Weekly food prep

[handinthefire]

Hey all,

I'm another from the 02 board.

I have struggled recently with not being fully prepared with all my food. I wanted to know how you guys prepare. e.g.

Cook chicken breast on Sunday for rest of week
maybe measure stuff but not cook...

Hopefully this makes some sense!

Thanks.

[The13ig13adWolf]

cook/weigh/split into containers most everything on sundays (for mon-wed) and wednesdays (for thurs-sat or sun).

[handinthefire]

If you make salads, do they last from sunday through to wednesday?

[Inatic]

With a lg family, i tend to cook something (and lots of extras) every day so that i have plenty of on plan choices during the week. Nearly everything can be cooked ahead or in bulk and then separated out into containers.

[ladybug]

Originally posted by handinthefire@May 3 2006, 06:17 AM
If you make salads, do they last from sunday through to wednesday?
no, unfortunately. When I have salad I eat it fresh each day. Otherwise Sundays are cooking days...beef, chicken, sweet potatoes, rice etc...everything measured and separated into appropriate servings and popped into the freezer.

[kszal]

Sundays - cook EVERYTHING for the week. Except salad - those I get at my work salad bar.

Invest in a whole bunch of small Tupperware - it will make your life easier. :)

[krispy1138]

Originally posted by kszal@May 3 2006, 11:58 AM
Sundays - cook EVERYTHING for the week. Except salad - those I get at my work salad bar.

Invest in a whole bunch of small Tupperware - it will make your life easier. :)
Hey, Katie! I'm glad you're here! :clap:

[Pandora]

:clap: Katie-kins!! Hi. :D



I prep my chicken/turkey, rice, and sweet potatoes on Sunday night. Wednesday I cook more chicken/turkey. That gets me through. The rest of the stuff is fast to cook and can't be made ahead, like oats etc.

[clsupnorth]

I guess my situation is more flexible, because I don't work outside my home. So I prepare my meals as I come to them. However, to speed the process, I do cook large pots of couscous, whole wheat pasta, boil potatoes, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, soup, etc. Oh, and I usually use my George Foreman to cook a ton of ground beef all at once and then store in a big bag in the freezer. I separate out individual servings of couscous and pasta before freezing them, too.

I know, it's not all clean, but I cook for my husband, too, and he's not on my diet.

[handinthefire]

Thanks so much guys :) It really helped me out.

[Lynda]

I don't really prepare my "meals" for the week ahead of time...but I like to always have lots and lots of washed, cut and bagged Veggies in the fridge. as long as I have a "healthier" alternative that is READY to EAT, it really helps me to not choose a "junk food" or cookie, or whatever...
Keeping healthy snacks like this on hand is a real life saver for me! ;)

[nikegurl]

Originally posted by The13ig13adWolf@May 2 2006, 09:58 PM
cook/weigh/split into containers most everything on sundays (for mon-wed) and wednesdays (for thurs-sat or sun).
Exactly the same for me. I'm always running out the door in the mornings so not only do I cook it in "batches" on Sundays and Wednesday night (off gym night) but I portion it out into serving sizes so I'm ready to grab the meals and go.

I've found ziploc baggies helpful for some foods like chicken and protein pancakes. (I've got a zillion plastic food storage containers I'd be lost without but the baggies take up less room)

[Brandi]

I am alllll about the Sunday and Wednesday cooking.

Doing it all just once a week skeeves me out.

[CraveMuscle]

I cooked 7 weeks of rice once . . . 6 weeks ago. Got a shelf of rice in the freezer. :lol:

I'm getting tired of rice. Time to move on to sweet potatoes.

[Desirea]

So you make all of your meals ahead of time? What about breakfasts? I'm thinking if I made pancakes(protein), froze them, and then reheated them I guess that's how I would do that? would they not be as good? I find that in the morning I'm really hungry, that I don't get something healthy, I grab......not even admitting it..just not a normal breakfast.

I'm losing.....water.. I think not weight as well, from not eating a lot. No weight change on the scale, just measurements are going down. But I'm not eating a lot or healthy, so that's not cool. But still wondering whether if I cook pancakes, freeze them, reheat them will they still be alright?

[amyloo]

Hmm, I thought I had replied to this earlier but it never appeared.

Anyway, yes, reheated from frozen pancakes are just fine. I nuke mine, or sometimes toast them like pop tarts.

I usually do the majority of my cooking on Sundays, with a "restock" for veggies on Wednesday.
Sunday mornings - extra large batch of protein pancakes
Sunday afternoon - grill lots of chicken breasts
Sunday night - slice salad veggies and lightly steam broccoli, squash, and green beans. Season and portion into Ziploc plastic containers.
For salads I usually take a bag of baby spinach to work on Mondays, and it lasts me till Wednesday. I have a fridge in my office, so I can stock it in the beginning of the week.
Oatmeal - either portion out dry servings into containers, or cook a big batch at once and then portion and freeze.

I plan out all my meals for the next day the night before, and put everything right in the front of the fridge. In the morning all I have to do is load up my cooler and go, with coffee and pancake in hand.

[NCfitnessgirl]

I always cook the foods that take the longest (like chicken, sweet potatoes, brown rice) on Sundays. I try to portion out a couple days of things like oatmeal at a time. I always portion my foods so that in the morning all I do is open the fridge, take out my portions for the day and go.

[strongchick]

Hubby and I roast a turkey and eat it all week.

Everything else is made the night before.

[DianeD]

Originally posted by kszal@May 3 2006, 07:58 AM
Sundays - cook EVERYTHING for the week. Except salad - those I get at my work salad bar.

