Meal Prep

[Luc]

As the title suggests, I would like to discuss Meal Prep (or MealPrep for the searchable options).

I did not find anything very specific on B&B but I'm thinking that we may have a few meal preppers around here.

A bit of background, I enjoy cooking and I have time to cook most days. Sometimes I have less time (like anyone), that's where meal prep would be useful. I've never really meal prepped in my life so this is a new concept and I'm having issues integrating it.

I'm not after a specific recipe. I'm after ideas on what to cook and how to make it work. I will still cook as I go most of the time but I would like to meal prep here and there.

I would not say that I'm an expert by any means, I don't have any professional training in a kitchen but I can get around and make something work without much trouble(I press my tortillas, I don't buy pre-marinated meat, I do my own mixes, etc.) . I used an InstantPot before and recently got a Ninja foodi (9 in 1 or 10 in 1, I forget).

Let me give you a few examples of what I mean.

I recently read in the Meathead bbq cookbook that I should cook 2 pork shoulders when I make one. That way, I have some when I don't have time to bbq. I did that and he's right. I can easily make a pull pork sandwich or even a few tortillas with pull pork. That works! However, my rotation is bad as I still have some from May 2022 (3 portions maybe, I had 5 to start with). I don't have the reflex to get some of that pulled pork out of the freezer once a week let's say.

I then discovered overnight oats. I eat these 3 times a week. I started prepping them on Sunday night. I love having a ready-to-go breakfast in the morning. I make an egg sandwich when I'm not eating oats, it takes me around 10 minutes to make it. The sandwich is not impossible to prep but wouldn't be best.

You will ask at this point, what's the issue? Well, when I look at meal prep videos or websites, it's meal prep for the week. Meaning I would eat chicken and broccoli all week. I don't really want that. I could freeze some portions, yes but then, I would run out of freezer space very quickly(It's already crowded in there).

I try to have a different protein every day without eating the same protein two days in a row. Unless it's a leftover from the previous day.

I don't have roommates to share meals with, I have a family (which comes back to the same, thinking about it). I have some picky eaters on top of it, not all of them but at least 1.

I'm not following a specific diet either but I follow everything using MyFitnessPal in order to be healthier.

So, for breakfast during the week, I'm mostly on my own(first one up, I work from home but usually start working before I see another living soul!). Other than overnight oats and eggs, any suggestions? I know that cereals (museli+milk) are a no-brainer, but maybe something else? Maybe a few lunches too? I'm eating a lot of salad but there might be a twist that I haven't thought of.

I saw this week an overnight oat recipe to make huevos rancheros(more savory than sweet). I will try that this Saturday but then, other than prepping the oats, I will possibly cook everything else fresh since I have more time during the weekend.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I like to prep by grilling on Sunday afternoon late. Usually I will grill a steak, sausage, hamburgers, shrimp and mini bell peppers. I will then separate all of that into individual Meals And freeze them. Most of it will be eaten throughout a one week period of time. Then I start over again on Sunday afternoon. Sometimes I will include fish like tuna and or swordfish.

 

[TexLaw]

I don't know how much I can help, as I also don't do much in the way of "meal prepping." Frankly, I don't see much benefit for someone like you (and me) who enjoy cooking and who tend to have plenty of time to do so. Most "meal preppers" are those who tend to be in a rush to get meals on the table during busy times, so they are more interested in time-shifting than saving labor. That is, they don't really SAVE any time cooking. They just do it when they have the time so that they don't have to do it when they don't. I know others that do something similar so that they can bring their lunches to work.

That said, I hardly ever cook for just one or two. It's just something from my upbringing.

So, I often do the sort of bulk cooking you referenced. That is, I'll make plenty of something that takes a long time to do (like pork butts, brisket, ribs, pork loin, etc.) or that freeze and reheat very well and very easily (like sausage). When I light up the grill, pit, or pellet cooker, I make good use of it and cook what I can with that fire. Indeed, it takes a lot more time than it does labor to cook more than one pork butt or a larger brisket (rather than small) or a whole pork loin (rather than a small portion), so you can get a lot of benefit there. I then vacuum seal and freeze leftovers in portions for later.

I do the same with soups, stews, stocks, chili, etc. If I'm going to make a quart, then why not make a gallon? Put the rest in pint or quart containers and freeze for later.

For salads, you could go ahead and chop extra carrot, celery, bits of meat, or whatever might go into your salads so that you have your own, little salad bar in your refrigerator. Whether that is worth it to you is a personal matter.

