Meal Prep Day

meganleighhh
meganleighhh Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What do you prep for the week--need some pointers. I really want to get into the habit of doing this. How do you change it up so you don't get tired of eating the same thing week to week? Measurements? I am trying to stay around 1500 calories a day.
Thanks!

Replies

  • moodyfeesh14
    moodyfeesh14 Posts: 811 Member
    I cook somewhat seperate meals for me and my hubby so I will prep cauliflower rice, zoodles (zuchinni noodles) and cauliflower/jicama "mashed potatoes" so I am not tempted to go carb crazy like he does, also I will cook chicken/fish in large batches so it is ready for the week oh and pre cut veggies/portion out snack in little baggies so I'm not tempted to eat a large portion because the original large bag is there
  • booboo68
    booboo68 Posts: 302 Member
    I've been doing weekly meal prep for a while now. Here is what I do.

    I grill 3 or 4 chicken breasts
    I steam a couple of bunches of broccoli
    Clean and cut up carrots and celery and cauliflower. I always have cherry tomatoes too.
    Boil a dozen eggs (if you don't want to boil them, Eggland's Best has already boiled ones)
    I put 14 almonds (100 cal) in small containers
    I keep salad makings handy
    Whole dill pickles
    Make tuna salad
    Egg muffins (mix eggs and whatever omelette ingredients you like, spray pam in muffin pan and bake until done, on the go eggs)
    Grill pork chops
    Grilled Veggies


    These are just a few things, and I portion everything out individually for lunches and then we mix or match what we want to take and supplement with protein shakes and bars, apples, bananas, berries. But it's all portioned out and all we do is grab and go.

    Also in the same day, I cook dinners for the week and put in individual portions. Examples below:

    Pulled pork in the crockpot.
    Pork tenderloin and sauerkraut.
    Vegetable soup
    Green beans, ham and red potatoes
    Chili soup
    Chicken and salsa in the crockpot. (just heat, put in tortilla with sour cream and cheese and fresh tomatoes and it's ready)
    Beef Stew


    There are so many ways to have all of your meals prepped for the week. Crockpots are awesome for this. Even if you don't want to use the crockpot every day, invest in a second one and have 2 going at once while you're cleaning house or whatever and then portion stuff out for the week.

    As you get used to doing the food prep you will get quicker at it and create your own variations and recipes. I typically cook 2-3 main dishes every Sunday and then do other odds and ends. WE don't get bored with it and we definitely don't get hungry.

    For example: Sunday of this week I will be making pulled pork, roast with potatoes, carrots and onions and pork with sauerkraut. (I have 3 crockpots so this will be done very easily and I can even be gone for the day and not worry about that part of it if I want.)

    Hope this helps.
  • jennkaotic
    jennkaotic Posts: 5 Member
    Hello,

    I use Sunday afternoons as my prep day. The first, most useful, thing I have is a pressure cooker. A real nice one that does a variety of food. They are great for making beans and healthy grains (like farro and barley). This allows me to buy bulk dry beans and grains so when I cook them I know they have no sodium or extras.

    What I usually do is my rule of 4. I do four things each week in prep (well 5 if you count my batch of steel cut oats). I do 1 grain (Farro, Quinoa, Bulgar, etc), 1 bean (black, kidney, garbanzo, etc) and 1 Lentil and a casserole (cuz those are good for multiple days). So I run each batch through the pressure cooker by itself. Takes about 20 minutes to cook each one. While the stuff is cooking I am prepping my casserole and while that is cooking I prep veggies. Takes about 2-3 hours on a Sunday afternoon.

    Nice things is most grains and beans do well in the fridge for a while. If not I will freeze some. So I am not JUST eating whatever foods I have prepped that week. I have some servings from the previous week as well. Once you have done this a few weeks you can have quite a stock pile of foods in your freezer ready to go.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1390629-meal-prep-how-do-you-do-it

    some thoughts in there.

    also- I tend to cook 2 dishes at a time- so I can rotate through them- and I make eggs for dinner all the time- easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
    I usually have several crock pots going with meats & veges, sweet potatoes in the oven and ground turkey on the stove. I also make low carb bread, a weeks worth of shakes for me and hubby and whatever I can find at the farmers market.
  • meganleighhh
    meganleighhh Posts: 14 Member
    Thank y'all so much, very good advice! I will take it all in and put it to use!

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