5 INGREDIENT MEALS | 4 Healthy and Easy Recipes Using 5 Ingredients or Less

Have you ever come across a recipe that looks amazing but has a huge list of ingredients? Today I'll be showing you how to make four easy recipes that use only five ingredients or less so you can spend less time meal prepping and more time relaxing. Hey guys, welcome back to my channel. It's Taylor from The Girl on Bloor. I'm all about sharing easy meal prep strategies so that you can save time, money, and stress. You don't need a bunch of complicated ingredients to make a delicious dish. There are tons of options out there that are super simple and make meal prep a breeze. Today I'm going to show you how to make four different recipes using just five easy ingredients. We'll be making my go-to egg white frittata, a yummy caprese quinoa salad, sheet pan pesto chicken, and crock pot chicken teriyaki. These recipes come together super fast and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your fridge or pantry. If you're looking for even more meal prep inspiration and an actual plan to help get you started, I've got lots of easy, simple recipes like these in my free four-week meal plan which I've linked to in the description below. Download yours now to make meal prep a breeze. Okay, let's get started. First up, we're going to make one of my go-to meal prep breakfasts which is this delicious egg white frittata. It's a high-protein option and a lifesaver if you're not a morning person. Personally, I hate cooking in the a.m. All you need for this recipe are egg whites, a red pepper, baby spinach, olive oil, and salt and pepper. To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prep your ingredients. Dice up one red pepper and chop up one cup of baby spinach. This recipe is a great way to use up any veggies you have lying around in the fridge so you can substitute the red pepper and spinach for cherry tomatoes or kale, for example. And technically, the salt and pepper don't count as ingredients so you could even throw some cheese in there and still hit the five-ingredient count. Once your ingredients are ready, grease a baking dish with two tablespoons of olive oil. It's best to use a cake pan or a square glass baking dish. Make sure you grease the sides really well so your frittata doesn't stick to the pan. Add one 500-milliliter carton of egg whites and your red pepper, the baby spinach, half a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of pepper to the greased pan and stir everything together gently with a fork. Stick the dish in the preheated oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. If you want to avoid any grease dripping down into the oven while the egg whites rise, you can place the dish on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once the eggs are firmly set, remove the frittata from the oven, let it cool, then cut it into five slices and you've got breakfast for the week with just five ingredients. You can eat this frittata fresh or store individual portions in the fridge in glass meal prep containers for up to four or five days. Eat it cold or warm it up in the microwave for one to two minutes. I like sprinkling a bit of fresh cheese on top before reheating. You could also freeze individual servings of the frittata in airtight glass containers for up to three months. When you're ready to enjoy again, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat for one to two minutes in the microwave. Now, if you're looking for a healthy, easy salad recipe that still packs in a ton of protein, you're going to love this Caprese quinoa salad we're making next. It's a healthier version of your favorite Italian dish and it's high in fiber and protein. The five ingredients you need for this recipe are bocconcini cheese, quinoa, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. To start, make the quinoa. You can use white, black, or red quinoa. Each has a slightly different flavor, but I find that white quinoa is the best choice for cooled salads like this one and it retains its texture really well, so it's ideal for meal prep. Add one cup of quinoa, two cups of water, and half a teaspoon of salt to a pot on the stove or to a rice cooker. Cook until the water absorbs, which will take about 15 minutes, then set aside and let it cool for at least 30 minutes. While the quinoa is cooling, you can prep your other ingredients. Slice one cup of cherry tomatoes and one cup of bocconcini cheese in half. You'll also rip up one cup of fresh basil leaves. Once the quinoa is cooled, mix in the cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, basil, and then two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with some salt and pepper, then toss well to combine. Now you're ready to serve and enjoy. This is a light but filling dish that you can serve on its own for meal prep or you can serve it as a side salad with another protein source. It'll last in the fridge for up to five days and is typically eaten cold so you don't have to worry about reheating it either. You can freeze the cooked quinoa by itself for up to three months in freezer bags or airtight glass containers, so it's perfect for making ahead or saving for another time that you'd like to enjoy this recipe while cutting back on the prep. Just thaw the quinoa in the fridge for 24 hours when you're ready to use it, then mix in your fresh toppings and enjoy. Okay, moving on to recipe number three. Next up, we're going to make baked pesto chicken. This is one of the easiest ever dinner