Ziploc Zip N Steam bag recipes

Sabine_Stroehm

My work schedule is hectic-er this semester and when I *can* eat, the student union is over run.
I was pondering trying some ziplock steamer bag recipes. This idea appeals to me because I can make a week's worth and freeze them, though I'm not thrilled about cooking in plastic....but am willing to try for a few months.

Prefer: lots of vegetables, lean protein and a sauce thats neither sugary or too salty.

Anyone have any favorites?

TIA

(a search pulled a few very old threads)

Sabine_Stroehm

Bumping my own thread.

In the end I bought some bags. I made a week's worth of lunches, but ended up heating my lunch in a microwavable dish.
The other four lunches are frozen and waiting for me.

In the end I made:
1 chicken breast cubed with broccoli and a soy sauce and chili garlic paste (it was yummy)
1 with salmon and green beans with a garlic butter
1 with shrimp and green beans with soy sauce and chili garlic paste
1 with tempeh and broccoli with soy sauce and chili garlic paste
1 with tempeh and green beans with soy sauce and chili garlic paste

Now that I know how easy it is to both prepare them, and heat them, I think I'll add firm tofu, and also cauliflower, edamame and a few other vegetables.

4rita

I have some of these bags, but have only use them a few times to put some fish into them with maybe a little seasoning and then had a salad with my fish. I never tried creating the entire meal in one, but your ideas sound like a great idea and I just may have to give it a try.

JenHuedy

Thanks for the ideas! I've done similar with plastic containers, but I got some steamer bags to use for the next batch. I like being able to control the calories and macros. Most frozen meals are too low in protein and don't have nearly enough veggies.

To keep it simple I used frozen veg, pre-cooked seasoned quinoa/kale blend from the freezer section, edamame spagetti that I batch cooked, rotisserie chicken from Costco, frozen fish fillets, shrimp and meatballs, jarred sauces.

Edamame spaghetti and meatballs with marinara and broccoli
Shrimp & chicken lo mein with edamame noodles, stir fry veggies, kung pao sauce
Fish filet with quinoa and normandy blend veggies
Chicken alfredo with edamame spaghetti & broccoli

I labeled each with calories and macros and saved in MFP as meals so I can just grab the one that fits my macros for the day and log with just a click. Super handy for those days when I don't have leftovers or time to pack something fresh!

Sabine_Stroehm

JenHuedy wrote: »

Thanks for the ideas! I've done similar with plastic containers, but I got some steamer bags to use for the next batch. I like being able to control the calories and macros. Most frozen meals are too low in protein and don't have nearly enough veggies.

To keep it simple I used frozen veg, pre-cooked seasoned quinoa/kale blend from the freezer section, edamame spagetti that I batch cooked, rotisserie chicken from Costco, frozen fish fillets, shrimp and meatballs, jarred sauces.

Edamame spaghetti and meatballs with marinara and broccoli
Shrimp & chicken lo mein with edamame noodles, stir fry veggies, kung pao sauce
Fish filet with quinoa and normandy blend veggies
Chicken alfredo with edamame spaghetti & broccoli

I labeled each with calories and macros and saved in MFP as meals so I can just grab the one that fits my macros for the day and log with just a click. Super handy for those days when I don't have leftovers or time to pack something fresh!

I love the idea of the quinoa/kale blend. I have that on hand even!

amusedmonkey

OOOH! I love these! I'm not too creative with them, though. Always afraid that having items that cook at different times in the same bag would ruin the meal, so I only used them for single items so far, mostly Italian seasoning olive oil potatoes.

niclodn

I'm not creative at all with coming up with a whole meal, but I do chicken breasts all the time in steam bags. Paired with some steam in the bag veggies and voila! So quick and easy.

JenHuedy

amusedmonkey wrote: »

OOOH! I love these! I'm not too creative with them, though. Always afraid that having items that cook at different times in the same bag would ruin the meal, so I only used them for single items so far, mostly Italian seasoning olive oil potatoes.

I think as long as the meat is precooked, or something like fish that cooks quickly, everything works out. I do let it sit on my desk to thaw before lunchtime, but that's mainly because we only have two microwaves in the break room where I work so I want to get my lunch warmed up as quickly as possible so others don't have to wait. I've always been able to get everything piping hot in around 5 minutes without overcooking the veg .

MomReborn

Hello, all! I recently started following the YouTube channel "Cheap Lazy Vegan", and the blogger does a great job discussing ways of creating dishes for the week. I'm sure the recipes can be modified to add meat. Glad I found this post so I could share. I hope you find it useful

Sabine_Stroehm

MomReborn wrote: »

Hello, all! I recently started following the YouTube channel "Cheap Lazy Vegan", and the blogger does a great job discussing ways of creating dishes for the week. I'm sure the recipes can be modified to add meat. Glad I found this post so I could share. I hope you find it useful

I'll be looking for this. I'm a plant heavy eater and hubs is a vegetarian. Thanks!