I don't like meal prepping

Options
mskelzz
mskelzz Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I KNOW meal prep is a good idea. It stops u going for quick fix foods when ur hungry ect ect but I really do not like to eat food that has to get warmed up. I think it tastes horrible. I prefer my food freshly done!

Any alternative?
«1

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Options
    Meal prep the ingredients and cook fresh?
  • The_Sandra
    The_Sandra Posts: 56 Member
    Options
    Do you mean for lunches at work/school? Maybe cold foods? Like salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc...
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    Options
    I don't like doing laundry or paying the taxes ... but they've gotta be done.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Options
    I've found some dishes to actually be far superior second time around.

    Stews, Chilli, Bolognese, Curries are all examples that can be batch cooked and whose flavour develops on reheating.
  • DebzNuDa
    DebzNuDa Posts: 252 Member
    Options
    I don't like leftovers either except those required that slow cooking . If it is really "prepping" for cooking that you hate, many of your veggies, fruits and meats are found in the grocery nowadays and you can just grab a handful, weigh and cook (but you WILL pay for that premium). Good luck. :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    Options
    I don't meal prep. I cook 10 minute dinners every night, and eat at the salad bar or bring hummus/tabouli/yogurt/cottage cheese to work for lunch and snacks.
  • vchan000
    vchan000 Posts: 38 Member
    Options
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Meal prep the ingredients and cook fresh?

    I do this sometimes. Everything gets its own Ziploc bag (chicken in the marinade, uncooked rice, frozen vegetables) and it all goes in a big Ziploc bag with the cooking instructions written on it. Sometimes I'll leave out the frozen veggies, and just write suggestions for fresh from the fridge or canned if I'm just going to have them steamed/heated. I can pull the bag out in the morning before work, and cook it in 20 minutes when I get home.

    I also have several jars of custom spice mixes in the cupboards. Adobo spice, taco seasoning, poultry seasoning, I mix my own and label them, and it helps when the time comes to cook that I just need one jar and not five from the cupboard.



  • commanderval
    commanderval Posts: 187 Member
    Options
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Meal prep the ingredients and cook fresh?

    this definitely saves me lots of time!

  • DebzNuDa
    DebzNuDa Posts: 252 Member
    Options
    vchan000 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Meal prep the ingredients and cook fresh?

    I do this sometimes. Everything gets its own Ziploc bag (chicken in the marinade, uncooked rice, frozen vegetables) and it all goes in a big Ziploc bag with the cooking instructions written on it. Sometimes I'll leave out the frozen veggies, and just write suggestions for fresh from the fridge or canned if I'm just going to have them steamed/heated. I can pull the bag out in the morning before work, and cook it in 20 minutes when I get home.

    I also have several jars of custom spice mixes in the cupboards. Adobo spice, taco seasoning, poultry seasoning, I mix my own and label them, and it helps when the time comes to cook that I just need one jar and not five from the cupboard.



    LOVE the idea of mixing the seasons.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Options
    I do it because its easier. Do what works for you.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Options
    I made my own chinese five spice.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Options
    mskelzz wrote: »
    I KNOW meal prep is a good idea. It stops u going for quick fix foods when ur hungry ect ect but I really do not like to eat food that has to get warmed up. I think it tastes horrible. I prefer my food freshly done!

    Any alternative?

    Are you talking about preparing meals for several days and not liking it re-heated or not liking to prepare cooked meals at all? How much time will you devote to preparing food? What kind of food do you want to eat?

    I cook something different almost every day. I don't mind reheated foods but I do not prepare meals for days in advance.
    You can use pre-cut or precooked vegetables or meats to speed up prep time and do not combine them until you are ready to have your meal. You can look up no cook recipes. You can make things that are intended to be eaten cold.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Options
    I don't either. So I don't. I just make recipes or single serving foods and eat what is available. I don't ingredient prep either. I just.... Eat.
  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
    Options
    i cook dinner 5-6 nights a week. takes me usually around 30 minutes of active time. There are a few things I prep so that when i get home I can shove them in the oven (like a spaghetti squash casserole that even my husband adores). You can buy a pressure cooker to cook things even faster. You could also start a dish cooking in a crock pot and have it ready for you when you come home.

    I do meal prep - but for me, the prep is choosing my menu for the week and buying all my ingredients at the market once a week so that when i get home I know what I'm doing and have all I need to be able to cook it up quickly. Not a bad idea to create dishes that don't feel like work. Last night I chopped up chicken breast and cauliflower and threw then on a cookie sheet with some grape tomatoes, olive oil, rosemary and salt. Nothing is easier than that. And its always a hit.
  • krisalexine
    krisalexine Posts: 78 Member
    Options
    mskelzz wrote: »
    I KNOW meal prep is a good idea. It stops u going for quick fix foods when ur hungry ect ect but I really do not like to eat food that has to get warmed up. I think it tastes horrible. I prefer my food freshly done!

    Any alternative?

    If you have the time, nothing wrong with cooking dinner fresh every night.

    As for lunch, the only alternative to not having a microwaved pre-prepped meal is to order takeout or eat things that you don't have to heat up (I assume you can't go home and cook a fresh meal at lunch, nor do you have a fully equipped kitchen available to you at your job). I don't like doing this because it gets crazy expensive, but if you have the money to spare, then by all means. :)
  • stephdeeday
    stephdeeday Posts: 43 Member
    Options
    I do not own a microwave...not because I think they are bad, I just have no counter space :( So I do not really meal prep like making whole meals in advance...but I pre chop my veggies or cook chicken breast for the week for salads or wraps. Just do whatever works for you, meal prepping is not a must.
  • DearestWinter
    DearestWinter Posts: 595 Member
    Options
    mskelzz wrote: »
    I KNOW meal prep is a good idea. It stops u going for quick fix foods when ur hungry ect ect but I really do not like to eat food that has to get warmed up. I think it tastes horrible. I prefer my food freshly done!

    Any alternative?

    I don't meal prep. If I have leftovers then I may eat them, but otherwise I keep snacks on hand (yogurt, almonds, etc.) and make sure to log food before I eat it. If I go out or have a ready-made meal then I decide what I'm going to eat in advance (and log it) so I can make sure I stay on track the rest of the day.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    I don't meal prep much. On a normal week I cook 6 nights a week. The only prepping I do is washing greens after I buy them and store for my smoothies, I cut up, weigh and freeze chicken (and marinate my kabobs and store in a freezer bag) and I portion out and weigh candy and treats store them in snack bags, but that's about it.
  • lichic25
    lichic25 Posts: 161 Member
    Options
    You'd be surprised how many braised dishes are not only healthy but can be cooked in large batches and frozen for later.

    I make this all the time and it's my go to for comfort food

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/braised_paprika_chicken.html
  • mskelzz
    mskelzz Posts: 7
    Options
    Love your answers. But some people got confused. I don't mind preparing to cook. I just don't like cooking food and then having to put it in the fridge or freezer. Then warming it back up when ready to eat.

    I think once food gone cold and re heating it doesn't take nice at all the following day

    So it seems like I have to find time and cook fresh food every day.

Categories