 

[Tirvine]

I like to make most things for myself...stock, broth, and fumet; bread and tortillas; preserves, chutneys, and other condiments; and so on. In a professional kitchen where seconds count, mise en place is everything. You do not have time to prep things or wander off to find things in the middle of service. Even though things go at a more leisurely pace in most home kitchens, taking time for mise makes it go more smoothly. If you have to stop and thaw a quart of stock to continue what you are cooking, it is annoying and may lead to other things overcooking. Clean as you go and start the actual cooking with a clean and clear sink and counter. Take the meat out and salt it well in advance. Take out anything else you want to come together like cheeses, and toss any meat you plan to slice ultra thin in the freezer to firm up for slicing. Open the wine to let it breathe. Pre-plan the timing so that things finish together. Timing is IMO most home cooks' greatest weakness. Prep things that are ok with sitting a bit like rinsing and tearing greens and making a vinaigrette. Things that do not hold well, like hollandaise, need to come together at the end.

 

[Doc4]

I'm not after a specific recipe. I'm after ideas on what to cook and how to make it work. I will still cook as I go most of the time but I would like to meal prep here and there.

Well, when I look at meal prep videos or websites, it's meal prep for the week. Meaning I would eat chicken and broccoli all week. I don't really want that. I could freeze some portions, yes but then, I would run out of freezer space very quickly(It's already crowded in there).

Maybe not 100% what you want but ... when I was a bachelor back in the day, I'd eat pasta three times a week. I'd make sauce by mixing one large tin of diced tomatoes with one tin of sliced mushrooms and one tin of sliced olives.

Get the water warming up and then get the garlic and onions frying in the pan ... and once they are ready, add a scoop of the sauce. Then add whatever herbs and other sauce additives* I liked, and by the time the water was at a boil and then the pasta was added and cooked ... the sauce was ready. Then mix them together.

If you want meat in your sauce, just freeze some sausages. Then take a sausage (or two) and slice them ... then fry the slices. You get nice clean edges that fry up well and can get some nice blackening on them that really adds flavour.

This approach would probably make poor old @Marco wince ... but it was a pretty "quick and easy" way to make a pasta dinner.




*I did like adding a bit of balsamic vinegar and sour cream sometimes.

 

[Whisky]

There’s a company called passionate penny pincher that sells a variety of “freezer meal” sets. They’re on index cards and arranged by week 1-12. Each week has a shopping list. You spend a day when you have time prepping them all then you freeze them. Each meal has a little card you can stick on top of the frozen meal so that you know what it is and how to cook/finish the meal on the day you’re going to eat it. My sister-in-law uses them every week and has every series the company makes. There’s a slow cooker series, summer grilling series, the freezer series and probably some others I don’t know about. We have one one of the slow cooker series and the freezer meal series. They’re generally good recipes but they are hearty, don’t try to diet while eating them. We use the slow cooker recipes more than the freezer series.

 

[SparkyLB]

FWIW, my wife and I are pretty busy and try to prep weeknight dinners on the weekend. I’ll post more as they come to mind but here’s a recipe we’ll do a couple of times a month that has a whopping 2 ingredients.

Take a couple dozen chicken wings (we use frozen bagged ones from Costco) and enough teriyaki sauce to make you happy, (we add about a cup) on a 1/2 hotel pan and cook until caramelized, turning once midway. Takes about an hour and the sauce makes itself. We have it on rice.

Teriyaki is soy sauce and sugar if you decide to make your own.

 

[Luc]

Let's re-bump this thread.

In the interim, I will link to this thread: Prep (Hopefully The B&B Definitive Thread) - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/prep-hopefully-the-b-b-definitive-thread.578779/

Meal prep is something that I still think about and do with my overnight oats (link in the first post).

I think that I want to be a bit more serious about it. The issues that I have:

• I'm not cooking for myself, I cook most meals for the whole family. We aren't much (3), well, 2 adults, one kid.
• I don't want to eat the same thing over and over (there's a trick for that).
• I'm logging everything in myfitnesspal to follow what I eat in a day. It's not an easy task as not everyone is using MFP (only me). I don't want to be 100% accurate but it needs some accuracy. I use MFP currently to maintain my current weight (at least I try).

So, in order to achieve what I want, Dinner will probably remain as is (cooked as we go, no meal prep). My breakfast is all right, so I meal prep the overnight oats and eat the poor student egg sandwich when I'm not having oats.

I could possibly do 3 lunches that are identical and go from there. Most batch cooking is done for 5 meals. I know, I can re-adjust and play with the recipes a bit (that's what I'm doing right now).

Some see food as fuel, but I see it as food. I like good food and so far, I'm still able to make food fun even if I cut around 90% of my cheese intake scared

So, let me suggest what I will do and maybe someone has tips and tricks.

