Meal Prepping

[Weedygarden]

I've been reading about meal prepping for a while. I also recognize that I have done variations of meal prepping for decades. It has become quite popular lately. There are groups and articles about it. I found this article and think it really tells about meal prepping better than I could. The article is long, so I know it will take at least two posts.

Meal prepping is different than what most of us who call ourselves preppers have been doing. It is more short term, prepping meals for less than a week.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/meal-prep-101-a-beginners-guide/

Meal prepping is the hottest food trend lately, and frankly, I couldn’t be happier! I’ve been meal prepping for years simply because it’s a great way to save time, money, and reduce waste in the kitchen, so I’m happy to see so many people getting wise to this method. But there are still so many people who haven’t had the meal prep “Aha!” moment, so I wanted to do a quick Meal Prep 101 to help people grasp the concept or get over the intimidation to give it a try.

WHAT IS MEAL PREPPING?​

Meal prepping is simply the act of preparing a meal or recipe, then portioning it out to create grab-and-go meals for later. If you’ve ever packed up your leftovers from dinner to take with you for lunch the next day, then you’ve already mini-meal prepped! Generally though, meal prepping refers to preparing 3-7 days worth of food at a time.

Think of it like packing your lunches for the week all at once instead of packing your lunch each morning. You can use this same technique for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

WHY MEAL PREP?​

Meal prepping is convenient, efficient, reduces waste, and reduces temptation to eat outside your plan (whether the plan be a diet or a budget). When cooking every single day is out of the question, meal prepping can allow you to still eat home-cooked meals without having to dedicate time each day to preparation.

WHO IS MEAL PREPPING FOR?​

Meal prepping is not for everyone. It is good for people who value convenience and efficiency more than variety. With meal prepping you generally eat the same thing for a few days in a row, so if you don’t like leftovers or get bored with food easily, meal prepping is not for you. If having control over what you eat, or maximizing your time or budget is more valuable to you than eating something different every single day, meal prepping is your ticket.

I’ve generally only seen people meal prep for themselves or maybe one other person, as opposed to a whole family. Meal prepping for a whole family would be quite difficult because there are more people to please and would require a million containers.

WHAT CAN I MEAL PREP?​

This is the golden question. As with any leftovers, the palatability of prepped meals varies from person to person.

Foods that work well for meal prepping:

• cooked grains & pasta
• cooked beans
• cooked meat
• roasted vegetables
• hearty fresh vegetables (think celery, carrots, peas, bell peppers, kale, cabbage, radishes, etc.)
• whole fruit (apples, oranges, stone fruit)
• nuts & seeds
• cheese
• sauces and dips (like salad dressings, hummus, salsa, sour cream, etc.)

Foods that don’t usually meal prep well:

• softer fruits and vegetables (lettuce, berries, and cut fruit)
• crunchy items like fried food, crackers, or chips

That being said, there are sometimes ways around this, like packing ingredients individually. I tend to stay away from items that require special care just for convenience sake, but it is possible to prep these things if you don’t mind putting in the extra work.

HOW LONG DO MY MEAL PREPS STAY “GOOD”?​

I get this question on almost every meal prep post I make and unfortunately there is no one hard rule here. As food is stored in the refrigerator it begins a slow decline in quality. In addition to this, the way food is packed or the individual nuances of your refrigerator environment can impact the quality of your refrigerated meals. So often the lifespan or acceptable changes in texture and flavor will be subject to the eater.

Always begin with the refrigeration guidelines set by the FDA, and then evaluate them against your own preferences. In general, I don’t like to prep more than four days worth at a time because I find that by that fifth day the food is usually too limp and lifeless to enjoy. By prepping four days in a row I can prep two times per week and be covered or prep once per week and reach into my stash of freezer leftovers for the remaining days (plus the option for eating out one day).

 

[Weedygarden]

HOW TO START MEAL PREPPING​

Start SMALL. I can’t emphasize this enough. Start by packing up your leftovers from dinner one night and taking them for lunch the next day. Once you’re comfortable with that and you get to know what types of food you like as leftovers (pay attention to texture changes that might bother you), you can pick one recipe to prep for the week ahead.

I suggest starting with a single recipe meal prep instead of a meal that requires two or three recipes together. Single recipe meal preps provide your protein, grain, and vegetables all in one recipe, so there is no need to make a side dish.

