Food prep advice - newbie!

Lola2248

Ok, I am thinking that food prep could be the key for me.

Where do I begin? I have the time to prep, but don't now what I need to do. Whats the starting point? I know its a silly question, but I want to get it right.

Any help is appreciated :-)

oh_happy_day

'Right' is subjective. It'll be what works for you. I usually do a slow cooker meal for a few days of dinner, make something for my lunches (frittata, roast vegie salads etc), portion out my snacks, make some hard boiled eggs, two days worth of smoothies and overnight oats.

LKArgh

What I do (but I cook for 5, so obviously it could be much simpler for 1 person):
- make sure I have some basic supplies at all times, like pasta, rice, dried beans and lentils, olis, some frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, frozen fish / seafood etc. These are replaced as needed usually on monthly basis and can be used for simple meals when there is no time for planning.
- on a weekly or usually biweekly basis, buy fresh fruit, milk, some basic vegetables for salads
- plan meals for the week every weekend and buy whatever is needed (added to the above list), usually meat, fish, eggs, specific vegetables
- on weekends, prepare more time consuming recipes, and whenever possible, make extra and either store in the fridge for eating later during the week, or freeze so they can be eaten when there is time for nothing else
- during the week, prepare meals that require either little time (like e.g. a stir fry or grilled things etc) or that require little supervision (e.g. single-pot meals that you can let cook for a couple of hours without worrying about them). I usually cook in the evening, the food for the next day.
- whenever there is no time, or I am not in the mood, take out from the freezer something previously frozen, or prepare something that requires just a few minutes, like pasta, rice, omelettes etc.

oh_happy_day

I also do a weekly menu planner and cook more time-consuming meals on the weekend, ensure there's leftovers for nights we work late etc. I also pre-log my days to check my calories and macros. Whenever I cook a big meal, I freeze portions to defrost when we're extra time poor. I always ensure we have the basics (like eggs, basic vegies) so if pushed I can throw together an omelette or similar.

Soopatt

I pre-log at least a meal in advance and on my most successful days I log the full day in advance. I change it on the fly or edit amounts when I need to but it gives me a good idea of what I can expect for the day.

Most of my meals are simple and require little prep (grilled chicken or meat, veggies done in the microwave) so I can make them just before eating them. I do prep a few things, like overnight oats, but the main aim is to save time in the mornings as I work full time and would rather have extra time for sleeping than making breakfast.

I also find leftovers to be an excellent time saver. Whatever I cook for dinner is often also my lunch the next day, that way it is easy to weigh and dish up my evening meal and also weigh and dish up the next days lunch into a tupperware at the same time. That tupperware could also go into the freezer to be eaten in a few days, with a sticker on top reminding me of the weight, or I just pre-log the meal a few days in advance.

AppetiteControlFreak

In prep breakfast and lunch daily

Eating out picking up breakfast and lunch was how I found extra calories without looking!

That really helped me control portions. I used a food scale and weighed things, pre-logged my day, and it kept me more focused and on track

It works for me

I have already made and packed my meals for the day. If I eat what is done up, today will be a successful diet day. Add in a bit of exercise and it will be even better.

And I don't believe the MFP calorie burn numbers and don't eat those calories back.

jakkrk

I make about 10 hard boiled eggs at a time. That is 2 per day for my work week. I make enough salad for about a week in a big bowl but then portion it out for meals. I use a lot of deli meat (turkey and chicken mostly), I weigh it out and pre-make my sandwiches. I use bagel thins, flat rounds or wraps (whole wheat). Have enough fruit for the week on hand. I also eat almonds with my afternoon snacks. 15 pieces in a ziplock bag. Just grab and go.

Francl27

I don't prep. It's too overwhelming. I just keep easy to cook protein in the fridge and frozen veggies in the freezer...

SueInAz

For me, prepping simply means trying to make my evenings a little easier so I'm not spending an hour in the kitchen after work trying to make a meal. Some things you can do towards this end:

• Buy meat in bulk, cook it up and separate it into freezer bags that fit your servings sizes. I like to do this with ground beef, in particular.
• Cook a large batch of a meal and portion the leftovers for future meals. If you choose to freeze for meals a week or two out, use a calendar to track which day you plan to eat them so you don't end up throwing them away a year from now. Soups, stews, casseroles and chili work great for this.
• Make meals that re-use items you made extra of earlier in the week. For example, have a roasted chicken and mashed potatoes on Sunday night (or any day you have more time to cook). Use leftover chicken on Monday in a big salad. Use leftover mashed potatoes on Tuesday to top a shepherd's pie.
• Find a really good meal planning app or use a calendar. I really like Cozi.com. It has a meal planner, recipe box, shopping lists and calendar all in one. And it's free.

Kalikel

If it needs to be chopped, chop it. If it needs to be marinated, marinate it.

Am I misunderstanding the question?

You just do whatever needs to be done to make whatever you're going to make.

ASKyle

This is what I do:

Sunday for the week ahead, prepare two different meats that can be used in a variety of dishes. Baking, grilling, seem to be the most time consuming for me. Why heat up the grill 5 times if I can do it once instead?

-Grill 5 chicken breasts, shred. Now I can add this to taco salads, taco bowls, as a salad topping, or into a soup.

-Bake turkey meatballs. Use this for meatballs+ marinara along with zoodles or polenta, with an asian sauce for an meatball/rice bowl, chop up and use in lettuce wraps, etc.

-Cook batch of rice for above dishes.