My first task is to pick what I want to eat. Now, I will start with 1 meal and tweak it as I go (a bit like my overnight oats. I have 3 different flavors each week with minimal effort. When I judge that I mastered that, I will include a second recipe and so on. I would like to keep the 3 meals approach but I don't intend to meal prep every 3 days. There will be improvisation sometimes (currently, all the time).

Then, I need to log and adjust my recipe in MFP. Ideally, I want something simple with 5-8 ingredients. I will likely use the instant pot. I recently discovered how to cook pasta in there and I can cut a good chunk of pots and cooking by doing that. I need to come up with something that will use the whole package or something that could be easily measured and used. What I mean by that. If I pick a pound (454 grams) of minced meat, ideally, I want to use the whole pack. For noodles, I can measure my portions and use what I need and keep the rest for later (the same goes for rice). And so on...

I could maybe use half a pack of minced meat if I mix it with beans, as an example (someone might shoot me for doing that but hey, my kitchen my rules!). I will need to think about something else for the other half...

So, as a first recipe, I picked mac&cheese. I prepared a recipe but I don't know how it will go. I look at the macros (proteins vs carbs vs fat) and the numbers are ok for 3 servings. Calories-wise, also ok. It may sound silly but I do not know if it will turn up ok or not. I cooked all my life (Well, not that old either but I ain't 25 anymore), and I'm having issues visualizing if it will be all right. I know, I can add greens if I'm missing volume.

I follow a few channels on youtube for meal prep but I did not find any that have a 3 meal at the time plan. I found tons of recipes where you can input 3 servings and everything is re-calculated. However, I often need to re-tweak these as they either have too many unhealthy items, not enough green, it seems like it's an entree, not a meal, etc. Or, they simply ask for something like 300 grams of minced meat which is not half, not a whole pack, my OCD kicks in right there.

So, any tips ?

 

[ctr]

I cook 2 - 3 times per week. The remainder is leftovers, something new with the main dish leftovers, or something from a previous meal stored in the freezer. Prep is anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 for most meals with some notable exceptions: roast; turkey; etc.

Having staples on hand and a well stocked pantry is invaluable. We shop from the pantry not the store. Makes a difference.

 

[Luc]

I cook 2 - 3 times per week. The remainder is leftovers, something new with the main dish leftovers, or something from a previous meal stored in the freezer. Prep is anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 for most meals with some notable exceptions: roast; turkey; etc.

Having staples on hand and a well stocked pantry is invaluable. We shop from the pantry not the store. Makes a difference.

I am no stranger to leftovers. I have a few days during the week where an already-measured meal would fit better than making a brand-new lunch at noon. I have 3 situations for my lunches.

• I have a leftover so no need to make a lunch
• I have half a leftover so I need to improvise and make a half-new lunch using the old lunch. I believe Jacques Pépin said something like he always transforms his leftover to get a new/different meal. I can do that too.
• But... It also happens that I do not have a leftover. Depending on what we eat.

Tonight, simple green salad with smoked salmon, bagel, and cream cheese. I won't have any leftovers tomorrow. So An already prepared lunch would be fun.

My overnight oat schedule is preparation Sunday morning and I eat my oats Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It won't be exactly like that but the idea is to take one of those prepared lunches and insert it during the week here and there. Freezer space isn't the best so that's why I want to keep my meal prep to a minimum for now.

 

[Luc]

Of course, Christmas is putting a dent in the plan... I have enough turkey for the next week. I am now re-inventing turkey for lunch. It's kind of a meal prep since it's an assembly with 1-2 items that are new to make it different: rice instead of noodles),curry instead of oyster sauce, etc.

I am tweaking my chicken rice bowl recipe(With salsa). I have no idea how it's going to come out. Calorie-wise, I'm in the 600-625 range which is where I want it to be. High in Carbs and Proteins (53-55 if I remember correctly).

 

[Tirvine]

I have taken to grilling and freezing a bag of chicken thighs. They retain moisture better than other cuts and are delicious in tacos, salad, etc. For most roasts there is a logical progression of meals...roast, hot sandwich, stir fry, cold sandwich, soup. When I buy the roast I buy the other stuff needed for the particular roast. A favorite is a pork shoulder followed by carnitas tacos and Cubano sandwiches. A similar approach is taken with vegetables and some pastas. Cook extra for several nights, picking ones that go well together, and then piling things into a frittata.

 

[Doc4]

Now, I will start with 1 meal and tweak it as I go ... I have 3 different flavors each week with minimal effort.

 

[Luc]

I was able to get to my local public library last week and got a few books. I know, there's a lot of information online but sometimes, I prefer a physical book instead of a screen.

Now, everything that I saw online is pretty much repeated in the books that I got. I got 5 books and decided to see what I will do from there. I'm overcomplicating this where it should be simple. I know that it won't be one size-fit-all model for this but I need to find my mold.

