your pork, so using a probe thermometer is always recommended. This one took 4+ hours and arguably should have stayed longer.
Beef and Broccoli:
Sirloin steak tips, peppers, onions, broccoli, soy sauce, beef broth, chili garlic paste, brown sugar replacement, salt, pepper, garlic powder
When it comes to meal prep its always cook to do things in batches. Prep all your meat, cut all your vegetables, and more station to station like a chipotle line cook.
So, you could have seasoned the beef the night before in a marinade alongside the pork shoulder. Whatever saves you time in the long run.
These are thin cuts of beef, so you want to sear them at a high temperature a few minutes per side.
Cook the broccoli in your preferred method. Either steam in a pot or you can cook them in the oven since it is already done.
… now that I’m typing this, I’m realizing that I’m not expecting anyone to follow this meal plan to the letter. The idea is to use what I do as a way to incorporate it into what works for you and your routine.
So from here on out I’ll be using “I” as in this is what I did, because in my recipe posts I use “we” and “you” as if you are cooking them up with me.
Anyway, tangent over. Back to the broccoli. I cooked these in the sauce but that was a mistake because it released way too much water into the sauce. Making it impossible to thicken up. Cook them separately and mix them together later.
Talking about the sauce, I started with a ¾ cup of beef broth and began to simmer over medium heat. Added in a tablespoon of soy sauce along with a teaspoon of chili garlic paste. Then seasoned with pepper and garlic powder along with a tablespoon of brown sugar replacement.
The sauce will reduce to a thick consistency after about 10-15 minutes.
Back to the beef, after a few minutes per side I took them off the heat and in that same pan began to sauté the peppers and onions in that beef fat and butter.
Once the sauce is done, and all the vegetables were just shy of finished, I tossed them together and placed them into their containers for the week.
Now if you watched the video you will know that is what I wished I did, not what I actually did. So, believe this version of me, not the version of me in the video.
A little side note on portion sizes. Starting a ketogenic diet, you don’t have to be strict on calories. When you portion it out, make sure it looks like it would fill you up. As time goes on, you’ll be able to know how much you should be portioning off for yourself depending on what fills you up.
Spicy Cabbage Slaw:
cabbage, mayo, sriracha, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper
Depending on how I feel I will keep a side simple, so I don’t complicate my day further. That’s what I did here as I just shredded some cabbage and mixed all the ingredients together. It took about 5 minutes.
And for those of you who know, I make my chia seed pudding recipe every week so I won’t go through it here.
But timing wise as everything else is pretty much done this is where I would make it while I’m waiting for the pork shoulder to finish.
The best thing about meal prep is that first time when everything comes in on time and on schedule and it makes you feels like you know what you’re doing.
…I’m still waiting for that moment.
I’m kidding but it did take months and it only happens every once in a while. So, after the pork shoulder is done so is my meal prep. Just have to portion it out along with the cabbage into their containers and I am set for the week.
This week’s meal prep tips.
When you are buying your meat, buy a little extra so you can eat as you cook. One of the downsides of cooking for later is not enjoying the food fresh. So always cook hungry and enjoy the process.
Leftover steak pieces can be used for steak and eggs while you can use the leftover pork to make a carnitas taco.
