Weekly cooking and meal portioning ?s

angp7711

I was thinking about starting to cook once or twice a week and portioning out my lunches and dinners and having them ready in the fridge. I have read some about it but haven't actually tried doing it. I have done make and freeze dinners for the whole family and LOVE to cook so I am not afraid of the kitchen.

If you do it what is your game plan? What does your weekly menu look like? How much time does it actually take?

I think this would be a great way of tightening up my eating habits and balancing out my entire day.

Any insight would be appreciated.

TIA
Ang

luppic8

Hi. I was training with Michael Thurman and that is the recommendation he makes for meal planning. I buy a tray of chicken breast or beef and grill them on my George Foreman grill and use the protein to make portioned meals for the week. I bought some zip lock containers that have the three item dividers. I scoop 1/2 c of carbs (such as rice, pasta etc, vegetables, and my protein). I also pack two snacks such as mixed berries or other fruit and I make sure I eat 5 times a day. I will prepare all my meals on Sunday, pack them up and refriegerate them so all I have to do is open up the frige, grab my meal and go. I also buy a bag of salad greens and other veggies to make some yummy salads. I will add some of the grilled chicken or at times a scoop of tuna or other type of protein to change things up. His program offers lots of heathy tasty recipes such as turkey chili and other things that can be made in large batches and frozen.

Pebble321

I usually prepare breakfast and lunch ahead to make busy weeknights easier.
On a Sunday afternoon I chop up a bunch of fruit and get fruit, yoghurt and muesli ready for the next three or so days. We'll also cook a casserole, and maybe soup and some rice or pasta. Then I serve lunch sized portions into containers and they are ready in the fridge for the next few days.
This means that I know ahead of time what I'm eating for breakfast and lunch and can grab them in the morning when I head out for work.
I highly recommend this - it takes time on the weekends but makes weeknights more relaxed.

cheshirechic

I make lunch for the work week on Sunday: either some kind of whole wheat protein with pasta and lots of veggies and protein, or a salad with protein. I'll occasionally do quinoa or whole wheat cous-cous. The carb-based meals turn into one-pot meals. I line up five glass containers and fill them. If it's a salad, I'll pack my lettuce separately every day, but I might put the protein, dressing, and sometimes cheese into containers (one for each day, again), so I can just throw the lettuce container and the other stuff container into my bag in the morning.

Dinner is usually something that takes minimal cooking: all I need to do is boil pasta or cook rice/quinoa at the most. For example, yesterday I made an enormous pot of red curry with chicken and lots of vegetables (zucchini, cauliflower, string beans, mushrooms, onions, red/yellow/orange peppers). Delicious and easy, especially when I'm exhausted from work. I know that I can come home and have a filling, healthy, and tasty dinner in the time it takes to microwave.

My fiance also cooks, so dinner might last three days for the two of us (thus, six meals). He usually has off during the week, so then he'll cook on his day off for the rest of the week. I'll cook again for the next 2-3 days on the weekend, and the cycle repeats.

When I was in undergrad, though, I did it all myself. It's pretty easy to get into the habit of cooking a LOT of food a few times a week.

Good luck!

angp7711

Thanks for all your input yall. I have to put my menu together and get some recipe ideas. I am sure there are things that I make already that I just need to streamline. I am a SAHM right now and having to make a decision about lunch everyday is biting me in the butt or the fact that I sometimes realize that housework, homework and practice (for my boys) has come and gone and all I have gotten in is a protein shake and a bar. That is not the way to go.

Off to crack open those grocery planner...