Meal prep....what do you do?

madaboutblu
madaboutblu Posts: 24 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi
Im realising after much disappointment that food prep is massively important to the success of any food intentions so I am trying to prepare/plan some meals ready for a busy week but still looking for them to be clean healthy meals, and am looking for some suggestions, advice, emergency tips etc thanks in advance

Replies

  • dizzieblondeuk
    dizzieblondeuk Posts: 286 Member
    Use your freezer. Make extra and freeze, or have enough leftovers for lunch.
    Plan, plan, plan - 7 day menus are essential for me.
    Find quick prep meals. Almost everything I eat takes under 20 minutes to prep. It may take much longer in the oven, but that's time to do a work out, or be chopping fruit and veg for snack
  • Unknown
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  • DaliaMaria1173
    DaliaMaria1173 Posts: 18 Member
    I prefer to do ingredient prep vs. full-on meals (sometimes, I just don't want to eat the same thing yet again).

    For example, I'll prepare and store spaghetti squash, ground meat, chicken breast, salad mix, steamed veggies, broccoli, sweet potato, boiled egg, etc. all on their own. That way, I can mix and match on the fly depending on my appetite. I only do it for a few days at a time. Limited fridge space, some things don't freeze well, and some things don't keep for a whole week.

    For ideas, YouTube is great. :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I grill or bake chicken for the week and put it in baggies. You can cut up veggies. Additionally, I use leftovers for lunches.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited June 2015
    I usually just make 2-3 times as much as I need for dinner and then use the leftovers.

    Sometimes I cook up some meat on Sunday (roasted chicken or maybe do a turkey leg or some lamb or pork or salmon) and break it into a few lunches or dinners. I might do the sides too, or might wait until the morning (for lunch) or evening (for dinner) since veggies are fast. It really depends. Mostly I meal prep when I'm cooking anyway (make dinner and lunch for the next day or breakfast and lunch).

    I have a bunch of tupperware containers that are perfect for bringing lunch and tend to use them to keep the food in my refrigerator too. I don't tend to make so far in advance that I freeze anything.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    I cook dinner every night which takes about 10-15 min. During that time I make enough for lunch the next day and put it into my lunch Tupperware set. For breakfast I usually do a protein shake and a one ounce baggie of nuts. Those are bagged up on the weekend for the coming week. Then I buy fresh fruit typically every other day for my snacks. All my food is planned out everyday and that helps me stick to my goal.
  • Ioras88
    Ioras88 Posts: 57 Member
    Since I'm a lazy person as far as planning goes I only plan what to do for two days ahead, buy the ingredients, cook and put the meals in the fridge. Sometimes there's enough for dinner or for breakfast.
    Because of my digestion problems I'm orientating myself on paleo when it comes to food and recipes since they usually leave out stuff I can't eat anyway. :) that also means: some meals are breakfast without being typical breakfast items, haha!
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    I like to batch cook, especially chicken. I'll weigh the batch before and after and that will give me a number to multiply my serving against. Chicken thighs will often be around 1.35x, breasts will be around 1.15x. With any leftover, I'll put a sticky note on the glad container or write on the bag with the serving size so I can easily make notes when I use them.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    I don't meal prep, but I certainly do things like cooking large amounts of ground meat with sofrito or peppers and onions. I also chop vegetables and fruits (the ones that tolerate it, anyway) as soon as I come home from the store. This helps because I'm the type of person who sometimes likes to graze or pick at food, and it's a lot better to do that with carrots or cantaloupe. I also cook and slice enough chicken for 3 days of salads at one go.

    I have accidentally run across enough meal prep blogs and videos to know that it's a really common thing, so you can probably find a lot of ideas by googling.
  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
    edited June 2015
    I roast a lot of food all at once: usually chicken breast, broccoli/cauliflower, yams/sweet potatoes
    If I'm not too lazy, I'll chop it up before sealing it away in the fridge. Then, during the week, I use a little bit of everything on top of pre-washed salad greens.

    My emergency tips:
    Always keep some yams/sweet potatoes around, raw and cooked. They store well and cook up fast in a pinch in the microwave (but taste better roasted, I do it in my toaster oven). Plus, they're a filling, healthy source of carbs.
    For protein emergencies, I have string cheese, cottage cheese, or greek yogurt.
  • hutchin88
    hutchin88 Posts: 83 Member
    For lunches:
    Salads made with rotisserie chicken + a box of organic washed lettuce. Various condiments such as olives, cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, etc. to keep salads interesting. Apples and oranges, which I also put on my lunchtime salads. I also keep lo-cal raw snacks on hand such as cucumbers, jicama and salsa. And ry-krisp and single serving popcorn for times when gotta have crunch.

    I also keep frozen red salmon filets - you can bake them right out of the freezer in 30 minutes (covered in a Corning ware). I'll actually do this while I'm getting ready for work. Also frozen shrimp. Dump some in a pan with frozen broccoli or other veggies, swish it around with some tamari and a little water over med high heat, and voila, dinner in a pinch!
  • hutchin88
    hutchin88 Posts: 83 Member
    Ps my kids are grown, so I'm soo happy NOT cooking :wink:
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    I usually pick 2 or 3 recipes to cook on my day off, I log them in the recipe builder, then portion them into containers for my lunches and dinner.

    For instance, I'll make a pasta salad with grilled chicken. I portion into 4 servings for my lunches. I'll also make a meatloaf, steamed rice, and steam some green beans (or whatever vegetable I fancy that week). I'll portion those into 6 containers for dinners throughout the week. Everything is weighed and calculated and entered in MFP so I don't even have to think about the calories.

