Does anyone else meal prep?

2

Replies

  • starbucktigh
    starbucktigh Posts: 170 Member
    Right now I'm trying to get into the groove of prepping lunches for work, then will move onto also prepping dinners.
  • jac_jorgie24
    jac_jorgie24 Posts: 1 Member
    destinymarie89 wrote: »
    I really want/ need to start meal prepping . I just find myself completely lost when I go to the grocery store! I need ideas for food and ideas to conquer at the grocery store, on a budget that is! Thanks in advance!

    You should check out the food blog budgetbytes.com/.. she's a nutritionist and as you can tell from the title all about making things cost effective. Her recipes are super easy!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I sort of do it. I generally cook every third day. Most of the time I will make something in the crockpot or a casserole that makes 4-6 servings and I will eat a couple in a row and freeze the rest. One week a month I don't have to cook at all and 2 out of 3 other nights I just heat leftovers from the fridge.
  • as9823
    as9823 Posts: 24 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    ... Where are the vegetables? And the fat?

    I don't prep my veggies bc I don't like cooked veggies. I like them raw. So raw broccoli and carrots are usually my snacks that I keep in a mini Fridge at work. And for the fats I'll keep cashews or almonds at work and grab a handful if I need them.
  • chaoskitty
    chaoskitty Posts: 29 Member
    I prep meals to Wednesday and then prep them again... I roast veggies and find after a few days I don't like the flavor, so I do two meal preps per week vs one.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    as9823 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    ... Where are the vegetables? And the fat?

    I don't prep my veggies bc I don't like cooked veggies. I like them raw. So raw broccoli and carrots are usually my snacks that I keep in a mini Fridge at work. And for the fats I'll keep cashews or almonds at work and grab a handful if I need them.

    Raw broccoli has a completely different taste to it. I like it. I will sit there and nibble on the raw broccoli before I cook it, and then wonder why I cooked it at all.

  • ashdawg8790
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
    I don't go quite that far out in advance, but I absolutely cook ahead or I would starve to death. :)
    I actually broke the zipper on my lunch box last week from stuffing it too full a few (dozen) too many times of all the food I eat in a day! I work 12 hour shifts and eat all my food for the day (usually, with the exception of maybe a snack when I get home) while at work. So lots of tupperware containers!!
  • Sweets1954
    Sweets1954 Posts: 506 Member
    I have been prepping breakfast and sometimes lunch. My husband does dinner so I'm at his mercy. Often lunch is leftovers from dinner or I will make up something on Sundays that I can put in the freezer, I too, prefer my veggies raw so I will cut up cucumbers, carrots, celery, etc. Or I will make up a big chopped salad and just add the dressing and a bit of cheese each day.
  • loganrandy69
    loganrandy69 Posts: 24 Member
    Planning meals and pre prepping for the day (or week) are probably the biggest keys to weight loss (and maintenance success), and rarely get their due. Getting a meal at a restaurant that clocks in at less that 1000 calories is difficult at best and their "healthy" choices are often the worst offenders. There are a ton of 2000 calorie salads out there!
  • MalineVD
    MalineVD Posts: 649 Member
    Jup, meal prepping all the way over here. Already for a couple of years. Noticed that I start slacking when I don't.
    System depends from week to week. Sometimes I cook everything in advance, sometimes just 2 or 3 meals extra. Depends on work, friends coming over etc etc. But lunch and breakfast is always prepped. And I make sure I always have healthy options to go with. Things I always have: eggs, bananas, greek yoghurt, nuts and seeds, chicken, rice, soup in the freezer.
  • BigLifter10
    BigLifter10 Posts: 1,151 Member
    edited April 2015
    I do now (for the past couple of years), but am not a planner by nature as far as that goes. I don't like it, but am thrilled that I don't have to try to always think of something when it's time for food. I love it when people post pics and details of their foods as it give me additional ideas. I'm pretty basic with my food, although I have recently forayed into spices and healthier sauce options!

    Edited to add: I usually prep twice a week so my Sunday isn't overloaded (because that's how I feel when I do a week at a time). So Sunday and Wednesday typically. I do occasionally eat out, so that throws me a little, but I try not to do that much at all anymore.
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
    edited April 2015
    I really need to start doing this. I despise cooking everyday. Getting it done in a couple hours for the whole week would be amazing.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    as9823 wrote: »
    Queenmunchy wrote: »
    Yep, for 7 years now!
    Very impressive!

    I was a single mom for a while (I'm now engaged), have a demanding job, and we have a lot of extracurricular activities. I would have never been able to feed myself and my child healthy meals everyday if I didn't prep :) Now it's second nature, and I just make 2-6 dishes/items every weekend and portion to freeze.
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
    edited April 2015
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    ... Where are the vegetables? And the fat?

    We meal prep on a weekend - it's necessary when we're prepping for a comp, and just easier when we're not. I can't imagine having to think every day about what I'm having the next day!

    I would assume any veggie cooked and then left to sit in the fridge for days would be a soggy, nasty mess.
  • BigLifter10
    BigLifter10 Posts: 1,151 Member
    FYI - Regarding veggies. I typically do them as needed (either steam or toss on the grill)....BUT....a handy little thing also is available: Ziploc Zip N Steam bags. There are 10 to a box and it shows the microwave guidelines on the bag for whatever veggie, fish, chicken you have to cook up. When I'm really pressed for time, I toss in my favorites of summer squash, zucchini and baby carrots, add 1 T water to the bag, season as needed and cook 2 min. Fresh, fast and flavorful!

    Some people have an aversion to using plastic bags in the micro (this one is designed for food and micro use specifically). I don't personally do it everyday, but once a week or so, they come in very, very handy.

    Just a tip if someone hasn't found these little gems yet! :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    I cook in bulk on Sunday's and prep the day in the mornings for lunch and dinner.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Do you eat the same things every day all week then?
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    edited April 2015
    Sure do. Even before I was watching calories and macros as closely as I am now, it was just cheaper and more convenient to make the food over the weekend and reheat it during the workweek. That was a big help when I was finding myself working upwards of 12 hours in the office, because the last thing I wanted to do if I got home at 8 or 9 PM was cook.

    Now that I'm watching calories more closely, planning ahead really helps because I can sometimes be looking at 3000-4000 calorie days and it's obnoxious to potentially have to ad-lib thousands of calories.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Do you eat the same things every day all week then?

    I do, but I tend to keep things interesting by using recipes from a wide variety of cookbooks and getting variety from my snacks. As long as a given recipe isn't disgusting or unappetizing, I can stand to eat it as the main course for the meal for 5 days in a row.
  • mls100771
    mls100771 Posts: 125 Member
    I did the Sunday meal prep for a while. I found that by Thursday the food was starting to get a little funky and I was starting to get sick of it. Probably my fault for not including enough variety.

    Anyway, I do meal prep to an extent. I make up 6 ounce portions of Cornelll marinated chicken breast and freeze them in ziplock sandwich bags. I did this the other night and have 18 portions ready to go. All I do is throw one in my cooler in the morning and it's usually thawed by the time I get to it.

    Otherwise I do most of my food prep the night before. Takes me about an hour to get it all done.

    "Failing to plan is planning to fail!"

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