Once you get a hang of one recipe or meal, you can try two (like lunches and dinners) or try prepping your breakfast ahead. The most important thing is that you prep for the level that works for you. If you try to prep three meals for five days all at once and find that after day three you just won’t eat the same thing anymore, don’t risk wasting the food. Prep only three days. Personally, I like to do just lunches, or sometimes breakfast and lunch, leaving my dinner to be my variety for the day.

MY MEAL PREP FORMULAS:​

An easy way to think about meal prepping is to make a formula out of it. When deciding which foods to meal prep I try to pick out one of the following formulas:

• Basic: Protein + Grain + Vegetable
• Low Carb: Protein + Vegetable + Vegetable
• Vegetarian: Legume + Grain + Vegetable

You can add toppings to any of the formulas above to make it more interesting, like sauces, nuts, seeds, croutons, etc. Or just keep it simple and make life easy!

WHAT DO I NEED?​

Containers. Containers of different shapes and sizes. And don’t worry, you can start small here too.

I started by buying one pack of the blue-top reusable plastic Ziploc containers per week. They’re BPA free and can go in the freezer, dishwasher, and microwave, which makes them super convenient, plus they’re very inexpensive and come in several shapes and sizes.

Once my budget allowed, I graduated to glass containers. My favorite glass containers so far are the plain, single compartment Pyrex containers (I like the 3-cup rectangle and 4-cup bowl). I do also have some divided glass containers that have separate compartments, but I find their use a little more limited because not all food can fit in the smaller compartments and the compartment dividers aren’t leak proof.

Metal bento box style containers are also great, as long as you’re packing a cold meal and won’t need to reheat it in a microwave.

Fold top sandwich bags or zip top bags can also be helpful when you need to separate ingredients. And, if you like to keep your dressing and dips separate, look for 1-2 oz. size resealable containers (I’ve seen several at grocery stores and on Amazon).

 

[Weedygarden]

There is much to say about meal prepping, and there are many aspects to it.

Some conversations about meal prepping talk about prepping a bag of onions by chopping them and storing them in recipe sized portions in the freezer. There are several things that can be prepared into recipe sized portions: cooked chicken, cooked meat, vegetables, more. You are limited by your imagination.

 

[Amish Heart]

About to do that with some cooked pork I did yesterday. I cooked four whole chickens recently and partitioned the meat out in ziplocks for meal size. Did it also with snap peas recently, so I just need to grab a baggie when I do stir fry. I guess I do more of that stuff instead of say, freezing a lasagna.
Husband was on the hunt for a chocolate croissant last week. There is a bakery/freezer meal place in the bigger town, so I went in for the first time. That had a wall of freezer meals that they sell. A 9 in by 9 in foil pan of meatloaf was $24. So, yep, I'm sure it's cheaper to do your own, but I can see how people that don't cook come buy stuff. They have a big kitchen and make stuff on site. Lasagna, tater tot casserole, enchiladas.....I saw a couple of old guys coming in and buying stuff. Had to go to Starbucks for that chocolate croissant, and it wasn't that good, and it was $3.95 for that little thing.

 

[Weedygarden]

WHO IS MEAL PREPPING FOR?​

Meal prepping is not for everyone. It is good for people who value convenience and efficiency more than variety. With meal prepping you generally eat the same thing for a few days in a row, so if you don’t like leftovers or get bored with food easily, meal prepping is not for you. If having control over what you eat, or maximizing your time or budget is more valuable to you than eating something different every single day, meal prepping is your ticket.

I’ve generally only seen people meal prep for themselves or maybe one other person, as opposed to a whole family. Meal prepping for a whole family would be quite difficult because there are more people to please and would require a million containers.

I think people need to be aware of how long a certain meal would last after it is prepared, and if you are like me, I like to have variety. This is where I like my freezer meals that I make. I can vary what I eat from day to day. I just select a meal from my freezer and warm it up.

The business of meal prepping is a great thing to do if you have someone who does not take care of themselves or could benefit from having a bunch of prepared meals in the freezer. I have known a couple women who prepared meals for their elderly parents that are stored in the freezer until parent is ready to eat.

 

[Weedygarden]

I guess I do more of that stuff instead of say, freezing a lasagna.

There are a couple books about cooking once a month and freezing meals that just need to go into the oven and get heated up for dinner. That is certainly a different way to meal prep. You spend one weekend a month preparing your meals for the month. For busy families and working people, this may seem like a strain on one weekend, but it certainly makes life easier for the rest of the month. Also, the kitchen gets messier once a month.

