Food prep tips?

cdmanney

I need to eat less/healthier than I have been, and I’m finally ready to face the fact that not planning and prepping meals is not helping matters. The idea of prepping is very daunting to me. Tips or tricks that have been helpful?

MikePTY

I think the key is to not overcomplicate things. My wife and I used to overdo prepping by trying to be gourmet chefs and making all these complex recipes. Now prepping can be as simple as grilling a bunch of thin chicken breasts and tossing together a salad.

cdmanney

Thank you. I’m certainly no gourmet chef and appreciate simplicity. I’m mainly curious about things like short cut ideas, best containers to use (if any), maybe some easy recipe ideas for busy weeknights... things like that. Mostly I’m just trying to motivate myself to simply start doing it! I’ve procrastinated for way too long.

Megan_smartiepants1970

I always cut up my veggies as soon as I get home from the store that way all I have to do is grab and measure....I buy heads of lettuce, romaine ,spinach etc. I wash it and tear it up and store it in the fridge so all I have to do is measure it and eat it .... I batch cook meatballs, chicken etc and freeze them usually on Sunday's....I hope that helps

jgnatca

Best short cut idea; it takes as long to bake a tray of chicken breasts or meatballs as it does to bake one. You save loads of time down the road.

The best containers are the cheap ones. I use various ziplocks a lot. Hummus and bean dip can be frozen flat in a ziplock. Before freezing score the hummus with a chopstick or the dull side of a blade and you can snap off single serving sizes later.

You can buy ready made sauces for weeknights. Pick your meat, your side, and your sauce, mix and match.

Potential sauces include teriyaki, spaghetti, curry, mexican.

thelandkraken

I meal prep now because I never stuck to eating the healthy option if I had to cook every night. Even when I just prepped ingredients (like having a batch of chicken cooked that I could then add sauce to), I still sucked.

Now I cook about a month of main meals on a day I’ll be home all day. It is a lot of effort up front but man is it worth it.

I went through a period of finding meals that ticked all the boxes for me (around the right calories, tasty, and freezes well). Then I bought a massive batch of plastic containers from amazon (50 for £6.50) and off I went.

This month I have;
Jamaican chicken stew (4 portions)
Spaghetti bolognaise (4 portions)
Chilli con carne (4 portions)
Chicken Samla curry (4 portions)
Beef pie and veg (6 portions)
Sweet and sour chicken (4 portions)
Chicken Teriyaki (4 portions)

I won’t lie, it took about 8 hours to cook it all, but for me it was worth it because now I don’t need to do anything but throw one of my frozen containers in the microwave for the next 30 days.

It’s done wonders for me staying on track!

kmblalock2016

-use the crockpot to make many meals!
- boil a dozen eggs and peel! put in fridge to grab for a quick snack
- nuts
- have shredded chicken in fridge so you can grab what u need for salads
- also when i chop i only use half a veggie but i chop the whole thing for thenext meal!
- i dont plan out more than a week, I would get bored and food would be wasted!

egbert2016

Check out fitmencook. I love his videos.

lilithsrose

I'm planning on starting meal-prep this weekend. I don't want anything difficult or drawn out because I simply don't have the energy to do it. Here's my plan:

1. Make a big batch of instant white rice. I will season to match whatever meal its going with.
3. Roast Frozen Broccoli & Cauliflower Mix in the Oven with Olive Oil and Herbs (just coat frozen veggies well and bake)
4. I might roast cubed Sweet Potatoes the same way if I find them on sale
5. Microwave Pre-Cooked Meatballs (Got them on a buy 1, get 2 sale) and coat with homemade Honey Sriracha Sauce. Serve with roasted veggies and garlic seasoned rice.
5. If I'm feeling up to it, I might cook Ground Turkey/Beef with Taco Seasoning and serve it with Black Beans and Corn over Cumin seasoned rice (just add cumin to the existing rice)
6. Hard boiled (and possibly pickled) eggs as snacks

Future ideas are cubing and roasting chicken when I do the veggies, soups, and maybe some cold meals like whole grain pasta salad with a side of marinated chickpeas.

kd_mazur

I plan my meals for the whole week on paper first. There are lots of duplicates and I may end up with the same lunch for 3-4 days in a row. I choose simple recipes that often have like ingredients (chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, etc) so I can batch cook some things.

kali31337

It all starts with pinterest for me. I have boards of food ideas and every week I pick something out for breakfast, lunch, dinner. I always put their recipes into MFP first to make sure it will fit my weekly calorie goal and then I order what I need for the week.

My groceries are usually delivered every Friday night or Saturday morning (depends on my schedule) and I try to get something prepped on Saturday and then finish my prepping on Sunday. I make 4 or 5 days worth of meals that I literally can grab and go. I do go back into the recipe builder on MFP when I'm cooking and make adjustments based on my actual ingredients.

If I had to cook everyday, I would eat a bag of tortilla chips and call it a day. I used to actually do that and hence why I'm on MFP. I don't have the mental energy to cook and since it's just me, nobody is expecting me to.

