Anyone have a weekly food prep rountine to share?

[eziegler]

I'm trying to start a once a week routine of prepping all my food for the week so that I can make healthy decisions. Does anyone have any healthy plans to share?  Grocery lists and recipes welcome!

Thanks!

[eziegler]

I found a cool 5-day menu to share:

5 Daily Menus – How I’ve Maintained My Ideal Weight for 5 Years

[kdennis250]

I dont use any websites to plan out my menus, but my husband and I are Paleo, and usually what i do is make up a weekly menu - 2 snacks, 2 breakfasts, and then plan out 6/7 dinners with enough left overs to take to work the next day.

we have to make everything homemade so its a bit of work, typically we do at least 2 crock pot or casserole main dishes that way it isnt big time cooking every single night.

I search during the week for new recipes, add them to my list, and then i make a shopping list and we go on Saturdays.

i know that might be more work than what most are willing to do, but it works for us!

[eziegler]

Thank you @kdennis250 that is very helpful! I think it's wonderful that you & your husband are Paleo.

Do you have any favorite recipes?

[kdennis250]

lets see...

i think one of the best things that i've learned while being Paleo is ways to make what you want without eating the things you shouldnt.

we make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes which means we take just the florets and then we steam them with some ghee and garlic, then once its soft you add all of it to the blender or food processor with some coconut milk, add a dash of salt and voila! you have something that tastes -in my opinion- even yummier than mashed potatoes but is so much better for you!

i also like sweets a lot so the paleo subs that you can eat instead are something that i had to learn pretty quickly. my go to must have sweets is 3 parts cashew (or any nut butter but peatnut) butter and 1 part raw honey. mix it up and slice up some apples to dip and i swear it tastes like a caramel apple.

we also make baked bananas with raw honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, a dash of cherry brandy and baked for 10-15 mins at 400, tastes like bananas foster. yum!

[eziegler]

Wow @kdennis250 you're making my mouth water lol. I've always been interested in becoming Paleo. I'll start off by cooking a few Paleo meals to see how I like it.

Thank you for all of your suggestions!!!

[bevco]

What is Paleo?  Never heard of it and I have read most health magazines available.  I must be in the know so please tell me.

Bevco 

[kdennis250]

From Wikipedia:

The paleolithic diet is a nutritional plan based on the presumed diet of Paleolithic humans. It is based on the premise that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, which marked the end of the Paleolithic era, around 15,000 years ago, and that modern humans are adapted to the Paleolithic diet.

The Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.[1][2]

Proponents argue that modern human populations subsisting on traditional diets, allegedly similar to those of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, are largely free of diseases of affluence[3][4] and that Paleolithic diets in humans have shown improved health outcomes relative to other widely-recommended diets.[5][6]

[LCHFmom]

I plan my meals a week at a time.  When I put my menu together, I ask the family to weigh in on what sounds good for the week.  Then, I tweak it all based on how many of the meals can share some of the same items, to reduce our expenses. FWIW - I feed a family of 5 for appx  $150/wk and we do not skimp on high-quality foods. I cook almost exclusively from scratch. I am the only Paleo & low-carber in the family, so that adds a bit of complexity - but we make it work.

If there are any casserole -type dishes, I end up cooking those on Sunday, which is usually the day we do all the shopping and then our household chores.  Then, for the night of ... I only have to re-heat the casserole in the oven.   If there is any pre-meal prep I can do for the week,  I will do that as well.  Some things we do the day of, such as fresh vegetable prep whether it be garnish, side dish or part of a salad.

Oh, I also make sauces and compound butters once every two weeks or so.   Different sauces for some of the same dishes can make all the difference in the world when eating leftovers.   Last nights broccoli can be jazzed up with herbed butter;  old fajita meat can be turned into a great salad with a creamy homemade cilantro sauce ( Think Wahoo's cilantro sauce w/o the mayo, LOL).

[prisgetfit]

awesomr..Love it.

[Naomi94]

Yes, I made a weekly menu, print it, and put it on my fridge.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Spinach Egg White Omelet, Coffee	1 cup life cereal with 2% milk	2 scrambled eggs with salmon and cream cheese on wheat bread	Mushroom Egg White Omelet	1 scrambled egg, .5 cup Greek Yogurt w/ nuts and berries	1 slice wheat toast, 1 tbs peanut butter with banana, 1 scrambled egg	Breakfast of Johnny’s Choice	Breakfast, 300 calories or under
Chicken wrap (wheat wrap, grilled chicken, .5 avocado, diced tomato, pepper)	Turkey Chili with wheat bread, side salad	Veggie wrap, (1 tbs cream cheese mixed with 1 tbs salmon) lettuce, tomato, onion	Chicken wrap, cottage cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato	Turkey Chili with wheat bread and side salad	Chicken wrap (wheat wrap, grilled chicken, .5 avocado, diced tomato, pepper)	1 baked potato, 1 tbs sour cream, chopped onion. 1 cup lite soup	Lunch 300 calories or less
Smoothie Greek Yogurt, Fruit, water	Guacamole Stuffed hard boiled eggs	Spinach Egg white on wheat toast	.5 cup Greek yogurt with almonds and banana	1 slice wheat bread, 1 tbs peanut butter with banana	Smoothie Greek Yogurt, Fruit, water	Smoothie Greek Yogurt, Fruit, water	Afternoon Snack 200 calories or less
Open Faced Sloppy Joe (4 oz ground turkey) with side salad	Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with lettuce, tomato and onion	Stir Fry chicken with veggies .5 cup brown rice	Grilled Chicken Salad with 2 tbs light dressing	Barbecue Salmon on bed of greens	Open Faced Sloppy Joe (4 oz ground turkey) with side salad	Johnny’s Choice	Dinner 300 calories or less
							Evening Snack 100 calories or less

