Looking to eat healthier without sacrificing flavor?
Ground turkey is gonna become your new best friend.
Today, I'll be showing you four fun
and creative recipes using this delicious protein.
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.
Ground turkey is my secret weapon
when it comes to making a recipe healthier.
It has a similar texture to ground beef
but with fewer calories, less saturated fat
and often a cheaper price tag, which is always a great perk.
Today, I'm going to show you how
to make four different ground turkey recipes.
We'll be making a ground turkey stir fry,
slow cooker turkey chili, zucchini pizza boats
and freezer-friendly baked turkey meatballs.
I'll even show you how to turn them into meal prep bowls!
These recipes are all so delicious and easy,
you'll be a ground turkey convert in no time!
If you're looking for even more easy,
healthy dinner inspiration, I've got lots of recipes
to choose from in my four-week meal plan
that I've linked to in the description below
so head there to download your copy for free.
Okay, let's get cooking!
To kick things off, we're going
to make my favorite meal prep ground turkey stir fry.
This is one of the easiest stir fry recipes ever
and it's ready in just 30 minutes,
which makes it a great option for busy weeknights.
To start, prep your ingredients.
Slice one yellow onion, then you'll prep
whatever veggies you have on hand in the fridge.
In my case, I'll be grating one carrot
since I've always got a ton of them on hand,
then I'm slicing up one red pepper
and chopping up one cup of red cabbage,
since I usually also have those veggies kicking around.
Finally, slice four green onions
since they're perfect for stir fries,
then mince four cloves of garlic
and one tablespoon of fresh ginger for the sauce.
If you don't have any fresh ginger on hand,
you can also use ground ginger,
but I just find that fresh ginger
really brings out the flavor,
and it's something you can even freeze
so you'll likely always have some on hand.
Once the prep is out of the way,
now you'll make the stir fry sauce.
Take a small bowl and mix together two tablespoons
of low-sodium soy sauce, one tablespoon of honey,
the minced garlic, minced ginger
and one teaspoon of sriracha or chili garlic sauce.
Set the sauce aside, then heat one tablespoon of olive oil
or sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add in the sliced onions and saute
for two minutes until fragrant and softened.
Then you'll add in the ground turkey,
seasoning with a pinch of salt and breaking up
with a spoon as it cooks for about five minutes.
When the turkey is lightly browned,
add in your veggies of choice
then saute for two to three minutes
until the veggies have softened.
Mix in the stir fry sauce and cook for another two
to three minutes until everything is well combined
and the sauce has a slightly thick consistency.
Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions,
then serve and enjoy!
How easy was that?
This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights
where you're looking for something quick
and easy but filled with flavor and nutrients.
You can store individual portions
in glass meal prep containers
in the fridge for up to five days,
then reheat in the microwave or saute on the stovetop
for two to three minutes until heated through.
This is one of my favorite meal prep lunches.
This recipe will also freeze really well
for up to three months depending on the veggies you use,
so that's an option as well.
Thaw the stir fry in the fridge overnight
before you're ready to cook,
then saute in a pan until heated through.
Okay, moving onto ground turkey recipe number two.
Next, we're going to make turkey chili in the slow cooker.
This is one of my favorite recipes
to make when it's chilly outside.
Get it? And you need something to warm you up.
Plus, it'll make your entire house smell amazing
while it cooks!
First, prep your ingredients.
Dice one yellow onion, chop four stalks of celery,
dice one green pepper, mince four cloves of garlic
and rinse and drain a can of kidney beans
and a can of navy beans.
Next, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan
over medium-high heat and add one pound of ground turkey.
Season with salt and pepper,
then sauté for two to three minutes
until the turkey is lightly browned.
Add the cooked turkey to your crockpot
followed by the rest of the ingredients,
including the yellow onion, celery, green pepper,
kidney beans, navy beans, minced garlic, one cup of corn,
two tablespoons of chili powder, one teaspoon of cumin,
one teaspoon of paprika, one teaspoon of coriander,
one teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of pepper,
one can of diced tomatoes and two cups of beef broth.
You could also use chicken broth
or vegetable broth if you don't eat beef.
Though I do think the beef broth adds deeper flavor.
Cook on high for three hours or on low for six hours
and let the chili simmer while you go
about the rest of your day.
Right before the chili is done,
assemble any toppings you want to add.
I normally like to shred a bit of cheddar cheese,
slice up a few scallions, chop up some cilantro
and slice up a jalapeno pepper.
Tortilla chips and sour cream are
also super yummy with this recipe!
When the chili is ready, serve it in large bowls
with all your toppings and dig in.
And there you have it!
After a bit of prep at the beginning,
this recipe is super hands-off thanks to the slow cooker.
And the best part is that it'll last in the fridge
for up to five days in glass meal prep containers
and taste even better the longer the flavors mingle.
When you're ready to reheat,
just stick it in the microwave for two to three minutes.
You can also freeze it in airtight glass containers
or freezer-friendly bags for up to three months.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave for six minutes,
stirring occasionally until heated through
or warm it up in a pan on the stovetop
and add on some fresh toppings.
Okay, if you're looking for a healthy way
to curb your pizza cravings,
you'll love these zucchini pizza boats
we're going to make next.
