What’s some Meal Prep Ideas?!

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grayale9
grayale9 Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Need ideas on some food recipes I could prep for dinners, I don’t eat steak or fish, asides from that I’m not too fussy! I’m currently 250lbs and my goal is to get to 156lbs in less then a year and a half.

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  • raspuller
    raspuller Posts: 35 Member
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    When I was working full time I would food prep on Sundays to make life easier during the week. Generally, I would make a giant salad and cut up a big tub of bell peppers and other veggies (great for snacks and also can be used for fajitas and stir fries during the week). I would also bake an acorn squash or some sweet potatoes, which make good breakfast alternatives and can also be used for meals. I would make a large pot of beans and rice or quinoa (again, breakfast, stir fries, etc).

    Meals during the week might be:

    Chicken Fajitas (just grill or broil some meat, veggies are already prepped)
    Stir fry - same thing, just pick a protein
    Buddha Bowls - rice or quinoa base, throw on some beans and some stir fried veggies
    Crockpot or instapot soups or stews (chili, bean soup, beef stew)
    Enchiladas - crockpot chicken or sautéed veggies/beans and rice for filling, just need assembled and baked
    Pasta and marinara with lots of veggies

    I maintain a vegan diet but my family eats meat so usually I was trying to figure out meals that were feasibly convertible. Now I work from home - so similar approach, just a little more time in the evenings.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,443 Member
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    I don't food prep. I come home just past 5 and cook fresh from scratch. Takes about 20 minutes. With certain meals I cook larger amounts and warm them up the following day. Takes less than minutes then.
  • dkabambe
    dkabambe Posts: 544 Member
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    On the protein side I'll quite often do a big proper roast once a week, (often swapping out potatoes for squash or other root veges for extra nutrition at lower calories). You can then use that same joint/bird to make some very quick and easy meals during the week such as the examples given by the poster above. After 2-3 days it gives you a chance to clear out anything else that needs using by chucking all together in a stew/curry.

    If you have a decent size freezer, then get yourself lots of containers/freezer bags (+ labels!!) and just double up any time you do anything time consuming and freeze half.
  • raspuller
    raspuller Posts: 35 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    I don't food prep. I come home just past 5 and cook fresh from scratch. Takes about 20 minutes. With certain meals I cook larger amounts and warm them up the following day. Takes less than minutes then.

    Curious about what types of things you’re cooking that takes 20 minutes from scratch. Not poking, really actually curious because I am always looking for new ideas and some days are more hectic than others.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,443 Member
    edited January 2018
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    raspuller wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    I don't food prep. I come home just past 5 and cook fresh from scratch. Takes about 20 minutes. With certain meals I cook larger amounts and warm them up the following day. Takes less than minutes then.

    Curious about what types of things you’re cooking that takes 20 minutes from scratch. Not poking, really actually curious because I am always looking for new ideas and some days are more hectic than others.

    Ugh.. lot sof things... really. Pastas, sticky rice with salmon, a huge pile of veggies and my own teriyaki sauce, egg noodles with chicken or fish, soy and fish sauce and veggies. Put breaded fish or a nice sausage, big pile of veggies and potatoes or sweat potatoes into an oven dish and eat with posh salt and feta, self-made tsatsiki or hummus. If you add cherry tomatoes in the last 10 minutes then the dish isn't dry at all. Yesterday I had potatoes with meatballs, lingonjam and pickled beetroot, tonight I'll have rice fried with equal volume amount of rasped carrot, chicken and veggies, brought to taste with soy sauce and a bit of trassi, served with sambal. A simple chily con carne doesn't take long to make. I might make a ragout from lamb mince and northern african spices later this week, serve with bulgur, feta, fresh coriander and cucumber cubes. Maybe a dish with rice, black beans, sweat potatoe, roasted almonds and pumpkin seeds, and a spicy soysauce. Many curies made from scratch don't take long, etc.. each dish comes it at around 500-600kcal and keeps me full.

    If I feel like eating stews, soups or spaghetti bolognese then I usually cook during the weekend or after my dinner and make about 4 servings, and freeze the leftovers.

    edit to add: if you cut your potatoes or other things into smaller pieces they cook quicker.
  • JackRussellTerrierMom
    JackRussellTerrierMom Posts: 15 Member
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    I keep 'fast food' options around. I shop Trader Joe's and buy canned black beans and chickpeas, fresh brussel sprouts and broccoli, a tub of fresh Tabouleh, tub of fresh Balela, frozen Channa Masala and a couple of other frozen Indian dinners, boxed Punjab eggplant and fresh Basil Pesto. You have to rinse the beans off well to get the sodium out. I also cook a big pot of wild rice once a week and keep fast grain options on hand like Quinoa and Farro. I mix half the premade Tabouleh and Balela with a whole can of black beans. The taste is great and it contains 30 grams of fiber. I mix a Channa Masala frozen dinner with black beans and steamed brussel sprouts for a really tasty fast food supper that has 40 grams of fiber. I mix Punjab eggplant with a can of chickpeas, this has 20 grams of fiber. I mix steamed brussel sprouts with basil pesto and then mix with a can of chickpeas. It is really tasty. Also, I top everything off with brined sauerkraut, just a couple of tablespoons so you don't even notice it's there for the probiotic benefit and to assist digestion. After a couple of weeks, there is a noticable difference in digestion with sauerkraut. I keep Tahini, lemon juice concentrate and garlic on hand for Lemon Tahini dressing for steamed vegetables; peanut butter and soy sauce on hand for quick peanut dressing for vegetables; grated parmesan for roasted vegetables. I can't eat pasta, my body is too sensitive for processed carbs like pasta, bread and sugar. Also, I keep pure Stevia on hand to mix with water and lemon for a sweet fix--it tastes like lemonade.
  • suerlewis2
    suerlewis2 Posts: 126 Member
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    Recipes for meal prep are endless, but you must make what you will eat, not what you think you should eat. When I started, I made lots of fish dishes, which I never fancied or actually got round to eating because that's what I thought I should be doing. Big waste of time and money. And a clear and easy way to reach for the take-out menu.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
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    Cook what you will eat!

    When I first started at 281lbs I just made the same things I always made and ate less of them. Maybe added a bag of frozen vegetables to help add bulk without adding too many extra calories.

    When I got divorced I lost my picky eating person and started to try anything and everything that sounded good. Realized some things I had always hated I now liked because my tastes had changed, looking at you cottage cheese, Used to hate it now I eat it almost daily.

    NOW I pick 2 recipes. I cook them on Sunday and portion them out to eat all week. Saturday and Sunday lunch are my time to try new fun recipes because I'm at home and have the time to cook.

    Just starting out I would just start by eating what you always have and trying to eat less of them and then see where it goes from there.

    If I cook from scratch after work I usually look at One Sheet Pan recipes on pinterest. because I can cut everything up and put it on a single pan and bake it all at the same time because I'm all about minimal effort during the week after I just got home from working for 10 hours.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    edited January 2018
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    My favourite things to meal-prep are: soups, stews, chili, curries, quiches, pulled pork, meat pies, pasta dishes, meatballs, rice dishes.

    I generally find my recipes on:
    seriouseats.com
    allrecipes.com
    skinnytaste.com

    Many different types of recipes can be meal-prepped. I personally find that recipes with sauce or liquid tend to reheat nicely. I usually keep enough prepped meals in the fridge for 3 days, then everything else goes in the freezer to stay fresh. Then I just pull portions out of the freezer as needed.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
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    Check out Youtube for meal prep videos. There are tons of great ideas.

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