With prepped meals, there is much less of a mess to clean up daily.

 

[teeceetx]

I do this somewhat, but on a much smaller scale. Not quite food for a month, and I don't cook all the meals on the same day.

Since it's just the two of us, when I cook a meal, it's always far too much food, and it always lasts for days. Sometimes I freeze the leftovers, other times not. I generally don't like to eat the same meal two days in a row, so some meals last more than a week.

But I really like the concept, if only I was disciplined enough!!!

 

[Weedygarden]

I generally don't like to eat the same meal two days in a row, so some meals last more than a week.

When I went to a headache clinic for my migraines a few decades ago, I was told not to eat food that had been cooked more than 3 days previously. That left me with freezing the extras, or eating them, which after a few meals, I could not.

The typical soup recipe makes 6 servings. I can eat a meal or two, but then I like to freeze the extras in meal sized portions. When I was teaching, I would make a batch of soup and sometimes another meal, and freeze most of it. I could build up a collection of different things to eat.

 

[Neb]

The Princess takes about a Saturday every month to prep meals. She has a busy schedule between work, kung- fu, tae kwon do, and choir.

She just tells me how it needs cooked and I get dinner ready.

Ben

 

[Caribou]

The typical soup recipe makes 6 servings. I can eat a meal or two, but then I like to freeze the extras in meal sized portions. When I was teaching, I would make a batch of soup and sometimes another meal, and freeze most of it. I could build up a collection of different things to eat.

If I’m cooking I want to make more than six servings. It is very little effort to make a big batch. When I make ham and beans, for example, I prefer to use four pounds of dried beans. My crock pot only holds three pounds of dried beans so I make a small batch. My lasagna pan will only make about a dozen servings. Pans this size rarely provide anything for the freezer.


I’ve been doing meal prepping, as defined above, for years. Mostly I will cook my chicken barley stew in my large slow cooker and then eat that for a week but ham and beans, lasagna, pulled pork, or another recipe will feed me for several days. If I get tired of it, or if I feel like cooking something else, or if I’m traveling, the leftovers wind up portioned up and put in the freezer. I used to make pork and beans and can it in quarts for a fast meal. It was a sad day when there were no jars of beans on the shelf.

Back in my bachelor days I liked to keep three different meals in the freezer and several of each. I tried to cook one or two meals each weekend and portion them out. This gave me a selection.

I always thought of meal prepping as keeping all the ingredients for my normal meals on the shelf, in quantity.

 

[d_marsh]

I used to have a roommate, an actual roommate not the border jumper who washes my sheets and has more bathroom stuff than any 10 people need. He would cook on Sunday and make 7 portions of whatever he made. He would then eat that as his main meal every single day until it was time to cook again. He was dedicated to this process but I think having no variety would drive me nuts.

I only cook for me and 3-4 times a week the aforementioned princesa del dormitorio. I prefer to just make enough to eat for that one meal. Sometimes it doesn't work out and I have leftovers, but I would rather not. If things go to crap I will adjust accordingly, but right now I don't have to so I don't.

 

[sonya123]

don't know if this is of any use to you, but I made a ton of freezer meals for husband for while i was gone. They were all ok but he said the thing that tasted just like fresh was the Indian food. I made goat curry, spicy lentil dhal and rice. The other thing that I make that everyone loves is my own frozen pizzas. Husband also liked the frozen chicken and dumplings but I had some and thought it was too mushy. If you add veggies to fettucine, make sure they are cut up in very small pieces or it doesn't heat evenly. Potato stuff does not taste good after frozen ( smashed, boiled or baked slices in the oven)

 

[Weedygarden]

If I’m cooking I want to make more than six servings. It is very little effort to make a big batch. When I make ham and beans, for example, I prefer to use four pounds of dried beans. My crock pot only holds three pounds of dried beans so I make a small batch. My lasagna pan will only make about a dozen servings. Pans this size rarely provide anything for the freezer.


I’ve been doing meal prepping, as defined above, for years. Mostly I will cook my chicken barley stew in my large slow cooker and then eat that for a week but ham and beans, lasagna, pulled pork, or another recipe will feed me for several days. If I get tired of it, or if I feel like cooking something else, or if I’m traveling, the leftovers wind up portioned up and put in the freezer. I used to make pork and beans and can it in quarts for a fast meal. It was a sad day when there were no jars of beans on the shelf.

