I’ve been really trying to streamline my meal prepping process, and I think I’m finally learning from my mistakes! Step one: making sure my kitchen is clean and clear before I even start cooking. Step two: taking out all my ingredients beforehand.

With my kitchen clean and ingredients out, I set out to make an Egg Quinoa Protein Bowl—which turned out to have way more steps than I anticipated. But honestly, what really slowed me down wasn’t the recipe itself—it was my attempt at filming it POV-style. You know those reels where the camera is perfectly positioned overhead or from the side, making everything look effortless and aesthetic? Yeah… that was not my experience.

My reality was more like: set up camera, start recording, stop recording, move camera, start recording again, stop recording again, and repeat. And after all that effort, my footage still didn’t look half as good as the ones I see on Instagram or TikTok and many of the shots I thought I filmed, I didn’t hit record, ugh. I’ve come to the conclusion that those creators MUST have a high-tech, expensive setup—something a little more sophisticated than my $5 tripod from Indigo. So, after this failed attempt at cinematic cooking, I might just stick to my trusty time-lapse feature.

Although, The meal itself was tasty and had more veggies than our past few meal preps, which was a goal of ours. It was not our favorite meal we have made so far but it was still a solid 7.5/10.

Meal prepping breakfast was a win, though! I made Layered Apple Pie Overnight Oats, which was way easier—possibly because my phone died and I didn’t have the option to film myself. My wife and I are trying to get more protein into our diets, and this was a perfect way to do it, with great taste!

Ingredients & Cost Breakdown

Note: I only buy ingredients I don’t already have 🙂 

Egg Quinoa Protein Bowl:

• Cauliflower, Chickpeas (we used a 6-bean medley), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ground Cumin, Paprika, Vegetable Stock, Kale, Lemon Juice, Eggs, Tahini (we subbed Almond Butter), Maple Syrup, Curry Powder, Turmeric, Garlic Powder.

Superstore Prices:

• Curry Powder: $2.50+Tax
• Turmeric: $6.00+Tax
• Cumin: $2.50+Tax
• Cauliflower: $5.55+Tax
• Kale: $2.00+Tax
• Subtotal: $18.55+Tax

Layered Apple Pie Overnight Oats:

• Quick Oats, Chia Seeds, Protein Powder, Maple Syrup, Milk, Greek Yogurt, Apples, Cinnamon, Cornstarch.

Superstore Prices:

• Quick Oats: $7.79+Tax
• Cornstarch: $4.79+Tax
• Bag of Apples: $7.00+Tax
• Subtotal: $19.58+Tax

Grand Total: $38.13+Tax

Even though my attempt at POV cooking was a bit of a fail, meal prepping was still a success! I might give filming another try, or I might just embrace my time-lapse strategy. Either way, at least we’re eating well this week!

I hope you enjoy my attempt at POV cooking.