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Does anyone here meal prep?
- Thread starter KrigareN-
- Start date
What cuisine do you like to eat? Are you trying to eat healthy, avoiding carbs, etc? Because if I could eat spaghetti bolognese everyday without worsening my type 2 diabetes, thats what I would eat..like all the fucking time. And you can freeze meat sauce and it keeps forever.
Beef stew and chili can both be prepared relatively easily (chop, saute, and slow cook) especially with an instant pot pressure cooker or crock pot. Pretty balanced (veggies, carbs, meat) and are easy to store (any Tupperware although glass is best) and freeze well.
When i meal prepped I kept it simple,
Marinated chicken breast pan fried
A microwaved potato
Mixed frozen veg
With olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. And flat leaf parsley.
Marinated chicken breast pan fried
A microwaved potato
Mixed frozen veg
With olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. And flat leaf parsley.
OP
OP
Aside from limiting my caloric intake to 1700 and aiming to consume 160 grams of protein, I don't really care how the remaining calories are distributed.
Cool, I bought an instant pot recently. I'm definitely on the hunt for easy and affordable recipes made on the IP. I still need to try making chili on it.
I will have a proper stove as well so I'm definitely not limited to IP recipes.
Stews are the easiest since you have an instapot. It'll break down beef chuck to tender morsels, that should give you a lot of protein. And then eat it with white rice, which keeps for many days in the fridge and is revitalized when you microwave it. I like to keep the stew and rice in separate containers but you can keep it in the same container if its a thicker stew. I used to meal prep. It was basic and it'd last me 2-3 days max. This is after I went through my stew/soup phase, which kept for longer, but something I just got bored of eating.
What I used to prep:
Japanese curry with beef, potato, carrots. Steamed white rice on the side. Super easy to make. I'd keep everything in a single glass container, the kind you get at Costco with the clamping lids. Warm it up in the microwave. I would eat it for 3 days straight before making something else. Usually a ground meat concoction with eggs, eaten with rice.
What I used to prep:
Japanese curry with beef, potato, carrots. Steamed white rice on the side. Super easy to make. I'd keep everything in a single glass container, the kind you get at Costco with the clamping lids. Warm it up in the microwave. I would eat it for 3 days straight before making something else. Usually a ground meat concoction with eggs, eaten with rice.
Chicken+rice+veggies usually
Sometimes i take oats with me and just buy milk or mix a protein shake into them if im working somewhere i know my chicken won't survive through to heat like in the summer.
Containers should be big enough for the food to fit in and be microwaveable (though a lot of food can be eaten cold too).
Had once containers that kinda started to dissolve lol
If you want more ideas look up Meal Preps on youtube.
Like every Fitnessperson on there does a Mealprep Video these days and you get really interesting ideas
The very first things i found looking on youtube right now with meal prep on a budget
Sometimes i take oats with me and just buy milk or mix a protein shake into them if im working somewhere i know my chicken won't survive through to heat like in the summer.
Containers should be big enough for the food to fit in and be microwaveable (though a lot of food can be eaten cold too).
Had once containers that kinda started to dissolve lol
If you want more ideas look up Meal Preps on youtube.
Like every Fitnessperson on there does a Mealprep Video these days and you get really interesting ideas
The very first things i found looking on youtube right now with meal prep on a budget
I take food from home to work all the time. That will soon change though. I have a food thermos that keeps food warm/hot for up to 6-8 hours and cold for up to 12, so i can bring anything from soup to pasta to potatoes with sauce of some kind. For desert just glass Tupperware, like a slice of cake for example, or pie. Or just a yogurt.
I don't currently do it but have done before. There are some great videos on YouTube with recipe ideas and listing the exact amounts you need for everything, so I highly recommend checking them out. Personally my meals tended to revolve around meat + veggies + rice, fajitas, pasta, and stews.
I use some plastic containers I found cheap at the supermarket, but I find them a little hard to clean properly so you may want to consider investing in high quality containers. No point saving time cooking just to waste it scrubbing the containers again and again.
I use some plastic containers I found cheap at the supermarket, but I find them a little hard to clean properly so you may want to consider investing in high quality containers. No point saving time cooking just to waste it scrubbing the containers again and again.
I think everything you prepare for more than one day, espcially all kinds of chicken breast and whatnot that - especially when freeze it - , tastes like garbage. I don't know how those fitness people do it. Chicken breast is already dry as fuck. Putting it in the freezer makes it even dryer. It's like eating cardboard.
The best thing is to just prepare all your meals for one day. Store it at room temperature.
