Advice for Meal Prepping

healthyfitme12
healthyfitme12 Posts: 50 Member
edited November 13 in Food and Nutrition
Hey Guys!
So I've been hearing a lot about meal prepping and I'm interested in any advice from people that have done it.

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • betsysjl
    betsysjl Posts: 175 Member
    Look on Pinterest for ideas. Schedule time to do it. I usually do my meal prep on Sundays. Sometimes it takes a few hours, but saves a lot of time during the week. I cut up my veggies and put them in smaller serving size containers - weighing them out and labeling them. I will usually cook chicken breast in the crockpot and then portion that out as well. I will also cook ground turkey and do the same. I don't make full meals, just put all the ingredients together for later use.
  • vick9180
    vick9180 Posts: 144 Member
    One thing you might do is see if you can find a WildTree representative in your area. I'm not a rep, or anything, but they offer WildTree meal prep workshops. You basically buy their seasonings (they're non-gmo, organic) and the oils (which are grapeseed oils) upfront, they send you a shopping list, and off you go. At a workshop, you prep either 10 or 20 meals, and then you take the left over seasonings and oils home with you so you can do it again later. I hosted a workshop, and got a ton of free stuff, and it only took about 2 hours for us to do 10 meals...and it was more fun than doing it alone. I spent about $300 total, and had 20 meals (I prepped the other 10 on my own time), which several had leftovers, so we had over a month's worth of meals, and there are 3 in my family. I only had to go to the store to buy dairy, fruits, and veggies. And I'd take a meal out of the freezer the night before to thaw in my fridge, and stuck it in the crockpot, oven, or on the stove...prep was already done...it just needed heat.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    First start with a basic plan or you may wind up eating the same thing every meal. I usually start with the sale circular. It usually comes out one to two days before the sales start. I make a basic plan so when I go shopping I can get everything without over doing it. I like roasting a whole chicken and portioning it for several purposes - roast chicken dinner, chicken salad pita, chicken quesadilla and chicken soup. There are many tricks and tips in the BLOG section here under EAT.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    I agree Pinterest does have loads of great ideas. Anything from using the Crockpot for the meal to then portioning it out and freezing it for family meals or for your own individual meals for the week.

    There's also been tons of meal prep threads on here over the years... I'm sure you'd find all sorts of great tips if you do a search under meal prep.

    It's likely also that others will jump on this thread and continue share but if you have time try and do a search on here because I recall some pretty cool meal tips for prepping ahead of time. Gives lots of variety and loads of time saving, it takes planning on the meal prep day and a bit of time but the rest of the weekly is prep free! :)
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    edited April 2015
    vick9180 wrote: »
    One thing you might do is see if you can find a WildTree representative in your area. I'm not a rep, or anything, but they offer WildTree meal prep workshops. You basically buy their seasonings (they're non-gmo, organic) and the oils (which are grapeseed oils) upfront, they send you a shopping list, and off you go. At a workshop, you prep either 10 or 20 meals, and then you take the left over seasonings and oils home with you so you can do it again later. I hosted a workshop, and got a ton of free stuff, and it only took about 2 hours for us to do 10 meals...and it was more fun than doing it alone. I spent about $300 total, and had 20 meals (I prepped the other 10 on my own time), which several had leftovers, so we had over a month's worth of meals, and there are 3 in my family. I only had to go to the store to buy dairy, fruits, and veggies. And I'd take a meal out of the freezer the night before to thaw in my fridge, and stuck it in the crockpot, oven, or on the stove...prep was already done...it just needed heat.

    @vick9180
    But what does something like this cost?

    OOPS! Silly me, you shared that in your post, somehow I missed it :)

    Well I can see your point in doing it with others, it can be a lot of work and seem even more so doing it alone. $300 for me would be an awful lot but for someone with more money it might be a good way to go.

    To have that many meal prep variations would be nice... also take a bigger freezer than I have. lol I might check out at the Community College and see if they do meal preps on the weekend and see what that runs. So much more room in some kitchens..
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Buy tupperware.
    Buy food scale.
    Make double of the thing you like.
    Don't eat all of it. (this step is probably the most important)
    Put left overs in tupperwares using scale to make sure it's even.

    Boom- enjoy cook free meals the rest of the week.

    Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  • SciranBG
    SciranBG Posts: 97 Member
    This is probably a duh thing to most people, and maybe only applies when you cook for yourself, but don't bother weighing out individual portions. Just weight out the batch ingredients and divide by the number of servings it makes. Over the week everything will even out.

    Also for tupperware I highly recommend to buy a whole bunch of the same size containers. Yes you may sometimes underfill, or need to use multiple containers, but I think its worth it to never have the hassle of finding lids and for how much space it saves.
  • jiigglybutt
    jiigglybutt Posts: 345 Member
    SciranBG wrote: »
    Also for tupperware I highly recommend to buy a whole bunch of the same size containers. Yes you may sometimes underfill, or need to use multiple containers, but I think its worth it to never have the hassle of finding lids and for how much space it saves.


    that is the "duh" part for me! why didn't I think of that..... I always buy different sets all the time of different fancy sizes and things LOL thanks!
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I love these takeout containers. I bought a box about two years ago and they're perfect -- just the right size and they stack nicely. They say they're freezer safe but I've never used mine that way so I can't vouch for how well they freeze.

