back to school meal ideas / food blog recommendations?

foofyq

Hey everyone! I'm going back to my 40-hr work week plus grad school routine next week (after the most relaxing summer) and need some new lunch and dinner ideas. Does anyone have any good food blogs to recommends? I like making a giant meal on sunday and then using the leftovers throughout the week. Last year I did a lot of soups...
anyways, for those who have very busy schedules, what are your staple meals you make? What are some good blogs you check out for ideas?

bjg2993

I haven't got any specific recipes but perhaps getting a slow cooker is a good idea - you can prepare all the ingredients for each day in advance to keep in the freezer or fridge, and then quickly throw them in every morning before you leave the house. My mother does this when she's busy, making stuff from chilli con carne to stews.

xynyth

This is my favorite site for meal prep ideas. http://onceamonthmeals.com/

365andstillalive

I'm done with school for the time being, but I was a commuter while working in my final years and definitely found food a challenge until close to the end when I finally found foods that worked for me.

I'd make a big pot of stew or chili over the weekend, which would give me some meals for throughout the week that I could just pop in the microwave. I also slow cooked some type of meat (pork or chicken usually) with seasoning and black beans for extra protein and then depending on what macros I was trying to hit either ate them in whole wheat tortillas or lettuce wraps -- it also works to put on top of salads in a pinch, but I'm not really a salad person. For breakfasts I baked "egg muffins" (there are lots of recipes online) which are basically egg, veggies and sometime meat that you bake in muffin tins and then can either freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days and I used to literally eat them as I was walking out the door.

Something else I recommend is keeping some snacks permanently in your purse/school bag things like granola bars made from wholesome ingredients, trail mix or nuts of some sort, maybe a protein bar, that way if anything ever happens and your day goes longer than expected, you're hungrier than expected etc you have a healthy option with you at all times. It kept me from buying so many 700 calorie coffee shop muffins last year haha.

foofyq

thanks guys! I have been thinking about getting a slow cooker...this is a good excuse

I do try to keep stuff like yogurt and granola bars on hand, but that is something I need to remember. Last year I would be lazy and just get an "easy" snack like a bagel in between work and class and I always regretted that.

foofyq

Thank you @xynyth! this site looks great

xynyth

One thing that has really saved me last year (I have 2 kids, go to school full time and work/volunteer in the lab a crazy amount of hours in a week) are those Bel Vita breakfast packs. 230ish calories but they keep me full for a long time if I can't get away or forget to bring a lunch.

WinoGelato

Hi OP!

This is a common dilemma right now with so many people getting back in the school year routine.

A slow cooker is a tremendous asset. I don't know what your schedule is like from day to day, how long you are gone, etc - but I am out of the house for about 10 hours and use my crock pot at least once a week. Here is a site that has quite a few good recipes.

http://www.crockingirls.com/

Another site that has a lot of good suggestions is Skinny Taste - these might be slow cooker or other cooking methods, but her food is great.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/

If you go to Pinterest and search for "meal plans" or "make ahead meals" or "freezer cooking" you will find a lot of ideas and sites as well.

I also try to do a lot of things on Sundays - I will cook up 5 lbs of ground beef and/or turkey and divide it into 1 lb portions which can be easily thrown into spaghetti sauce, chili, tacos, etc. I also cook chicken breasts in the slow cooker with salsa and some spices, shred them and those can be fillings for burritos, enchiladas, salads, soups, etc. I try to cook a freezeable meal on Sundays for our dinner that night and just double the recipe so I can put one away in the freezer for another time.

Good luck!

foofyq

you guys are the best!