Meal prep beginner, needing ideas and help

amanduhh828

I am new to meal prep. I have 3 young kiddos, so I don't have a lot of time on my hands, especially with school ending. So I have questions. Hopefully you got answers. Some of it may be dumb, but like I said I'm new so please bear with me. For veggies... are canned veggies bad for you? And what types of protein can be used besides fish and chicken. If anyone has any recipes they would like to share or websites that I can visit you get bonus points. Also, if your a fit chick, and have an open diary because I love to creep other diaries to get new ideas please add me. I'm slowly gaining my life back and my health after the birth of my daughter. Thanks in advance!

HappyGrape

I don't low carb but here are my answers
canned and frozen veggies are perfectly fine, look at content to see what's added if anything
fish, chicken, eggs, greek yoghurt, shellfish, beef, pork - source of protein. You can add legumes and beans but they don't have that much
I don't have my dairy open, and I don't low carb. I often post daily photo collage of my meals & workouts and maintain for the last 8 months, but I am very much pro carb so we may not be good match

good luck!
one thing I find very helpful and pre chop veggies as carrots, courgettes, onions, peppers and store them in glass containers. At meal time you can take few cups of veggies and make omelettes, stir fries, soups or whatever else you fancy much quicker

amanduhh828

Sorry, I don't necessarily need low carb. It was just an idea I thought about, I changed that. I meant lower carb

HappyGrape

Low carb suit many, just not me, but it's worth exploring. Please do add me if you wish, I am active user and will do my best to be good support

rheddmobile

I meal prep for breakfasts, but my breakfast is usually a lot like most people's lunches, so maybe you can use some of my ideas. I'm a diabetic and need at least 30g net carbs but no more than 45 to get me through the morning without spiking my blood sugar.

I make a big batch of quinoa and a variety of lean proteins at the beginning of the week: some examples are marinated and stir-fried ginger chicken (I use thighs, not white meat which is tasteless and has less iron), pork tenderloin (the kind that comes in the sealed package and roast it in the oven, easy peasy), ground turkey taco meat. Usually my proteins are leftovers from a dinner - for example we will have tacos but I make enough meat to put back for breakfasts. But you can stir fry chicken and roast pork at the same time, if you are prepping.

Breakfast is a whole grain, usually quinoa, as the base of a bowl. Added is a legume (slow carbs and protein): edamame with Asian flavors, chickpeas with Mediterranean flavors, black beans with Mexican flavors, lentils with Indian flavors. Canned beans are easy and healthy if you aren't on a low sodium diet. And added to that are fresh vegetables, which may include onion, cabbage, cucumber, peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli, or whatever you like. Top with the protein plus no more than 100 calories of add-ons and dressings - flavored vinegars, oils, avocado, roasted nuts or seeds, cheese, sour cream, etc. The whole business is calculated to come out to about 500 calories.

After a lot of practice I chop vegetables very quickly, so I do them each morning, but if you want to prep them ahead, wash, chop, and put in a container. Canned veggies aren't bad for you but they don't taste as good in my opinion, so I either use fresh raw or cook them ahead - quick stir-fry or steam. You can also mix your dressing ahead.

This morning's recipe:
Taco bowl
Quinoa, black beans, leftover turkey taco meat, tomato, onion, peppers, cucumber, avocado. Toppings: green salsa, cumin, cheese, lime juice, sour cream.

Asian chicken bowl:
Rice or brown rice, edamame, cucumber, onion, broccoli florets (steamed). Ginger / garlic marinated chicken. Dressing: sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice. This is also good with peanut butter added to the dressing.

You can use this basic formula to make anything: grain, legume, veggies, protein, dressing. Just make the grain ahead, cook a big batch of protein, pre-chop your veggies, and either mix your dressing or pick something that is quick and easy to mix.

dklibert

Check out the YouTube channels Fit Couple Couple Cooks, the Domestic Geek, Mind over Munch, Fit Men Cook and FlavCity with Bobby Parrish. They are my meal prep inspiration. They have tons of recipes, ideas and videos. I have made more recipes from the Domestic Geek. Love her Oatmeal Muffins. Fit Men Cook's has a method for cooking three flavors of chicken on one sheet pan in the oven great for variety. I love any of the sheet pan meals so easy to clean up and for you with kids you don't have to stand by the stove stirring. Pop it in the oven and set a timer.

jgnatca

I cook a roast on Sundays and use the trimmings and drippings for a stew on Mondays. Sliced roast is packaged for future meals. My slow cooker is featured heavily.