For me, finding new recipes every week has been the driving force to keeping up with this. I'm always looking to try something new and that's sometimes even more exciting than the actual food...

DanOutdoors

I've been trying to batch cook and freeze a lot of meals. Recently though I had a family memeber move in who doesnt eat healthy at all (think frozen processed fatty foods and ready meals) so it's getting awkward with less space. I have started using my trusty slow cooker though stick it on before work tasty food when I get home

kilobykilo

Batch cooking all the way! My freezer is full of Tupperware with masking tape labels telling me the contents. Each Sunday I plan meals for the week and at least one each day is from the freezer. The evening before I take out the Tupperware required and let it defrost overnight . Then, it's ready to eat with a bit of frozen veg thrown in..... another timesaver. I eat fresh veg at weekends and frozen in the week!

Things like chilli, curries, casseroles, rice dishes, soups all freeze really well.

vaman

kmblalock2016 wrote: »

-use the crockpot to make many meals!
- boil a dozen eggs and peel! put in fridge to grab for a quick snack
- nuts
- have shredded chicken in fridge so you can grab what u need for salads
- also when i chop i only use half a veggie but i chop the whole thing for thenext meal!
- i dont plan out more than a week, I would get bored and food would be wasted!

I agree, especially the first three items. Grabbing a boiled egg from the fridge when you're hungry, can prevent eating something that you wish you hadn't

shaumom

cdmanney wrote: »

Thank you. I’m certainly no gourmet chef and appreciate simplicity. I’m mainly curious about things like short cut ideas, best containers to use (if any), maybe some easy recipe ideas for busy weeknights... things like that. Mostly I’m just trying to motivate myself to simply start doing it! I’ve procrastinated for way too long.

1. If I make something, I always make more of it than I need for that meal. Like, if I cook meat, I cook extra and freeze it, and I can thaw it to add to a meal later. If I chop veggies, I chop extra. make rice, make extra. That helps a lot.

2. crockpot - I use this for a lot of things, but one of the most useful has been for caramelized onions (look up crock pot caramelized onions). Mostly because caramelized onions are a great flavor add to anything, and also the idea that it takes 5 minutes to do this is, well, an actual load of crud (seriously, read this, it's informative and hilarious. https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/05/how-to-cook-onions-why-recipe-writers-lie-and-lie-about-how-long-they-take-to-caramelize.html).

I also have some staple vegetable stew-type recipes that I will make in the crockpot and freeze. I will make some protein of some kind and save, too (meat, tofu, beans, whatever). Then I just add the stew and the protein to rice and eat. Or wrap it up in a warmed corn tortilla if I have thick enough stew, and it's pretty quick, easy, and filling to make.

3. I second the idea of getting some plastic containers from costco if you can - pretty cheap to do so.

4. for recipes - if you get a pinterest account, you can just enter in recipe and then either just a main ingredient or two, or also potentially a food-type or style, like stew, vegetarian, quick, etc... I have found the best recipes for what I needed in a certain week that way. Really works well for me.

5. If all is going well, I tend to do a quick check during the week on the fliers for the grocery store I go to (most have them online these days). Then I make some meal plans based on what's on sale. Some folks do well making a day by day meal plan. Me, I never know what I might like on a particular day, or how tired I'll be, so I instead just decide the # of meals, make in advance what I can (like the stews, or chop things, etc...) - like 18 main dishes, and 14 snacks- and decide what to eat on the day I;m going to eat it.

6. breakfast - I don't differentiate between breakfast foods and other meals anymore. I tend to just have leftovers for breakfast, and I have found it really helpful. I get to have a big filling meal to start off the day with, but little work to make it, you know? I have cereal and milk for the kids if they want something small and fast, but leftovers have been wonderful for breakfast.

7. Whether to use ziploc type bags, or sturdier containers - space was the big issue for me. Many of the containers didn't fit in my freezer or fridge past a few, so we used ziploc a lot more because it could be shoved into smaller spaces. :-) But the sturdier containers are sometimes nicer, I think.


also...when I was first trying to do this, fatigue was a big issue. And sometimes it is still one, like when I'm sick. When that hits, I literally just make a veggie and beef stew and have it over rice or pasta...every single freaking meal. For the stew I just throw in handfuls of random veggies and fresh herbs, cook 'em 30-60 min, and blend them up until smoothish. Then add browned meat (or tofu, if vegetarian). Because it's fast, filling, easy, and I don't have to think, you know? This doesn't work for everyone, but it is something that has helped me. Also...I think sometimes it helps motivate me to prep more as the energy comes back, because I don't want the same boring food. :-)

GaryRuns

Remington James got me started with his youtube video

purplefizzy

I think it’s critical to start simple and level up.
We often try so hard to figure out the ‘perfect plan’ and Pinterest to all get out and buy all the right containers... and then we’re exhausted and order out.

This is my scale, and it’s just mine. Maybe something will be helpful. Start where you ARE and seek to make improvements. If you don’t currently cook much at all, and eat out tons, aim to just replace a few meals a week with ‘home food.’ You don’t have to go from takeaway pizza to batch cooking/freezing/gourmet witchery all at once. Make incremental changes.