Back in my bachelor days I liked to keep three different meals in the freezer and several of each. I tried to cook one or two meals each weekend and portion them out. This gave me a selection.

I always thought of meal prepping as keeping all the ingredients for my normal meals on the shelf, in quantity.

Part of meal prepping is large batch cooking. I actually like to do large batches as well. Yes, a typical soup recipe is 6 servings, but if I am going to the trouble to cook something, a larger batch cooks up just the same, and is as freezable as not.

I haven't cooked more than a pound of beans at a time, but I have friends who do. Cook them up, put them in the freezer for a future meal. They tell me that they do not like to eat canned beans, and if they cook up a large batch, they can use them in recipes just like they would a can of something.

 

[Weedygarden]

I used to have a roommate, an actual roommate not the border jumper who washes my sheets and has more bathroom stuff than any 10 people need. He would cook on Sunday and make 7 portions of whatever he made. He would then eat that as his main meal every single day until it was time to cook again. He was dedicated to this process but I think having no variety would drive me nuts.

I only cook for me and 3-4 times a week the aforementioned princesa del dormitorio. I prefer to just make enough to eat for that one meal. Sometimes it doesn't work out and I have leftovers, but I would rather not. If things go to crap I will adjust accordingly, but right now I don't have to so I don't.

There is a common term for meal preparing, and many people seem to prepare for the week on Sunday. It is called Meal Prep Sunday.

I'm with you about not being able to eat the same thing all week that I made on Sunday. I couldn't and wouldn't prepare food and keep it in the fridge for a full week. This is why I freeze meals. Yes, I can make salads and a few other things, but only for eating 2 or 3 days.

 

[Weedygarden]

These are not my meals. These are just some of the many photos that people share of what they have made.

 

[Amish Heart]

I have a bunch of those containers I got at the bin store for a buck a pkg. I do freeze certain soups I make for husband that he loves, and that I don't. I know if I was cooking for just myself or even two people, I would do more freezer meals. We eat leftover dinner for lunch the next day, or if I cooked a ton of meat, I freeze some of that.

 

[Pearl]

Instead of freezing a whole meal, I'll make extra of certain things and freeze them! Like breaded chicken strips, seasoned taco meat, spaghetti meat sauce, even chicken fried steaks! I'll also dice up peppers, onions, and celery and freeze them in small freezer baggies! I usually do this on my day off in the summer so I don't have to heat the house up so much everyday.

 

[Weedygarden]

Instead of freezing a whole meal, I'll make extra of certain things and freeze them! Like breaded chicken strips, seasoned taco meat, spaghetti meat sauce, even chicken fried steaks! I'll also dice up peppers, onions, and celery and freeze them in small freezer baggies! I usually do this on my day off in the summer so I don't have to heat the house up so much everyday.

I do this as well. Meal prepping can be at several different levels: individual ingredients, meals sized servings, frozen family meal that can go into the oven.

I especially like to have peppers, onions and celery ready to go in the freezer.

I've watched videos of people making frozen meals for people who are about to give birth. I know that having meals ready for you when you have just had a baby is so incredibly helpful.

And, some meals can be canned.

I have a bunch of those containers I got at the bin store for a buck a pkg. I do freeze certain soups I make for husband that he loves, and that I don't. I know if I was cooking for just myself or even two people, I would do more freezer meals. We eat leftover dinner for lunch the next day, or if I cooked a ton of meat, I freeze some of that.

I have some as well. They have the containers at Costco for around $7 for a package of 25 sets. I've seen them at Walmart and other grocery stores, in smaller quantities and higher prices.
I really like this kind of container for when I make the big holiday meal with several ingredients, such as Thanksgiving leftovers, or our New Year's meal of smothered steak, rice, black eyed peas, collared greens and corn bread. They are also great for making up salads to go or a couple in advance.

