Meal Prep Ideas

shawnielkins wrote: »

Could u email me some recipes me and my sister like the pictures very much and were curious on what they are thanks

Sorry are you talking to me or the other guy who posted pictures?

couturebody wrote: »

Here's some of the stuff I make.

Most of that looks like it's loaded with carbs. That's a ton of pasta and rice. The meatballs look good, do you use chicken for those?

Oh yeah, I also sometimes make a big pot of chili or stew. Here's my recipes:

Chili:
1lb ground chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
several big spoonfuls of jarred garlic
(brown everything above this together in a big stock pot)
(after that's done, dump all this on top of that stuff:)
2 large cans diced tomatoes with onion and garlic (do not drain)
1 can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can light red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can freshpack sweet corn (drained and rinsed)
half a bottle of chili powder (probably like 1/4 to 1/2 a cup)
quarter a bottle of cumin powder (like 1/4 a cup, taste it and see where it is then add more)
several generous shakes of cajun seasoning mix
(then add this until it's got all the above stuff covered:)
beef stock (or broth) the Kitchen Basics Bone Broth is really high in protein so look for it and use it if you can.
a few "glugs" of A1 steak sauce (trust me on this one, it's my "secret" ingredient)
salt to taste (it takes quite a lot)
sugar if needed (usually sweet corn is enough, but if it seems tart, add a spoonful of sugar)

Note that most people put celery in chili, I don't, you can if you want to but I personally don't think it adds anything useful for flavor, but if you want more fiber, add some diced celery.

Just cook it all at a simmer until it's chili, the lower and slower the better, generally at least 2 hours. If you cook it really long the black beans will start to break down. If you see that happening when you go to stir it, then call it done. The dark red kidney beans hold up really well even when cooked half the day. You can, of course, use dried beans properly soaked, but canned beans are really just as good if not better IMO.

Stew:
1 lb pork loin (or tenderloin) cut into 1 to 1 1/2 stew sized cubes and lightly dusted with whole wheat flour
1 onion coarsely chopped (big pieces)
a big heaping spoonful of jarred garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
(lightly brown those items above in 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add:)
1 carton of beef stock OR about half a box of stock plus 3 of the Kitchen Basics Bone Broth packages
2 packets beef stew seasoning
1-2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried dill
1/2 to 1 teaspoon white pepper
(simmer covered for about 2 hours, adding more beef stock as necessary, then add:)
1 rutabaga peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (it's a giant wax-coated turnip, if you can't find one use a few turnips - these take the place of potatoes and make this once naughty comfort food much more rational and guilt-free)
1 package baby carrots (you can use big carrots cut into 1 inch segments, but "nobody got time for that")
2-4 stalks celery cut into 1 inch segments
1 carton mushroom caps
You might have to add some more stock but don't over do it, the veggies can stick out of the liquid some, they will cook down.
Bring back to a boil, stir, and reduce to a strong simmer, then taste and add more of the herbs and white pepper until it's got the right balance. The white pepper is the kick, the dill is the tang, and the thyme is savory.
After the carrots and rutabaga are fork stabbable tender stir in several scoops beef gelatin https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Beef-Gelatin-Natural-Powder/dp/B000MGR302?th=1 (add it slowly while stirring) and simmer another 15 minutes, then serve. The beef gelatin ups the protein with very few calories, the more you add, then more the protein goes up, but it might get a little jelly-like once it cools if you add too much, I've never had it happen too badly and I've put in probably close to half a cup of beef gelatin. It does thin back out once it's reheated or you can add a little stock when reheating if it doesn't. I actually sprinkle some seasoned bread crumbs over my stew in my bowl to make it thicker the first night (it thickens more after it sits in the fridge overnight).

Come to think of it, I'm sure you could add beef gelatin to the chili as well, but with meat and 3 kinds of beans I figure it's got enough.

And one more thing I do sometimes are leaf lettuce tacos.

Leaf Lettuce So-Low-Carb Tacos:
I brown ground chicken (in a nonstick skillet so I don't need oil) with half a chopped onion and a spoonful of jarred garlic and then mix in a can of drained black beans, salt, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and smush it up a bit with some water to make it sort of goopy so it will just hold together (don't overdo the water, add a little, smash, and then add a little more if needed). Then I make a batch of guacamole: avocado, lime, garlic, salt. I put those two items in a big lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla or taco shell, and top it with a generous amount of salsa (salsa is basically a "free food"), and sometimes I splurge and allow myself a dallop of sour cream or some cheese (depending on if I had a good diet/exercise day or not). They are kind of messy to eat, it helps if you double your lettuce leaf (put one on top of the other before filling), but it's no added carbs (I mean, beyond what's naturally occurring in avocados: 12 grams) and low on bad fat (avocado is a healthy fat). You can make the meat/beans mix ahead, and the guacamole too, but store the guacamole refrigerated in a zipper bag so you can push all the air out, as it turns dark if it's exposed to oxygen (it won't look good if you try to store it in a bowl, no matter how tightly you cover it, but it's ok to eat it even if it turns kinda dark, but NOT once it turns greyish). You can cut the tip of the baggie off to squeeze out the guacamole. If you buy the snack size baggies, you can even portion it out by weight so you can know the exact stats. It also freezes well in baggies, just defrost at room temp. The problem with this meal is that it doesn't stick around long for me, I'm usually having to down a protein shake a few hours later or I feel like I'm starving. It's so low in everything but protein that my body consumes all the energy from it pretty quickly. I don't do well on no-or-low-carb diets because my blood sugar just plummets, your results may vary.

couturebody wrote: »

Phaewryn wrote: »

Most of that looks like it's loaded with carbs. That's a ton of pasta and rice. The meatballs look good, do you use chicken for those?

I've never gone over my macros so whats your point? I'm not doing a no carb diet. If it fits my macros, I have a healthy BMI and I've lost weight (Almost 60kg) then it works.

The meatballs were tofu, beef and zucchini.

Just that the original question was very specifically asking for low-carb suggestions, is all.

I'd love your recipe/instructions for those meatballs if you wouldn't mind sharing it. I've never successfully made anything using tofu other than silken tofu in smoothies.

jaysquared92 wrote: »

"I am looking for incredibly easy meal prep ideas with minimal carbs."

Here are some excellent meal prep bowls that are easy to prepare: https://www.changeinseconds.com/20-healthy-meal-prep-bowls-to-make-your-life-stress-free/