Level 1: grocery shop. Can’t cook without quality stuff to work with. Work to your budget and lifestyle. If you have more money than time, let the store do some of the prep for you. Prepackaged/portioned baby carrots, hummus, almonds, string cheese, hard boiled eggs, yogurts, fresh fruit cups, olive packs, pre-cooked brown rice bowls, prepped salads. Rotisserie chickens. Lara bars. Cans of soup (read labels!) and Amy’s frozen meals.
Trader Joe’s, Costco, all the mainstream grocers now have options. Scout the shelves, produce section, and fridge/freezer sections. Look for ways to shortcut.
Just start by getting the food in the house.
Start getting used to grabbing stuff to take with you. Make a few minutes to assemble groups of pre-packaged stuff (grab a yogurt, tangerine, string cheese, hard boiled egg, mini bag of almonds, bag of carrots. Put them in a bag. Walk out the door.)

Dinners- start with simple frozen entrees or soup plus rotisserie chicken (Amy’s, Morningstar, lots of good options out there now with real food and few additives) and add a salad.

Just get food that you like and fits your nutrition needs into your home. Know yourself. Not home much? Tend to change plans? Fill the freezer and pantry, buy less fresh stuff so that it doesn’t go bad, make you feel defeated, and cause you to throw in the towel.

Level2:
Upgrade your game.
Maybe stop buying proportioned stuff and invest the time into buying more bulk and portioning out yourself. Basics are still basics. Maybe now cut up your own raw veggies, ziplock them. Bag up your own nuts. Portion out fruit, yogurt etc.
Maybe now invest in some containers and pin some recipes.

Level3:
Batch cooking is something that we work our way into, usually. By now you know what recipes work for you and take into account your nutrition needs, tastes, and time availability. Maybe you like to cook and you start here.
Think like a caterer: how can I shortcut this? Stuff made in the oven or slow cooker or IP requires less babysitting than stovetop. One item on the stovetop, while something else is in oven. Ask yourself what takes longest. Start that first. Make it a game.

Container wise, figure out your values. It doesn’t have to be all mason jars, all the time. It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-worthy. It just has to work FOR YOU. Personally, I like glass because I don’t commute, food stays better in it, and I like the ocean, but many people look to the lightweight durable plastic options because those meet their needs and values.

Where I’m at:
I grocery shop religiously, because I enjoy it. I scratch cook everything, because I enjoy it and have time right now. I cook stuff that holds well and that I eat regularly in batches (soups, proteins) and shred and chop fresh stuff daily, because I make time because food is important to me and I dislike the oxidized effect of pre-cut stuff. But that’s just me. I’m not wrangling a team of kids nor do I commute. Work with YOUR lifestyle and personality.

I can’t say it strongly enough: start small. Scale up. Forget about what the Instagram moms are doing. Do you, and glean tips and resources to figure out how to do you in a way that meets your goals. Sometimes ‘meal prepping’ means an apple, some nuts, and a yogurt grabbed from 7-11. It doesn’t have to be art or rocket science, though if you enjoy those things it absolutely CAN be.

meeshell84

I get the food prepping part. And reading all this makes sense. My issue is the thawing and reheating. I'm always worried I'll give myself food poisoning. They say stick it in the fridge to thaw overnight but what if it isn't thawed? Can you put it in the microwave from frozen or does it depend on what it is?

thelandkraken

meeshell84 wrote: »

I get the food prepping part. And reading all this makes sense. My issue is the thawing and reheating. I'm always worried I'll give myself food poisoning. They say stick it in the fridge to thaw overnight but what if it isn't thawed? Can you put it in the microwave from frozen or does it depend on what it is?

I always just microwave it straight out of the freezer. As long as I got it into the freezer as soon after cooking as possible (once it’s cool enough) and reheated to piping hot then it’s safe. I’ve never had any issues and that’s what the NHS website recommends too.

Spadesheart

I will meal prep more difficult things on occasion, but the easiest things for meal prep are things you make in the slow cooker, as it's usually toss a ton of ingredients in and let it go, ending with a good volume. Stews, big hunks of meat and veggies, butter chicken, whatever. Soup is also always healthy. Once you portion it out, you'd be surprised how low calorie soup ends up being. I just made pumpkin soup that was less than 100 calories a bowl

Secondly, there are lunch ideas that you can keep in the house that are easy to make into quick, low calories lunches. Half pita sandwiches are incredibly low calorie. A half pita is 80 calories, the meat may be 100, veggies are negligible, and dependant on sauces, you. Could add 10-100 calories. That's under 300 for a sandwich you can make in 5 minutes. Egg white omlettes, are under 200 calories if you use the spray oil. Little things like this that you can make in a couple minutes are important.

Thirdly, Costco sells the big packets of the meal prep boxes for the cheapest.

Good luck!

cdmanney

Wow! Thanks for all of these great ideas! I particularly like the idea of starting small and then working toward making it a new lifestyle. These are great ideas, and I’m definitely excited and motivated now!