Weekly cooking - Do you do it?

mygnsac
mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
edited November 2014 in Food and Nutrition
I usually spend an hour or two on the weekend cooking up some food for the upcoming work week. My weekly cooking is usually a pot of something (beans, lentils, soup, etc.), some hardboiled eggs, cashew milk (I use it as a creamer for my coffee), and maybe some snacks like banana oatmeal bars, nut bread, chocolate avocado pudding, granola, etc.

I find it helps to have some ready-to-go food during the work week when I'm tired and less inclined to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

What do you like to cook for the upcoming week? Love hearing new ideas.

This week I made a pot of turkey soup (turkey, noodles, brussel sprouts, carrots, onion, corn, red potatoes, garlic, cannelini beans, salt, pepper), hardboiled eggs, and red potatoes, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts tossed in a little EVOO and garlic salt and roasted (I couldn't resist and already ate some of the roasted brussel sprouts!). I still need to blend up some cashew milk.

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Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I love meal prepping! I recently cooked up a huge pot of chili that I ate at least one meal a day for most of the week. The chili recipe I used ended up making way more than I expected...came out to 4lbs, haha.

    Since I cook for one, and don't like to let stuff sit in the fridge for too long, I tend to bulk prep for a few days at a time. Right now I have 5 baggies of grapes portioned out for breakfast and snacks the next few days, I'm working on prepping some salads, and may bulk cook up some loc lac (Cambodian dish, it's my kryptonite) tomorrow for a few dinners and lunches.

    And now that you've mentioned it...I should cook up some eggs as well!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,995 Member
    Our household is not quite so organized. However, whenever we cook something that freezes well, we will make a huge batch and freeze in small portion containers. Typically, these are

    meatballs
    bolognaise sauce
    stews (estouffade)
    ma po tofu
    curries
    braised chicken dishes (cacciatore, coq au vin, tagine)
    pesto
    salsa verde or chimchurri
    split pea soup
    lentils (tarka dahl, lentils dressed in vinaigrette)
  • starchild3
    starchild3 Posts: 16 Member
    I have only been doing this for 2 weeks, but so far the first week I made cabbage soup (73 calories a cup) and today I made a chicken chili and a broccoli salad. I am hoping they last all week like the cabbage soup did. I will continue to do so and probably even add some other salads next week so I don't get bored! Darn it now I want brussel sprouts...
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    Lots if great ideas!
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    A big pot of butternut squash, kale and black bean chili. I'll freeze half of it. Besides that, it's salads for dinner this week.
  • missjones513
    missjones513 Posts: 345 Member
    I try to cook lunches and dinners over the weekend.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
    I do try to do batches of dinners and put them in the freezer. Usually I rotate between bolognese sauce, pork chili, chicken korma, chicken tikka masala, taco meat and pasta bakes. Each batch I make gives me four portions so I end up with a nice stock in the freezer and it saves so much time.
  • dlvuyovich
    dlvuyovich Posts: 102 Member
    I batch boil/broil chicken, and always have bags of frozen broccoli on hand. I don't always get to, but try to at least do all of my breakfasts in one shot: steal cut oatmeal and the whole carton of egg whites: divide into 5 containers,: 1/2cup oatmeal 5oz of the eggwhites. sprinkle on some cinamon. Boom - breakfast all week. :smile:
  • SMarieEM
    SMarieEM Posts: 21 Member
    I love to cook. Homemade food is ALWAYS the best way to go :) I don't do alot of cooking when my boyfriends out of town but when he is home I love cooking and baking for him. My favorite things to make are oven baked tacos, halibut Olympia, tuna noodle casserole, and salmon patties.
  • freeoscar
    freeoscar Posts: 82 Member
    We make a batch of chicken stock with a whole chicken, and then use the meat for chicken salad. I also cut up veggies for salads and make my dressing. And maybe I'll hard boil come eggs and make a bolognese type sauce.
    Having food prepared makes it much easier to keep within my calorie limit while making sure I enjoy what I'm eating and have room for a couple of treats each week.
  • agbmom556
    agbmom556 Posts: 694 Member
    This weekend I made chilli, salsa chicken for tacos, and a extra pot pie.
    I have preteens in my household. Therefore I have to cook and freeze right away or they will eat every thing in sight! :smiley:
  • Fruitylicious03
    Fruitylicious03 Posts: 301
    I make my breakfast and dinners for the week on Sunday evening. This week for breakfast is eggs and bacon. For dinner its roasted lamb chops and cheesy veggies.

