Using Panda Express to meal prep
Replies
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Update: Purchased it today and the lady packed all of the containers to the BRIM with chicken. Man was it good! So glad I went for it, the meal was extremely tasty and satisfying! Can't wait for tomorrow's dinner already! Might even have some for lunch
A week's worth of dinner prepared for less than $40. Can't complain! Will be buying some cabbage to cook and eat with the chicken. The super greens aren't enough in quantity! 6 -
gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.1 -
gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.
Either you are overcooking your food, or cooking things in the slow cooker that aren’t meant to be cooked that way.6 -
gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.
Either you are overcooking your food, or cooking things in the slow cooker that aren’t meant to be cooked that way.
I'm pretty sure I've tried just about every Skinnytaste slow cooker recipe and for a while had a meal prep service that specialized in crock pot meals. The flavors would change up, but soupy shredded meat and pasty vegetables seemed to be the end result no matter what. I just set the timer to what the recipe said and it would stay on warm until I got home, which is how I'm assuming a crock pot is supposed to work. I'll just toss the whole thing if it's something I'm actually supposed to be standing there babysitting. Sort of defeats the stated purpose that way.
Most things I can eat multiple times, but I have never thrown so much food away as I did when I was trying to learn to like the crock pot. I wish it were different, because I loathe regular cooking, so it seems like an ideal solution.0 -
Update: Purchased it today and the lady packed all of the containers to the BRIM with chicken. Man was it good! So glad I went for it, the meal was extremely tasty and satisfying! Can't wait for tomorrow's dinner already! Might even have some for lunch A week's worth of dinner prepared for less than $40. Can't complain! Will be buying some cabbage to cook and eat with the chicken. The super greens aren't enough in quantity!
Be sure to account for serving size if they are being over generous. Not necessarily a bad thing, but your body doesn't care what the posted calories are
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gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.
Either you are overcooking your food, or cooking things in the slow cooker that aren’t meant to be cooked that way.
I'm pretty sure I've tried just about every Skinnytaste slow cooker recipe and for a while had a meal prep service that specialized in crock pot meals. The flavors would change up, but soupy shredded meat and pasty vegetables seemed to be the end result no matter what. I just set the timer to what the recipe said and it would stay on warm until I got home, which is how I'm assuming a crock pot is supposed to work. I'll just toss the whole thing if it's something I'm actually supposed to be standing there babysitting. Sort of defeats the stated purpose that way.
Most things I can eat multiple times, but I have never thrown so much food away as I did when I was trying to learn to like the crock pot. I wish it were different, because I loathe regular cooking, so it seems like an ideal solution.
The “warm” function on some slow cookers can get quite hot. I’ve overcooked food by following the method you describe because it was still cooking while it was set on warm. Exactly how hot it gets seems to vary by the type of slow cooker. For reference, my slow cooker goes from dried beans (not pre-soaked) to fully cooked in about 6 hours on the low setting. Leaving them on warm for a few hours after that would make them mush.3 -
I've found this to be the case as well. Modern slow cookers seem to run hotter than older ones (probably due to food safety concerns). My slow cooker will actively boil food in it. That's not particularly "slow" IMO. I'm not a fan of slow cookers for this reason.gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.
Either you are overcooking your food, or cooking things in the slow cooker that aren’t meant to be cooked that way.
I'm pretty sure I've tried just about every Skinnytaste slow cooker recipe and for a while had a meal prep service that specialized in crock pot meals. The flavors would change up, but soupy shredded meat and pasty vegetables seemed to be the end result no matter what. I just set the timer to what the recipe said and it would stay on warm until I got home, which is how I'm assuming a crock pot is supposed to work. I'll just toss the whole thing if it's something I'm actually supposed to be standing there babysitting. Sort of defeats the stated purpose that way.
Most things I can eat multiple times, but I have never thrown so much food away as I did when I was trying to learn to like the crock pot. I wish it were different, because I loathe regular cooking, so it seems like an ideal solution.
The “warm” function on some slow cookers can get quite hot. I’ve overcooked food by following the method you describe because it was still cooking while it was set on warm. Exactly how hot it gets seems to vary by the type of slow cooker. For reference, my slow cooker goes from dried beans (not pre-soaked) to fully cooked in about 6 hours on the low setting. Leaving them on warm for a few hours after that would make them mush.2 -
gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.
