OMG you guys, I think I may have just cooked for the last time in my kitchen. 😢 If you haven’t heard, we’re about to move from New Orleans to Nashville and later this week I’ll begin packing up my kitchen. New recipes have been slow on the blog the past couple of weeks as we prepare everything for the move and scramble to fix everything that seems to be breaking last minute, but I still made time for my meal prep this week. For this Portobello Fajita Meal Prep I combined the filling for my favorite Chipotle Portobello Oven Fajitas with some Cowboy Caviar, and a big fat slice of my Sweet Potato Cornbread. It’s a unique combo, but so full of flavor and I promise you won’t leave lunch hungry.
I was really craving Sweet Potato Cornbread this week so I worked it into my meal prep by skipping the tortilla on the fajitas and just serving the portobello vegetable mix on its own. I felt that the tortilla plus that huge slice of cornbread would be a little too carb-heavy for me. Unfortunately I don’t have vegan substitutions for the ingredients in the cornbread, so if you want to make this box vegan I suggest going to the tortilla route.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m an “eat everything in one bite” type of person so it doesn’t bother me to have all my food touching like this, but if you’re particular about serving food at certain temperatures or don’t like juices mingling together, scroll to the bottom of the post where I’ll outline some tips for storing the meals.
For more information about meal prepping, how it works, and why I do it, check out Meal Prep 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Prepping and Portioning Meals, or check out our Vegetarian Meal Prep Ideas, or the entire Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Archive.
Portobello Fajita Meal Prep
This Portobello Fajita Meal Prep Includes:
Chipotle Portobello Oven Fajitas (sans-tortillas): $9.58
Sweet Potato Cornbread: $4.00
Cowboy Caviar: $5.80
4 meals + leftover cornbread & cowboy caviar!
Total: $19.38
Cost per Box: $4.06
Cost of Leftovers: $3.16
About that avocado…
The fajita recipe includes avocado, which is totally optional, but people always ask how I store avocado with my leftovers without them turning “black.” The answer is that I just let them get a little brown and don’t worry about it. Sliced avocado doesn’t turn completely black like mashed avocado does, it just turns a little darker and browns around the edges like apple slices. It still tastes the same to me.
BUT I know it creeps a lot of people out and can be a real turn off, so here’s a tip. Take a little of the lime (there is a lime included in both the fajita and the cowboy caviar recipes) and squeeze the juice over the avocado slices. Toss the slices until they’re really well covered the juice. The juice helps prevent the oxidization that causes the avocado to darken. Or you can just leave the avocado out and avoid the situation all together. A little sour cream would be awesome in its place.
Tips:
- You don’t have to store your meal prep all in one container. If you don’t like foods touching, juices mingling, or food being served at all one temperature, feel free to store your items in separate containers or in a divided, bento-style container. For this meal, forinstance, I’m sure a lot of people would rather wrap their cornbread in a sandwich bag to keep it from absorbing juices from the fajita mix and the bean salad. The important part is that everything is pre-portioned, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in one container.
- If you want to eat your cowboy caviar cold and your fajita vegetables hot, either eat the cowboy caviar as a first course before reheating your box, or store them in separate containers.
- You’ll have four pieces of leftover Sweet Potato Cornbread after making this meal. Luckily the sweet potato cornbread freezes great! Just make sure it cools completely at room temperature before wrapping each piece and then placing them in a freezer bag. I also love eating the sweet potato cornbread with an egg for breakfast. It’s pretty much good any time of day.
- The original Chipotle Portobello Oven Fajitas recipe makes about 5 servings of two small fajitas each, so I just used it to make four slightly larger servings to avoid straggler servings.
- You may have a little extra cowboy caviar as well. This makes a great dip for chips, if you need a snack during the week. Or you can do a breakfast taco with some scrambled eggs, cheese, and the cowboy caviar on top.
This is my second week using my new glass containers and while they’re great, I think I want a slightly different shape. These containers are deep and not very long or wide, and I think I’d rather have a larger, more shallow rectangle to avoid having to pile items on top of one another. Meal prep pro’s, what is your favorite container? Leave the link the comments below. Thanks!
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This was amazing! I followed the directions as closely as possible for all 3 recipes and it turned out wonderful. Very happy I found this page.
We’re happy you’re here Bridget!
I really love this series! So helpful to get some meal prep ideas
Welcome to Nashville! I’m so happy to hear you’ll be here. I hope you love it. If you ever need anything reach out. I sell beer for dogfish head around town and can give you some pointers on some cool spots. Good luck with the move! Kaitlin@dogfish.com
Thank you, Kaitlin!!
