One thing we’ve loved watching this summer is how much John has embraced “adulthood.” I shared previously that he landed an incredible summer internship. As a sophomore, we were already so proud of him for earning the opportunity. Now that he’s a month into it, we’re even more impressed by how he’s handling this season of life and his first real peek into the working world.
His days start early. He’s working full-time in a professional engineering environment, fitting in workouts and basketball afterward, then getting to bed early enough to do it all again the next day. Weekends bring laundry, errands and apartment chores. Thankfully, he’s thriving. He loves the project he’s been assigned, enjoys the people he’s working with and genuinely seems happy stepping into this next chapter.
One thing that surprised me a little was how quickly he realized that success wasn’t just about showing up to work each day. It was also about taking care of himself outside of work. There isn’t a meal plan, laundry service or any of the “ease into college life” amenities he’s enjoyed over the past two years. Between long days, workouts and trying to hit his nutrition goals, grabbing fast food every day wasn’t going to cut it. Then again, if you’ve ever lived with a teenage or college-aged boy, you know they seem to spend approximately 87% of their waking hours thinking about protein. Sometimes I think the other 13% is spent talking about protein.
A couple of weekends ago, he was home for the weekend and we spent some time meal prepping together for the week ahead. He found the recipes and I bought the ingredients. After all, he hadn’t received his first paycheck quite yet. :-)
He is using these meal prep containers, which are larger than most.
We made a batch of creamy chicken alfredo pasta and a work week’s worth of overnight oats, giving him easy breakfasts and lunches to grab throughout the week. When he has a work lunch planned he saves the prepped meal for supper. We experimented with a few other recipes as well, but these were his favorites and the two he’s been making on repeat ever since.
Creamy Alfredo Chicken Pasta
Serves approximately 4 meal prep portions
Chicken
- 1¾ pounds chicken breast, cubed (we used extra chicken and seasoned accordingly to make it go further)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1½ teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon light butter
Pasta
- 8 ounces dry fettuccine
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ⅔ cup tomato sauce or passata
- 1¼ cups light evaporated milk
- 4½ ounces light cream cheese
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the chicken in olive oil over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Add butter, toss to coat and set aside.
- Cook the onion until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and seasonings and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add evaporated milk and cream cheese. Stir until smooth and thickened. Add parmesan cheese and cooked pasta, using a splash of pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Divide into meal prep containers and top with chicken.
High Protein Overnight Oats
Per Serving
- ⅔ cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (he used vanilla)
- ½ cup fat-free Greek yogurt
- ½ cup skim milk or almond milk
- ½ cup berries
- Dash of cinnamon, optional
Combine all ingredients in a mason jar or container and stir well. Refrigerate overnight. Add fresh berries before serving if desired. (We added berries at the get go and he said it turned out fine.)
What started as me helping him get organized has quickly turned into something he does on his own now. Most Sundays, he’s planning meals, grocery shopping and prepping food for the week ahead. He even enlisted a friend to join him.
I swear, one day you’re packing lunches and reminding them to eat breakfast. The next, they’re explaining the protein content of three different brands of Greek yogurt and why one is clearly superior to the others. I tremendously miss having him home this summer, but watching him learn how to balance work, health and responsibility has been such a gift. Thankfully he has a long commute and calls us to pass the time almost every day. <3
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