[kpa1b2]

I start by looking at my local grocery store ads to see what's on sale.  I also check their digital coupons.  I wrote down each main course recipe that I use on a note card.  I have at least 30 cards.  That way I try not to serve the same main course more then once a month. I also try to keep on hand a freezer crockpot meal.  It's one that I've pre-made and frozen.  On the day that I'm using it, I take it out of the freezer & put it in the crockpot.  Fruit/veggies aren't on a card, I just pick something that will go with the main course.

Then I plan what we are going to eat for dinners.  I try to limit it to chicken or red meat no more then twice a week.  I look at our evening schedules too.  If we have somewhere to go then it's either a crockpot meal or something that is quick to make.  Same with the nights that I work late.  I try to plan for leftovers so I have lunch the next day.  I post it on the fridge so that my son knows what he is going to eat for dinner.  It's changed the questions of "What's for Dinner? When's dinner?" to just "When's dinner?"  If I change it, I make sure to mark it.  It helps to keep everyone in my family happy. 

I create the grocery list from the menu I've created, plus the additional items needed for lunches.  We go to Sam's Club for cereal so that is usually not on my grocery list.

[dagabo1984]

I haven't gotten that far yet.  However I have started making the salads in a jar to take to work for lunch.  I prepared 5 of them on Sunday and put them in the fridge.  The one I ate on Friday was just as good as the one on Monday.  I love salad but with lots of different veggies in it and I hate all the chopping!  Doing a whole week's worth at once saved a lot of time and made it super easy all week.  You even put the dressing in when you pack them....it's all in how you layer it.

[Luvclapton]

We are vegetarian and prepare and cook all our meals. What we have found most important is to have a well stocked pantry. Grains,flours,spices,rices,pastas, dried beans,sauces. We buy whatever fresh veggies and fruits that are in season and plan meals around all of this. Protein-seiten,yoghurt,tofu,cheese,veggie "meats",tempeh. Most important-recipes on the net!

[eziegler]

Thank you @Naomi94 ! This is very helpful. I love this menu.  

[LDGourmet]

Here's an easy way to start your day off tomorrow on a delicious and healthy note. You can enjoy terrific steel cut oats without hours of prep. Before bed, toast oats lightly in a dry pot (or skip and add water, oats together) bring to boil, turn off heat, stir, add a pinch of sea salt, cinnamon to taste, plus any dried fruits you like apricots, dates, prunes, raisins. Put a lid on it and go to bed.

In the morning, a quick reheat, and you've got a chewy, creamy, healthy whole grain start to your day. 

Add a sprinkle of ground flax seed for extra nuttiness and nutrition. 

• For more recipes, tips see my New Year, New You board on Pinterest.
• Or check my site for recipes like this terrific Cocoa-Loco Smoothie, loaded with antioxidants, fiber. 

Jacqueline Church

Ever Curious, Always Hungry

JacquelineChurch.com

[KristenAnne]

Bake plain chicken! It's so versitile for lunch and dinner. Make a salad, add to soup, sandwhich, the possiblities are endless.

[heather_stella]

I don't plan meals (lunch/dinner) for the week as I buy fresh everyday but I do pre-prepare my morning smoothies.

I'll probably spend upto £40 a time getting a huge bulk of different fruit and vegetables that are about to go past their use by (mango, berries, broccoli, green beans, beetroot, banana, carrot etc etc). I wash, cut and prepare (don't normally skin them as I have a nutribullet), I then flash freeze them all and put all the different types into their own labelled freezer bags. It takes some time to do this part. But, it means for the next AT LEAST two weeks, I have access to a wide variety of fruit and veg for my morning smootie. I then simply add flax, sunflower, seasme seeds and goji berries on top with water and I'm away! 

[KristenAnne]

I'm the same as kdennis250. Paleo is time consuming, but here's how I work it:

I will scramble eggs for the week and toss in veggies or a meat. A quick zap in the microwave and breakfast is done.

Lunch is usually dinner leftovers, but with a twist. If i made chicken I'll toss it on a salad or put shrimp over a sweet potato, etc... It's quick and easy.

My snacks are fruit or celery with almond butter. Something quick and easy.

I try to pack my lunch the night before. Grab and go in the morning.

When I have extra time in the week I try and chop up an onion, peppers, things I use all the time. This way the chopping part is already done and I can just grab the amount I need for that meal and roast or saute!

[scoobie57]

I also make my lunch the night before so it's ready to go and put some thought into it.  I cut up all the veggies on the weekend and put in airtight containers for the week.  For Granola and other things I have to make, I make them on the weekend and just use during the week when time is not so available to do that.  So weekends are food prep... weekdays are using it up.  On the buying side, a list is made up before even going to the store of that week's dinners and needed food.  Veggies/fruits are pretty much same week to week so not on the list. Just things unique to that week for dinner or something special I want to try.