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Does anyone meal prep?

Rabbuk

Rabbuk

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2011
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I was just wondering if anyone on here meal preps at all. If so what are some tips/resources that you'd have. Mostly just kind of realizing where I work is surrounded by gas stations and no healthy/cheap options... looking to stay trim and save money.
 
Each Sunday night i take a package of chicken breast and trim the fat. Then I chop it into cubes and throw in a crock pot. Add 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies. Set on low for 4 hours. After that add 1 cup of brown rice. 40 mins later it is done. Each morning spoon as much as I can fit into a large tortilla, add 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and done.

I always find a place to warm it up and its pretty good with the melted cheese.
 
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there's a pretty big meal prep subreddit that probably has good info.

You live alone? It's just two of us so we tend to just make larger dinners and take leftovers that I supplement with salad/fresh fruits or veggies. DH is one of those weird types that can pretty much eat the same lunch every day forever. So if you're that type, find a sammich + fruit combo you can live with and do that. I can't. I need variety. This week we made carnitas over the weekend so I'm taking one of those plus some strawberries all this week. Last week was spaghetti and salad.

Stuff like soups, chili, pastas work great for this.

It works for me because I can decide to change it day by day. The idea of making and prepping five lunches on Sunday doesn't appeal to me.
 
cowgirl836 said:
there's a pretty big meal prep subreddit that probably has good info.

You live alone? It's just two of us so we tend to just make larger dinners and take leftovers that I supplement with salad/fresh fruits or veggies. DH is one of those weird types that can pretty much eat the same lunch every day forever. So if you're that type, find a sammich + fruit combo you can live with and do that. I can't. I need variety. This week we made carnitas over the weekend so I'm taking one of those plus some strawberries all this week. Last week was spaghetti and salad.

Stuff like soups, chili, pastas work great for this.

It works for me because I can decide to change it day by day. The idea of making and prepping five lunches on Sunday doesn't appeal to me.
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Is that a real question?
 
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Roasts with some potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage,( whatever those type veggies you like). Put them in the oven at 250-350 for 2-4 hrs you've got tasty leftovers for a week.
 
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I usually try to think ahead for lunches at work by making a bunch of spaghetti, grilling a little extra meat, or getting an extra pizza on the cheap night. Not sure if that's exactly what you mean :)

I'll also make chili in the crockpot and make a bunch of breakfast burritos at once to try to prepare for the week ahead.

Smoking a pork butt can also feed me for a week which is nice. Although it gets old.
 
I make a half dozen breakfast burritos once a week, usually on the weekends. I think I figured their about $2.50/burrito vs $8.50 ish and I get to work on time. Then I just buy stuff for cold meat sandwich's and keep it at work for lunch. I wish I ate healthier, but I don't do enough research before I go to the store and then I just buy the same crap.

I also go in spurts where I do it religously and save $300-$400/month, then other times I eat out 10 times per week and my credit card statement makes me sad.
 
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Rabbuk said:
I was just wondering if anyone on here meal preps at all. If so what are some tips/resources that you'd have. Mostly just kind of realizing where I work is surrounded by gas stations and no healthy/cheap options... looking to stay trim and save money.
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I do a ton of it in the winter because I have time and a little in the summer. I use the **** out of a crock pot and pressure cooker. I don't know what you like to eat but there are a ton of different meatball options out there. I do a lot of turkey meatballs then freeze them. I'll usually do a couple large batches of different chilis and then freeze them. That makes life really easy as you just pull one out and set it in the fridge so it's at least somewhat thawed and you have a few days to eat them. Pressure cookers make things so quick and I got it toward the end of winter but it's really makes things quick.

I've done salads and a few other things too but they are necessarily as efficient in that you can't freeze a whole bunch and it goes bad in a few days. When I used to do morning workouts I'd make a very full shake (banana, frozen fruit, spinach or broccoli, protein, milk) the night before so I could just grab it and go.

Also, this week I made a dozen breakfast sandwiches and froze them. Early returns are very good.
 
Doc said:
I usually try to think ahead for lunches at work by making a bunch of spaghetti, grilling a little extra meat, or getting an extra pizza on the cheap night. Not sure if that's exactly what you mean :)

I'll also make chili in the crockpot and make a bunch of breakfast burritos at once to try to prepare for the week ahead.

Smoking a pork butt can also feed me for a week which is nice. Although it gets old.
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I made the best batch of pulled pork I've ever had once and in three days I was so sick of it I couldn't believe eat. That was probably two years ago and I've had no desire to eat it since. Don't do that.
 
Tre4ISU said:
I made the best batch of pulled pork I've ever had once and in three days I was so sick of it I couldn't believe eat. That was probably two years ago and I've had no desire to eat it since. Don't do that.
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Oh, I feel you. I lived in KC for 3 years and never wanted to eat smoked meat ever again. 7 years later I'm a cautious meat smoker.
 
One of my sons also preps the breakfast burritos on Sunday night for the week. He also will make a bunch of chicken stir fry on the weekend and put in containers in the freezer.

My other out of school adult son buys frozen food and nukes it.
 
Download My Fitness Pal from the AppStore, and count your macros every day. Find an online macro calculator to figure out a baseline and adjust according to how your body responds. If you can be consistent with that you can keep trim. If you add lifting or physical activity to the mix you can look like an absolute beast. Now you know the secret :)
Good luck
 
Also a few places opened up in Ankeny, fresh fit meals and something else with a similar name. If you don't have a ton of time to prep you can get a full week worth of meals there. I really hope these places do well and they become a trend throughout central Iowa.
 
My wife has always done this each week... Takes her less than 30 mins to make about 6-8. Usually it's just some cheap meat (like frozen chicken) rice and frozen veggies. Simple and good!
 
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