Easy & Cheap Chipotle Freezer Meal Prep

We have all been there: leaving the gym craving a massive, protein-packed burrito bowl from Chipotle (or maybe that's just me?), only to realize that adding an extra scoop of protein is going to bring the total to $15 or $17. Luckily, with a little bit of meal prep strategy, you can recreate the Chipotle hotline right in your own kitchen for under $3 a bowl with a few tweaks.

Even better, these homemade bowls pack a serious nutritional punch: each serving comes out to about 550 calories, 50-60g of carbs, and around 55g of protein

The secret to bulk prep without getting tired of eating the exact same thing every single day is freezing individual portions. By using silicone freezer molds like Souper Cubes (or even standard Ziploc bags), you can freeze your proteins and beans separately. Then, you just mix and match them during the week! Kind of like Cooking With Chaos...hmmmm....

Here is how I like to make my burrito bowls (but change it up! You do you)

1. Citrus-Marinated Chicken

This chicken is incredibly flavorful, juicy, and perfect for cubing up. Because this is a quick 30-minute marinade, you can add your salt right to the mix.

• The Ingredients:
  • 3lb Chicken breasts
  • 1 - 1.5 cup of orange juice
  • 2-3 tbsp achiote (annatto) seasoning paste
  • 2 tbsp Garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp Mexican oregano
  • 1.5 tbsp kosher salt salt
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or lime juice)
  • Olive oil (for searing)
• 1.) Break up the sticky achiote paste into the orange juice so it incorporates well. Mix in your spices, salt, and vinegar. Fillet your chicken breasts to make them smaller so the marinade penetrates better, then massage the meat in the liquid and let it sit at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes.
• 2.) Sear the chicken in a hot, lightly oiled pan until it has some nice color on both sides. Transfer the seared chicken to a foil-lined sheet tray and bake in the oven at 450°F for about 10 minutes, or until it reaches 160°F.
• Freezing Tip: Let the chicken cool down completely before putting the lid on your freezer containers! If you cover it while it is still warm, it will create condensation and ice crystals. Once cooled, dice it into Chipotle-sized chunks and freeze.

2. Macro-Friendly Turkey Taco Meat

To save money and keep things lean, ground turkey is a fantastic, cheap alternative to ground beef ($3/lb compared to $8/lb!).

• The Ingredients:
  • 3 pounds of ground turkey (chicken, or beef)
  • 1 tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1-1.5 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
  • 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flake) or cayenne
  • Olive oil (or oil of choice)
• 1.) Add all your spices directly to the raw ground turkey in a bowl and mix it thoroughly so there are no hidden pockets of dry spice.
• 2.) Add olive oil to a large pan and heat it up. Cook the turkey in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan. Let it sear on one side, flip it, and then begin breaking it down into nice, chunky crumbles over high heat. Once cooked, spread it out on a sheet tray to cool down before freezing.

3. Upgraded Black Beans

You can use dried beans to save money, but canned beans are an amazing, slightly lazy shortcut for just a few cents more.

• The Ingredients:
  • 4 Canned black beans (16oz cans)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, small dice
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 1 tbsp salt (more as needed)
  • 1.5 cups of chicken stock
  • Olive oil
• 1.) Open your canned beans and rinse them thoroughly in the sink to get rid of the murky liquid they come packed in.
• 2.) In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and sweat your diced onion and crushed garlic for about 60 seconds (you aren't looking to brown or caramelize them). Toss in your rinsed beans and a heavy pinch of salt. Pour in the chicken stock. You don't want to completely submerge the beans; just look for little pools of liquid at the top. Put a lid on the pan and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes on low heat until the beans are soft. Cool before freezing.

Pro-Tips for Assembly & Toppings

When you are ready to eat, pop your frozen cubes of meat, beans, and some pre-cooked rice out of their molds and into a glass container. Let them thaw in the fridge for a few hours, then microwave them until hot.

Top your bowl off with these meal prep hacks:

• The Lettuce Hack: Instead of shredding an entire head of lettuce all at once, just cut a single wedge into it. This gives you a perfect single portion while stopping the rest of the head from oxidizing and going bad quickly.
• The Salsa Secret: If you don't want to spend the time and money on tomatoes, cilantro, and onions to make a tiny batch of homemade salsa. It is sometimes cheaper (and faster) to buy 16oz tubs of authentic salsa and pickled veggies directly from a local Mexican market for around $5-$6 each.
• 2-Second Citrus Crema: For an easy sour cream drizzle, mix a little bit of light sour cream with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt. Like the Citrus Crema from Cooking With Chaos.

This has become my go to meal prep for helping me stick to my health goals. Even if I don't use the cubes of meat and prep every day, having it at the ready for when I want it in a pinch has been fantastic.

Make sure you check out Cooking With Chaos for more meal prep ideas: https://www.cookingwithchaos.gg/products/cooking-with-chaos

Souper Cubes: https://amzn.to/42iyeEl