    And if you eat leftovers/pack your lunch one of these containers fits snugly into this lunch bag. Well worth the 50ish dollars I spent up front for these.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Buy tupperware.
    Buy food scale.
    Make double of the thing you like.
    Don't eat all of it. (this step is probably the most important)
    Put left overs in tupperwares using scale to make sure it's even.

    Boom- enjoy cook free meals the rest of the week.

    Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

    ^^This.

    I also cook individual ingredients like chicken, fish, sweet potato, vegetables, pretty much everything in big batches, store in containers in the fridge and then work my way through them all as necessary during the week.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    edited April 2015
    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    I love these takeout containers. I bought a box about two years ago and they're perfect -- just the right size and they stack nicely. They say they're freezer safe but I've never used mine that way so I can't vouch for how well they freeze.

    And if you eat leftovers/pack your lunch one of these containers fits snugly into this lunch bag. Well worth the 50ish dollars I spent up front for these.

    @AlabasterVerve Wow 150 containers (for some reason I was thinking you said 50)... I've seen those containers and they are very nice...not the cheap plastic ones you see sometimes. I can see taking those to work etc. Love the variety of ideas ppl come up with on here... I agree very fair price for what you get and they are sturdy enough to reuse many times over.

    I've always liked these divided containers as well: http://www.amazon.com/EasyLunchboxes-3-Compartment-Bento-Containers-Classic/dp/B004S129AQ/ref=pd_bxgy_k_img_z
  • Nerruse
    Nerruse Posts: 40 Member
    I'm actually meal prepping right now. I made 10 burritos, ate one, froze 5 and stuck the rest in the fridge. I've got my slow cooker running with a chicken thing and I'll do the exact same thing. Eat one serving, freeze half, the rest goes in the fridge. That's lunch and dinner sorted for at least a week. If I get bored of those I have some random single servings of soups and things in the freezer I can grab instead.

    My advice would be to make things that overlap on ingredients to minimize waste/spoilage. Both of my recipes today use black beans, rice and cheese. I made a little too much rice for my burritos, so I'll simply make less rice for my taco bowls this evening. I also had some extra black beans that I just threw right into the slow cooker to bulk it up and use up the leftovers at the same time. I can use the same type of cheese so I don't need to buy as much. I'm on a tight budget right now so anything I can do to use what I have and not waste it is helpful.

    Also make sure you have some bigger containers. I only had small ones for individual servings; ended up buying some bigger ones so I can fit say, a whole chicken leg in it if I need to. Or what I did earlier and used one to hold all of my prepped burritos.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    Nerruse wrote: »
    I'm actually meal prepping right now. I made 10 burritos, ate one, froze 5 and stuck the rest in the fridge. I've got my slow cooker running with a chicken thing and I'll do the exact same thing. Eat one serving, freeze half, the rest goes in the fridge. That's lunch and dinner sorted for at least a week. If I get bored of those I have some random single servings of soups and things in the freezer I can grab instead.

    My advice would be to make things that overlap on ingredients to minimize waste/spoilage. Both of my recipes today use black beans, rice and cheese. I made a little too much rice for my burritos, so I'll simply make less rice for my taco bowls this evening. I also had some extra black beans that I just threw right into the slow cooker to bulk it up and use up the leftovers at the same time. I can use the same type of cheese so I don't need to buy as much. I'm on a tight budget right now so anything I can do to use what I have and not waste it is helpful.

    Also make sure you have some bigger containers. I only had small ones for individual servings; ended up buying some bigger ones so I can fit say, a whole chicken leg in it if I need to. Or what I did earlier and used one to hold all of my prepped burritos.

    @Nerruse Hi :) Wanted to ask if you'd break down how you do your burritos etc. for meal prep. Thanks :) I'm sure it's simple but maybe you'd share? ;)
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    On Sunday I usually do the following (with some variations):

    Clean and cut most of my veggies and store in Tupperware
    Cook some large protein in the crockpot (lean roast or whole chicken)
    Cook a pot of beans (chickpeas, pinto, red, white - whatever I feel like for the week)
    Make a couple salads - 1) quinoa/chickpea/veggies and 2) shredded cabbage/kale/brussel sprout
    Make veggie and egg scramble or mini muffin frittatas

    I'll eat the veggie and eggs with corn tortillas for breakfast. I make enough for several days and store in fridge.
    The salads are very versatile and I will add chicken or tuna, even fruit like mango for lunches or dinner.
    The beans plus protein, plus pre-made salad makes a nice healthy bowl of yummy-ness.