Of all the books that I got, only 2 got my attention a bit more than the rest.

• The first one was working with leftovers to re-use part of a recipe into another one 2 days later. As an example, You roast a chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and salad. 2 days later, you use the leftover chicken to make tacos. I'm used to having leftovers but this principle sounds more efficient. I killed my lunch the next day but that's when option 2 comes into play (I think).
• The second book was named 15 minutes recipes with 5 ingredients. Now, That's not exactly true. You had a recipe to cook a protein (let's say General Tao Chicken) and then they would suggest, adding this ingredient to up the flavors. Do you need a side dish? Serve with rice. Making rice, a baked potato or a side of noodles is not complicated, but... You still need to do it. The result, make something that's more simple. That's what I will do.

I believe that I need to do something a bit of both. Somehow, it's very much like a magazine that I used to buy in Australia 10 years ago named Superfood ideas. They would make you reuse your leftovers to create a new meal. I normally eat the leftover (if any) the next day for lunch.

So, after reading that first book, I need to be more organized than I am today to be able to do something "à la carte". It would mean that I would prep some food but assemble my dish when required.

I still want to pack my lunches so that I don't need to worry about anything a few times a week (not every day). It's faster at lunchtime since I'm working.

So, my reviewed plan is to meal prep 3 lunches that I will eat during the week. Those 3 will be like my overnight oats, I will portion them and assemble them completely on Sunday. I should be able to have a quick lunch and pre-calculate my calories on Sunday.

Then, still, on Sunday, I will prepare a few items that will make everything faster during weeknights. I believe that's called the Buffet style.

So, I've been getting pressure to make tortillas more often. During the week it takes me longer since I press my own tortillas. What I did do yesterday (I was off)? I made more tortillas (instead of 8, I made 16 since the family eats 7-8 when we do tortilla night). I will then do another tortilla night later this week. Getting the guacamole ready takes me 5 mins. If I have another protein ready or simply warm up beans, that could be it.

I will need to think about what we eat usually and pre-prepare my pick-and-choose combos in consequence.

 

[Ad Astra]

Can only add, the seal-a-meal vacuum sealers really help in this regard. Too often tasty things were covered with frost or freezer burn. We actually have two of these machines, and though the only catch is the bags are expensive, Azon will sell you Chinese generic rolls that work perfect and are cheap.

I suppose you could seal prepper outdoor stuff, too.


AA

 

[mrlandpirate]

This idea works for me

 

[Luc]

Can only add, the seal-a-meal vacuum sealers really help in this regard. Too often tasty things were covered with frost or freezer burn. We actually have two of these machines, and though the only catch is the bags are expensive, Azon will sell you Chinese generic rolls that work perfect and are cheap.

I suppose you could seal prepper outdoor stuff, too.


AA

I have one but I stopped using it. Anything with sauce causes a mess. The machine that I have isn't great so it doesn't always seal properly.

I try to buy my meat in a vacuum-sealed package and if I can't, I will roll the meat in parchment paper and put everything in a ziplock bag where I remove as much air as possible. I don't tend to stock months' worth of meat (or meals) in my freezer. I usually use everything within 2-3 weeks so the freezer burn isn't too bad. I will prioritize open packages over sealed one in order to maintain a better rotation or fresher products.

 

[Luc]

View attachment 1582951
This idea works for me

I follow him on youtube. He does have a few ideas that I stole and use.

 

[Luc]

Batch cooking update.

I cooked a big piece of Beef Top Sirloin cap Saturday. It was a 2kg piece so plenty of leftovers. I made tacos with the first meal.

Tonight, I will make a stir-fry using beef and udon noodles. I will probably have a small leftover after that. I might freeze it for next week or eat it for lunch on Tuesday. Since the protein is already cooked, it's a bit faster.

I also have a few, pre-cut, veggies that are ready to go.

This is shaping nicely for the week-night meals!

 

[Luc]

Today was a more traditional meal prep type of, hum, meal prep...

Instead of a buffet style for the week, I prep lunches for the rest of the week.

I pressured cooked a chicken burrito bowl using my ninja foodi but instead of making 1 plate, I made 4 lunches.

Now, I'm still learning how to use that ninja foodi. I'm trying to save a few steps and pressured cooked everything in one shot. I probably should cook the rice separately from the rest. My idea was to put everything in with enough liquids to cook the rice. Obviously, it didn't come out like the magazine picture or what I thought it would look like.

Anyways, a bit of burnt at the bottom but it didn't affect the taste (lucky me). I now have 4 lunches (ate one today).

I will probably do this again but cook everything in 2 batches (meat first and then rice with veggies). I guess my next window will be this weekend...