Welcome to Nashville!
Have you been to an Aldi before? They’re a wonderful little budget grocery chain from Europe and there are several locations here. I would love to see what you can do with your frugal meal planning skills there.
I hadn’t been to Aldi before Nashville, but I swear I went there every day for the first week I was here! :D It’s life changing!
I made the cornbread vegan by swapping out flax eggs and soy yogurt for the sour cream. Turned out delicious!
Hope your move goes/went smoothly!
It would be great if you could include an estimated time for prepping all of this each week. :)
Oh man, this looks delicious! I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I did notice the containers you were using! haha I’m a sucker for meal prep, and I’ve been trying to move away from plastic containers and over to glass containers without breaking the bank. I ordered two different kinds to see how they work, and I think these might be more of what you’re looking for:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7S31XN/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I know they don’t look it in the picture, but IRL they are longer and shallow. I’ve had them since February and I’ve no complaints so far!
Awesome, thank you! I added them to my list. ;)
I really want to try cornbread once. I’m scared of failure since corn flour/meal/polenta exists in so many different grounds and if I get the wrong one it will most probably be inedible (happened with corn cookies before)
Lately I wasted some food, I need to be REALLY careful what I pre-cook (no freezer) I prefer to cook fresh every meal since I’m pregnant and mostly never end up eating what I had in mind beforehand. Luckily the man of the house eats practically anything as lunch fuel..honestly, he eats cold curry and brown rice whitout thinking twice. Are those the ikea glass containers?! I really like them.
The containers are from Amazon. :) There is a link in the last paragraph, if interested.
Love the portobello concept, as I am always looking for ways to eat yummy mushrooms. Excited to hear that you’re heading to Nashville. Welcome To TN!
I love these meal prep posts. I takes all of the searching out of making a full meal that can easily become lunch the next day. Thanks for helping me save money on food and teaching me delicious recipes.
That makes me so happy, thank you. :)
I LOVE these meal prep Sundays! They are so helpful. Thank you for your awesome recipes. I have been reading budget bytes for a year and haven’t commented before, but your recipes have helped me change my life and get my health back. Thanks Beth!
Thank you!!
Oh I LOVE Nashville! We moved away seven years ago and I still wish we could have stayed forever. Had it not been for a job offer we could not refuse, I would still be there. I still plan to move back just as soon as the planets align. Good luck to you@@
Thanks for the meal preps! They’re really helping me!
What?!?! You are moving to Nashville??? I live in Nashville (and I’m a huge fan)!! Would you ever consider doing a meet and greet with me and some of your other Nashville fans?!
I don’t know, maybe some day! I’m not a very social person, though. Hahah. I’m kind of a hermit. :D
haha fair enough. I’m actually ultra introverted, myself. Maybe just me and you can meet up if you are looking to connect with a new friend :)
Meal prep has become so easy and cheap thanks to your awesome ideas! Thank you so much! Hope the move goes well :)
IKEA has great glass food storage containers and although they appear to be the same size as what you purchased, they are only $4.99 each! They do have various shapes and sizes so if you live nearby, it might be worth checking out.
You’re sure you don’t want to move to CA instead? My hometown is a Farm-to-Fork capitol…and I would love to be your neighbor! We could swap leftovers!
Oh man, I’m jealous! I am looking forward to the farmer’s market in Nashville, though. I’m sure it’s better than here. :)
Hey:
I live in Nashville. We really have some great foodie stuff here. Make sure you check out Bobbie’s Dairy Dip, the Wild Cow, Thai Phoo Khet and Woodlands Indian food. Welcome to Nashville! Cynthia
Thanks for the recommendations!! I’ve been to the Wild Cow and it was good, but I’m a little obsessed with Graze. :D Their Nashville Hot Tempeh sandwich is the stuff dreams are made of.
I like the Rubbermaid “easy find lid glass storage” containers …. how’s that for a name. Here is a link for a 6 piece set but you can buy various size sets as well as individual containers. I actually started with an 11 1/2 cup container to store bread dough and then bought the link set and have since added. I think I use the 4 1/2 cup most as it is deep but not too deep. I’m not sure these are wide enough for the meal prep, though…
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RLNEEC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have been frustrated trying to find maybe a 4x4x at least 2 inches deep glass that can go in the oven. Now, the other thing is I did find some XL ramekins with lids … actually 1 but I really want square containers because fridges are typically square!! Someone above mentioned “Glasslock” containers. I have a couple and like the size and that they go in the oven, but they don’t stack well for storage.
Best wishes on your move and home things smooth out!