In the slow cooker:
A whole chicken on a bed of whole carrots, potatoes and onion.
Pork loin or ribs.

In the oven:
Beef seasoned with lots of pepper, 500F for the first fifteen minutes then 200F for the rest. Always perfect.
Trays of meatballs

Child friendly: spaghetti sauce, meatballs, chillies of all kinds, and sloppy joes.

Once you have your protein base prepared, mix and match your sides and sauces.

jgnatca

I love preparing Tofu this way:

http://pin.it/OCzBSLD

Tried30UserNames

My advice would be to prepare larger batches of things and freeze or refrigerate them. As HappyGrape said, chop a bunch of vegetables at once and keep them in the fridge. I usually chop onions, peppers, mushrooms and slice cabbage once or twice a week. I store them in the fridge and they're ready to add to scrambled eggs, soups or casseroles.

If you're browning a pound of ground beef for a recipe, brown 2-3 lbs instead, then freeze the extra in ziploc bags. It's all ready for the next recipe. If you cook beans, make double or triple, then freeze the rest for future meals. Bake a bunch of chicken at once, then you have leftovers for other meals.

Wash all your fruits and vegetables as soon as you get home from the market and before you put them away. Keep bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and other frequently used veg in the freezer.

Any kind of meat works for protein. Also, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, lentils and other legumes, etc. I don't eat soy or wheat, but seitan or tofu are good sources of protein.

Keep a list on the refrigerator of 10-20 of your basic go-to dinners. When you're wondering what to make, check the list. Try to keep most of the ingredients on hand.

I've been loving the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook. It just seems to have a lot of super easy yet tasty recipes in it. I use that more than any other these days.

lilbitbits08

Tried30UserNames wrote: »

My advice would be to prepare larger batches of things and freeze or refrigerate them. As HappyGrape said, chop a bunch of vegetables at once and keep them in the fridge. I usually chop onions, peppers, mushrooms and slice cabbage once or twice a week. I store them in the fridge and they're ready to add to scrambled eggs, soups or casseroles.

If you're browning a pound of ground beef for a recipe, brown 2-3 lbs instead, then freeze the extra in ziploc bags. It's all ready for the next recipe. If you cook beans, make double or triple, then freeze the rest for future meals. Bake a bunch of chicken at once, then you have leftovers for other meals.

Wash all your fruits and vegetables as soon as you get home from the market and before you put them away. Keep bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and other frequently used veg in the freezer.

Any kind of meat works for protein. Also, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, lentils and other legumes, etc. I don't eat soy or wheat, but seitan or tofu are good sources of protein.

Keep a list on the refrigerator of 10-20 of your basic go-to dinners. When you're wondering what to make, check the list. Try to keep most of the ingredients on hand.

I've been loving the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook. It just seems to have a lot of super easy yet tasty recipes in it. I use that more than any other these days.

This has helped me soo much, thank you!

Acem24

Turkey stir fry

1lb of ground turkey
Half yellow, red, green bell pepper
1 small onion or green onions
Baby Carrots
1 head of Broccoli
Small can of black beans
1 tsp of minced garlic

Cook turkey till almost done, add garlic, sliced baby carrots, and soy sauce. Then add broccoli. Then the bell peppers and onions. And last drain and add the black beans. Cover and heat till desired taste. Add toppings and serve with rice

Toppings
Cilantro
Lime
Avocado

ellebloor725

Im a student - so believe it or not, time isn't in abundance either!

I will mostly prep lunches for the week that i can reheat eat straight out of the fridge so one/two nights a week I'll make a big batch of something for dinner which can go into 2-3 days worth of lunches. (also good for the kids i suppose).

Bean chilli with a sweet potato is really filling, good portion sizes and good Macro's!
Gnocchi/pasta bake with loads of veggies (dont by jarred sauces if you can).
Roast a bigger chicken than you need and add them freestyle to lunches/sandwiches the next few days.

I use canned/frozen veggies all the time! Invest in steamer if you don't already have one to keep more nutrition that boiling.

