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How many days do you food prep for?

Gaygirl2120
Gaygirl2120 Posts: 541 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
How many days in advance do you normally good prep for if you do good prep that is. I usually do 4-5 days but I don't know if that's pushing it & the food may start to go bad. I do mainly chicken & turkey with brown rice & veggies.
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Replies

  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    4-7 days.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    Same as pomegranatecloud. If the food is cooked it should be fine. You can always freeze portions if you're concerned.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    3-4 days because that's the length of my work week. When my work week was 5 days I would still usually do 3-4 days. Once per month I would make a large pot of something that could be portioned and frozen to take as my meal on Fridays. I personally don't like chicken or turkey that was prepped more than 3 days ago.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    3 - 4 days. Just for the weekdays. Most of the stuff I prep for goes in the freezer.
  • BT_rescuemom
    BT_rescuemom Posts: 284 Member
    Usually 4 days, unless I'm putting stuff in the freezer too
  • mari5466
    mari5466 Posts: 137 Member
    3-4. Usually I'll have left overs Monday for lunch and prep that night after dinner. If any meats involved I do 3 days max.
  • divcara
    divcara Posts: 357 Member
    2-3 days depending on my schedule. I usually make up a couple of meals at once to last me for a day or two, three at most. It's a lot of prep. I don't know that it's the best way but my schedule is always different.
  • bounciercastle
    bounciercastle Posts: 7 Member
    I'm lucky that I don't need to make food for others, since it's just me here, but what I do is make a soup of approximately 3.3 litres and eat it, 300g at a time, until it's done (generally a week, sometimes less). Good thing I can cook tasty ^^
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I cook a few full dishes, sauces, and components to meals every weekend and freeze them, so I guess 2-3 months, maybe more.
  • Laughter_Girl
    Laughter_Girl Posts: 2,226 Member
    I want to be the food prepping type, but I'm not. I food prep as I go. :D
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I don't. I like fresh food.
  • Red_Pill
    Red_Pill Posts: 300 Member
    I only bulk cook rice for extended periods of time. I bulk cook some meats too but that's only for 2 days maximum. I like the taste of freshly cooked food far too much.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    However may serving sizes a recipe makes. I package it in individual portion containers and freeze what will not keep for more than a day or two.
    Saturday is grocery shopping day, Sunday is prep day.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    3-4 days generally. I work in the middle of nowhere so have no choice but to take my own lunch. I used to cook each evening and take leftovers for lunches, but found I was eating way more at lunch, plus I generally have busy evenings now. More than a few days and I get bored of the same thing.
    Sunday I’ll make a rice salad or cook a batch of couscous or something, then roast a load of chicken drumsticks (enough for 3 days) to add to it. Or I add feta or some other protein component. Now I throw something together fresh for dinner but rarely have any for leftovers. It might be an omelette or similar.
    Next weeks lunch will be a lentil and bacon salad (will start soaking the ham hock for the broth tonight and make on Sunday).
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    I prepare food daily for my dinners, for lunch though what I'll do is cook something big for a dinner, then use the meat contents for lunches over the next 3 or so days.
  • ds41980
    ds41980 Posts: 133 Member
    I prep for a week. I cook on Saturday or Sunday for the rest of the week. I just ate pot roast for lunch and I made it last Sunday. It tasted just fine. If I have any leftovers in the fridge they go in the freezer for next weeks dinners.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    General consensus seems to be 3-4 days for many of us. I'm a mixed bag. I prep protein foods for 3-4 days usually, and carbs and fat (fruit and veg) for 5 usually. Just kind of works out that way with my cooking routines.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The only food prep I do is making a pot of beans or something on the weekend. I prep my breakfast the night before and lunch is usually leftovers from whatever dinner was the night before. I like my dinner fresh, so there's no way in hell I'm prepping that in advance.
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    5-14 days. I don't like to cook so when I'm making a recipe for lunch or dinner that I know I like, I just make two batches and freeze the second batch to eat the following week.
  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
    On Sundays I make a big batch of something to take for lunch for 4 out of 5 weekdays. I used to do 5, but discovered that I got SUPER bored eating the same lunch 5 days a week, so I give myself a "Chipotle Lunch Day" once a week as a break :smile:
    Breakfast I will sometimes prep things in advance like protein energy balls, or hard-boiled eggs, but usually I'll make breakfast the night before.
    Dinner I shop and plan out the whole week, but don't make anything in advance.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    I can't eat most leftovers past the second day without angering the diarrhea gods. Meat especially. I'm exceedingly careful about food prep; if someone less careful has prepared it, I can't even have it the second day. So, sadly, the whole "prep ahead" thing doesn't work for me. Jealous of you guys.
  • Spook_Skywalker
    Spook_Skywalker Posts: 180 Member
    Usually 3 days on Sunday night and use that during the week along with leftovers from dinner. CHICKEN TACOS!
  • Gaygirl2120
    Gaygirl2120 Posts: 541 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I don't. I like fresh food.

    That's why I said "If you do food prep" in the OP

  • abrahamsitososa
    abrahamsitososa Posts: 716 Member
    2-3
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    4 for veggies
    6 for beans and grains
    Whatever the calorie split is for my dinners. I'm getting 11 meals out of a recipe this coming week.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    I prepped 3 months worth of dinner so far for this baby. I usually have about a weeks' worth of dinners available when I am not preggo. I keep everything in the deep freezer.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    Only next day lunch really. However we always have meals in the freezer, as we often cook for 4 when there is two of us. We both travel for work so there is no reason not to have a healthy meal when the other is away
  • ashjongfit
    ashjongfit Posts: 147 Member
    3 days if im full prepping meals. 3-7 if I'm buffet style prepping, really depends on what it is.
  • ashjongfit
    ashjongfit Posts: 147 Member
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    I prepped 3 months worth of dinner so far for this baby. I usually have about a weeks' worth of dinners available when I am not preggo. I keep everything in the deep freezer.

    That is SO smart! I'm going to do that for my next pregnancy!
  • lizandrashaw
    lizandrashaw Posts: 143 Member
    I prep my lunches for the week on Sunday.
This discussion has been closed.

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