Anyone else feel exhausted of meal prep??
jesssuccess
Posts: 4 Member
I just do not have the time! I have 5 boys who are homeschooled and while I can deal with some meal planning, every single day 3 times a day is super excessive! Can I get an A-MEN!??
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Replies
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That's not meal planning, that's just picking what you eat at each meal?
Isn't the point of meal planning to prep your meals so you don't have to pick each meal each time?8 -
Before this what did you do? Did someone else in the house make all the meals before? Don't let this be stressful. It should be just eating what you normally do, but being held accountable for making it fit your calories.0
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yes but it's a lot of meals to prep all at once...see?
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Not (from) me. Meal prepping is usually cooking once for the whole week. Meal planning is also supposed to make cooking easier.
ETA: I may have misunderstood. But as you work at home, why would you want to cook so much in advance?2 -
So prepping should be making your life less stressful since it is all done in one setting. I don't do it because I eat certain meals for breakfast and lunch that are quick and easy to begin with. Dinner I cook every day/other day. Again if its causing stress don't do it. Just go back to what you did before and log your meals.0
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How old are your kids? I was homeschooled and after I was about eight or nine, I was always in charge of making lunch for my siblings. Not only did it give my mom more time, it was a great opportunity for me to learn how to cook.
Another issue could be that you're potentially making your meals too complicated. Breakfast and lunch can often be very simple meals. Sandwiches are usually super-easy, a pot of soup can be put together in the morning and simmer until lunch is ready, you can make things like muffins and quick breads the night before when you're already in the kitchen preparing dinner, cold cereal is virtually effortless. Something like a bean salad (or substitute egg or tuna or whatever your family likes) can be made in a big batch and provide lunches for a few days.
If preparing meals feels overwhelming, consider what can be simplified and what your children might be ready to take on.5 -
Nope.
If I didn't meal prep I wouldn't eat- or I would be broke from trying to scrounge up food all the time. I can't NOT meal prep- I'd die otherwise.
The whole point of meal prep is to REDUCE the amount of kitchen work you have- if you are finding that isn't the case- work something else out.4 -
I don't prep all of my meals for the whole week. I usually have quinoa with my lunch, so I make a big batch of that on Sunday and that's about the extent of it. Otherwise I prepare my meals as I need them.
I usually get my breakfast and lunch put together the night before...takes me about 15 minutes. Dinner must always be fresh.0 -
While I don't have as many kids as you, i do have 3 boys and work full time. So I normally prep/plan on Sundays. I will make like a big batch of soup/chili in the crock pot to have for lunches for the week, I will grill up some chicken to put on salads, I make a batch of tuna fish for sandwiches and while i do not prep dinners, I do plan what we are going to have on what days because I go to Zumba twice a week as well as take a pound class at night after work so I have a small time frame to work with by the time I get home to make/eat dinner then leave for class. I find if I do not plan/prep we do not eat as well and it leaves far to much room for excuses to eat out.
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We are a family of 5.
My meal preps go something like this...
Make lunch and dinner menu and go grocery shopping on Sunday.
Meal prep for lunches Sunday night. This usually includes cooking chicken of some sort and rice.
My kids make their own lunch every morning. I will take out what is needed for the dinner planned for that day, grab my prepped lunch and head to work.
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I'm a little confused about what part you are finding difficult. Meal planning? Cooking in advance? Actual assembling of the meals? What is difficult about it now that wasn't before? I home school too, and I get how tiring it is putting out 3 meals a day, 7 days a week for your family, but is there something about using MFP that you feel is causing you grief? Like others have mentioned, most of our meals are simple- eggs, bagels, or oatmeal for breakfast; sandwiches, salads, or leftovers for lunch. I don't pre-log like some do, nor do I have a meal plan for the entire week, but I have a good idea what my breakdown of calories needs to be for each meal and sort of mentally plan my day accordingly according to what I have on hand or plan on making for dinner. I don't really eat anything different than I did before I started tracking, I just weigh & measure the portions now.0
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If you're finding it stressful, you're not doing it right.5
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I was finding that I was spending hours on a Sunday cooking for the whole week. I have made a few tweaks to help shorten the time I spent cooking. I figure out what I am going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week. I usually prep all 5 days worth of breakfast (it's usually just scrambled eggs which isn't too hard to make) or you can do a protein bar. I have protein shakes for snacks and those are easy to mix up in advance and just leave in the refrigerator for later in the day. I just make the base (protein) for the week and add the side veggies as I go throughout the week. Sometimes for dinner, I will make extra and pack the extra away for lunch later during the week.
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Member TavisstockToad is correct. I not only cook my breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I also pre-package them in separate containers along with my snacks. That way I just put the containers in my lunchkit in the frig the night before literally saving me hours during the week. With a little one, I have to be strategic in order to not eat out and overspend during the week.
And like Member Italiana_xx79 I too tweaked what I was preparing. Now, I make salads or stirfy dishes with baked chicken breast since it takes less time to prepare. I have even went as far as buying veggies already washed and cut. It costs a little more, but given the time it has saved me I felt was worth the sacrifice. I just eliminate other things on my menu to stay within my budget. Good Luck!0 -
I literally cook once a week, takes me about 2 hours on Sunday to cook food for the entire week. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
If it wasn't for food prep, I would be eating fast food for every meal.
Have you tried the crock pot? Or casseroles?1 -
jesssuccess wrote: »I just do not have the time! I have 5 boys who are homeschooled and while I can deal with some meal planning, every single day 3 times a day is super excessive! Can I get an A-MEN!??
