Once a week cooking and prepping ideas

melissamartinez96930

I would like some ideas on once a week recipes for work lunches, breakfast, or dinners. Okay, I'll start. Yesterday I made Wendy's mock turkey chilli and Lentil and Ham soup. I logged in the recipe ingredients and the Chilli has 310 calories for a pint and the Lentils have 260 per pint. I divided it up (into pints) and froze them for future use (next 2 weeks). I will pare this with either a salad or sandwich, today is a spinach and roast beef sandwich with deli mustard and double fiber bread.

I also made refrigerator oatmeal with vanilla yogurt and 1/2 a banana and granola topping for my breakfast this week. I make 3 at a time. Pared with my coffee it has 600 calories in the morning.

I plan on having salads either with chickpeas or fish this week. They come in around 450 to 500 calories.

What are your plan ahead meal ideas? I'm trying to not become bored with what I do. I like to cook on Sunday and plan for the week so I set myself up to win! I also plan snacks, but I like sweet and crunch and have fell in love with the Quaker Oatmeal peanut butter bars. Some are 100 calories and one bigger one is 170, but they satisfy my sweet tooth and my crunch cravings.

Here are the recipes I used for the soups and oatmeal

Wendy's Chili (substituted ground turkey for the beef)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/just-like-wendys-chili/

Alton Brown's Lentil Soup (added 1 lb ham steak trimmed and didn't have grains of paradise)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lentil-soup-recipe.html

Refrigerator oatmeal (there are lots of different variations on this delicious breakfast)
http://recipesbyannette.blogspot.com/2013/06/strawberry-banana-refrigerator-oatmeal.html

corinneselene

Nice post! I have been using SKINNYTASTE much more frequently and many of my recipes for the week will come from that. Considering its only my husband and myself, we generally make the full batch and freeze whatever is left or have leftovers throughout the week. For lunch, i generally stick with salads or leftovers.

Anyway, for lunch today and dinner tomorrow (for me)...Flounder Milanese with an Arugula Salad. On Thursday, we are doing a Crockpot Corn Beef and Cabbage (I know a tad late for St. Patricks Day but the husband and I work in the evenings and its our only night off together). Both of these recipes are found on SKINNYTASTE.

I happened to get a pack of fresh flounder from Costco so I will cook half now and freeze the rest. I also got a 4-pack of ground turkey from Costco so I am debating making a turkey and bean chili or turkey lettuce wraps.

corinneselene

Totally meant to post this too but I forgot. I will also make this and have it for lunch during the week. Maybe I will add some ground turkey if I am feeling adventurous

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, finely sliced (about 1 cup)

1 stalk celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)

6 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 quart vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch spinach (about 4 ounces), trimmed and washed

2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedures:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, celery, garlic, and rosemary. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions and garlic are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add broth, bay leaves and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add spinach and continue cooking until completely wilted, about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately, drizzling remaining olive oil over bowls.

Bounce4

I usually eat a lot of fresh veggie and fruits during the day with one protein. My goal is to keep lunch at 400 calories and snacks around 200 because I need extra calories at supper - which are not as diet friendly, which is also why I don't bring it for lunch - I want more to eat then the small portions my calories allow. I buy and clean all my veggies and fruits on the weekend so they are ready to go for lunchs and snacks for myself and the kids. I also have boiled eggs handy.

This Sunday I made a lot of chicken breast in the crockpot so I can bring that as the protein side first few days of the week. I like Tuna but not everyday. I also like deli meats but they are not as good for you. Most of my day food is assembled rather than cooked. I also made some brown rice I can bring although I'm not sure exactly what to do with it other than eat it plain, lol.

melissamartinez96930

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks guys, keep it coming. The more ideas the better, and even places you've found batch cooking recipes. I cannot eat a sandwich everyday, boring! I really like the ground turkey and a ground turkey wrap would be cool. I could cook on Sunday and add spices as I like and portion out in the freezer for lunches or on top of salads for supper after yoga.

Bounce4, how do you store your cooked rice and how long will it keep?

JoRocka

I cut all my veggies for my "omlette's " in advance- usually sunday- then I just saute them after I make bacon and I make 10-12 eggs at once then use the scale to divide all the stuff and I have food for a few days+ plus whatever ever "big meal" of chicken I cooked.

I also tend to do 2 meals- one on the stove- and one in the oven- so I can alternate my food and have to different flavors. I'm lazy I don't want to cook more than once- so I just do it all at once then can rotate dishes.
Easy peason lemon squeezy.

