Meal Prepping

NSUTeach16
NSUTeach16 Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
This is a fairly new idea to me. I've been researching meal prepping and food prepping to death and have found a ton of good resources.

Do you meal prep? What kind of recipes do you prep?

I'm still in the baby stage and keeping it very simple. I'm a generally lazy person who will use any excuse to not get in the kitchen to cook a healthy meal every night. I've prepped lunches and dinners so far. This way I can't use an excuse, because I have a healthy meal waiting for me ready to be heated and eaten!

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I really need to start doing this.

    The websites where I get all my planning info are: http://onceamonthmeals.com/ and http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/

    Now I just need to actually do it!!
  • Kita328
    Kita328 Posts: 370 Member
    Neat- websites that do this for me... Seriously I do the meal preps a lot of weeks- and I didnt knwo about these! Thanks yall.:flowerforyou:
  • superfox12082
    superfox12082 Posts: 512 Member
    Nope. I usually cook on a whim. I never really know what I'm going to make.
    Unless I have pounds of leftover ham........:grumble:
  • Kinseykick
    Kinseykick Posts: 59
    Bumping because I'm very interested in this too!

    I just keep a bunch of precooked chicken in the fridge and use that on salads, sandwiches, stirfry, snacks, anything really.
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
    Does cooking a giant box of chicken breasts, chopping them up, and freezing them for quicker cooking count. 'Cause if it does- I do meal prep! I also cook huge batches of dried beans in my slow cooker and freeze or refrigerate them so I have options on hand.

    1/2 c each: chicken, pinto beans, creamy refried bean, black beans, corn and broth plus 1/2 tsp each: chili powder, cumin, corriander = the quickest, tastiest taco soup to ever grace my lunch menu!
  • pinkshiningstar
    pinkshiningstar Posts: 141 Member
    I meal prep pretty consistently, but I don't do anything crazy. I grab my containers and my food scale, line it all up on the counter and get to work!

    Breakfasts: Hashbrowns, eggs (eggs + additional whites), onions, peppers, mushroom, turkey sausage or bacon (all just layered in containers)

    Lunch: Chicken (baked or grilled, with a variety of seasonings), roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, peppers - whatever veggies I have on hand. On occasion I'll do turkey wraps with steamed or roasted veggies on the side.

    Dinner: I never prep. This is my chance to get creative and have something a little different. I view Breakfast and Lunch as basically fuel to get me through the day. I'm not too picky.

    Snacks: I usually pack snacks for work. Fruit, string cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, Quest Bars etc. Anything I can grab and munch.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    So here has been my experience this month. I made 2 meals and put them into about 20 containers and froze them. Yay diner for 20 days right? Bleh I am so sick of them I want to just throw them out. DON"T DO IT THIS WAY.

    On the other hand, I like omelets. So I chopped up 6 peppers, 4 onions and 32 ounces of mushrooms and froze them in gallon sized ziplock bags. 2 handfuls veggie mix, 2 eggs yay an omelet! I'm very lazy in the morning. Also the chopped veggies are good for other things like meat sauce or tacos. I'm now thinking about cubing some chicken so I can make "southwest" omelets with the veggies the chicken salsa and cheese. But I could also have other meat like steak or sausage chopped and frozen (precooked) for variety. I should say I did this at the beginning of the month and still have 1/2 of one of the 2 gallon bags I started with.

    Variety is the key. Because I am on a budget and thought I was doing myself a favor; now I dread dinner.
  • ellechim1
    ellechim1 Posts: 74 Member
    So here has been my experience this month. I made 2 meals and put them into about 20 containers and froze them. Yay diner for 20 days right? Bleh I am so sick of them I want to just throw them out. DON"T DO IT THIS WAY.

    I do this and it works well. Only I don't try to eat that same meal for 20 days straight..Yikes! I try to make make 2 soup type meals a month in my slow cooker. I get about 7 servings, leave 2 in the fridge and freeze the remainders (in single serve containers) I then have variety through the next year if it lasts that long.

    I also prep and freeze smoothie packs.
  • krystalrfletcher
    krystalrfletcher Posts: 13 Member
    Yes! I meal prep all of my meals except dinner on Sundays. Especially now that I'm in contest prep! I cant afford to get hungry and not have healthy food ready. I cut up all our fruits and veggies and put them in tupperware and then I usually make egg puffs (baked egg whites) to grab for breakfast, turkey load muffins, and baked chicken. Simple but gives me options to just grab and go!
  • Kidsonic
    Kidsonic Posts: 18 Member
    I do this all the time, and it's key to getting my family healthy balanced meals with our busy schedules. A couple of times a month I'll prep 4-8 family servings and stick 'em in the freezer. My favorites are things I can dump in the crock pot, but I also do stews, burritos, etc.

    We don't eat all meals in the month they are prepped, they just get thrown in the rotation -- This helps make sure that we have a nice variety and that no one gets bored of the same thing.
  • NSUTeach16
    NSUTeach16 Posts: 12
    Thanks ya'll! I've roasted two whole chickens and then froze the leftovers. I also roasted veggies and then blanched some other veggies and then paired that all with quinoa. I'm nervous about eating the same meal over and over and then getting bored and then quitting, lol. I'm excited that this may help and I'll be able to see my weight loss goal!
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    I cook three meals every Saturday. Two portions of each meal.
    I stick it in single serving containers and in the fridge and freezer. That's my dinners for an entire week.

    I get lunch at work and in the weekends for lunch I just mix up a simple salad with the veggies I have left over from meal prep.
    Breakfast is a simple bowl of ready brek porridge or a bagel with some fruit. No meal prep required.

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