recipes that could double as your weekly lunch prep. All you need is chicken, pesto, and your veggies of choice. Plus, it's all made on one sheet pan for minimal cleanup. For this recipe, we'll be adding one bunch of asparagus, one red pepper, and one yellow pepper. First up, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Chop the ends off your asparagus then cut the stalks in half. Then you'll chop your red and yellow pepper. Toss the veggies with a tiny bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper on the baking sheet. Now, add four chicken cutlets to the sheet pan and spoon some jarred pesto over top. It usually ends up being about a half cup total. You could also cut two chicken breasts in half lengthwise if you have trouble finding chicken cutlets. Now, I use jarred pesto to cut down on the prep time to keep this recipe to just five ingredients, but you can also use your own homemade pesto using fresh basil if you prefer. Now that you've got your veggies and the pesto-coated chicken, all you have to do is bake for 15 minutes. Chicken cutlets cook a lot faster than breasts since they're much thinner, so we've got a short cook time here. Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the sheet pan from the oven, sprinkle with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese if you'd like, and enjoy. This is one of my favorite weeknight recipes when I need something fast and delicious and it comes together in less than 30 minutes. It's great for meal prep and will last in the fridge for up to four or five days in glass meal prep containers. Sprinkle some water over top so the chicken doesn't dry out, and then you can reheat it in the microwave for two minutes. You can also freeze the cooked chicken, sans the veggies, or you can freeze the chicken in pesto before you bake it. Add it to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to three months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before baking in the oven as normal. This is a great way to cut down on the prep time. Okay, last but not least, we're going to make the crockpot chicken teriyaki. This is one of my faves for meal prep, and the slow cooker makes it hands-off. All you need is olive oil, chicken breast, garlic, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce. Just dump your five ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook hands-off. There's minimal prep for this recipe. All you need to do is mince four cloves of garlic. I like using fresh garlic because I find that it provides the best flavor, but you can use the jarred variety if you're in a pinch. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, three chicken breasts, one-third of a cup of low-sodium soy sauce, half a cup of hoisin sauce, and the minced garlic to the crockpot, then cook on high for three hours or on low for six hours. Right before the chicken is done, you can prepare your sides. I like making this chicken teriyaki with steamed broccoli and rice. I know, I know, this is technically over the five-ingredient count, but one or two more optional sides won't hurt. Chop up one head of broccoli into florets, then steam it or microwave it in a large bowl of water for 10 minutes before draining. See, there's barely even any prep involved, so this ingredient hardly counts. You could also cook some rice, or even better, and one of my favorite meal prep tricks is to keep some cooked rice on hand in the freezer for last-minute dinners. If you choose to make your rice fresh, add one cup of dry rice, two cups of water, and one teaspoon of butter to a rice cooker or a pot on the stove, and cook until all the liquid has absorbed. Easy peasy. When the chicken teriyaki is ready, shred or dice the chicken into bite-size pieces, then toss in the sticky sauce. Serve it over the cooked rice with some broccoli on the side, and enjoy. How easy was that? The hardest part is the anticipation while the chicken cooks all day. Trust me, it's gonna make your house smell amazing. Store this recipe in the fridge for up to four or five days in glass meal prep containers to enjoy throughout the week. When you're ready to eat, sprinkle some water over top to make sure the chicken and rice don't dry out, then reheat in the microwave for two minutes. You can also freeze the cooked chicken for up to three months, or freeze the raw chicken in the stir-fry sauce. Defrost in the fridge overnight before dumping it all into the crock pot. Now, how's that for the easiest meal prep ideas ever? I don't know that I'm ever going to make anything other than five-ingredient meals from here on out. They're all super easy, and you probably already have many of the ingredients on hand at home. They're great options when you're looking for something super quick and delicious after a long day at work or school, and most of the components can be prepped ahead of time to cut down on the cooking time. Now, if you're loving all of these five-ingredient meals, I've got even more easy, healthy recipes to choose from in my free four-week meal plan, which I've linked to in the description below. Go get your copy so you can level up your meal prep game this year. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up, subscribe to my channel, and tag me in all your meal prep pics on Instagram, at thegirlonbloor. I love seeing what you whip up, and I share every single photo that I'm taking. Okay, as usual, I've got a lot of eating to do. Thanks for hanging out in my kitchen today, and I will see you in the next video.