Invest in a whole bunch of small Tupperware - it will make your life easier. :)
Agree! Life would be chaotic without Tupperware :wacko:

[Gidget]

Originally posted by Whoamama+May 9 2006, 10:31 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Whoamama @ May 9 2006, 10:31 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-kszal@May 3 2006, 07:58 AM
Sundays - cook EVERYTHING for the week. Except salad - those I get at my work salad bar.

Invest in a whole bunch of small Tupperware - it will make your life easier. :)
Agree&#33; Life would be chaotic without Tupperware :wacko: [/b][/quote]
I use those Glad containers. Much cheaper than Tupperware, and good quality. They came out with some new ones that have screw-on lids. They&#39;re awesome&#33;

[DianeD]

Originally posted by Gidget+May 9 2006, 01:57 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Gidget @ May 9 2006, 01:57 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by Whoamama@May 9 2006, 10:31 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-kszal@May 3 2006, 07:58 AM
Sundays - cook EVERYTHING for the week.* Except salad - those I get at my work salad bar.

Invest in a whole bunch of small Tupperware - it will make your life easier.* :)
Agree&#33; Life would be chaotic without Tupperware :wacko:
I use those Glad containers. Much cheaper than Tupperware, and good quality. They came out with some new ones that have screw-on lids. They&#39;re awesome&#33; [/b][/quote]
I use those too&#33; They&#39;re great. To me, anything plastic that holds food in it gets called &#39;Tupperware&#39;. :lol:

[Pepper]

I never thought of toasting the protein pancakes, that would be awesome. Probaly better than nuking them.

[Pinky]

I don&#39;t really designate a day to cook everything. I always have chicken and rice in the freezer. When I get low, I cook more. I have been using an indian marinade for my chicken, so I will mix up the marinade, poor in over 6-7 frozen chicken breasts. Then in the morning when I get up, I throw it in the oven while I am getting ready. I always cut up and weight my chicken before I freeze them. I have even considered measuring out my cereal ahead of time, but figured that was a little overboard.

[christie]

Originally posted by Pepper@Jun 5 2006, 01:02 AM
I never thought of toasting the protein pancakes, that would be awesome. Probaly better than nuking them.
I do that with my "french toast". I cook enough for the week, freeze it then when I want it I take it out and pop it in the toaster. It&#39;s as good as the day I made it&#33;

Everything else is cooked days in advance too, measured/weighed and put into ziplock baggies and froze. Pasta, rice, chicken, steak etc. The freezer and ziplock baggies are my best friends. :love:

[Chelonian]

Originally posted by Pinky@Jun 4 2006, 11:12 PM
I don&#39;t really designate a day to cook everything. I always have chicken and rice in the freezer. When I get low, I cook more. I have been using an indian marinade for my chicken, so I will mix up the marinade, poor in over 6-7 frozen chicken breasts. Then in the morning when I get up, I throw it in the oven while I am getting ready. I always cut up and weight my chicken before I freeze them. I have even considered measuring out my cereal ahead of time, but figured that was a little overboard.
Can cooked rice be kept in the freezer, for later use during the week? If so, I&#39;ll have to freeze some.

[Sarah]

Originally posted by Chelonian@Jun 5 2006, 09:36 AM
Can cooked rice be kept in the freezer, for later use during the week? If so, I&#39;ll have to freeze some.
i do it all the time. freeze it in 1C quantities.

[Cass]

Yup, I cook about two cups of brown rice with several cloves of garlic and some herbs then measure and put into snack bags to freeze. I try to make my chicken, veggies, yams and rice about once a month and freeze everything.

[sexy_sefora]

I make chicken and my salmon as needed.
Since my boyfriend eats my chicken and salmon, i can never calculate how much he&#39;s going to eat.

So i put all the chicken and salmon in one huge container, and the night before i measure the chicken and stick it in smaller containers for work.
For the sweet potato, i just measure enough for a few days, stick them in ziploc bags and once i&#39;m done eating my chicken at work, i wash the container out and microwave the sweet potato in it.

This eliminates how many containers i use because the fridge at work is tiny. And i hate washing containers&#33; :dry:

I make my oatmeal and eggs in the am, while i&#39;m getting ready, just nuke in the microwave.
I couldn&#39;t live without a microwave&#33; :sad:

[ShaliHead]

Originally posted by strongchick@May 8 2006, 03:27 PM
Hubby and I roast a turkey and eat it all week.

Everything else is made the night before.
So awesome&#33;

[ShaliHead]

I make chicken and rice on Sunday and again on Wednesday. I portion and pack everything the night before so it&#39;s really easy to get out the door. I only need meals 3,4, and 5 to come with me. The rest is eaten in the comfort of my own home.

[Fidelity]

Originally posted by strongchick@May 8 2006, 08:27 PM
Hubby and I roast a turkey and eat it all week.

Everything else is made the night before.
I want to start doing this. I :love: turkey so much and it is so much better than deli crap.

[Sarah]

for me everything gets made Sunday evening and i freeze it. days are marked Training vs non-Training and M1-M6.

breakfast most days is oatmeal and protein shake. not much prep there.

[Lydia]

I guess I&#39;m not quite as organized as some, but I purposely make way too much supper each night to create a couple of lunches for the next few days. The one thing we do on Sunday is buy a honeydew and cantaloupe and cut it all up for the week&#39;s fruit salad.

[Chelonian]

Originally posted by Cass@Jun 5 2006, 09:42 AM
Yup, I cook about two cups of brown rice with several cloves of garlic and some herbs then measure and put into snack bags to freeze. I try to make my chicken, veggies, yams and rice about once a month and freeze everything.
Thanks&#33; I need to cook a batch & freeze, to help cut down on my cooking time. :)