Also will do a crock pot - chili- soup- black bean soup- meat sauce whatever- if you can make it in a crock pot- I'm all about it.

auddii

I cook up about 10lbs of chicken in the crockpot with different seasonings (yesterday was balsamic vinegar, but I usually do mexican themed with water/beer and cumin, chili powder, etc.). Then I shred it and portion it out to freeze. You can then eat it by itself or use it for all sorts of things: in an omelette, on a salad, in tacos, as chicken salad, in pulled chicken sandwiches, etc.

LeanButNotMean44

Great topic! I prep/cook all of my food ahead of time, usually on Sundays.

Chili is a really good make-ahead dish and actually seems to improve the longer it's stored.

Egg casseroles are also really good make-ahead meals and can be stored for future use. The beauty of these is that you can toss in whatever ingredients dazzle you. I usually use egg whites, a couple of whole eggs, sauteed spinach, goat/feta cheese, chopped tomatoes, chicken sausage (cutting that out though, too much sodium), and whatever else sounds good. I just toss it together, bake it, and cut it into 4 squares (I treat myself to lunch out once per week).

Yesterday I made 4 recipes - mediterranean chicken salad (recipe is on bodybuilding.com website), sticky chicken, turkey meatloaf, and a YUMMY cinnamon walnut quinoa with raisins (something to have for a little "treat"). I have my lunches and dinners for this week, lunches for next week, and something slightly sweet to eat if I desire.

The possibilities really are endless.

AJLovinLife

I ususally grill chicken and veggies on Sunday for salads or for a quick lunch. I hardboil eggs to use as quick snacks or salad throw ins. I bake up sweet potatoes for a great dinner side or to top with leftovers to my a super yummy lunch (top with chilli, quinoa salads, taco fillings, etc). It has been a few months but I used to make up batches of granola bars and nut balls for snacks throughout the week. I do alot of scrambles for lunch, so I need to start prep all my ingredients for that on Sunday as well. I was on a kick where I made all these yummy salads in a Jar for the week (I need to do some of that again).

I used to be part of a crockpot club where you make say 5 of the exact same dishes and then you kept one and traded the other 4 with the group. So you would end up with 5 different meals in your freezer. I liked that but you can't control what you are eating as well that way.

My sister just shared this program with me that you join (monthly or annually) and they give you a menu, recipes, and shopping each week. You do the prep (cutting veggies, marinating, etc) on Sunday and then you make the dishes throughout the week. There is overlap in ingredients and steps on some recipes to help reduce effort. I have not tried it yet but plan on trying it soon. http://www.thefresh20.com/how-it-works/

BTW- Can I get that cinnamon walnut quinoa with raisins recipie, that sounds delish!!

mkcmurphy

Bump for the cinnamon walnut quinoa recipie!

melissamartinez96930

So how what kind of veggies store better than others, that are already prepped? I found I can keep a bell pepper for up to a week in the crisper in a produce bag that has already been cut. I have terrible luck with cherry tomatoes, they get all wrinkled up in a few short days. I have great success with cucumbers, only slice off a chunk at a time to peel and eat. Wrap unused portion in plastic wrap. I can keep a cut cucumber for 3 days like this.

greytniki

I tend to do most of my meal cooking on Saturdays or Sundays. I utilize a freezer to help me add variety as I also tend to buy a "family pack" and I'm one person so I don't want to be eating the same meat source each week. But here is what I do. Last week I bought a family pack of b/s chicken breasts. I then cut them into 4 ounce servings. I utilize a large pan but then seperate the pan into sections. 3 servings I baked with a BBQ rub seasoning, 3 servings I baked with a mix of shake n bake, paprika and parmesean cheese, 3 servings I baked with crushed doritos. 9 servings baked and then transfered into individual containers. The ones I would use that week I left in fridge everything else goes in freezer. Week before I cooked up a large serving of lean ground beef into "taco meet" and then put them in 2 ounce (lunch) and 4 ounce (dinner) containers. I then will make tacos or nachos with that. A large package of ground beef makes me between 10 and 15 servings. I will also throw b/s chicken breasts or a lean pork tenderloin in the crockpot then pull it at the end and transfer them to 3 ounce and 5 ounce servings. I might add bbq sauce to some and fajita sauce in others.

jkestens63

Get a crock pot!!! Best thing ever for easy prep, plan ahead meals.

Accountess

Great ideas, i sometimes refer to this website, and then I cut the calories as I need to. http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/rachael-rays-week-in-a-day.html.

SonicDeathMonkey80

I make 5-6 sweet potatoes in one batch, and I like them as-is.

Also, butterfly 5-6 chicken breasts, lightly salt/pepper, and bake. Cut them up for stir fry, saute them in bbq sauce, cut them into a salad, throw them in a pasta dish, etc. Easy and quick.