Either you are overcooking your food, or cooking things in the slow cooker that aren’t meant to be cooked that way.
I'm pretty sure I've tried just about every Skinnytaste slow cooker recipe and for a while had a meal prep service that specialized in crock pot meals. The flavors would change up, but soupy shredded meat and pasty vegetables seemed to be the end result no matter what. I just set the timer to what the recipe said and it would stay on warm until I got home, which is how I'm assuming a crock pot is supposed to work. I'll just toss the whole thing if it's something I'm actually supposed to be standing there babysitting. Sort of defeats the stated purpose that way.
Most things I can eat multiple times, but I have never thrown so much food away as I did when I was trying to learn to like the crock pot. I wish it were different, because I loathe regular cooking, so it seems like an ideal solution.
The “warm” function on some slow cookers can get quite hot. I’ve overcooked food by following the method you describe because it was still cooking while it was set on warm. Exactly how hot it gets seems to vary by the type of slow cooker. For reference, my slow cooker goes from dried beans (not pre-soaked) to fully cooked in about 6 hours on the low setting. Leaving them on warm for a few hours after that would make them mush.
If you don't use warm though, won't the food spoil? I'm usually out of the house at least 14-15 hours most days, so I'd think spoilage would be a big concern if it's just sitting out all that time, especially if there's meat. Or do you take off work to go home and turn it off and put it away and then just reheat when you're ready to eat?0 -
gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.
How long were you cooking what? My slow cooker makes amazing chicken cacciatore, but when using boneless chicken thighs I prep at lunch time and it is ready at 6, so probably takes less than 5 hours. The only meat I'd cook all day would be a whole, big, chunk of beef.
I cook dried black beans overnight and they still have texture.
Can't help you with the smell 2 -
kshama2001 wrote: »gremloBBPT wrote: »Sounds like a pretty good meal plan in your shoes, but my concern is those leftovers probably wouldn't be tasting all that great by day 4.
I was going to mention that slowcooker idea, too. It really is so easy! You could just dump in some boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts and a tasty teriyaki sauce. Microwave some veg and you're set. I use grocery delivery for convenience (and I even like grocery shopping); you might have that option in your location too. That said, I understand some ppl completely dread all aspects of cooking. (I love to cook.) My sister hates it and also buys mostly prepared food, so I get it.
Losing 15 pounds in 7 weeks, even if the first 3 or so is water weight, is a fast weight loss in your circumstances. It's not horribly extreme, but you will face a greater risk of losing muscle, which sucks. If you couple your weight loss with some resistance training, that should help retain muscle, but you may want to reconsider that pace.
I hope you have a great vacation!
The problem with slow cookers is the texture....everything comes out a soupy, drippy, slimy mess. It has no texture or crunch or chew to it. I tried to learn to love crock pot food, but the only thing good that comes out of my crock pot seems to be rice. Plus I hate how it makes so much smell in the house, especially this time of year when it's too cold to open up the windows for any length of time. Probably when I have no choice but to gum my food, I'll go back to slow cooking. For the foreseeable future though, it's mainly meal delivery and takeout for me.
How long were you cooking what? My slow cooker makes amazing chicken cacciatore, but when using boneless chicken thighs I prep at lunch time and it is ready at 6, so probably takes less than 5 hours. The only meat I'd cook all day would be a whole, big, chunk of beef.
I cook dried black beans overnight and they still have texture.
Can't help you with the smell
Slow cooking might be another home-cooking solution that just isn’t meant to be. The only time I’m home for 5-6 hours in a row is when I’m asleep or sick. Otherwise, most weekdays I’m out the door by 5 am with hopes of getting back by 6:30 or 7:00 if I don’t have any evening plans. I can’t see taking a couple of hours off in the middle of the day to drive home, either prep and turn on or turn off and cook something and then drive all the way back to the office. If it isn’t actually a “set it and forget it” kind of thing, then it doesn’t seem to be very practical for me.1 -
The problem with slow cookers is the texture.
Agreed. Meat eater. It doesn’t make good meat.
One exception. I have a cheap small crockpot (I think it was $5 on a Black Friday sale) that doesn’t get very hot, but heats up quick. Heats up a can of soup in about 20 minutes. Not mushy, just hot. Great! If you have room in your kitchen for one more thing that you use about once a year.