    I love prepping ahead. Makes for super easy logging.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    The idea of cooking for the week is kind of like my idea of hell.
  • Fruitylicious03
    Fruitylicious03 Posts: 301
    arditarose wrote: »
    The idea of cooking for the week is kind of like my idea of hell.

    Haha. My sister said the same to me. But I do what I call "lazy cooking". I throw the whole lot in a big pan and throw it in the oven and forget about it until it's cooked. Except the eggs. I boil those all at once. So its not really that much work. ;)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Fruitylicious03 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    The idea of cooking for the week is kind of like my idea of hell.

    Haha. My sister said the same to me. But I do what I call "lazy cooking". I throw the whole lot in a big pan and throw it in the oven and forget about it until it's cooked. Except the eggs. I boil those all at once. So its not really that much work. ;)

    Yeah...That's pretty good. I just...can't. Plus I have a really crappy/small city kitchen. I buy almost every meal separately. Sometimes I'm in the grocery store 3 times a day. Already been there twice today. Need to get some squash for dinner so will probably be back in a few hours :)
  • Fruitylicious03
    Fruitylicious03 Posts: 301
    arditarose wrote: »
    Fruitylicious03 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    The idea of cooking for the week is kind of like my idea of hell.

    Haha. My sister said the same to me. But I do what I call "lazy cooking". I throw the whole lot in a big pan and throw it in the oven and forget about it until it's cooked. Except the eggs. I boil those all at once. So its not really that much work. ;)

    Yeah...That's pretty good. I just...can't. Plus I have a really crappy/small city kitchen. I buy almost every meal separately. Sometimes I'm in the grocery store 3 times a day. Already been there twice today. Need to get some squash for dinner so will probably be back in a few hours :)

    Yum, squash... :heart_eyes:
  • OUCHilly1
    OUCHilly1 Posts: 44 Member
    It's good to see I am not the only one. I work a 32 hour shift (basically there from friday afternoon to sunday afternoon) and I have to prepare all my meals to take with me. I only have what I prepare so there is very little snacking (maybe a bag of popcorn or tea and crackers before bed to relax). I think preparing meals in advance helps to keep my diet balanced.
  • emmacken
    emmacken Posts: 161 Member
    I have been preparing a different soup every week for the last two months that becomes my lunch for work. I portion it out in mason jars and store those in the fridge. I've roasted chicken or slow cooked pork and incorporated those into my dinners. For example, on Sunday I slow cooked 2 lbs of pork chops. I had some pork and lettuce wraps that evening, I will have pork and veggies tonight, and will make some pork nachos with any leftovers on Thursday.

    Getting my protein cooked in advance helps my weeknight dinners come together with very little effort. I also agree with an above poster that by prepping my meals in advance, logging becomes significantly easier.
  • sydneydeb
    sydneydeb Posts: 93 Member
    Oh yes I love the satisfaction of a full freezer. I'm lucky to have a huge upright so I can really go to town. Each week I cook a full meal and freeze the leftovers for the nights I get home late and can't be bothered.

    My favourites are:
    Spaghetti bolognaise
    Curried pumpkin and lentil soup
    Beef ragu with pappardelle
    Beef and potato casserole
    Vegetable korma
    Salmon and dill frittata
    Roasted vegetable pasta
    Salmon, asparagus and pea penne (this rarely gets into the freezer)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I'm too lazy and a total procrastinator - If I can put something off, I will. So...I end up cooking dinner every night on the fly. I wait until the last possible moment and then decide what to make based on what I have available. I'm terrible like that...

    The good news is that I generally have a lot of nutritious food ingredients in my house and I have a schedule that gives me plenty of time to be able to cook meals from scratch every night...