I buy fruits and veggies as well and try to incorporate what I have on hand. I also prefer to do things that freeze well so I can save the portion for the next week if I don't eat it all.

janejellyroll

Kalikel wrote: »

If it needs to be chopped, chop it. If it needs to be marinated, marinate it.

Am I misunderstanding the question?

You just do whatever needs to be done to make whatever you're going to make.

I believe OP is using "food prep" to describe the practice of making meals for multiple days in a row and having them ready to eat.

Kalikel

janejellyroll wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

If it needs to be chopped, chop it. If it needs to be marinated, marinate it.

Am I misunderstanding the question?

You just do whatever needs to be done to make whatever you're going to make.

I believe OP is using "food prep" to describe the practice of making meals for multiple days in a row and having them ready to eat.

Oh. Makes much more sense!

Can you can? You can make a crapload of food, can it and have a year's supply in the house, made healthy and exactly as you like it.

Canning is harder than it sounds, but a lot easier than it seems when you begin to learn how. In a few weekends, you can make a ton of food.

jgnatca

I like @aggelikik 's list. I do indeed have lots of shelf-stable staples and spices on hand when inspiration strikes. I'm looking at a butternut squash this week figuring out how I want to prepare it.

My planning is all around the big meat I've bought. If it is a chicken, I will be cooking the chicken then using the bones for broth which makes soups and stews. Spare meat is set aside for meals throughout the week.

When I get a family size pack of hamburger meat, I will sometimes mix in spices, onion, and bread crumbs and broil a tray of meat balls. Those that aren't grabbed by hubby as they come out of the oven, are frozen for future meals. Meat balls can be put in Italian sauces white or red, or made up in a gravy for Swiss meatballs. I use the same mixture to fill some aluminum trays for future meatloaf.

I got a beef roast this past weekend and it's taken care of two dinners and several lunches. The bits and pieces got added to a casserole with potatoes and onion.

jgnatca

Oh! And baked tofu for a meatless additive. This gets added to a dinner and a couple lunches, changing the vegetable pairings.

Ang108

oh_happy_day wrote: »

'Right' is subjective. It'll be what works for you. I usually do a slow cooker meal for a few days of dinner, make something for my lunches (frittata, roast vegie salads etc), portion out my snacks, make some hard boiled eggs, two days worth of smoothies and overnight oats.

Just a bit of information: Did you know that if you make a smoothie, or juice that the nutrients slowly start to oxidize after about 15 minutes ? This process of course continues and in a day you have no nutrients to speak of left. Drinking smoothies that are two days old with ingredients you made an effort to acquire ( work to be able to pay for them, time to go shopping and do food prep ) just to have no nutritional value is a bit like throwing your money away.
With all your other food prep you are spot on.
Maybe you can make the five minutes it takes to make a fresh smoothie so for all your efforts you have the maximum benefit.

jgnatca

And! Beans. I put out beans to soak then look up a recipe. Made in the crock pot, I'm going to get several meals out of it. And beans just taste even better reheated.

We pulled out some frozen soup this week, Bab Leves. I am very fussy about my soups, but this, warmed up the second time, was even better. Rich and satisfying.

oh_happy_day

Ang108 wrote: »

oh_happy_day wrote: »

'Right' is subjective. It'll be what works for you. I usually do a slow cooker meal for a few days of dinner, make something for my lunches (frittata, roast vegie salads etc), portion out my snacks, make some hard boiled eggs, two days worth of smoothies and overnight oats.

Just a bit of information: Did you know that if you make a smoothie, or juice that the nutrients slowly start to oxidize after about 15 minutes ? This process of course continues and in a day you have no nutrients to speak of left. Drinking smoothies that are two days old with ingredients you made an effort to acquire ( work to be able to pay for them, time to go shopping and do food prep ) just to have no nutritional value is a bit like throwing your money away.
With all your other food prep you are spot on.
Maybe you can make the five minutes it takes to make a fresh smoothie so for all your efforts you have the maximum benefit.

Or maybe I can keep doing what I'm doing. I store them in air tight mason jars with lemon juice. They're fine.

cnbbnc

What I do is take a few hours on the weekend and cook a bunch of stuff.

I weigh portions of chicken breast/beef and grill them all up. Then I put them into tupperwares along with a measured portion of a frozen veg. Then I freeze them, and have meals for the work week. I'll microwave a sweet potato to go with it sometimes.

I sometimes get a pound of bacon and cook/freeze that too. I keep eggs hard boiled in the fridge, so a quick "running out the door" breakfast is a couple eggs and heated up pieces of already cooked bacon.

I make turkey chili and keep portions frozen.

It takes a few times doing it but it gets to be routine and it's so nice to have meals all ready to go.

Lola2248

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. I think I might do a batch cook on Sunday. When I get home from work I don't feel like cooking dinner, nor do I feel like making lunch for the next day. I suppose if I put aside an hour or so on a Sunday and Plan what I am going to eat for the week, and cook it up, I can have a few meals ready, at least until mid week.

Lets give that a go! x

cmtigger

Kalikel wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

If it needs to be chopped, chop it. If it needs to be marinated, marinate it.

Am I misunderstanding the question?

You just do whatever needs to be done to make whatever you're going to make.

I believe OP is using "food prep" to describe the practice of making meals for multiple days in a row and having them ready to eat.

Oh. Makes much more sense!

Can you can? You can make a crapload of food, can it and have a year's supply in the house, made healthy and exactly as you like it.

Canning is harder than it sounds, but a lot easier than it seems when you begin to learn how. In a few weekends, you can make a ton of food.

I used to have soups and stews on hand when I was younger. I love my pressure canner.