The best thing is to just prepare all your meals for one day. Store it at room temperature.
so like........ leftovers?
Yeah, I guess you could say I'm a self-made nutritional engineer and CEO of my kitchen.
Lemme blow your minds: cook something one day, cook something else the next, have 2-6 days of ALTERNATING MEALS. Choice between two things, enhances your mindfulness and minmaxes your enthusiasm for dinner time.
My eco-friendly protein storage capsules are recycled chinese takeaway and ice cream tubs.
I use an oven and sometimes a steamer, it harnesses the power of heat to sterilise and soften raw materials.
Kinda yeah! It's about portion control and getting the right amount of protein/carbs/veg etc boxed up so you don't have to worry about doing it every single day. If you work full time and go to the gym and work out, but still want to make sure you eat properly every single day, it's pretty much necessary.
With the rest of your post, I don't know if you were trying to be funny or what, so I'll just let someone else reply to that.
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All the time. I cook in bulk and store for the next few days. I store it in a plastic container in the fridge and use as need. Or portion up and freeze.
Lasagne is a favourite. If all that pasta is too much for you then use sheets of butternut squash instead, delicious!
Lasagne is a favourite. If all that pasta is too much for you then use sheets of butternut squash instead, delicious!
No? Meal prepping is for anyone looking to live a healthier life. What a misguided thing to say...
I live alone so it's the best way for me to eat well for the least amount of money and effort. Slow cookers are a good thing to have.
I don't really get into the whole nutrition/fitness part of it though. I just make a big batch of chili/ragu/soup/stew/casserole and fill up the freezer. It suits rich comfort food more than anything else, so it's a godsend in the Autumn and Winter.
Just be aware that a lot of veg (potatoes especially) won't have as good a texture after defrosting. It's not bad, per se, but after a long time frozen they can get a bit mealy.
Conversely, some soups (especially French Onion) taste better after a day or two in the fridge/freezer, once it's had some time for the flavours to infuse and balance.
I don't really get into the whole nutrition/fitness part of it though. I just make a big batch of chili/ragu/soup/stew/casserole and fill up the freezer. It suits rich comfort food more than anything else, so it's a godsend in the Autumn and Winter.
Just be aware that a lot of veg (potatoes especially) won't have as good a texture after defrosting. It's not bad, per se, but after a long time frozen they can get a bit mealy.
Conversely, some soups (especially French Onion) taste better after a day or two in the fridge/freezer, once it's had some time for the flavours to infuse and balance.
LOL. Prepping is like making meals for the week. Not for life. That's "canning" and actual farming/harvesting from their own veggie garden.
Anyway OP, yeah I prep meals for the week for myself and my husband. Mostly easy stuff though, nothing too crazy. I really like the versatility of romaine lettuce, they work as wraps, buns and what have you when you're going for zero carb diet. Tuna, egg, mayo mixture on lettuce work wonders for lunches even breakfast. Any kind of meat and rice is great too (I don't eat carbs, he does). Sometimes just leftover pizza will work too (my own cheat option lol).
We have tupperware, we need to upgrade someday.
I think people are confusing meal prep with doomsday prep.
If OP used the expression "batch cooking" then they'd probably have no issue with it.
It's also lingo for fatties to prepare their meals for the next week so they eat out less, know exactly what they are eating and help loose weight.
I get it. It's like making munch for Monday to Friday and slapping it in some Tupperware tubs til you want to eat it.
No idea there was some whole "culture/lingo" think going on with it, though. Just saw it as the next step from making sandwiches for work.
No idea there was some whole "culture/lingo" think going on with it, though. Just saw it as the next step from making sandwiches for work.
I just use generic containers I picked up at the grocery store.
I don't love to meal prep, because it's generally not as delicious as what my co-workers are eating. This week I've made some salted boiled eggs to eat as a snack and chicken breast with broccoli on a bed of cauliflower rice with a splash of soy sauce.
It's not super great, but I'm trying to lose weight and reduce my carb intake soooo...
Edit: OP, if you're not worried about carbs or calories or whatever, you can buy bulk cans of beans, bulk frozen veggies and big bags of rice that when put together with a cheap sauce of your choice, can be like <$1-2 per meal.
I don't love to meal prep, because it's generally not as delicious as what my co-workers are eating. This week I've made some salted boiled eggs to eat as a snack and chicken breast with broccoli on a bed of cauliflower rice with a splash of soy sauce.
It's not super great, but I'm trying to lose weight and reduce my carb intake soooo...