They're low carb and super delicious,
and don't even get me started on that turkey sausage!
To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees
and prep your ingredients.
Slice four zucchinis in half lengthwise
then scoop out the flesh with a spoon to make your boats.
You want to leave a minimum of half an inch of flesh
or the boats will be too thin to hold all your toppings.
Slice half a package of button mushrooms,
dice one small red onion, dice half a green pepper,
chop up one tablespoon of fresh basil or parsley for garnish
and shred two cups of mozzarella cheese.
I suggest shredding a ball of pizza mozzarella.
You'll get that amazing meltiness
that you just won't get with the preshredded stuff.
Now, one of the best parts
about these zucchini boats is the homemade turkey sausage.
It's super tasty and has fewer calories
than your traditional pepperoni or pork sausage.
Add two teaspoons of olive oil to a large skillet
over medium-high heat followed
by half a pound of ground turkey,
two teaspoons of fennel seeds,
one teaspoon of garlic powder, half a teaspoon of salt
and one teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
If you don't have any Italian seasoning on hand,
you can use half a teaspoon of basil
and half a teaspoon of oregano as a substitute.
Mix everything together and crush up the ground turkey
with a spoon then cook for five to six minutes.
Once the turkey is browned,
remove the skillet from heat and set aside.
Next, place all of your zucchini boats
on a parchment-lined baking sheet
or in a 9x13 casserole dish.
Divide one small can of pizza sauce equally
amongst all your boats,
then top with your homemade turkey sausage, mushrooms,
red onion, green pepper and cheese.
Pop them into the preheated oven
and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted,
then remove from the oven, sprinkle with your fresh herb
of choice and some red chili flakes, et voila!
This low-carb dish will have you forgetting
your local pizza place's phone number, I promise you.
Your pizza boats will last in the fridge
for about three days in glass meal prep containers
before the cheese starts to get slimy
so I recommend eating them ASAP
on the rare chance that you have leftovers.
You can reheat in the microwave for one to two minutes
or in a casserole dish for 10 minutes
in the oven at 425 degrees.
You can also freeze the homemade turkey sausage separately
then defrost in the fridge overnight
before adding it to fresh zucchini boats.
I don't recommend freezing anything else.
Okay, last but certainly not least,
we're going to make my favorite meal prep turkey meatballs.
They're freezer-friendly so I usually make a double batch
then keep them on hand for last minute snacks and meals.
Today I'll be showing you how to turn them
into delicious meal prep bowls with zucchini noodles.
First up, preheat the oven to 400 degrees
and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Now you know the drill by now. Prep your ingredients.
Finely chop a quarter of a cup of fresh parsley,
then grate one medium yellow onion
and mince four cloves of garlic.
Add all of those ingredients to a large bowl
along with one pound of ground turkey,
a third of a cup of breadcrumbs, one egg,
one tablespoon of Dijon mustard
and half a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Mix it all together and toss until combined.
Now here comes the fun part, rolling your meatballs!
Wet your hands with water
and roll the ground turkey mixture into one-inch meatballs.
You should end up with about 20 total.
Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet
in rows and cook them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking,
spiralize two to three zucchinis.
I normally just buy the prespiralled zucchini noodles
from my local grocery store to save time
but this could be a great excuse for you
to dust off your spiralizer in case you're like me
and you don't use yours much.
Divide the noodles amongst four meal prep bowls
or glass containers and top with a bit of pasta sauce.
And that's it!
You'll be microwaving them so the sauce
and noodles will get heated up just the right amount.
It is so easy to overcook zucchini noodles
and you still want them to have a bit of crunch,
so I don't recommend cooking ahead of time.
When the meatballs are done, take them out of the oven
and serve them with the sauced up zoodles immediately
or store them in the fridge for up
to five days in glass meal prep containers.
When you're ready to eat, sprinkle a bit of water over top
to keep the meatballs from drying out
and reheat in the microwave for about two minutes.
You can also freeze the meatballs
in freezer bags for up to three months.
I love having some on hand at all times
for last minute dinners
or even as a high protein snack on busy days.
Sprinkle some water over top
and reheat them in the microwave from frozen
for about 1-2 minutes depending
on how many you're reheating at time.
Okay, how delicious do all
of these ground turkey recipes look?
They're all super super, super healthy,
and so tasty that you won't even miss the beef or sausage.
Trust me, ground turkey is going
to become your new favorite protein.
These recipes are all great for meal prep,
so you can make a big batch and enjoy them
throughout the week or freeze them for later.
I hope I've inspired you to experiment
and add more ground turkey to your diet
because it really is an amazing lean protein
that goes with just about anything.
Okay, which recipe are you going to try first?
Make sure to leave a comment below
and give this video a thumbs up if you enjoyed
and don't forget to subscribe to my channel
for more meal prep tips and tricks.
Now if you're looking for even more easy
and healthy dinner ideas,
I've got lots to choose from in my four-week meal plan,
which I've linked to in the description below.
Alright, these ground turkey recipes are calling my name
and I can't wait to dig in.
Thanks for hanging out in my kitchen today,
and I will see you in the next video.