Ideas for Meal Prep

FancyPantsFran

I'd like to start meal prepping at least for 2 days in advance. I'm looking for advice and different food ideas to try. Been doing a few things here and there but want to get more consistent.

gil_u

I've been prepping for the past couple of weeks and it helps plenty. Knowing that I already have my meals planned out helps me avoid eating random, bad foods. I don't have much variety in what I prep. Basically, I grill a bunch of chicken breast, make some brown rice and steam some veggies. Then I put it all together. These meals are fast and easy to make. I wish I had more variety, so I look forward to seeing what other people suggest on here.

FancyPantsFran

I already have a dinner for tonight from leftovers...3oz of lime shrimp steamed brocolli with olive oil and red pepper flakes and one cup of trader joes rice medely. I agree with you meal planning and prepping will help me eat better and avoid junky foods

fizzylizzy4

It's hard to say where you should start. It of course depends on what you like to eat. To prep for a few days in advance this is what I do, I hope this advice can be helpful.

I cook off 8 chicken breasts- simple roasted in the oven with salt and pepper. (or other proteins- like fish, I intend to have a salad with and don't mind eating cold- fish doesn't reheat as well)
I cook off 1.5 cups of quinoa. I eat this for breakfast sometimes, like oatmeal with additional of almond milk, or make grain salad, can add to soup- possibilities endless with this one. It's versatile and loaded with protein.
I also make a batch of salad dressing to last not more than 3 days- I like to change it up. My latest one was chili- citrus-- (sambal (chili-garlic paste), lime and lemon juice, a little honey, and just a little evoo.

Good Luck in your meal prep!

GingerLolita

I'm starting to do this as well. It's the only way I'll survive the spring semester. For breakfast, pancakes and muffins are relatively easy and you can make multiple servings without too much difficulty or extra money, and if you won't eat them all within a few days, you can freeze them well (in individual plastic bags in a freezer bag). If you're making chicken, just cook it all at once; I cut mine into cubes and saute in olive oil, and it'll stay for 2 days, and it's great to add to salads or any recipe. Earlier in the week, I made some pasta salad with veggies, tempeh, and a peanut sauce and I packed three of the four servings into separate tupperware containers for easy meals; since it doesn't have meat, it won't perish so quickly. Also, soups and chili are easy and cheap to make in bulk and they freeze well in plastic bags.

pittsjg

butterfly cut 6 t0 8 chicken breasts, season and broil 5 minutes each side, grab a container of spinach form the grocery store, then add some fruit, yogurt or whatever else. You can even shred the chicken using a very low speed blender or processer. I did this for years, back in the 5 to 6 meals a day times. It was simple and fast and gives you a consistent base of healthy foods.

Now a days I do things a little different, but that's the most efficient way I know to meal prep.

FancyPantsFran

Great ideas keep it coming

gloriaeffe

For breakfast I prep some egg white muffins once a week - I do 5 in a muffin pan - layering the following ingredients in each hole in this order:
- 5g baby spinach
- 20g diced ham
- 1 chopped cherry tomato
- 1 egg white whisked with baking powder, pepper and chives
Then 30 minutes in the oven at 180/200 C. Leave out for 5 minutes then pop out of muffin tins and let cool completely in a wired rack before putting them in the fridge inside zip bags.
In the morning I nuke one for 15 seconds and eat it with some oatmeal (most of the times prepared the night before).

For lunch or breakfast I recommend soups and casseroles, or meatballs, savoury muffins, stir-fries and steamed veggies.

knra_grl

Usually when I get home from shopping i chop all my veg right away it cuts prep time down a lot...I always have a big bag of cauliflower and broccoli in my fridge and usually a big bag of celery and carrot sticks as well. This also helps when you need a small bite of something to tide you over until you next meal.

RachelAngel01

I'm not sure how much food prep you're up for, but I recently started freezer cooking once a month, and it has literally changed my life. I don't know how many you cook for (maybe just yourself), but I cook for a family of 6. I never have to worry about what's for dinner or even lunch, because we have so many leftovers. We have stopped eating out almost entirely, because there's no more panic "OH CRAP I have to make dinner..." There's usually something delicious waiting in the crock pot when we get home.

If you're just cooking for yourself, you could freeze a ton of crock pot or oven meals in a single afternoon. It takes a little planning and prep work, but it seriously pays off. If you're interested, just google "freezer cooking" for tons of websites/blogs with instructions, recipes and shopping lists.

Good luck!

cassy_runs

In for ideas! Great thread.

FancyPantsFran

I'm getting such fantastic ideas. I cook for a family of 4. 2 teen sons who devour anything. I cook a lot. Looking for ideas for me to aide in weight loss defiantly going to Google freezer cooking

FancyPantsFran

For breakfast I prep some egg white muffins once a week - I do 5 in a muffin pan - layering the following ingredients in each hole in this order:
- 5g baby spinach
- 20g diced ham
- 1 chopped cherry tomato
- 1 egg white whisked with baking powder, pepper and chives
Then 30 minutes in the oven at 180/200 C. Leave out for 5 minutes then pop out of muffin tins and let cool completely in a wired rack before putting them in the fridge inside zip bags.
In the morning I nuke one for 15 seconds and eat it with some oatmeal (most of the times prepared the night before).

For lunch or breakfast I recommend soups and casseroles, or meatballs, savoury muffins, stir-fries and steamed veggies.

Those muffins sound yummy I'm going to try this. Thanks