Edit: OP, if you're not worried about carbs or calories or whatever, you can buy bulk cans of beans, bulk frozen veggies and big bags of rice that when put together with a cheap sauce of your choice, can be like <$1-2 per meal.
You're prepping, perhaps not for apocalypse. Have any Tylenol in your home? Extra rolls of toilet paper? Candles if power goes out? You're prepping.
I only prep my breakfast for the week:
Breakfast burritos:
- brown 1lb of either [80% ground beef (salt + pepper), ground lamb sausage, or ground beef Chorizo] this depends on what my CSA offers from week to week.
- mix in 1 cup of spinach
- mix in 1 cup of kale
- scramble 6 eggs + turmeric powder and add to pan
- fill 1 pack (8 Siete Cassava Flour Tortillas) with mixture
- add hot sauce if you like
- wrap in foil and reheat each morning.
I eat at least 2 of these each morning after lifting.
Breakfast burritos:
- brown 1lb of either [80% ground beef (salt + pepper), ground lamb sausage, or ground beef Chorizo] this depends on what my CSA offers from week to week.
- mix in 1 cup of spinach
- mix in 1 cup of kale
- scramble 6 eggs + turmeric powder and add to pan
- fill 1 pack (8 Siete Cassava Flour Tortillas) with mixture
- add hot sauce if you like
- wrap in foil and reheat each morning.
I eat at least 2 of these each morning after lifting.
usually I just call it leftovers of whatever it is I cook on any given day. They go into tupperware and I eat them later. I use glass containers with the snap on lids ( you can buy like a big variety assortment at costco). Plastic containers are ok but I hate how they pick up stains from tomato sauces. If I'm "batch cooking" anything it's to make maybe 4-6 servings at a time, which is like a normal convenient amount of food to make without it turning into a whole industrial scale process.
That sounds easy and tasty, might try it. Breakfast is the meal I struggle with most.
I cook various foods daily and keep the leftovers for later consumption. No plastic containers per meal. But "meal prep" in the fitness and dieting sense is usually done for the week. Whether it's safe to eat or not, most foods start to taste significantly worse after 3-4 days. Veggies taste awful after day 2. I can't see how people do it. Daily cooking while keeping leftovers for reasonable periods is the much better approach.
I'm thinking people who meal prep must hate cooking.
I'm thinking people who meal prep must hate cooking.
Does each of those make 1 burrito or 2? 6 eggs+1lb of meat each morning sounds like a damn lot to digest. I know I can do 6 eggs in a morning but adding 1lb of meat to that would be hard even for me.
No, I really should though. Once in a while I'll make and freeze a bunch of Breakfast burritos or Breakfast sandwiches, because I am way too lazy to ever get up in the morning and make myself a proper breakfast. I gotta start doing that every Sunday. I'll usually make enough supper though that I have leftovers for lunch the next day, so I guess that kind of counts.
Depends what you're cooking. Some foods freeze better than others.
yes, meal prepping lunches to bring to work has been life changing. it's saved me a ton of money.
some of my go-to meals are turkey chili, pork tenderloin with rice, and... trader joe's has this stuff called "cowboy caviar" that's just a kind of corn, peppers, and black beans salsa, and i toss that in a slow cooker with diced chicken breast. That's a great one.
some of my go-to meals are turkey chili, pork tenderloin with rice, and... trader joe's has this stuff called "cowboy caviar" that's just a kind of corn, peppers, and black beans salsa, and i toss that in a slow cooker with diced chicken breast. That's a great one.
love doing grilled foods during the summer
chicken thighs, peppers, asparagus, mushrooms
chop into bits and mix in a bowl
separate into smaller containers for easy portions / reheating
top with salsa / cheese / hot sauce
chicken thighs, peppers, asparagus, mushrooms
chop into bits and mix in a bowl
separate into smaller containers for easy portions / reheating
top with salsa / cheese / hot sauce
I love Mexican flavors and could eat this forever
Yes.... what kind of meal prep?
If you are talking brines or marinade, I tend to use pots, casserole dishes, or zip lock bags.
If you are talking brines or marinade, I tend to use pots, casserole dishes, or zip lock bags.
The contents of the pan when you are finished cooking is 1lb of meat / 1 cup of spinach / 1 cup of kale / turmeric / 6 eggs.
you are then filling the tortillas with that mixture.
Recipe makes about 8 tortillas in total.
TALENTI ICE CREAM CONTAINERS.
