How do you "meal plan and prep" for the weak?

EmmaJean7

I am just starting to really clean up the way I eat. Usually my breakfasts and lunches are pretty healthy, but I am kind of stuck about dinners. My problem is lack of time, so I'm realizing I probably need to do a cooking day on sunday so I have quick healthy go to meals I can just heat up for dinner. I am cooking for 2 so I need recipes with good serving amounts that will last a couple of days with that in mind. Do you guys have any tips/advice on this? (I am a durr at cooking (new wife.. just learning)) Or does anyone have any good easy recipes? (Sorry if this is the wrong section I realise there is a whole recipe forum). What do you successful healthy people do? Help!

LemonMint6

I highly recommend skinnytaste.com

Recipes I've tried and loved:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/01/asian-turkey-meatballs-with-lime-sesame.html

^made for the week, froze, and take a serving out the night before for lunch.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts.html

^crock pot, she has lots of crock pot options too

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/crock-pot-bolognese-sauce.html

^make and freeze!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/white-bean-turkey-chili-4-pts.html

Yum!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/12/pork-chops-with-mushrooms-and-shallots.html

^ another favorite, make several, eat for days!

tycamsdad

I have always made my menu for the week and then filled out the grocery list before I go shopping (Yes I do all the grocery shopping for the family - my wife hates the grocery store and I don't mind doing it a bit). The breakfasts are pretty simple but I always pack my lunch the night before so there is no rush in the morning. For dinners, I like to prepare meals that cook quickly and do a lot of grilling. Even if you don't use an outdoor grill, a George Foreman grill or cast iron grill pan work great for cooking a chicken breast, pork tenderloin or almost anything else. I also like the suggestion of cooking once and eating twice - I do this with slow cooker meals and purposely make more than one meal and then have either leftovers for a lunch or two or even add a few things to the leftovers and make a completely different dish. It all depends on your tastes.

EmmaJean7

Thanks guys

Cassierocksalot

I do a lot of freezer to crock pot meals (some great ideas here: http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/). I spend one Sunday a month going shopping and prepping all of our dinners and loading the freezer. Every morning I pull one out, put it in the crock pot and come home to a delicous meal! I've had to tweak some to get the sodium count down, etc. but it's pretty easy.

alaskaang

I do a lot of freezer to crock pot meals (some great ideas here: http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/). I spend one Sunday a month going shopping and prepping all of our dinners and loading the freezer. Every morning I pull one out, put it in the crock pot and come home to a delicous meal! I've had to tweak some to get the sodium count down, etc. but it's pretty easy.

Her 40 meals in 4 hours is impressive!

Just wanted to add a couple tips for make ahead meals. Soups, stews, and anything that cooks best slow and gets better the longer you cook it are great for freezing. Avoid cream sauces as they tend to separate. Lasagna and casseroles do well if cooked first then frozen, but don't cook completely the first time. Rice and pasta will get a bit soggy in the freezer.

EmmaJean7

Wow this is helping me soo much as I have zero cooking experience! Thank you!

Mr_Excitement

Yep. I like to make chicken on Sunday night and put it in tupperware. Then I always have an easy entre for the evenings, if I don't feel like making something else-- and it's easy enough to bake some veggies. Baked brussel sprouts with garlic salt and some chicken... maybe some mixed greens just tossed on the side? Very healthy dinner, and very little effort.

janiesue101

bump

EmmaJean7

Bump

MKPRN

One thing I do is cook up a big batch of chicken breasts in the crockpot with a little (1/2 C) water or chicken broth. I find this method of cooking keeps the chicken moist. I can heat up the breasts for dinner but I call also use the meat in a chicken salad, chicken taco or a veggie soup. I also make different sauces to put on the chicken. I make one with a balsalmic vinegar and put a piece of goat cheese on top. I make another sauce with mustard and some heavy cream. Also, instant gravy or bbq sauce can jazz it up a bit.

I also make a low carb lasanga with ground turkey. I buy Fiber Gourmet Lasanga noodles at HyVee grocery store in the healthy section. I usually make up a 4-6 serving batch and use it for a few of my meals. It reheats really well.

I also buy my romaine lettuce in heads. I clean 3 heads at a time and put it in my salad spinner. I then put it in a large ziploc bag. I also clean and prep all my veggies at once. I makes it easier to toss a salad together when I feel lazy.

I bought some containers at WalMart that have 2 sections in them. I will actually put out 12 of them and make up meals and snacks for 3 or 4 days at a time. That way I can just pop it in a cooler if I am on the run or throw it in the microwave if I am tired. I would die without all my little containers that I prep in. I make up crockpot oatmeal for 6 days at a time and dish it out into my little containers. I also portion out my frozen raspberries for my oatmeal in another container. My fridge is literally stacks of containers with my planned out meals!

Cassierocksalot

I found a great chicken crock pot recipe on here about a month ago (wish I could find the source!):

2 lbs chicken breast
2 cans low sodium black beans (undrained)
1 - 16 oz jar of salsa
1 cup of uncooked rice

Put it all in the crock pot for 8 hours and it is delicious! Works great as a meal on it's own or you can use it for enchilada/taco/nachos filling. It easily makes enough for 2 people for 3 days.