Starting meal prep any suggestions

Br00klynbaby90

Starting to prep my meals any tips or suggestions ? I am totally new at this

rosebarnalice

I started with making one casserole or crockpot meal a week that I already knew how to make and knew froze well like chili (crockpot) and veggie lasagna & mushroom shepherd's pie (casseroles). Then I divided and froze all but one or two servings in individual portions then take the individually frozen servings and toss in a freezer storage bag (well labelled with the MFP recipe name :-) ) Within a month, I had a freezer full of a variety of meals that I could microwave in a hurry.

Fave tip: I LOVE my silicon muffin pan for portioning and freezing crockpot dishes like veggie masala, bean and legumes, and hearty soups into 1/4 cup servings. They pop easily out of the silcon pan after freezing, and the resulting "crockpot pucks" make for great gtab-and-go microwave work lunches

MaltedTea

Glassware with plastic lids < Plastic food storage containers

If you can get food storage with compartments, it can be even better for scenarios where you eat meals away from home.

Try to reduce food waste (make stock out of veggie and meat cuts - which you can save in large silicone bags in your freezer)

You can never go wrong roasting a whole beast and veggies (week, unless you're vegetarian)

Spices are your friend

That's all I got 🤷🏿‍♀️

luceegj

Go for some good quality Tupperware boxes. I find the cheaper one doesn't keep food too fresh and doesn't stand the test of time.

I would prep every few days, some people do a week but by the last day the food is worthy of the bin haha.

Buy in bulk and freeze, this stops you from getting caught out and saves money.

[Edited by MFP Staff]

goal06082021

+1 suggestion for glass containers. I've gotten mine at HomeGoods/TJ Maxx. Mine are all single-compartment, 2-cup/16oz capacity, which works fine for me, though I've toyed with the idea of picking up a set of bigger divided containers. I supplement the glass containers with little 3oz plastic containers, for holding things like nuts, yogurt, salad dressing/dipping sauce, salsa, etc.

Which leads into my next tip, for snacks/side dishes, buy bulk and repack into reusable single-serve containers (which is kind of the whole essence of meal prep, isn't it?). Buy a whole pineapple/mango/watermelon/box of berries, dice up and divide into single-serving portions using little tupperwares or ziploc baggies or what have you. I buy the quart-size tubs of plain Greek yogurt and make my own single-serve yogurt cups - I'll portion out about 70-75g yogurt, and add about 25-30g of whatever kind of flavoring strikes my fancy. This creates less waste than buying the prepackaged flavored cups and lets me control how much sugar is in my yogurt cup. Honey and fruit jams work well; I've bought blueberries and made them into syrup/sauce, which also works great. When mango is in season I'll dice that up and make my own fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. Pomegranate arils also work well but you may want to add a bit of honey to offset the tartness.

Start by prepping just one meal for the week, like just lunch or just breakfast, rather than trying to prep an ENTIRE week's worth of food all at once. If you're accustomed to cooking for 1 or 2, the leap to cooking for 5-6 is more manageable than cooking for 20+. I've been prepping lunch for myself for a couple of years, and just recently started prepping both breakfast and lunch for myself and my husband as well, and I found the jump from making batches of 5 servings to batches of 10 servings to be a little challenging at first. I currently prep breakfast and lunch for 2 people, one week at a time; we eat the same thing 5 days in a row, and it stays good all week - I haven't needed to freeze things. I've not tried prepping something like a casserole and either freezing it whole or freezing in portions, but I'd like to experiment with that.

dsc84

I've been prepping meals for myself and wife for a couple of years now. I have a few tips I've learned over the years. Hope you find them helpful:
1) Containers- Make sure you have enough, the right size, and the right amount. I prefer Plastic for my meals, but my wife prefers glass. This works perfect for us because then we don't take someone else's portion.

2) Know yourself- If you are a person that can handle the same thing for 5-7 days great. Prep on meal and portion for that. If you know you will get sick of eating the same thing for more than 2 or 3 days make sure to make yourself a couple of options. Burnout is one of the quicker ways to not stick to it, and cause you to toss your meal aside and go get that takeout during the day.

3) Have a plan of what you want to eat- Make a list, go to the store, buy what you need based on the list. This also plays into advice 2. If you have a plan and need multiple meal options make sure the list reflects it.

4) Set aside a time every week as your prep day. I do all of mine on Sunday Morning. A slow cooker/crock pot can make life easy, don't be afraid to use it. Know that this is your prep day so it becomes routine. Routine builds consistency.

5) Since you are already prepping for the week, look at what other meals you may not be prepping (Snacks, Dinner, etc.) This is a good time to prep in bulk for those meals. You may not be portioning every meal in individual containers, but prepping fruits, vegetables, other healthy things or things you plan to eat for the week really helps remove excuses and can help prevent reaching for that no so good option.

6)Have a Menu- if possible set it up to be on a rotation. Sometimes the hardest thing for me is to come up with meal options that everyone likes, but if I have either a 2 week or 4 week rotation I take the mental side out of it, making it easier to stick to the plan.

7) Have fun and be creative. It doesn't have to be chicken, rice and broccoli all of the time. Yes this can be an option and can be quite satisfying and good, but it can also get old quickly. Try new things, eat things you like, find lower calorie (or higher calorie depending on your goals) alternatives. Spices, Sauces, Marinades, different proteins, carbs, and fats will all make a difference and result in a higher rate of success.

8) Last but not least portion control. Buy a food scale. Measure your portions. If you are making a bulk recipe for the week like a casserole, stew, soup, etc. know what is being put in, calculate the calories and divide by portions. Eyeballing/Filling a container may seem the easiest, but it is also a way to over consume.

I hope that helps.