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To me that's a lot of sodium. As mentioned above I'd look into a slow cooker, instapot, or even the Ninja grill/air fryer.
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corinasue1143 wrote: »
The problem with slow cookers is the texture.
Agreed. Meat eater. It doesn’t make good meat.
One exception. I have a cheap small crockpot (I think it was $5 on a Black Friday sale) that doesn’t get very hot, but heats up quick. Heats up a can of soup in about 20 minutes. Not mushy, just hot. Great! If you have room in your kitchen for one more thing that you use about once a year.
Luckily I have a sister that periodically stocks my freezer with tortilla soup and minestrone, so I rarely have to resort to canned soup, but that would be super handy at the office!0 -
My grocery store has daily family meal deals. One night I think they do BBQ... (that might just be a summer thing). You can buy a tub of some type of bbq meat and some sides. Another night the grocery store does lasagna, where you get a lasagna, big salad and breadsticks... another night is fried chicken... (that one probably wouldn't be good to last the week though)
Olive Garden has a family to-go bundle, I think it's lasagna plus salad and breadsticks.0 -
As for the crock pot, I used to have the same texture issues with those, but I just had my third baby in July, and in the evenings I'm on my own with all three kids, so I have basically no time to cook. I get tired of restaurant food, plus it's expensive. I'm fortunate to be able to come home at lunch and throw dinner in the crockpot and set the timer for 4 hours, so it doesn't turn into a mushy, cooked all to hell mess. I've done some easy soups (chicken and gnocci soup, one that is similar but it has tortellini and some tomato sauce) I also cook chicken thighs in there with some asian sauce, and then when I get home I put rice in the rice cooker, steam some broccoli, and thicken up the sauce. The things I let cook all day are big chunks of meat like a roast, or a pork butt. I know you hate cooking but just giving you some ideas. You could cook a roast, and then a couple sides, and then eat that all week. I also buy already prepared mashed potatoes out of the refrigerated section of my grocery store to save time, a couple bags of frozen veggies, and rolls or some type of bread. Minimal effort.0
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Update: Purchased it today and the lady packed all of the containers to the BRIM with chicken. Man was it good! So glad I went for it, the meal was extremely tasty and satisfying! Can't wait for tomorrow's dinner already! Might even have some for lunch A week's worth of dinner prepared for less than $40. Can't complain! Will be buying some cabbage to cook and eat with the chicken. The super greens aren't enough in quantity!
Good idea to add more veggies to it. You never know if something will work for you until you try and Panda Express is SO good!
I do Sun Basket every week and it's pretty decently priced plus you can get some good coupons online for even more of a discount.
Good luck to you!0 -
For those talking about slow-cookers - this cookbook is way better than most crock-pot recipes I have found online (which do typically have some of the problems folks mentioned): https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Slow-Cooker-Appetizers-Must-Have/dp/1940352789 It has some tips that help like using the oven broiler to crisp up things like chicken wings or to glaze a piece of meat after it is done cooking. I did also get the slow-cooker recommended out of that book when my old one broke, and I like it because it doesn't end up boiling food on low (which is not slow-cooking) as some other models I've used have.1
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I totally get all the comments about slow cookers and meal prep, and that will be a great solutions for a lot of people, but I also think its clear that those are not solutions that would work for the OP as they have stated that they don't like to cook and don't like the food or recipes from slow cookers. I think we all know that if something is not right for us, we wont stick to it anyways. As far as Panda Express goes, I love that place and I believe that their website does have serving size weights, so as long as you are properly logging you should be able to stay within your goals. Some other places that offer ready to go meals that have some good options I can think of are Boston Market, Modern Market, Noodles & Co, and Panera if you like soup. The salads probably would not hold up. You could also hit your grocery deli. I go to King soopers and they have Baked Chicken by the piece, Rotisserie Chickens, Pork Ribs, turkey meatloaf, and all kinds of sides and salads pre-made. Pizza could be a good choice too depending on toppings and what your own calorie goals are.5
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I've done lots of take out. As others have stated, just watch the sizing and log the *kitten* out of it. As far as PE is concerned, I'd I walk into there it'll be a 3k calories meal.
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I’ve been meals planning with dunkin doughnuts for months. Panda Express is pretty similar. I say go for it!
BTW - 2lbs per week fat loss is perfectly fine. Trust me, I’m a doctor...
... of mathematics.1
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