Breakfasts i have 2-3 breakies on rotation and make sure I have the stuff in.
Porridge with frozen berries + honey (quick and filling)
PB on Toast
Poached eggs on toast (when i have a little bit more time)

Dinners I cook on the day (mostly because i like cooking for my downtime), but have it roughly planned out what you're going to eat for a few days and have the stuff in. then you can pick n mix depending on what you fancy at the time.

If you're not sure on a meat, check it on here! fish (pollock, salmon, mackrel, prawns), Leaner cuts of red meat also beans/pulses/chickpeas are high in protein. Im a big meat fan but spending a bit of time learning 2-3 big pot veggie dishes are great for meal prepping + easy on the wallet and the waistline!

Snacking - i am a serial snacker! so 9/10 times have swapped out chocolate/crisps for rice cakes/popcorn/bananas/dates/homemade trail seed+nut+fruit mixes and then 1-2 times a week Ill have something if I really really fancy it!

Don't be scared to try new recipes, if you don't like it you don't have to make it again!

All the best.

trilogyhr

Here are some fixes I do earlier in the week like on Sunday when the kids are asleep. I do breakfast burritos with cheese and eggs and freeze them for the week. I pre chop my lettuce for salads and pre boil some eggs. I don't really prep my salads until later, but if I see it cut already I'm more than likely to eat a salad. Crockpot is a life saver. As a teacher that is out for the summer nothing beats dumping meat and a sauce into the crockpot. This leaves more time for me to play with the kids. And it is always nice to smell a cooked meal. Hope this helps.

Evamutt

I usually cook several ground turkey into patties & put them in fridge for during the week. Also chicken thighs . Some things I prefer freshly cooked like fish

shandy82165

Another idea for you...if you're cooking something for dinner like spaghetti sauce or chili, make extra that you can freeze as leftovers for a quick meal. It takes no extra time at all to cook a large batch vs. a small batch!

ashjongfit

I normally do more like a buffet style then full on meals. At the start of the week I will cook grains, lean proteins and prep veggies. I am 29 weeks pregnant and have a 3 year old plus SO and we all have different calorie needs.

Example:
Grains
Cook 4 cups of quinoa, a box of whole grain pasta, bake off 4 large sweet potatoes, soak and cook black beans.

Lean proteins
Cook and freeze ground turkey with taco spice (I freeze in half cup small baggies), grill off boneless skinless chicken breast. Hard boil 2 dozen eggs. (I buy greek yogurt and cottage cheese as well.)

Veggies
Cut bell peppers into strips, cut carrot sticks (sometimes use baby carrots), make a bin of lettuces and spinach for salad, cut red onions, cut up 2 heads of broccoli, pull ends off green beans, slice off ends of strawberries, cut up pineapple and watermelon.

We did a combo like this for dinners: tacos (on a salad for me, on wraps for SO and the meat crumbles, veggies and cheese for DD), used taco meat, quinoa and black beans + peppers and onions in chili, used some broth and quinoa + veggies and chicken for soup. Chicken + green beans and sweet potatoes, chicken and whole wheat pasta + veggies and cottage cheese or pasta sauce or a vinaigrette and spinach, roasted broccoli, grilled chicken and quinoa.

For lunches we did chicken and cheese in a whole wheat tortilla with veggies or fruit, we did pasta salad, or combos close to dinner. I threw chicken, cheese and bbq sauce on some mini pizzas for a fast lunch. Cottage cheese and cut fruit as well, boiled eggs in a cobb salad, eggs for egg salad, eggs + cheeese + crackers and veggies for a "snack plate" - 3 year olds most favorite food ever.

Breakfasts we normally do toast and eggs, greek yogurt and berries + granola or oatmeal, cottage cheese and fruit or smoothies (berries, greek yogurt, spinach, ice (or frozen fruit) and almond milk.

Snacks are always fruit, veggies, cottage cheese, eggs, etc.

Takes me around 2 hours to do and makes dinners all week super easy. Also if I made something like a pasta bake or tacos I often double it and freeze half so I can grab that super fast as well. This works better for us right now since DD can be picky and wildly change what she will eat day and to day and right now I'm mostly the same. Chicken and pasta might be amazing monday and make me gag on tuesday.

To make something lower carb you could have a taco salad no wrap, you could use squash or zoodles rather than pasta noodles, etc.

I use frozen veggies time to time but often don't enjoy canned as much however they are fine. You can really use any combo of meat you like. I do beef or pork, fish and seafood at times as well depending on whats on sale and how sick of x protein we are haha.