What's the Best way to Food Prep for the Week? (Looking for pointers)

[Kbrown2930]

I'm new to the pre-preping for the week to make my food healthier, portion controlled and easy for my busy life.  But I'm struggling with not having boring meals and finding the right kind of containers that aren't extra bulky and hard to clean. And especially not eating the same things over and over again.  Any suggestions?

[zenweeder]

I'm cooking for two and many recipes serve 4-6 or more.  So, I make a recipe (smokey sweet potato chili is one of my favorites) and then freeze it in individual portions.  I freeze in zip top bags or plastic containers, then reheat in the microwave in a glass container or in the toaster oven or slowly on the stove.  I also freeze leftover portions of cooked meat, cooked veggies, etc.  Then I can go to the freezer and put together a meal.  I've even frozen individual portions of suer kraut and applesauce.
Good luck with this.  My work mates are often jealous of my lunches; they've got take out sandwiches.
Carrie

[jdeese]

I have been food prepping for the last 3-4 months along with portion control and have seen the difference it makes! (27lbs down so far!!!) One thing I do is prep one day of the weekend. Shopping, cooking, chopping etc. all in one day so i can relax the rest of the week. (i work 10am to 7pm so its alot to cook when i get home.) I usually buy a ton of veggies and prepare those in a large container with a papertowel to help prevent sogginess. Another thing i will do is get bunches of spinach (or a lettuce that is not iceburg) and will wash, chop and mix myself. ALSO, I make my own sprouts (its awesome) and they all alot to meals and helping make them different. Another thing i do is alternate lean white meat (chicken breast, pork, fish [make sure it is not farm-raised]) I will also prep sides (small chopped roasted potatoes, quinoa, etc) and portion it out as well.  Hope this helps!!!!!

[A_Lurker]

I know this is an old thread, but the basic concepts still apply.  I do so much better when I prep items (ie. no take-out, no last minute decisions made when I'm hungry).  I've been doing some vac sealing of crock pot items, but prepping fresh stuff is always the problem.  I love the idea of lettuce based salads (just saved a recipe for a brussels sprouts / radicchio / kale / pomegranate / lemon salad) but they are often a lot of work and don't keep.  Last year I was making couscous salad but this time I went with farro.  Think of farro as a slightly larger, chewier*, and nuttier barley.  It's basically a wheat grain.

* It could be chewier as I didn't check it before deciding it was ready.  Although since I'm putting it into a salad I'm okay with that.  It may soften later on.  It's not unpleasant, just making a note.

So, the basic concept is to mix up the cooked farro with a combination of chopped celery, peppers, and onion and some type of dressing.  This base salad should keep for a week (the couscous lasted easily this long).  All of these hold up fairly well, and you could eat the salad just like this, but when I go to serve it I add in more pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, and usually feta cheese.

Today's salad base:

1 cup farro, cooked

200g chopped peppers (red & yellow)

125g chopped celery

165g chopped onion

8 Tb ginger soy dressing/marinade (10 cals per Tb)

This is what <150 cal serving looks like  (just under 200g weight)

I used the ginger soy dressing just because it's been in the fridge for a long time.  It doesn't have a strong flavour.  If you're using a higher calorie dressing just use a little less.  An oilier dressing with coat better.  It could probably do with some seasonings as well, but I actually like the fresh taste.

Today's mix-ins:

60 g green pepper

60 g cucumber

75 g cherry tomatoes

60 g light feta cheese

Total calorie count is 317 calories (and 140 cals of that is the feta cheese).  This is what the full serving ended up looking like:

For me this isn't enough calories for a lunch.  Normally I'd add some grilled chicken as well, but I haven't grilled up any.  I'm planning to do that later in the day, and I think I'm going to vac seal some cooked chicken as well.