Meal Prep Help

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Chyna2001
Chyna2001 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I really want to try out meal preparation but it seems so difficult to do.

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  • PrePosthumous
    PrePosthumous Posts: 11 Member
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    What specifically about meal prep do you feel would be hard for you?
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    When you cook a meal, make enough for three meals. Put two of those meals in the freezer.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    What is so hard about it? Buy a recipe book. Or just google or pinterest for ideas. Is there anything you'd be interested in learning how to make?
  • bianca616
    bianca616 Posts: 295 Member
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    I just started doing meal prep and have found it has REALLY helped me stay on track. It is a lot of extra work to prepare nearly a weeks worth of meals (I usually prep 5 days of breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks a day) ahead of time and takes up a huge amount of real estate in the fridge but it is so worth it when you are hungry and don't have the opportunity or desire to do it that same day. I cook dinner for my family of four each night but I already know what meal I am going to make ahead of time so there is no guess work involved. Pinterest was great for meal prep recipes and I I found last week that I didn't mind eating the same things several times over the course of the week IF they tasted really good and made me feel satisfied. I am in week 2 and I have meals in the fridge to last me until Thursday. Try it @Chyna2001 ! It has really helped me. Lost 8 pounds already!! Good luck!
  • sarahbhurley15
    sarahbhurley15 Posts: 9 Member
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    Schedule time to grocery shop and cook, use seasonings and marinades that won't completely ruin the healthy aspect but to not make you completely bored with the food. Also have a lot of Tupperware for storage!
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    The hardest thing about eating within your calories is when you open up the fridge and haven't been to the store in awhile and there are no good choices. Stock up on basics that cook fast and make some things that take a bit more on the weekends to supplement your meals.

    I always try to have in my pantry/fridge:
    beans (I get canned for weeknights and dried beans for weekends), this includes things like lentils, chickpeas, etc.
    yogurt (I make my own on the weekends, it is surprisingly easy)
    Eggs
    Lots of veggies
    Lots of fruit (but I especially always include limes and lemons to add to water and cook with)
    Dried and fresh herbs. They make the difference
    Grains like quinoa, bulger, rice
    Lean protein like chicken breast, fish, pork loin

    I love food. It is very hard for me to eat the same things over and over so I do invest in cookbooks. You can look recipes up online for free too.
  • ecdce
    ecdce Posts: 129 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I mean, just try it. Start small, like prepping for 2 or 3 days. Or you could prep just one meal of the day for a week. Or just snacks. See what works and what doesn't. Its not rocket science, but don't expect to have a good system down right off the bat - you may think one thing will work great for you, but then realize it doesn't. Which is why I don't think you should invest a ton of money into new storage containers or anything until you really figure out what works.

    For me, the only thing I like to prepped is little veggie trays. Chopping vegetables for 3 or 4 days isn't loads more time consuming than chopping vegetables for one day. Prepping meals doesn't work for me at all.

    Just as a reminder, make sure you aren't prepping too far in advance, unless you're freezing meals. Food safety is super important, so know how long something can safely be stored in the fridge. Same goes for taking prepped food places. Like, if work doesn't have a fridge, make sure you're prepared with a cooler or ice packs to keep your food at a safe temperature.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    I've been batch/freezer cooking for 8 years. In the beginning I just made a pot of chili or soup, divided it, and froze in individual containers. I still do that but have also moved onto flash freezing components of meals and making things like crustless quiche that I heat and eat all week.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    http://www.precisionnutrition.com/weekly-meal-prep-infographic

    Here's a pretty good resource.
  • terrie_k
    terrie_k Posts: 406 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Check our forums and things like Pintrest. Lots of ideas on grocery lists and what you can do in a few hours. I like to do freezer meals in ziplocks for the crockpot. I spent a few hours cutting up some veggies and meats put them into different bags with some broths and made things like soups, stews, stirfrys and plenty more. I have also done things like go get groceries, get home and cut everything! This way when I want a salad, I just combine things, or munch on the cut veggies. Make a stirfry all set to go by adding all components together, saves so much time having everything cut already.
  • Chyna2001
    Chyna2001 Posts: 9 Member
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    I really appreciate all of the replies you all have given thanks so much! I think I'm ready to meal prep now!
  • kaylaashay
    kaylaashay Posts: 11 Member
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    Hey Chyna

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