AMEN SISTER!!
I don't meal plan, I never did. Most of the time I don't even know what I am going to eat that day for lunch or dinner until after breakfast (husband cooks it) and sometimes I change my mind before a meal. I don't spend hours in the kitchen cooking for the week, especially during the weekend.
The exception is when I make soups, chili, meatloaf, stews or apple sauce (not all at the same time) because I make food for four or six servings and I freeze them. What I do sometimes is to cook extra food at night so I have left overs for lunch or for the next dinner, but that’s about it. I understand that for some people prepping and logging meals for the week is the way to go, but it is not for me and I don't feel bad about it.
Disclaimer: I am in maintenance, retired, no children, and I cook only for me and my husband; however, I never prepped meals when I had a growing family or when I was traying to lose weight.
OP, just do what is best for you and your family. If something is a burden for you, it is not worth to keep doing it.
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If you're finding it stressful, you're not doing it right.
Not really because we are all different.
Some people finds losing weight and maintenance stressful but I didn't and I don't. Should I say that they are not doing it right and make them feel miserable or inadequate? I don’t think so!3 -
Butts_Boys_and_Burgers_ohmy wrote: »I literally cook once a week, takes me about 2 hours on Sunday to cook food for the entire week. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
If it wasn't for food prep, I would be eating fast food for every meal.
Have you tried the crock pot? Or casseroles?
I have two crockpots and most weekends I load up both of them and freeze the results. The rest of the week, dinner prep is about 10 minutes. Cook for a day, eat for a week.
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I don't really meal prep to be honest. But I usually eat the same thing every lunch and plan my weekly dinners out on the weekend (still making it each night). Maybe, having the same lunch meal every day will help? Same as meal prep in theory, but not making it in advanced? Work spread out vs. all at once?
Probably isn't any different - but the thing that bogs me down from cooking, is the planning. Or rather, having not planned what I'm making for dinner. The extra effort to think about it at the end of the day, was impossible for me.0 -
Probably isn't any different - but the thing that bogs me down from cooking, is the planning. Or rather, having not planned what I'm making for dinner. The extra effort to think about it at the end of the day, was impossible for me.
I agree with this. Even though I don't make extensive meal plans for the week, if I don't have some idea of what dinner will be on a given day, it results in *a lot* of stress come meal time. So I think there is definitely a balance to be had.
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I don't really meal prep to be honest. But I usually eat the same thing every lunch and plan my weekly dinners out on the weekend (still making it each night). Maybe try having the same lunch meal every day will help? Same as meal prep in theory, but not making it in advanced? Work spread out vs. all at once?
Probably isn't any different - but the thing that bogs me down from cooking, is the planning. Or rather, having not planned what I'm making for dinner. The extra effort to think about it at the end of the day, was impossible for me.
I agree will the last part you said. I've become such a planner that if I wake up in the morning and forgot to plan my breakfast, I spend more time trying to figure out what I can eat that day at that moment if I would have just pre-planned it the night (or even week) before.
The only thing I meal-prep for the week is chicken. Everything else (veggies, wraps, oats, eggs etc), I make the night before for the next day. But, it's all planned out in my diary ahead of time so I know exactly what I'm putting together and it takes a LOT of stress off my shoulders.0 -
Yes, and I don't even have kiddos, so I have the time. However, if I'm lazy and don't meal prep, then I buy something in my company's cafe. I find it's something I have at home and way more expensive and then I feel mad for spending the money. LOL *So I meal prep 0
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With 5 boys how do you not meal plan? If I didn't meal plan and do at least a little prep when my kids were home, we would be eating dinner at 8pm every night. Keep breakfast as simple as possible. I sometimes make plain oatmeal in my timed slow cooker so it is hot and ready in the morning and everyone can add their own extras. My lunch is usually some form of leftover dinner. Dinner is the main meal I really plan. Meal planning has actually saved me quite a bit of money also since I am not wandering the store buying things on a whim.0
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I plan all my meals for two weeks (that is how I get paid so it is easier for me to do all my shopping at once). I only pre prep, cook, and pack my breakfast, lunch, and snack for days I work. Sometimes I will pre pack for dinner too, but that's pretty rare (I did it for tonight since it was easier then to pack the leftovers up separate since I had only 1 serving left of the rice and broccoli anyway). It's super easy and keeps me from buying food at work so saves me money and calories.
Lets say my schedule looks as follows:
Monday: Off
Tuesday-Thursday: Work
Friday: Off
Saturday-Sunday: Work
So on Monday I will go to the grocery. Then I will prep for Tuesday through Thursday. Breakfast may be yogurt cups, oatmeal cups, or egg bake. Lunches would be leftovers, chicken salad, tuna salad, or other simple to make things. Snacks are hardboiled eggs, nuts, veggies and dip, cheese and lunch meat, or other small snacky goodness. Dinners will depend on what my hours are and that is all planned out ahead of time, but I either cook that night or eat leftovers... but I don't prep ahead on purpose. I may chop some vegetables ahead of time, but that's pretty much it.0 -
How old are your sons? Can they help with some of the meal planning and prep?
My 7 year old can make sandwiches for lunches, wash and pick grapes, cut veggies for spaghetti, etc. My 10 year old can easily throw a soup together for dinner and make corn muffins for the side. I feel like it's important that they know how to cook healthy foods for themselves. (Full disclaimer: they do much more meal helping on weekends and over the summer than we do during our school year...)0
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