I just purchased these containers for my work lunches, they work great and have no complaints thus far.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWBJRUO/
Just popping in to say you will LOVE Nashville! I moved there from FL 10 years ago and felt right at home immediately!
Thanks, I’m SO excited!!
I’m moving soon as well. Do you have any tips as to how to best transport food without it going to waste?
In the past I’ve only moved short distances, like across town, so I just used an ice chest. This time I’m moving over 8 hours away, so unfortunately I have to just use up as much as I can before we go. :(
We like to take road trips and bring our own food, and we do that by putting several bottles of water in our cooler, (we use an Igloo Ice Cube Maxcold Roller 70qt) and then adding dry ice. The cooler is very well insulated, so the bottles of water freeze nicely and stay that way for a very long time. We traveled around Michigan a couple of weeks ago- around the whole state- and even after 4 days the water bottles were still frozen. Just be careful with things you don’t want to become partially frozen, as it gets very cold! I hope this might be of help to you! :)
*Congratulations on your move, Beth!
I am absolutely LOVING your meal preps!! TY
The cornbread bakes at 425 degrees and the fajitas at 400. Do you just cook both at the same temperature (maybe 415-ish?) or do you cook them sequentially?
This is definitely gonna be my take-to-work lunch next week. Thanks!!
I did the cornbread first, and sliced all the vegetables for the fajitas as the cornbread baked. Then just lower the temp in the oven and bake the fajitas. :)
Traveling Mercies!!!! Good Luck with your move and with settling into to your new home.
Do you have a local restaurant supply store? Sometimes it is cheaper than amazon, sometimes not.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/16275/rectangular-retail-take-out-containers-and-sandwich-wedge-containers.html
I have a bunch of sweet potatoes and now I want to make corn bread! I made the teriyaki sweet potatoes last week. YUM.
These packaged meals just getting better and better–Beth, you are absolutely brilliant!!
My tip for avocado is to slice it as needed.,leave the pit in place, sprinkle lemon or lime juice over the cut edges, jam the cut skin over the uncut part, and wrap it tightly in plastic–air is the enemy. The cut edges will still show some browning, but not enough to worry about. My other tip is to purchase small avocados that I am likely to use up faster and with less waste than those big beauties For this meal, I would slice a bit of avocado each morning as I leave the house–a little more work than “grab and go,” but not much and worth the 30 seconds or so it will take. For instance, at my local supermarket, I can buy 2 little avocados for $1.67, a large one for $2.25–similar total weight. Aldi’s and Walmart have mid sized ones for about $1, sometimes less, but the weight is going to work out close to the price of the small ones from my premium supermarket.
I’ve vegan-ized your Sweet Potato Cornbread with great success by: Subbing the sour cream with soymilk, a bit of vinegar, and some vegan butter. That’s your liquid, sour, and fat. For the eggs, I’ve used aquafaba, which is the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans. 3 tbsp = 1 egg. The liquid has leached protein from the beans and helps bind/rise like eggs. You can even whip it up like meringue! I’ve also used the commercial egg replacer powder by Ener-G, which is just a mix of different starches that you add water to.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing that!!
2-cup glass Pyrex snap-ware containers! Glass but lightweight, with great lids. Way better than the heavy and deep OXO ones I replaced.
I bought 3 cup Pyrex storage containers at TJ Maxx for $5/container. They’re about the same shape/size as rectangular plastic containers we get with Chinese takeout. They don’t have leak proof locking lids, but I don’t pack a lot of liquid stuff for lunch. If I’m doing soup, I just pack it in wide mouth pint mason jars.
I have been using the Pyrex 3 cup rectangle size (5x7x1.75 inches). After a decade, I am starting to replace some of the lids, but they are easy to find on Amazon.
Yep, I think these are the ones I use.
WOW – I just looked at these. They look great and there is also a 6 cup which is 8 x 6 x 2 (approx.). I had Pyrex round for years and as you say eventually the lids don’t seal as well but it was years before that happened. These rectangles – yea! Thanks Erika!
Yeah! I was going to comment about these, they seem to be shallower than the ones Beth shared, and have been my go-to for all-in-one lunches.. We have two that came in a set with a larger one Liz mentions. They’re great!
These are shallow but long. Rubbermaid 32 ounce rectangle container
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RNH9C2/ref=asc_df_B000RNH9C25099993/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B000RNH9C2&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194859264681&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13302598860917314068&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023531&hvtargid=pla-315464925785
I’ve been using reusable take out containers from Costco! They’re deep so I don’t worry about leaks, and long enough that I don’t feel like the food is packed tightly. I think 12 containers were $8.99 and they’re microwave and dishwasher safe.