Sparkle Kitchen

Easy Pre-Make Meals for Rest Days

The Sparkle theme for 2025 is: "Let it be simple. Let it be easy." And there's no better time to start with this new mantra then right away this New Year. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, January is a time to really slow-down, regroup, reset, and most importantly — REST.

A great way to honor this time of deep rest is by nourishing our bodies with wholesome, nutrient-rich foods to keep us healthy ... and happy! An even better way is with easy-to-make meals (or "heat and serves") so that we don't skimp on the nutrition but ensure we're able to really disconnect and slow down during this season.

In this blog post, we highlight 5 Easy-To-Make Pre-Made Meals that you can prep in advance so that you can slow-down this January ... and beyond! Read on to learn more.

Leek and Sausage Soup

Is there anything more hearty and nourishing than a big bowl of soup on a cold winter day? We think not! And this Leek and Sausage soup is no exception. Chock-full of nutrients, protein, and iron, this is great meal to keep you full for long days of reading on the couch ... or whatever calls to you. It's also a great thing that you can prep on a Sunday and have a nice pot of soup to pick away at for lunch of dinner meals over the course of the week. Better yet, you can make and freeze some to keep for a later date! Whatever way you slice it, this soup is a Sparkly winter staple.

Check out the full recipe here.

Hummus: Middle Eastern Style!

Hummus is the BEST. Not only is it incredibly tasty with chickpeas, tahini, and cumin, but it's also high in protein — a nutrient that is super-important for fueling our bodies, minds, and spirits! This Middle-Eastern twist is no exception and is something that you can make in a large batch and enjoy during your slow days at home ... perfect for dipping with warmed pita or a crudités platter of your choosing!

Check-out the full recipe here.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

In addition to being absolutely delicious, this recipe can be quickly assembled with leftovers — turkey or chicken or really any protein of your choosing. Baked into this shepherd's pie, a few slices of turkey and a pot of mashed potatoes become a miraculous second meal. How's that for a magic bowl? In addition, you can easily divide this pie into three or four smaller dishes for baking. Parted out that way, you can use these as easy heat-and-serve meals during your week to cut down on time so you can continue to focus on rest!

Learn how to make our Sparkly Turkey Shepherd's Pie here.

Pizza Spirals

Warm and satisfying, these pizza spirals can be made with homemade or store-bought dough for ease. While you need to keep the toppings fairly simple (they fall apart when overloaded) you can also customize the toppings to match your favorite type of pizza. For this recipe, we've made it Hawaiian, but you can use whatever toppings call to you! Fresh out of the oven, these make a terrific, quick, and easy dinner or lunch idea. You can also freeze them and pop one in the oven for a quick meal on-the-go.

Check out the full recipe here.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

As it so happens, butternut squash — which is so very good for you — has a trick that's quite similar to Sylvia's in the Martin & Sylvia's Nature School story “Camouflage”. Because of its golden color and creamy texture, butternut squash is very skilled at camouflaging itself as cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese. Let's call it “The Invisible Vegetable.” A great way to sneak in some extra nutritients during the darker, colder months. This recipe is another meal that you could also make a large batch of and freeze smaller portions into easy heat-and-serves to make your weekdays (and weekends) run easier.

Learn how to make this delectable dish here.

We hope this helps! If you're looking for more recipe inspiration, you can visit the Sparkle Stories Blog and select the category 'Sparkle Kitchen' for tons of great lunch, dinner, breakfast, snack ideas... and more!

Not yet a subscriber? Try a free trial HERE.