Weekend Prep Food

VastBreak

What foods do you pre-prepare over the weekend to help get through a busy week?

I'll be making protein bars.

Also a big meal on Sunday so that there will be leftovers.

Maybe some extra grilled chicken?

What else is good to have prepared ahead?

Lizzy622

Chop and cut up veggies in sandwich bags so they are ready to grab for snacks or meal finishing.

baileysmom4

Hard boiled eggs
Roast a turkey breast or other lean roasts for sandwiches

runningjen74

I try to have two dishes that can just be heated up - e.g. bolognase sauce / stew / curry. I aim for two for a bit of variety - put left overs in single portions in the freezer. I eat these on their own, don't bother with rice or anything else. Maybe some extra veg.

A roast of some sort on sunda+ roasted veg - does dinner and lots of left overs.

winter - Soup - ideally two, but portioned up for the freezer.
Summer - Salad dressing

Lots of 'easy' food - eggs/single portion veg sugar snap peas/advocado/tomatoes (stuff I don't have to prepare I just eat as is.

boiled eggs - if you like them (I wish I did, I just scramble mine in the morning, but wish I could boil up 6 at the start of the week) I've been toying with making small little fritattas or baked omlettes in the oven in silicon cupcake cases - I could grab these in the am, but I havn't actually tried this one yet.

I'm very easy, food can be cold/room temperature/etc... but must be easy to grab.

MinnieInMaine

Steel cut oats in the crockpot
Breakfast casserole (eggs, spinach, feta, meat)
Chocolate yogurt (4 cups fage 0% or 2% mixed with small box of sf/ff chocolate pudding)

I also like to make at least one big meal on the weekends so the leftovers can cover 1 or 2 lunches. Gives me a break from the usual turkey & ham sandwich.

VastBreak

Grab and go is so helpful!

Boiled eggs are super easy, I usually keep these on the fridge door ready to go at any time!

Egg muffins are super easy too! Haven't made them in awhile, I'll have to do them up again! My kids like them with crumbled bacon and cheddar in them. Problem is I make a dozen and they are gone in two days

wide2bride

I eat 5 meals a day. I prep meals 2, 3 and sometimes 4 since those are eaten during times when I am away from home (work).

This week I even prepped part of meal 1 just for variation. Which was pumpkin/cinnamon steel cut oats in the crock pot. I made 3 portions

Meals 2 , 3 and 4 usually consist of these items that I prep and portion into a beautiful stack of Tupperware in my fridge : quinoa, sweet potato, grilled chicken, ground turkey in some form, broccoli, spinach, almonds, brown rice.

Food prep for me is key or I WILL fall off the wagon. I'm too busy to throw together balanced meals last minute.

I often have rice cakes and apples packed in my workout bag as well so there are no excuses when i'm on the go

PRMinx

I do so much food prep on the weekends. Pretty much every Sunday on salad, chicken and eggs. Every other Sunday for the rest. My usual big Sunday list includes:

Roast chicken (shred for salads)
Hard boiled eggs
Cut and blanched veggies for dipping
Cut kale, cabbage, green onions for salad
Salad dressing (I'm stuck on making a creamy thai salad dressing lately)
Marinated chicken pieces for kabobs. My faves; http://kitchenmeetsgirl.com/honey-lime-chicken-skewers/ and http://withstyleandgraceblog.com/2012/09/13/healthy-chicken-skewers-tzatziki-sauce/

Marina sauce
Sometimes meatballs because they freeze so well: http://amazingpinterestworld.blogspot.com/2012/10/chicken-parm-meatballs.html

And, if I'm really ambitious, I'll throw a soup in the crockpot.

I freeze the kabobs, meatballs and most of the marina.

VastBreak

Tuna salad is great as a pre-prepped food too! Grab some cucumber or celery sticks or those flat breads and you are all set for a meal!

marianneread

I make soup, healthy casseroles (chicken black bean), curries, frittatas. As someone else also mentioned, I portion it and freeze individual servings so I don't eat the same thing every day and have some variety to pull out of the freezer.

VastBreak

When you freeze food does it reheat well?

Potatoes always seem funky when they reheat!

Never tried rice r quinoa reheated after frozen, how is that in a soup or casserole?

xiamjackie

I really enjoy salads for lunch.

I cut up all the veggies I need and put them in separate baggies- red pepper, orange pepper, cucumber, tomato, onion, etc. Also I make whatever else I like to put in salads- ground turkey, black beans, rice, etc.

I package them all up separately, usually just in plastic baggies or tupperware containers.. then when I go to make my salads for lunch I just have to shake a few of the baggies on top of my salad instead of cutting up the veggies every morning.

thektturner

This past weekend, made a Crust-less Spinach Quiche to have for breakfasts and White Bean Chicken Chili to have for lunches. These are typically the meals where I eat packaged foods if I don't have something prepared.

PRMinx

When you freeze food does it reheat well?

Potatoes always seem funky when they reheat!

Never tried rice r quinoa reheated after frozen, how is that in a soup or casserole?

Certain things freeze better than others. I don't usually freeze potatoes unless they are in a soup....

Most soups freeze great.
Meats in marinades also freeze great and there's the additional benefit of actively marinating while thawing for more flavor (although when I freeze meats in marinades, I usually let them sit for an hour in the fridge before transferring them over).
Meatballs freeze very well.
Pasta sauce freeze very well.
You can also freeze some ingredients that you don't use up. I often end up freezing ginger, rosemary, stock, bacon, etc.

When you are planning to freeze a hot liquid, let it come to room temperature first. Or, put it in the fridge with an opening on the cover. This will help release the steam. Before you throw it in the freezer, wipe the cover and seal. This will prevent icing on the top.

VastBreak

Thanks Paige, very helpful details!

VastBreak

Quiche and meatballs both going on my list over the next few weeks!

knra_grl

I chop up all my veg when I return from grocery shopping less excuses that way

last night I made honey wheat rolls and turkey and beef sliders and put them in the freezer for lunches next week

always have fruit and nuts on hand

black bean hummus in the fridge

I like to pre-cook bacon and sausage patties for grab and go breakfasts

Not sure what else I will do this weekend

1two3four

I keep soup (or stew or chili) in the freezer as well as a few other meals (I usually do this prep once a month).

I chop fresh veggies and big fruits like melon.

I prep lettuce for salad or I make the salad depending on what it is.

I make hummus.

I might roast a chicken.

I might make a pot of rice or other grain.

I haven't done it 5 years so I can't remember the specifics but I used to make mashed potatoes and put them in ice cube trays to freeze and then pop them out into a freezer bag and reheat them a few at a time. I'm sure I just cubed the potatoes, boiled them, drained them, returned them to the pan, cooked them again just until they were dry and mashed them up and then portioned them and froze them and reheated them in the microwave a few seconds at a time with milk and butter and remashed them with a fork.

Also in the summer I make ice pops or yogurt bars.

One thing I don't do and would love to try one day is making my own bread. I think it would be awesome but I'm not that brave.

Hearts_2015

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Annice22

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RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

A seitan loaf.