Seriously, they're the best. Just the right size for single-portion meals, the plastic is heavy duty enough to survive a scrubbing, you can store acidic stuff in them like brines and vinegars, they freeze easily, they stack well, and the screw-tops never break, unlike the stupid corners on a Tupperware container.
At any moment I'll have my freezer filled with individual portions of kimchi fried rice that I can defrost, and then reheat in a rice cooker. Game-changer.
I built up a collection over the last few years (along with plenty of glass Maille mustard and Bonne Maman jam jars) but you can buy lots of them on eBay.
You can't microwave them, but I haven't owned or felt the need for a microwave for years.
Seriously, they're the best. Just the right size for single-portion meals, the plastic is heavy duty enough to survive a scrubbing, you can store acidic stuff in them like brines and vinegars, they freeze easily, they stack well, and the screw-tops never break, unlike the stupid corners on a Tupperware container.
At any moment I'll have my freezer filled with individual portions of kimchi fried rice that I can defrost, and then reheat in a rice cooker. Game-changer.
I built up a collection over the last few years (along with plenty of glass Maille mustard and Bonne Maman jam jars) but you can buy lots of them on eBay.
You can't microwave them, but I haven't owned or felt the need for a microwave for years.
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I make chicken, brown rice and hard boiled eggs for the week every Sunday.
3 pounds of precut chicken strips, which I marinate for 4-6 hours in like 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 1/2 tbs pepper, 1 tbs garlic salt, 1 1/2 tbs garlic powder and 2 tbs chopped garlic then I cook them on an electric skillet. Then 2 cups of Carolina Brown rice with 2 tbs butter and 2 tsp salt. Then a dozen hardboiled eggs. Takes like an hour all told to actually cook.
Then I store it all in like 4 medium sized square pyrex bowls with those push down suction lids. Which I then use a 5th to bring my single serving of chicken and rice to work for lunch along with two eggs, a cup of yogurt and a bag of steam fresh vegetables.
3 pounds of precut chicken strips, which I marinate for 4-6 hours in like 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 1/2 tbs pepper, 1 tbs garlic salt, 1 1/2 tbs garlic powder and 2 tbs chopped garlic then I cook them on an electric skillet. Then 2 cups of Carolina Brown rice with 2 tbs butter and 2 tsp salt. Then a dozen hardboiled eggs. Takes like an hour all told to actually cook.
Then I store it all in like 4 medium sized square pyrex bowls with those push down suction lids. Which I then use a 5th to bring my single serving of chicken and rice to work for lunch along with two eggs, a cup of yogurt and a bag of steam fresh vegetables.
Googled CSA after this, and this is a new concept to me, and I will be investigating this further. Sounds pretty cool.
I make 5 days worth of 1,800 calories per day meals on my Sunday nights. I just use Glad tupperware to store my dinners which I heat up every night. Easy to clean and microwave my food with.
This week was just cooking up some chicken breast, sous vide, and getting together various rice and frozen vegetables for dinner. I make a bunch of turkey/spinach sandwiches for lunch, and brew up a batch of cold brew coffee for the week. Breakfast is a banana and afternoon snack is raisins. I have some dark chocolate dusted almonds as my desert most nights. It's all good, and it's very convenient.
This week was just cooking up some chicken breast, sous vide, and getting together various rice and frozen vegetables for dinner. I make a bunch of turkey/spinach sandwiches for lunch, and brew up a batch of cold brew coffee for the week. Breakfast is a banana and afternoon snack is raisins. I have some dark chocolate dusted almonds as my desert most nights. It's all good, and it's very convenient.
TALENTI ICE CREAM CONTAINERS.
Seriously, they're the best. Just the right size for single-portion meals, the plastic is heavy duty enough to survive a scrubbing, you can store acidic stuff in them like brines and vinegars, they freeze easily, they stack well, and the screw-tops never break, unlike the stupid corners on a Tupperware container.
At any moment I'll have my freezer filled with individual portions of kimchi fried rice that I can defrost, and then reheat in a rice cooker. Game-changer.
I built up a collection over the last few years (along with plenty of glass Maille mustard and Bonne Maman jam jars) but you can buy lots of them on eBay.
You can't microwave them, but I haven't owned or felt the need for a microwave for years.
Now I desperatelly need them! I really like reusing good containers too, Tupperware containers are so fragile. I really like the Bonne Maman jars but their lids tend to get rusty after a while, dunno if I'm cleaning them wrong or something to do with the climate of my city.
Seems like it.
I just cook 3-4 times a week as needed. Simple.
I'd go crazy eating the same thing an entire week.