Preplanning and preparing food for the week

I actually do nearly all of my cooking on Sunday afternoons, including roasting veggies. I usually do some of the following: chicken pesto pasta with walnuts, turkey chili, red quinoa with wilted kale and pine nuts, turkey sausage casserole with peppers, sirloin steak teriyaki stir fry, steamed green beans with almonds. Today I made ham and bean soup.

I buy those Ziplock screw on lid containers to portion out individual servings and I typically leave some in the fridge for the current week and freeze some for the next week. Then I have plenty of variety and pretty much no prep during the week.

I steam/ cut/ roast all my veggies for the week and cook my chicken/salmon a couple of days in advance and then reheat and devour as necessary.

I cook for three adults, two on a diet and one type one diabetic.

Last Sunday, I made three huge trays of roasted veggies. We use them as a veggie side, a quick snack and as a filling for a veggie omelet. I bake potatoes and sweet potatoes whenever I think about it. I'll cook a whole chicken in the crock pot and use the meat for sandwiches, stir frys and to go on salads. I portion it out in four ounce baggies. I've been making two-three batches of soup a week and I honestly eat leftover soup for breakfast because I hate to cook anything when I first get up. We also portion out trail mix, nuts and crackers, so everyone can grab what snacks they need for the day. I used to write the calorie count on the bags, but everyone knows it by now.

I probably do crock pot cooking 3 times a week, meaning that meat is cooked for dinner and I just need to come up with a carb and a veggie, that makes dinner less challenging. I keep backups of chicken sausage links, turkey tenderloins (with a long shelf date) and a few frozen meals for poor planning.

here's a few of my mainstay meals
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/chicken-pot-pie-soup.html
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/crock-pot-chicken-enchilada-soup.html
http://www.friendsfoodfamily.com/friends-food-family/2012/10/lebanese-lemon-lentil-soup-with-swiss-chard.html

Serious organisational skills! Can I come stay with you guys? :P

I prepare & preportion all of my food on Saturday & Sunday. I measure out 1/2 c servings of cereal, chop strawberries, measure out 3/4 c servings of greek yogurt, make pumpkin protein bars (soooo good-i put half in the fridge and freeze the other half) and egg white muffins (these can be frozen). For lunch, I make a big batch of healthy soup-broccoli cheese, corn chowder, roasted potato, white beans, etc and put about 2 days worth in the fridge and freeze the rest in individual serving containers. For snacks, I hardboil a dozen eggs, measure out 1/4 c servings of raw almonds, chop veggies (sweet peppers, snow peas, etc). For dinner, I like to steam or roast veggies, especially spaghetti squash that I can just add a protein to (that way I'm not eating the exact same dinner every night). Then for post workout I have an apple and a protein shake-no prep needed there Feel free to look at my diary for ideas.

I do most of the cooking in our home so I just plan on making enough dinner for an extra lunch or two. I find it tends to work better for me if I keep it current enough I don't need to freeze anything so the most I usually prep is two days ahead. It makes logging it easier too since you can just copy the entire meal.

I find most things taste a little off after 3 days or so. I cook chicken and hard boiled eggs 2x a week and will often cook enough of things like roasted veggies or sweet potatoes at the same time.

I decide what I'm eating for the week (2 dinners, 2 lunches, 2 breakfasts,4 snacks) because I don't mind eating similar main dishes (just easier and faster) plus it means less waste.

I spend a few hours on Sunday chopping vegetables and meat, making sauces, assembling spice mixtures and casseroles, forming meatloaves, or whatever I plan on eating for the week. If I can safely do it without compromising the food's quality, then it gets done on Sunday. It also helps that I make it a point to eat foods that can be easily prepped ahead of time.

Everything is kept in the fridge and I do all my cooking when I get home from work each evening.

I make large meals on evenings before I have school, so when I get home at 10:30/11 p.m. the next night I can just microwave some leftovers. This has helped curb the late-night trips to [insert deliciously disgusting fast food joint here] on the way home from school.

Last week (the first week I did this) was mostly things I just needed to pop in the oven for a bit, which was nice because I could go exercise and then do my homework. I didn't have to watch over anything.

This week is mostly stuff I will have to pay attention to, but shouldn't take much time to actually cook.

I will also be trying to incorporate the ol' slow cooker into the mix. I just can't seem to break away from chili and pot roast whenever I use that thing.

I'm still experimenting with what works best, but so far I'm very pleased with how things are going.

Great tips, I really really need to start doing this.

I'm a PhD student who works 2 jobs and I've decided that my freezer is my friend. I make up batches of turkey pasta sauce and put that over broccoli slaw. I crockpot chicken with bbq sauce, put leftovers in the freezer and they're ready for nuking with a side of veggies. Anything I can freeze, I will freeze because it saves precious time when I don't have time or I'm simply too tired. All the best to you!

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I must know more about these pumpkin protein bars.
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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/873178-homemade-pumpkin-protein-bars

soooooo good!

When lean ground beef or turkey breast goes on sale, I stock up. Then I come home, cook it, add veggies and either taco/Mexican or Italian seasonings, let cool and portion out into Ziploc bags for the freezer. The same can be done with chicken. I'm big on prepping and freezing when I have spare time. I even freeze cookie dough in individual sizes for when I want something sweet but don't want to tempt myself with three dozen of something.

I will also be trying to incorporate the ol' slow cooker into the mix. I just can't seem to break away from chili and pot roast whenever I use that thing.

Oh, my, you are missing out. You can make almost anything that gets cooked in a crock pot. I make steel cut oatmeal sometimes with pumpkin puree, which can be eaten for breakfast throughout the week. I also make ribs, soups, chicken and stock for use in other meals, vegetable curry, breakfast casserole, meatloaf, and so much more. I love going to sleep and waking up to the smell of crock pot cooked food, or leaving the house and coming back hours later to a wonderful meal. Try looking up some slow cooker recipes online.You'll be surprised what you find.This goes for the OP, too. It's an easy way to plan ahead and cook smarter.