Starting Weekly Meal Planning

cp46449

Hello All!

So I am thinking about doing meal-prep for the week so it is easier for me to stay committed and not have to worry about what I will eat for my meals. I am just curious in what peoples experiences were. Does your food seem "the same" when you prep for a whole week? Does the food still taste fresh by the end of the week? Or do you do half the week then make the other half so it is fresher...any of those topics/concerns intrigue me!

I think this would also help me control my snacking, since I seem to graze throughout the day. Not TOO much, but those extra calories add up! I am around 5-6 pounds left of my initial goal, so once I hit it...I will start making each meal when the time comes!

Any tips or experiences are welcomed! I do a low-carb diet.

Thanks everyone in advance!

giggitygoo

I can't prep all my food in advance for the week. Inevitably, something doesn't keep well or I just get really bored.

Instead I cook on Sundays and Wednesday.

Jujubees813

I can't do meal prep for the week. I sometimes will prep a menu, and this weekend I'm going to bag up premeasured portions of some sweet potato chips I got, but that's it. I don't like leftovers. I'd rather have less time in my day then cook everything at the beginning of the week. Blech :P

cp46449

That's what I am thinking about doing...Cooking on Sundays & Wednesdays!

nicoleyaworsky

I like to prep my meals as well so it makes things much easier. I also like to prep my snacks too. Things like nuts,strawberries, sugar snap peas, watermelon, carrots etc. Even things like cottage cheese or yogurt I like to portion into small containers. Everything is cut up and ready to go....makes it so much easier! Ziploc bags are my best friend!

chamberlain3

Hi! I don't usually plan out a menu for the whole week but I do quite a bit of prep work on Sunday: I'll boil enough hard boiled eggs to last me for the week or I'll make crustless quiche cups (which happen to be low carb) and freeze/heat up as needed and roast a whole chicken so I can shred the leftover meat for salads for the next couple of days or use it in soup. Things like that

Lesleycali

I prep a couple of times a week, get things ready for soups and stews, roast nuts or make granola, like a PP said roast chicken for use in sandwiches etc. It makes things so much easier. I also plan the whole week's menus on Friday, and then do the Farmers's Market and Trader Joes on Saturday. I find I'm less likely to eat junk if I have a plan and some of the work done in advance

The_Nameless_One

I don't know what variety of foods you like to eat. Starting out, maybe try a plan where you have Sunday through Wednesday figured out. That way there is still the rest of the week for flexibility and whatever strikes your mood. Or do Thursday through Saturday.

Meal planning has been the hardest thing for me, so my advice may not be the best I don't mind cooking everyday, but I have a couple prepared foods, either frozen or in pantry, to help me when I just don't know what to make.

AwesomeSquirrel

I certainly plan my meals even if I don't necessarily prep them (sometimes I do, depending on what I'm having). I buy groceries "properly" once a week but top up with more fresh veg (eg. spinach) usually twice more.

This coming week looks like this:

Breakfast: beetroot muffins. I made a batch of 12 last weekend and froze most, so they just need defrosting.

Lunch: sesame noodles. I will make the sauce and boil the noodles Sunday night. I will assemble with fresh veg in the morning. I may pre-slice my veg for a few days but honestly I doubt it. I expect buying more veg middle of the week.

Dinner: 3 different ones.
1) Stirfry. I made the sauce last night and all veg is already bought. I need to slice and stir-fry it in the evenings.
2) Kedgeree. This will take more prep. I will boil the rice, fish and eggs on Sunday in preparation of assembling the full dish Monday night. I will then put leftovers in the fridge and eat for like 4 more days.
3) Turkey steaks with butternut squash/sundried tomato/rocket/parmesan salad. The steaks need defrosting and the squash needs roasting. I will cut up the whole squash on the same evening but roast fresh over a few days. Sundried tomato + rocket is assembly only, parmesan is already grated.

Snacks: all my snacks are no prep. Bananas, apples, peaches, just throw them in my lunch bag. Sometimes a packet of oatcakes.

writergeek313

During the school year, I got into the habit of planning meals on Thursday or Friday and cooking for the week on Sunday afternoon. My schedule could be pretty unpredictable at times, and I found that if I didn't have food ready to be heated up at home that I was a lot more likely to come home with a frozen pizza or other packaged food that wasn't a healthy option.

It took some trial and error at first. I had to find a balance between having enough variety to keep me interested and not making so much that I couldn't possibly eat it all. I usually made three main courses and a few sides. I tried to plan so the sides could do double duty (brown rice could go with baked chicken or a curry, for instance). If a jumbo pack of chicken was on sale one week, I'd prepare it in several different ways so that I wasn't eating the same thing all week. I also tried to make meals that could have some variety. For instance, I often took a lean protein, some vegetables, and either whole wheat couscous or quinoa for lunches. I could add salsa some days, then other days I could add a salad dressing.

Another thing that really helped is if my plans changed at all, I froze some of what I cooked for the week so it wouldn't go to waste. That meant I'd have healthy homemade options for weeks when I was too busy to meal prep, and it's also meant that I've only had to buy produce and dairy products the last few weeks as I try to use up some of what's in my freezer from the last few months.