Budget Meals, 3 days

Meal #1 Day 1: Steak Fajitas 

4 pounds London Broil steak sliced into ½ inch strips

1 red pepper deseeded and sliced into thin strips

1 green or yellow pepper deseeded and sliced into thin strips

1 medium onion peeled and sliced into thin strips

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

cayenne pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cloves garlic minced

8 tortillas warmed

Optional Garnish

Sour Cream

Salsa

Guacamole 

Place the steak into a sealable bag. Place the peppers and onion into a separate sealable bag. Add the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and garlic to a jar with a screw top or tight fitting lid. Shake until well combined. Pour ⅓ of the marinade over steak, ⅓ of marinade over vegetables and reserve the remaining marinade in the jar for using when cooking the steak fajitas. Seal the bags tightly and refrigerate for one hour to overnight.

When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour the vegetables into the skillet and cook until just tender crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet to a plate and add steak strips to the same skillet. When the steak is cooked throughout (about 7-10 minutes), add vegetables back to the skillet along with the reserved marinade.

Serve about 2/3-3/4 and put rest away for lunch tomorrow.

Meal #2 Day 2: Lunch Next Day

Burritos made with leftover Fajitas and Cilantro Lime Rice

Roll steak, peppers and onions with a good amount of rice in a tortilla. Cheese optional. Make sure you drain the meat and vegetables well. 

Cilantro Lime Rice: Save leftover rice.

2 cups water

1 cup long-grain jasmine rice

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon canola oil, or any flavorless oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange juice

Meal #3 Day 3: Dinner Next Day: Caribbean Dinner

Jerk Chicken

8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or breasts, about 3 lbs

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

For Plantains

• 2 large ripe plantains sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Preheat oven to 425ºF and lime a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place plantain slices in a medium mixing bowl and drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil. Gently toss to coat. Sprinkle coconut sugar and cinnamon on top and toss with hands to coat. Spread out on the bottom baking sheet.
• Use a paper towel to blot chicken thighs dry and place in a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with dry seasonings. Use hands to coat chicken thighs, rubbing seasonings into the skin. Place chicken thighs on the baking sheet above plantains. Bake 20 minutes. Use tongs to turn plantains for even browning. Return to oven for 15 minutes longer. Divide plantains between 4 white MPOF containers in small compartments. Turn oven to broil and broil chicken thighs 5 minutes to crisp skin.

Black Beans

1 lb black beans, pre-soaked over night

14 oz coconut milk

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 large peppers, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbs tomato paste

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

Fresh cilantro, chopped

4 cups hot water

In an Instapot add all the ingredients. Close the lid and set the pressure cooker to 20-25 minutes. Serve with leftover reheated cilantro lime rice.