I’m one of those folks who loves a fresh start. I love a good Monday (especially when it falls on the first of the month). I love New Year’s. I know that technically, you can get a fresh start at any moment on any day, but the extra push of a new blank page in my planner never hurts.
Along those same lines, I absolutely love back-to-school each year. It has that same clean slate, fresh start, anything is possible vibe going on! With all the change that’s in the air around back-to-school time, it’s the perfect time of year for everyone in the family to get into healthy, purposeful routines! As my daughter’s preschool teacher said to us at new parent orientation, “Whatever routine you want your family to have for the rest of the school year, start it on the first day of school.”
And that doesn’t just apply to the kiddos either. That applies to your routine, too! Want to get up at 5am each day to do yoga before the before-school rush begins? Do it from day one. Want to read motivation books in the car line this year instead of killing time playing Candy Crush on your phone? Start from day one. Want to pack yourself a healthy lunch just like you do for your kids? Start on day one.
Getting in the habit of meal prepping for your family each week is a great routine to get into before school starts. Not only can you prep your kid’s lunches ahead of time, but you can also treat yourself with the same love and compassion by prepping healthy foods for the adults in your family at the same time.
My newest meal prepping obsession is this Chicken Pad Thai with Sweet Potato Noodles. It’s paleo, it’s dairy-free, it’s gluten-free, and my gosh, is it super delicious! This is not a traditional version of Pad Thai by any means, but it’s a delicious way to scratch that Pad Thai itch at home. With its intricate flavors and a little bit of kick, this meal prep recipe is more geared toward the adults in your fam, but if you happen to have a kid who is less picky than mine, this would also make a super healthy school lunch, too! If your kid doesn’t have access to a microwave, you can heat this before school and store in an insulated container (I like this one from Thermos) for a hot lunch.
Before I dig into the recipe, I want to talk with you about the containers I use to meal prep and pack lunches. I’m a big fan of using glass food storage containers. I know a lot of you are afraid of breakage, but I’ve been using glass food storage containers for over a decade now—and I have never broken a single one. They’ve been dropped and banged and bumped but never broken or cracked. They are pretty darn sturdy.
I even let my four-year-old use glass containers for her lunch (along with some stainless containers like these and these). She knows they are breakable and knows to be careful with them—she has to learn at some point that you need to be gentle with certain materials, so why not now? I tell her every day that she is capable, strong, and independent, and it’s important for me to show her that I believe that by trusting her with things like glass containers and dishes.
I like glass containers so much more than plastic because they are safe to microwave, don’t hold onto stains or smells, and last forever. We’re still using the same Pyrex glass food storage containers we got right after we got married 11 years ago. The plastic lids have started to crack and fail, but the glass bottoms? They look as good as new.
For meal prep lunches, I tend to gravitate toward divided containers because, honestly, the organization makes me happy. The containers I like the most are these MealPrep 2-Compartment Glass Containers. They are incredibly sturdy and strong—although since they are so strong, they are also pretty heavy. The lids are the “lock” style lids, so they are water-tight/leakproof, which is awesome.
I also use LunchBots Leakproof Metal Condiment Cups in these pictures to hold the extra sauce. I waffled about getting these for months because they are PRICEY, but I’m glad I finally ordered them because they are über useful. They are completely leakproof, and the perfect size for soy sauce or ketchup or hummus or any sort of garnish. And I like that they are small enough to wedge into bigger containers. Just make sure to pull them out before you pop your dish into the microwave.
Of course, you don’t have to pack this pad Thai up into containers to serve as lunches—it makes an amazing dinner recipe as well. And it’ll go pretty quickly if you carve out some of your weekend meal prep time to pre-cut the veggies.
Psst: Want a fun dessert to go with this lunch? Try this che thai recipe!
My meal prep Pad Thai has a peanut sauce, but if you’re off peanuts due to an allergy or other dietary concerns, this recipe works beautifully with almost any nut butter. I’ve used both unsweetened cashew butter and almond butter with excellent results. I’ll say that cashew butter edges out almond butter slightly, just because of it’s creamier texture and milder flavor—but both are excellent.
I think sweet potato noodles (using a spiralizer) are wonderful in this dish, but when I was on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, sweet potatoes were off limits, and I made this using butternut squash noodles—still super delicious! If you aren’t grain-free, you can use traditional rice noodles or, honestly, whatever noodle makes you happy! Enjoy. And have a great school year!
Meal Prep Chicken Pad Thai with Sweet Potato Noodles
This Meal Prep Chicken Pad Thai with Sweet Potato Noodles is full of complex flavors and just a bit of a kick. It makes for an excellent packed lunch or family dinner!
Ingredients
For the Pad Thai:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and spiralized
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
- 2 cups snap peas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2/3 cup shredded red cabbage
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos, tamari, or soy sauce
- Chopped almonds or peanuts, lime wedges, and fresh cilantro, for garnish
For the Sauce:
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes worth)
- Zest of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos, tamari, or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond butter, peanut butter, or cashew butter
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Liberally salt and pepper the chicken thighs on both sides, and then place on half of a baking sheet.
- Fill the other half of the baking sheet with the sweet potato noodles. Drizzle the olive oil over the noodles, and then season with salt and pepper.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken thighs are cooked through and the sweet potato noodles are tender. Chop the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces, and then set both the noodles and chicken aside.
- While the thighs and noodles are cooking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a high power blender or food processor. Blend or process on high until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Heat the coconut oil over high heat in a large wok or high-sided skillet. Add in the onion and garlic, and sauté until just translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the bell pepper and carrots, and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the snap peas and cabbage, and sauté until just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut aminos, tamari, or soy sauce. Pour mixture into wok, and stir continuously until the eggs are scrambled, about 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low, add in the cooked chicken and sweet potato noodles, and then toss to combine. Pour over the sauce—you might not want to use all of it (see notes below). Stir until everything is well-coated and heated through, about a minute.
- Spoon Pad Thai into four glass food storage containers. Add chopped almonds or peanuts, lime wedges, and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Just like with all stir-fries, it’s a good idea to make sure all your veggies are chopped before you start cooking—once you start adding stuff to the wok, it goes quickly!
- This makes enough sauce to make for a very saucy pad Thai. If you prefer it a little bit drier, just use less sauce and reserve the leftover sauce for something else (it’d make a great salad dressing).
- I’ve also made this with butternut squash noodles, and it’s equally delicious!
- For a more traditional pad Thai, use peanut butter in the sauce, but if you’re not eating peanuts, almost any unsweetened nut or seed butter will do (I usually make mine with cashew butter).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 1086Total Fat: 72gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 47gCholesterol: 278mgSodium: 1693mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 16gSugar: 29gProtein: 56g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
