Meal prepping!

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ashaver_21
ashaver_21 Posts: 97
in Food and Nutrition
So I am getting back into the swing of things with doing my meal prep. Its been about two years since the last time I was dedicated to measuring out my food and packing it up for the week.

For those of you that are pros at prepping my question is this;
What do you find more effective?
A.) Prepping on Sunday for the whole week
B.) Prepping on Sunday for three day days and then on the third day prepping for the rest of the week.
C.) I am crazy and prep for the whole month!

In the past I have ran into my proteins going bad before the end of the week. Texturally I don't like to freeze my proteins after being cooked. And the only other issue was if I wasn't training for something I lost motivation to prep wednesday night for the rest of the week.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Replies

  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    B)- kinda - I usually prep Sunday for 3 days. Thursday is usually leftover use up day. Friday is sometimes a go out meal or an easy pantry meal(canned tuna or vegetarian). Saturday is a flex day depending on what's on the schedule. Sunday is usually shop and prep for next week. I cook for a family so I could be cooking for 3 to 6 or more, so flexibility is key.
  • romancoat
    romancoat Posts: 9 Member
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    A mix of A and B? I'll do most of the pre-prep -- e.g., cutting up fruit and sticking them in the freezer for smoothies, and anything that requires slow cooking on weekends, then will do another round midway through the week for stuff like mason jar salads.
  • azdaisy2
    azdaisy2 Posts: 21 Member
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    I sort of do a combination. I usually pre-cut, measure and package my proteins when I bring them home from the store and freeze them (raw). This allows me to quickly defrost something when I get home. I also pre-cook enough protein for a few days. I used to prep for a whole week but found that I got bored with what I was making because I ended up eating it all week.
  • sweating_for_wedding
    sweating_for_wedding Posts: 41 Member
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    I'm a weird one. I only meal prep for work days (M-F) and I only do 4 days for lunch. I let the 5th day be a soup/find a healthy option close to the office day. That way, I don't waste any food because it went bad! I leave my weekends open as far as lunch/dinner, but I always have some fruit, yogurts, and hard-boiled eggs prepped and on hand.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
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    I like prepping on Sundays (lunch). It's my thing. I do a long run and then prep my meals. It sort of puts me in my "happy place" so to speak. I will plan dinner for the week on that day to and if need be I will prep some of that. Oh and that is also my "Soup Sunday" that I will make soup and freeze it for quick use.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I typically prep on Sunday- I eat the same thing for lunch and dinner or have said food for lunch and then do eggs for dinner.

    I don't have an issue eating the same thing day in and day out- some people do- which the easy solution for that is 1.) get over it OR 2.) when you meal prep- do TWO dishes (I do stove and range- or range and crock pot) and I use chicken and make two different types of chicken.

    BF comes here Wed/Thur so usually we go out to dinner those days- or cook steaks at home and then I just have to figure out lunch for Thursday and Friday lunch- Dinner I'm on my own. (eggs anyone LOL)
  • bug1114
    bug1114 Posts: 268 Member
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    I prep for all meals and snacks for Monday through Friday on Sunday evening. I haven't run into protein going bad on me. I like to have everything ready, take it all in on Monday and then not have to worry about it for the rest of the week.
  • redheadjojo
    redheadjojo Posts: 4 Member
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    I do all my prep on Sundays. I cook and portion 2-3 meals, prep veggies for snacks, and boil eggs for quick breakfasts (morning is the hardest time for me!). But I also keep homemade soups/stews/beans in the freezer to grab if I run low or get bored later in the week.
  • redheadjojo
    redheadjojo Posts: 4 Member
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    Also, since I live alone, those 2-3 meals usually make lunch and dinner for most, if not all, of the week. I also have sandwich stuff on hand as back-up.
  • SteelersFan7
    SteelersFan7 Posts: 217 Member
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    I prep on Sunday for the work week. Because I work full-time and I'm a part-time student I have absolutely no time during the week to cook. I also fit my workouts in at 6am because the evenings are just too hectic. I try to focus on foods that I can freeze if necessary or things that won't go bad quickly. I'd prep for a month if I had the freezer space! That sounds like a great idea.
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I cook for my freezer and eat out of it for most lunches and dinners. Only that week's worth of fresh fruits and veggies can be found in my fridge at any given time. Since I cook for one, making a huge mess for each meal seems stupid and food spoils so quickly on me. If I do cook, I make a big batch and freeze what I don't eat. I try to replace the quantity I ate that week over the weekend. Variety happens as you keep adding to your inventory. Right now I have 16 meal options in my freezer in individual servings, pull one out and into the oven or microwave it goes. Currently, I can eat twice a day for 5 weeks with no cooking if I wanted. Yes, I have a lot of tupperware containers. ;)