    Definitely make sure you have enough containers so you can just grab, reheat, and eat.
  • cuckoo_jenibeth
    cuckoo_jenibeth Posts: 1,434 Member
    I cook for a family every night and pack lunch every day, so I like foods that I can stretch. I like to roast a whole chicken or pork loin; first night just serve with veggies/side, 2nd night shred meat and place in crock pot with salsa verde for quick tostadoes, 3rd night slivered over skinny Fettuccini Alfredo! Plus, usually enough for 1 or 2 salad toppings for lunches!
    Then on to second "bulk" item....beef roast turns into burritos, then hot beef sandwiches or beef & broccoli, etc.
  • kjurassic
    kjurassic Posts: 571 Member
    I always have my fridge stocked with lots of salad fixins (lettuce, spinach, cukes, cherry tomatoes, onions), fruits (buy in season stuff - right now watermelon, canteloupe, blueberries, strawberries, honeydews, etc) and veggies (squash, broccoli, cauliflower, etc). I usually cook proteins every other weekend keep 1/2 in the fridge, freeze 1/2 for the next week. With all that stuff in the fridge you can make a salad, throw different fruits in to switch it up and there's always an entrée and veggies for other lunches/dinners. I usually have grains in the morning and at lunch time.
  • Krystle1984
    Krystle1984 Posts: 146 Member
    I like to spend the first Sunday of the month prepping several meals. I'll make a huge pot of veggie chilli, a big pot of casserole, tomato and onion sauce for pasta and maybe some lentil shepherd's pies. Each will make between 4 and 8 servings. I keep one of each in the fridge then freeze the rest and have stuff on hand for the rest of the month. Then I just do small shops in-between for fresh fruit and vegetables. Means I don't get bored and only have to waste one day on prep. :)
  • faithyang
    faithyang Posts: 297 Member
    edited June 2015
    Simple rule. THE FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND.

    Aside from the helpful hints above from the posters on cooking batches of meals, you can always keep individual portions of marinated meat of different marinades so you can on a whim and perhaps not wanting to eat the cooked foods in the freezer pull one out, and cook or incorporate into a dish.

    I learnt it from Jamie Oliver and its a brilliant idea.

    ALSO - FLAT PACK THEM and label them. Best thing to have ever happened in my freezer. :smiley:

    Flat-Pack-Freezer-Meals-001.jpg
    img_02091.jpg

  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
    I batch cook. I'll make a few different meals and portion them into individual serves and freeze. Take them out the day before you plan on eating them to let them defrost in the fridge and they'll microwave super quick when you're ready to eat them.

    This was what I made on Sunday, enough for 19 meals. Took maybe 3 hours.

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  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
    On Saturday I shop, and Sunday I do prep. I wash, cut, peel all veggies. I boil a dozen eggs. I peel the eggs. Put everything in containers. My meals are pretty simple and basic.
    Breakfast, usually an omelet with veggies or fruit and yogurt.
    Lunch: salad, leftovers, hard boiled eggs.
    Dinner: stir fry, omelet or salad.
    Friday night I clean out the fridge, and usually make a batch of veggie soup or spaghetti sauce, which goes into portions in the freezer.
    I usually make two salads each week, this week I made a bean salad and potato salad.
  • faithyang
    faithyang Posts: 297 Member
    softblondechick wrote: »
    On Saturday I shop, and Sunday I do prep. I wash, cut, peel all veggies. I boil a dozen eggs. I peel the eggs. Put everything in containers. My meals are pretty simple and basic.
    Breakfast, usually an omelet with veggies or fruit and yogurt.
    Lunch: salad, leftovers, hard boiled eggs.
    Dinner: stir fry, omelet or salad.
    Friday night I clean out the fridge, and usually make a batch of veggie soup or spaghetti sauce, which goes into portions in the freezer.
    I usually make two salads each week, this week I made a bean salad and potato salad.

    Bean salad and potato salad? I love those!

    Do you have a recipe you can share? :smiley:
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Have an idea of what you want to make and buy what you can ahead of time. :)

    Utilize your freezer. If you're making a meatloaf, might as well make two, cut up and freeze what you don't eat. Same with other things that can be frozen. My freezer used to host ice cubes, frozen dinners and ice cream. Now it hosts all kinds of stuff.

    I freeze liquids in bags. I set them up until they're slushy and then flatten them. :)

    I take things out 36-48 hours before I heat them so that they can thaw in the fridge.
  • swift13b
    swift13b Posts: 158 Member
    On Sundays I make a batch of egg muffins (literally just whatever veggies you would normally have in an omelet, cheese if you want it and then I use 4 whole eggs and 190 grams of egg whites, poured into silicone muffin liners) and I have 2 of those for breakfast each day.

    Then I make enough of what I'm having for dinner that night to be 4 days of lunches. If I make any extra (generally most things I make are 6 serves), I'll freeze the extra serve/s. After dinner I portion out my 4 lunches into tupperware on then on Monday I take all 4 containers into work with me, along with any snacks that aren't fresh fruit. I like to make up little snack packs of nuts/dried fruit and also small bags of popcorn.

    For dinner, I'll either grab something from the freezer or make something new.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    For some reason I keep suggesting this but Moroccan lentils.

    They seem to fit a lot of threads requirements.

    Open packet, poor in water and cook on the stove for 10-15 mins. Not a lot of prep work there?
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    My meal prep involves 2-3 hours of cooking, once every couple of weeks (I only meal prep lunches, however) I cook tons of sweet potato/brown rice and freeze them into portions. I then make up "veggie packs" which is my mix of veg and freeze. Finally I make protein (meat) packs and freeze. I use ziplock bags as they are cheaper and easier than takeaway containers. It also it means I can mix and match, or just pull a meat pack for a salad. I did try the all in one freezer packs but I found I would have days where I was craving chicken, sweet potato and veg but only had chicken, rice and veg. It has given me a feeling of "control" and variety over what i'm eating :)
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