    Sometimes I'll make a meatloaf or low-cal chicken enchiladas if I'm feeling ambitious.
  • 00figg
    00figg Posts: 111 Member
    on sundays i tend to chop salad veggies, cook a meat, roast veggies, and cook a grain or two in my rice cooker. then i store them in ziplocks in the fridge. so when i come home from work, i pick and choose what i want, add various seasonings and viola, dinner is ready in less than 20. if i make a casserole or a skillet type meal, i put it all in one container, weigh it, then put a sticky on it with the serving weight so i will know how much to serve for my meal.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    @Hearts_2015 this is how I make my freezer burritos, but there are so many different options for fillings:

    Breakfast burrito:
    Sauté onion, pepper, mushroom, spinach. Chop 8 slices of turkey or center cut bacon, and crisp. Cook 8 scrambled eggs, and mix all cooled ingredients together. Lay out 8 large high fiber/low carb burritos (like La Tortilla Factory smart and delicious line or Ole Wellness High Fiber) – for gluten free, Aldi sells a 90 calorie GF tortilla. Divide mixture amongst 8 burritos, top each with ¼ cup of cheese of choice, and roll into burritos, folding in the sides. Lay seam side down on cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to labeled freezer bag. To serve, microwave wrapped in damp paper towel for 2-3 minutes until thawed or microwave until thawed and crisp in a pan or under the broiler. Options: add in cooked potatoes, vegetables to taste, sun dried tomatoes, jalapenos, hot sauce, or any other preferred fillings. Can substitute 2 egg whites for each whole egg.

    Non-breakfast burrito:
    Mix 2 cups of cooked rice of choice, sautéed vegetables of choice, one can rinsed black beans, salsa (optional jalapeno, hot sauce, sofrito, corn, etc). Lay out 8 large high fiber/low carb burritos, divide, top each with ¼ cup cheese, roll, and freeze on cookie sheet. To serve, microwave wrapped in paper towel for 2-3 minutes until thawed or microwave until thawed and crisp in a pan or under a broiler. Options: replace some or all of the rice and beans with shredded cooked chicken/beef/pork or cooked ground meat.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    Queenmunchy wrote: »
    @Hearts_2015 this is how I make my freezer burritos, but there are so many different options for fillings:

    Breakfast burrito:
    Sauté onion, pepper, mushroom, spinach. Chop 8 slices of turkey or center cut bacon, and crisp. Cook 8 scrambled eggs, and mix all cooled ingredients together. Lay out 8 large high fiber/low carb burritos (like La Tortilla Factory smart and delicious line or Ole Wellness High Fiber) – for gluten free, Aldi sells a 90 calorie GF tortilla. Divide mixture amongst 8 burritos, top each with ¼ cup of cheese of choice, and roll into burritos, folding in the sides. Lay seam side down on cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to labeled freezer bag. To serve, microwave wrapped in damp paper towel for 2-3 minutes until thawed or microwave until thawed and crisp in a pan or under the broiler. Options: add in cooked potatoes, vegetables to taste, sun dried tomatoes, jalapenos, hot sauce, or any other preferred fillings. Can substitute 2 egg whites for each whole egg.

    Non-breakfast burrito:
    Mix 2 cups of cooked rice of choice, sautéed vegetables of choice, one can rinsed black beans, salsa (optional jalapeno, hot sauce, sofrito, corn, etc). Lay out 8 large high fiber/low carb burritos, divide, top each with ¼ cup cheese, roll, and freeze on cookie sheet. To serve, microwave wrapped in paper towel for 2-3 minutes until thawed or microwave until thawed and crisp in a pan or under a broiler. Options: replace some or all of the rice and beans with shredded cooked chicken/beef/pork or cooked ground meat.

    @Queenmunchy
    Perfect...sounds simple and will be tasty for a variety of meals. Thanks :)
  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
    edited April 2015
    You can also start simply by writing down what you're going to eat for the week. I do this for my family (two adults, one baby, one preschooler). I take a few minutes to write down what I am going to cook, what's going in my daughter's lunch bag, any baby food I am going to make, how we're going to use leftovers. Once you get the hang of it it takes only about fifteen minutes. On Sunday I cook two meals with enough for leftovers, usually. Even if you don't have all your food ready to go, knowing that you have some hard boiled eggs and an orange to snack on will keep you from scrounging around for something less healthy. I use the meal plan to make my grocery list, too.
  • acsayers
    acsayers Posts: 2 Member
    I'm a Wildtree rep if anyone needs one. The Wildtree process has helped me so much as I work full time and am a wife and mother. And, I live on a sailboat. I'd love to help anyone plan their meals easily and in a healthier way. My Fitness Pal has Wildtree meals and seasonings in the database which makes it so easy to track.

    Alison Sayers
    www.mywidltree.com/alisonsayers
  • Sarah_Shapes_Up
    Sarah_Shapes_Up Posts: 76 Member
    Everyone has great advise! My two cents would be to keep it simple and "bro" at least at first. Crock pot some chicken for the week, bake a bunch of veggies (green beans/broccoli/Brussels sprouts) and bake some potatoes or rice. It's mostly hands off, and you're left with easy, nutritious, and I think, delicious meals. Use your spices!

    I'm also a big fan of planning for the week. I'll log a Monday to see what will fit/ how to split up calories + macros/ what I want to eat for 5 days straight. Once I've imputed, I shop and prep. It also takes the thinking out of the equation when I'm tired and would rather chocolate chips for dinner instead of thinking and cooking.
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