    This fits with my lifestyle though; and it takes effort to maintain. I make poor eating choices and I forget veggies when I don't eat this way. Plus, its portion control and it helps me plan my calorie day a little easier. And I can toss a meal into a covered casserole dish with a Tbsp of water and let it heat in the oven while I get my exercise in for the day.

    The degree to which you prep depends on the value to you. I LOVE to cook but more often than not, by the time I get home from work I am tired and emotionally exhausted. I try to cook at least twice a week and eat from my freezer the rest of the time. My breakfast and daily snacks are pretty much always the same and take zero prep.
  • ashaver_21
    ashaver_21 Posts: 97
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    Wow sounds like a lot of great ideas! Thanks so far and encourage more people to add to this discussion!
  • ashaver_21
    ashaver_21 Posts: 97
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    Here is a fun one for ya! Do any of you time out your meals? For example Protein shake at 6am, Oatmeal and a hard boiled egg at 9am, Veggies and baked chicken at 12pm, protein bar and a cup of blueberries 3pm, ect?

  • chelsmccann
    chelsmccann Posts: 37 Member
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    i'm a combination of A&C. At the beginning of the month i'll do a day of shopping at Costco and various other needed places for all my bulk items like protein, veggies & fruit I can freeze, egg whites etc. I spend a couple hours baggin & taggin and putting it all in its respective home. Then every Sunday I get my fresh produce for the week and get my meal stuff ready (i measure out my egg whites and put them in containers to go, pre-portion veggies, make pasta sauces for veggetti and pre-portion/freeze them) . I work a lot, so on work days, i just throw the meat/veg etc into my lunch bag and microwave it when im ready to eat. I dont have a microwave at home so i spend time creating something a little nicer when i have the time, but its still for the most part, grab the food from the freezer/fridge, put it on a pan and broil it till its ready.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    ashaver_21 wrote: »
    Here is a fun one for ya! Do any of you time out your meals? For example Protein shake at 6am, Oatmeal and a hard boiled egg at 9am, Veggies and baked chicken at 12pm, protein bar and a cup of blueberries 3pm, ect?

    nope... not really_ I have a loose schedule I follow food around noon- snack between 2-3, another snack around 4- then usually a snack around 7 then a couple hundred calories at night if I can afford it.

  • mforrestall
    mforrestall Posts: 37 Member
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    I meal prep my lunches and snacks on Sunday for the week ahead. Sometimes I'll do a little bit of prep for dinners if needed (like chopping veges). I'm very lucky that my husband gets home earlier then me and is a great cook. Generally he will check the white board and get dinner started (we plan weeknight dinners together on the weekend). I find that by planning meals, shopping on the weekend and prepping what I can I make much better choices throughout the week. If I have to decide what I want, portion it and pack it up each day I end up just going out and that's not great for my calories or my wallet.
  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
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    I usually meal plan on Sunday for 3-4 days. A flexible plan works best for my household.
  • melissalbrinley
    melissalbrinley Posts: 4
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    Has anyone tried using eMeals.com to help with meal planning?
  • LuckyStar813
    LuckyStar813 Posts: 163 Member
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    sweating_for_wedding wrote: »
    I'm a weird one. I only meal prep for work days (M-F) and I only do 4 days for lunch. I let the 5th day be a soup/find a healthy option close to the office day. That way, I don't waste any food because it went bad! I leave my weekends open as far as lunch/dinner, but I always have some fruit, yogurts, and hard-boiled eggs prepped and on hand.

    I do exactly this too because I work from home on Wednesdays. So I prep breakfast, lunch and snacks for 4 days, on Sunday afternoon.

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