    I really should make it a point to try this big batch cooking method, though. It sounds super efficient.
  • d6melanie
    d6melanie Posts: 84 Member
    Yes, because I know if I didn't we'd either eat takeaway or I'd get mad that I work all day and then have to come home and cook. I usually do this:

    Wash/Cut/Prep all veg
    • Slice/Dice onions, peppers, mushrooms, carrots, celery, cabbage, scallions, etc...
    • de-stem/chop kale, broccoli, cauliflower
    • skin and cube butternut squash
    • de-stem, halve brussel sprouts
    • Spiralize zucchini
    Wash/Prep all meat
    • brine chicken
    • brown any ground meat
    Make Ahead to Reheat
    • Bolognese Sauce
    • Soup (ginger zucchini, curried butternut, etc...
    • roast a spaghetti squash
    • put together a cottage pie (or eggplant strata)
    Make Sauces/Condiments
    • Mayo (this is the base of like every dressing and dip we use during the weak)
    • Ketchup
    • Sunshine Sauce (like Thai Peanut)

    Then I store everything in a container that holds just the amount a need for when I cook, I typically try to cook a dinner and enough leftovers for lunch the following day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I make a big batch of beans in my slow cooker pretty much every Sunday. They are a staple for the whole family throughout the week. I also bake sweet potatoes fairly often so that I can take for lunch. This time of year I also do a lot of big stews and soups for which I usually have leftovers throughout the week.
  • Canwehugnow
    Canwehugnow Posts: 218 Member
    I'll make a soup of sorts, filled with my veggie fill. And, i'll make a meat mixture (haha). I used to make meatballs, but that got tedious, so now I just through all the meat i want, cook it and divide in Tupperware containers.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    I always try to cook something that will have left overs but my husband is like a big, dumb dog when it comes to food. If it is there he will just keep eating. Last night he ate 5 bowls of the chicken/veggie stew I made in the crockpot. I was totally planning on having some for lunch today, now I will probably go out for Pho.

    I do however, prepare some things that just take too long during the week. I like to roast beets and squash on the weekend since they take an hour. This way I can add them to salads and sides. I also bake a loaf or two of bread every Sunday so we have fresh bread for the week
  • quellybelly
    quellybelly Posts: 827 Member
    Yes I cook for the week, otherwise it's an easy excuse for me to grab something to go!

    Bump for all these yummy ideas :)
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    Yes! I like to make stuff that freezes well and then I disperse it weekly to my brother who is a junior in college, and my parents, who aren't home enough to cook! My staples are: butternut squash soup, sweet potato enchiladas, beef/pork chili, carrot-ginger soup (I pour soups in to muffin tins, freeze them, and then pack the single serve portions in a ziplock bag), crock pot curry chicken, stuffed acorn squash, and also smoothie stuff (fresh fruit cut up and frozen in to individual servings I mix with water/pro powder). Seems to work well and is appreciated by everyone!
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    Loving all of these great ideas!
  • allisondra23
    allisondra23 Posts: 38
    I do sometimes, I mean to all the time but it just doesn't happen.
    My favs to make when I do meal prep:
    1. Veggie chili
    2. Seitan stew
    3. Tomato basil soup
    4. Veggie cheddar
    5. Jalapeno biscuits
    6. Rosemary Focaccia
    7. Avocado asparagus potato salad
    8. Black bean quinoa salad
    9. burrito innards
    10. Taco filling
  • cosmichvoyager
    cosmichvoyager Posts: 237 Member
    I try to prep because it's kind of the key to my success so far--planning.
    Weeks when I don't prep some meals ahead I don't end up losing any weight.

    I like to keep meal components on hand--roasted veggies, prepared proteins, rolled out pie crusts, frozen pizza dough, etc. When all else fails I do something like a veggie quesadilla on corn tortillas with a bunch of salad on top or a miso stew/soup with whatever's in the fridge. I don't know if I could do this weight loss thing if I wasn't dedicated to cooking or didn't enjoy it. Restaurants and take out are so hard to keep calories within reason for me and I get tempted to have a drink or 2 and it just argh....no.
  • jaquelynny
    jaquelynny Posts: 94 Member
    meal prep is totally the way to go
    Lazy girl chicken- Unwrap a couple pounds of breasts spray glass dish with pam, put chicken in glass dish, cover with fat free italian dressing, let sit one day. take out and pop in oven for an hour...chicken for days!
    keep in mind i am on a very limited diet so i keep most stuff without a lot of fuss, may not be the greatest but keeping things limited limits variety hence less to stimulate appetite, just my 2 cents
    i also prep sweet potatoes and asparagus. i spend most time in the gym or at work so i make everything pretty easy to grab and go

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