Meal prep planning

nmalow23
nmalow23 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone have ideas for weekly meal prepping for breakfast, lunch, and dinners? I feel like I'm making the same thing every week.

Replies

  • liftorgohome
    liftorgohome Posts: 25,455 Member
    Breakfast egg whites with one whole egg, sometimes mixed with leftover taco meat, lunch tuna w cheese on rye, dinner tacos or chicken breast. Snack low fat yogurt. Sounds boring but it does the trick. Sometimes a salad with lunch. Also hard boiled eggs are good to snack on too, or add to the salad.
  • Scottgriesser
    Scottgriesser Posts: 172 Member
    Greatly depends on macro breakdowns you are going for, but an easy thing to adapt to different flavor profiles is chicken/rice/veg. Chicken, white rice, broccoli and some sriracha and soy and you have "asian". Chicken, brown rice, and peppers with some tabasco and you have "mexican". Chicken, rice, onion/pepper, peanut butter and yellow curry powder/garam masala and you have "indian". Can certainly substitute pork for chicken in any of these, or pull it instead of slice it for different texture. I've also made chilis, gumbos, tacos...there is no end to what you can make and save. I don't do breakfast, but when I did egg cups or sausage and a fried egg were staples. Throw some peppers in it if you wish, or could pack some fresh greens as well. Not going to say that any of these are things you would put in a cooking competition, but it is an easy thing to hit macro targets with and change the tongue tingle so you don't go nuts. Everything except the fresh greens is freezable.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Scottgriesser wrote: »
    Greatly depends on macro breakdowns you are going for, but an easy thing to adapt to different flavor profiles is chicken/rice/veg. Chicken, white rice, broccoli and some sriracha and soy and you have "asian". Chicken, brown rice, and peppers with some tabasco and you have "mexican". Chicken, rice, onion/pepper, peanut butter and yellow curry powder/garam masala and you have "indian". Can certainly substitute pork for chicken in any of these, or pull it instead of slice it for different texture. I've also made chilis, gumbos, tacos...there is no end to what you can make and save. I don't do breakfast, but when I did egg cups or sausage and a fried egg were staples. Throw some peppers in it if you wish, or could pack some fresh greens as well. Not going to say that any of these are things you would put in a cooking competition, but it is an easy thing to hit macro targets with and change the tongue tingle so you don't go nuts. Everything except the fresh greens is freezable.

    I have a stupid amount of spices reflecting many cuisines from around the world and never get tired of chicken as there are so many ways to make it.

    When I batch-cooked I would bake 4 chicken thighs with Asian seasonings and have with rice and peas, and 4 thighs with bread crumbs and Italian seasoning that I would have with baked potato and broccoli.

    I also made hard boiled eggs for snacks, and also kept nuts, carrots, and cheese at work for snacks.

    For breakfast I had a smoothie.
  • weatherking2019
    weatherking2019 Posts: 943 Member
    I try to stick to something I don't get sick of. Simple stuff. Just variation of it.

    B: Egg muffin (different veggies and meat) and Yogurt with Fruits.
    L: Salad or Soup (I just add different toppings)
    D: Depends on what I shopped over the weekend. (Make a big batch enough for 2 dinners)
  • WombatHat42
    WombatHat42 Posts: 192 Member
    One thing ive started trying is cook all of my protein in on go. dont need to season it or anything just plain cuz you can mix it later then cook the carb when you're about to eat or that day. helps pasta and rice from getting hard and inedible
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Baked meatballs or falafels do well for prep. Sometimes instead of a veg side I'll do tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion, you can have a little whatever dressing on the day.
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    Just gonna put in some different ideas that could maybe inspire other meals to go with them, or at least change up the meals you have?

    For a carb to go with the meal: mashed root veggie (mashed potatoes, rutabaga, parsnips, sweet potatoes, etc...), savory grain/grain porridges (rice, millet, polenta, sorghum, amaranth, quinoa), starchy fruits (plantains, bananas - check out Filipino and Caribbean cuisine for ideas and how to cook properly)

    For rice: white rice, black rice (is a purple color), brown rice, or 'riced' veggies (chopped up to rice sized pieces in a food processor) like cauliflower rice or sweet potato rice.


    For some fun inspiration, check out bento box meals. These are rather nice: https://justbento.com/recipes/all

    And checking out dishes from countries outside your own can be lovely, especially with the ability to order so many seasonings and ingredients online these days.

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    I don't meal prep per se, but whenever I make a recipe that freezes well, will make a quadruple batch to stick in the freezer because extra work is no incremental. For dinners, some of my go to dishes to freeze are:

    bolognaise sauce for spaghetti (I use Marcella Hazan's Ragu sauce recipe)
    coq au vin
    chicken cacciatore
    coca cola braised chicken
    dak dori tang
    boeuf bourguignon (and any other beef stews)
    beef rendang (and any other curries)
    lasagna (also vegetable lasagna variants)
    lamb shanks braised in red wine
    gratin dauphinoise (I use the recipe from Great British Chefs)

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    I would check out Pinterest for ideas and recipes.
  • nmalow23
    nmalow23 Posts: 6 Member
    Those sound like great ideas. I was getting sick of having chicken almost everyday so new ideas are very much welcomed!!!
  • daniworks
    daniworks Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks for this insights. I have a lot of trouble coming up with a meal plan with easy to access ingredients that is also has affordable price.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    daniworks wrote: »
    Thanks for this insights. I have a lot of trouble coming up with a meal plan with easy to access ingredients that is also has affordable price.

    What helps me not get bored is to make meals from different world cuisines and to keep the prices low I shop at Asian markets for Asian ingredients, etc. The reduced prices can be astonishing!

    Anyone in the Boston area checkout http://www.kammanfoods.com/quincy/en/
  • ssorg9
    ssorg9 Posts: 30 Member
    I do a salad in a jar every weekday. Walden farms dressing in bottom, 1/4 cup of hearty veggie next, 2 1/2 ounces of chicken or pork, and 4 cups of salad (usually some sort of mixture of kale, spinach and mixed greens). I can make a weeks worth on Sunday.

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