I prefer the round deli containers for soups and things like red beans and rice, scalloped potatoes and ham. I have some 8 ounce and some 16 ounce sizes. Having the smaller container also help me with portion control.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

I meal prepped this morning.
Picked up my CSA box on Friday.
I am one person, but I received 25 pounds of whole carrots.
So five pounds got coined for the water bath canner.
Now I have 5 pints of carrots done up.
Five pounds of carrots were shredded for carrot salad, carrot cake, stir fry, meatloaf etc.
All in pint bags with the air sucked out in the freezer.
If I am making carrot cake for instant, carrots go in pint size food saver bag, all dry ingrediants are place in larger bag with carrots. The air is sucked out, then I just have to add wet ingredients. Recipe is on 4x6 card placed in clear sleeve with temperature, wet ingredients needed to finish it up.
I meal prep usually 2 days a week, but on days I am ill from Chemo pill, I have a home cooked meal ready to go.
I make a lot of miniature quiche, meatloaves.
The miniature meatloaves are usually 2 meals for me.
1 as meatloaf, the other as sloppy joe.

 

[Weedygarden]

I make a lot of miniature quiche, meatloaves.
The miniature meatloaves are usually 2 meals for me.
1 as meatloaf, the other as sloppy joe.

I have made meat loaf and sloppy joes for prep meals, but I didn't do miniature loaves. I made meatloaves and sliced them up, packaged them individually. I have some miniature loaf pans and will certainly try that in the future. Thank you for the great tip! Sometimes I use my frozen meatloaf slices for meatloaf sandwiches. I think I can do that with miniature loafs as well, just slice them lengthwise.

What a great idea for all of your carrots. When we get our CSA, we don't usually get large quantities of anything, and it varies what we get from our gardens.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

I have made meat loaf and sloppy joes for prep meals, but I didn't do miniature loaves. I made meatloaves and sliced them up, packaged them individually. I have some miniature loaf pans and will certainly try that in the future. Thank you for the great tip! Sometimes I use my frozen meatloaf slices for meatloaf sandwiches. I think I can do that with miniature loafs as well, just slice them lengthwise.

What a great idea for all of your carrots. When we get our CSA, we don't usually get large quantities of anything, and it varies what we get from our gardens.

For me the miniature loaf pans stack easier in the freezer.
As for cutting them lengthwise that would be personal preference.
I just cut in half in the center.
I also make up miniature waffles, pancakes, stand miniature loaf pan on end, stack them in there, place in pint size or quart food saver bag suck the air out . Then I have my version of "Eggo waffles. This way they stack well, be sure to label."

 

[Weedygarden]

For me the miniature loaf pans stack easier in the freezer.
As for cutting them lengthwise that would be personal preference.
I just cut in half in the center.
I also make up miniature waffles, pancakes, stand miniature loaf pan on end, stack them in there, place in pint size or quart food saver bag suck the air out . Then I have my version of "Eggo waffles. This way they stack well, be sure to label."

Waffles and pancakes are a great thing to make and freeze. I've done that myself, but I haven't made either of those in a long time.
People do prep all kinds of breakfast foods, such as breakfast burritos. For a while I did egg cups with some meat, veggies and cheese for breakfast that I would grab to take to work with me.

I also think that with children, a person could prep some healthier snacks for them, such as veggies, fruits, cheeses, hard boiled eggs.
For a while, I always kept hard boiled eggs in the fridge for a snack. I would come in the house and could grab one and eat it without much fuss.

 

[Amish Heart]

I always keep a big bowl of cut fruit, hard boiled eggs, and cooked veg (like green beans or broccoli) in the fridge. Goes good with lunch or a snack. Plain yogurt always in fridge, and frozen fruit in small baggies in the freezer for smoothies.

 

[Pearl]

I always keep a big bowl of cut fruit, hard boiled eggs, and cooked veg (like green beans or broccoli) in the fridge. Goes good with lunch or a snack. Plain yogurt always in fridge, and frozen fruit in small baggies in the freezer for smoothies.

I find keeping cut, ready to eat fruit and veggies makes lunches more healthy. Skip the chips, a sandwich and fruit or a salad is so much better, especially in the summer!!

 

[Weedygarden]

Some great ideas in this video for meal prepping.

 

[Magpie]

I keep red onion, peppers and carrots cut in the fridge for lunches and cooking. Hardboiled eggs too when we have plenty.
If I'm making meatloaf, cooking mince, or making soup I always make double and freeze for a quick shepherds pie or spaghetti bolognese, and when I buy chicken fillets prep them with veg to through in the slow cooker. I always keep pastry - anything can be made into a pie!

 

[Morgan101]

I would probably go for the freezer option. There are only two of us, and it seems like most recipes are geared toward at least 4-5 portions. Freezing the leftovers would be a good alternative.