How to meal prep?

Gimsteinn
Gimsteinn Posts: 7,678 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I find meal preps very challenging as I don't like to eat leftovers and a 2 day old chicken breast is something I find disgusting..
How often do you meal prep per week and how many days do you prep for when you do so?

Do you meal prep lunch and dinner then let your family eat something else entirely or do you cook something for them that you can also eat?

How do you store your meals? Do you make a meal in each lunch box or do you keep the chicken breasts/tuna together and the veggies and rice in their own boxes?

I'd love all tips on this

Replies

  • Gimsteinn
    Gimsteinn Posts: 7,678 Member
    That k you @amyrebecca that was actually very helpful.

    I'm doing whole 30 to see I'd milk products or corn are effecting me but I'm actually gonna keep your message in mind and look up recipes tomorrow. You just gave me some great ideas. Thank you
  • bwhitty67
    bwhitty67 Posts: 162 Member
    I like making things that I can freeze. So different soups or casseroles. So things like chili, inside out cabbage rolls, veggie soup... this way it's a grab and go and I have variety
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    I only "meal prep" things like soups and stews -- for just a hunk of protein and some vegetables, it's easy enough to make after work, even on a busy day. Casseroles work well when prepped ahead, too.
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    If I really cant be bothered then I go to a meal prep service to do it for me, no thought required!! perfect!!
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
    bwhitty67 wrote: »
    I like making things that I can freeze. So different soups or casseroles. So things like chili, inside out cabbage rolls, veggie soup... this way it's a grab and go and I have variety

    What is this! I must know!
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
    P.S. I hate meal prepping so yesterday I made twelve baked potatoes in the Crockpot
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,225 Member
    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    bwhitty67 wrote: »
    I like making things that I can freeze. So different soups or casseroles. So things like chili, inside out cabbage rolls, veggie soup... this way it's a grab and go and I have variety

    What is this! I must know!

    I can't speak for what their 'inside out cabbage rolls' are, but my dad always made a dish that we nicknamed 'Exploded Cabbage Rolls'. We make the filling for normal cabbage rolls and then instead of rolling it up in cabbage leaves, we dice the cabbage and toss it into the filling, put it in a casserole dish and bake it.
  • Dayle1984
    Dayle1984 Posts: 70 Member
    I didn't read the other replies --- but I feel you on the 2-day old chicken breasts! I do not like to eat rice/potato/sweet potato, chicken, veg more than 2 days after it's cooked, but I have a good meal-prep system, this is what I do/eat:

    For chicken, I cook a whole bunch of fresh chicken breasts on the weekend, just plain. Once it cools, I dice it up, portion it out into 4oz servings in ziplocs, and freeze it. Each day in the morning, I put one serving in a glass container (frozen) shake some spices on it, and take it to work, but lunch it's semi-thawed, I just microwave it to heat it up, and it tastes like fresh chicken not 3-4 days sitting in the fridge chicken. Best plan I have found. Alternatively, I buy the fully cooked fire grilled frozen chicken breast strips at Costco, and do basically the same thing.

    For veggies for lunch, I cut up a big container of carrots, cucumber, and peppers on Sunday, it lasts the entire week. I just take out a portion each day. That is also for lunch, with the mini packs of guac. I don't like buying avocado as it's too hard to find at the perfect ripeness and it doesn't last. So the guac works for me.

    The rest of my lunch is a portion of cheese, easy to portion out a week at a time, or buy single-serve. And a hard boiled egg. I hard boil them on Sunday for the week, leave them in the shells in the fridge, and peel one each day. Stays fresh for the week no problem. So that is my daily lunch - chicken, cheese, egg, veggies, guac.

    For breakfasts, I usually eat some back bacon with eggs. I portion out the back bacon and freeze it individually when I open the pack so I'm not always fussing with the Ziploc pack, plus I'm sure it's fresher that way. I take out one portion at night and it's thawed by morning. I cook it in the microwave.

    Finally, for dinners - I make big batches of soup, and pasta sauce to keep in the freezer, they thaw quick enough if you take it out the night before, or thaw in the micro. I will also sometimes use the lunch chicken for dinner. Or if my fiancé is home, he will BBQ the meat. For sides, I usually have time to make rice or potato to go with dinner, and I will cook enough for at least 2 days. Veggies we usually have broccoli, I cut it up at the start of the week, but I don't wash it yet, I find water makes it go bad faster. I just wash it when we're going to eat it, and it steams in 5 mins.

    Sorry for the long post!
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Wynterbourne wrote: »
    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    bwhitty67 wrote: »
    I like making things that I can freeze. So different soups or casseroles. So things like chili, inside out cabbage rolls, veggie soup... this way it's a grab and go and I have variety

    What is this! I must know!

    I can't speak for what their 'inside out cabbage rolls' are, but my dad always made a dish that we nicknamed 'Exploded Cabbage Rolls'. We make the filling for normal cabbage rolls and then instead of rolling it up in cabbage leaves, we dice the cabbage and toss it into the filling, put it in a casserole dish and bake it.

    You can also make a huge cabbage "roll" for lazy cooks: half the cabbage leaves on the bottom, then the filling, then a final layer of cabbage. It tastes like cabbage roll, and it actually looks rather nice
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I don't, because like you, I really don't like leftovers much after a day or two. I'll just make extra for a couple meals (lunches) and call it a day. The only exception really is when I make soup (I make enough for a few days) or things like meatloaf, chili, shepherd's pie or lasagna - those things tend to taste better when reheated (but still only last a couple days in my house anyway).

    I just tend to make easy dinners most of the time really - a protein that can be cooked in 5-10 minutes (steak, chicken, fish, sausage), frozen veggies, maybe I'll make a big batch of rice or mashed potatoes for a couple days but that's pretty much it.

    I have an Instant Pot and it makes cooking things like squash or potatoes MUCH faster.

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