Food Prep

meredithgainey

How much water do you drink a day? Also, does anyone prepare their meals for several days and put them in the refrigerator to have? Whats in the container and how much? How is it prepared etc.?

Pearsquared

I probably get in about 48 oz. of water in - I'm working on getting more, but I usually get through 2 of my 32 oz. cup (estimated at 24 oz. because I don't fill it up all the way).

I usually make my lunches the night before, but I make family-size dinners on the weekend and then just stick them in the oven or reheat them during the week. I keep it usually in just one container and scoop out a serving size or two when I'm ready to eat.

PezAzul

I like to use the recipe function here and build meals that I then freeze. Last week I made grilled chicken, taco and fajita meat, beef veggie stew, pork chop portions and chicken soup. I make sure I weigh everything accurately with my food scale and then portion it into individual servings which I then freeze. This way when I feed my family food that doesn't fit my plan for the day I can eat separate.

Edited to add that I don't really track water but I drink it all day so I'm not concerned about my intake.

libertychoury

I don't log my water but I drink a gallon a day. I started that about 3 weeks ago and had positive results right away.
For food prep, I also started this last week. I did my lunch and dinners for the week one night. I made brown rice, broccoli, and chicken breasts. I divided it up by first putting into the Tupperware 4 oz of chicken (food scale is awesome) and half a cup of the brown rice. Then I filled it with broccoli, which I didn't measure exactly but I reckon there was a good 3/4 cup in each Tupperware. Doing this was awesome because it kept me from having to do the guesswork at every meal and it was easy to just pop in the microwave when I was ready to eat. I added a little goat cheese or avocado to make it interesting when I got bored. This week I changed it up to chicken, asparagus and quinoa. I don't tend to get bored with food easily, so right now having the prepped meals works for me, but I always have healthy options on hand if for example, one night I feel like eating salmon. It's been awesome so far and even though my husband has been a little left out and had to fend for himself I really like prepping!

cwolfman13

I drink about 1/2 gallon of water per day...more on hot days and now that we're into summer.

I do some food prep for the week ahead but not a ton...servings are variable as is quantity prepared. I'm the primary cook in the house and cook pretty much everything from scratch. I use the recipe builder a lot.

shadow2soul

I don't log water. I drink any where from 64oz - 128oz (1/2 gallon - 1 gallon) of water with things like crystal light in them.

As for food prep, the most I do is portion out steaks when we get them. Other than that, I'm a stay at home mom so I don't really see the need to prep the food days in advance. If I start working again, then I will have to look into doing food prep in advance.

msurads06

I have been doing this for a while, one day a month (or every other month) I will have a cooking day. I will make 2-4 "entrees" usually casseroles or soups/stews. then portion them out into individual portions and freeze. When mealtime comes I just make a salad or steam some veggie and chow down. I work evenings and this allows me to have good home cooked meals at work. It also keeps me from resorting to TV Dinners. I live alone so cooking for 1 can be difficult but doing it this way I always have healthy food on hand. I also mix things up on my nights off, I may have spaghetti or French toast/pancakes or scrambled eggs with veggies, etc.

I rarely have trouble meeting my water requirements, I like water and especially when I am at work I drink a lot of it, it doesn't always all make it into the log, but not really an issue for me.

Shaunte86

I drink anywhere from 50-70oz of water per day, no additives.

In terms of meal prep, I have been doing it for a little while now. On Sunday I prepare my meals for the week. I prepare many different things such as salads for lunches, turkey wraps, etc. For dinners it is quinoa, brown rice, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, chicken breast, salmon, tilapia, stir fry, etc. I try to have 5 small meals a day, approximately 275 cals per meal. This keeps my metabolism going throughout the day. I have changes my goal settings on MFP to reflect the macros the way I want them. I have 45% protein, 30% carbs and 25% fat. I do high protein because I am working out and lifting weights, trying to build up my lean muscles.

MyOwnSunshine

I drink a ton of water and iced green tea. If you stop drinking everything else, it's pretty easy to drink a lot of water. I don't drink soda and try to limit the other things (Mio, Crystal Light, Sobe) I drink to one a day.

I do prep meals for the week. Whenever I cook, I cook quite a bit and I package the leftovers in individual containers so I can just throw meals in my lunch bag for my 12 hour work days.

Right now, I have 2 containers of Mongolian Beef with stir-fried veggies and one container of chicken sausage with peppers and brown rice/quinoa mix. Tonight I'm making fajitas, and will package them up, too. I'll throw a tortilla in a baggie and assemble at work. If you cook regularly at home and pack your leftovers, it makes life pretty easy. If I cook a steak, I eat my portion and slice the rest up to top a salad from the salad bar -- same with chicken. I'm a much better cook than any fast food place or the cafeteria at work, so I don't have to struggle to make healthy meal choices.

Also, if you buy fruit or veggies to eat raw, prep them when you get them home and put them at the front of the fridge so you can see them and choose them before snacking on anything else.