AJLovinLife

So how what kind of veggies store better than others, that are already prepped? I found I can keep a bell pepper for up to a week in the crisper in a produce bag that has already been cut. I have terrible luck with cherry tomatoes, they get all wrinkled up in a few short days. I have great success with cucumbers, only slice off a chunk at a time to peel and eat. Wrap unused portion in plastic wrap. I can keep a cut cucumber for 3 days like this.

I have tried bell pepper, onions, chopped Kale/swiss chard(if not rinsed), carrots, asparagus, broccoli, celery, potatoes(soak in water so don’t turn brown), cubed sweet potatoes, cubed butternut squash, zucchini and yellow squash (depends on how fresh it was before), radishes, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, beets, cauliflower. I think the key is to keep them pretty dry before you put them in the crisper.

jim180155

I buy and prep veggies on the weekend. The last part of the plan never seems to get done, but one of these weekends I'll get it right. The plan is to make green smoothies for lunch in 28 oz shaker bottles, freeze them, then bring one smoothie per day. Smoothies work well since I usually spend my lunch hour walking. It's easier to sip a smoothie while working in the afternoon than to try to munch down a four pound salad.

I did make protein bars yesterday using protein powder, peanut butter, oatmeal and almond milk. They should last me through the week.

tambam69

I make breakfast on Sunday that last me all week. I put light sausage or turkey sausage in a skillet and brown it and then add whatever veggies I have (bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, potato, jalapeno pepper and some rotel, well drained) and some sort of cheese (the last time I made it I added a can of Campbells nacho cheese soup, undiluted) I also add in one small carton of egg substitue and one small carton of egg white substitute. Very good and can be made different by the veggies that you put in it and it lasts me all week (about 7 servings)

likitisplit

I just started using the book "Fix, Freeze, Feast" and am pretty excited about it.

I work full time and have two little ones, so I don't have a lot of thinking/planning time. I created three bulk recipes on Saturday that provided dinners Saturday and Sunday, and I now have 5 more family-sized meals + 4 bags of marinara in my freezer.

I was able to use fresher/less processed ingredients, spent the same amount of time cooking, used fewer dishes and was able to buy less expensively with less waste.

I don't know how it's going to work long-term. After all, I still have to pull a meal out of the freezer every evening so it can defrost in the fridge and still manage to cook the meals after returning home at night. I'm sure at least one of the meals will go bad in the fridge as I deal with a crisis.

I'm going to reward myself with a Kitchen Aid if I keep it up all year

christa279

Last week I made a Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Steel-Cut Oatmeal. I cook it overnight in the crockpot, take out a portion in the morning to eat, and put the rest in mason jars in the fridge. I can then reheat a portion everyday. A 1 cup serving works out to be 116 calories, not counting any additional toppings or sweeteners I might add. I used this recipe as a model: http://www.rachelcooks.com/2013/10/11/slow-cooker-pumpkin-pie-steel-cut-oats/ I used Almond Milk instead of Skim and added 2 bananas and some chia seeds.

I plan on trying some of the Overnight Refrigerator oatmeal recipes when the weather warms up.

I have been making a lot of soups and doubling the recipes so I have extra portions to freeze, that way I can just pull one out the freezer and heat it up for a quick meal. Chili, Chicken/Turkey Noodle, and most other non-cream soups work really well for this.

I buy whole Turkeys and Chickens on sale. I'll brine them and roast them, serve some of the meat and some veggies for the first meal and then make freezer meals from the leftovers. Usually I can get 2 Pot Pies, several soups, and have some cut up meat left over for salads/sandwiches for a few days.

As for veggies, once they are cut it seems to drop their shelf-life pretty drastically. Cherry tomatoes, and other tomatoes, generally last a little longer outside of the fridge for a few days and taste better. Lettuce and spinach keep longer if you put it in a container with paper towels to absorb the moisture. Most veggies, I wait to cut them as I use them (onions, bell peppers, etc) although they do keep okay in a plastic container.

slk_5555

I always have the following home made meals in the freezer. I batch cook & then divide them up - each morning I just get out what ever I fancy. They are all good sized portions & come in between 350 - 550 cals per serving.

Beef Lasagne
Butternut squash lasagne
Mousakka
Spaghetti Bol
Chilli con Carne
Chinese chicken & cashew nuts
Chicken liver pâté
Sausage Ribollita
Chicken Zhafrani Korma
Fish pie
Shepherds pie

On weekends I will do a big pan of soup to have over the weekend or sushi in the summer. I love cooking!!