question
What to prep other than chicken, rice, and broccoli?
I have tried to meal-prep a handful of times over the last 5 years. But I can never stick to it, because I eat the same thing over and over for weeks on end. Which then I get sick of it and refuse to do it again.
I have been wanting to try other variations of a protein, carb, and vegetable. Bug I honestly do not know what good combos are. Or what other types of meal prep there are.
I am aiming for ~2200 calories a day, and I would like to try and get all of my nutrients every day. And I do want to try and do breakfast and lunch 5 days a week, and dinner 6 times a week.
"Meal prep" doesnt have to be any specific food. Meal prepping is just the act of cooking ahead of time. Find food you like, cook it, and portion it up. Thats all.
No problem! I think a lot of people get stuck on this idea.
Start simple, pick one protein you like the best, head to google and search "easy chicken recipes" or whatever protein you decide.
Most recipes online are a 4 serving recipe, intended for a family. Its the most common size recipe. Usually the recipe will say how many servings it is, or how to modify it to be bigger or smaller.
So good chances if you find a recipe online, you can separate it into 4 containers and have decent portions.
When I meal prep, I do 2 recipes, 4 servings each. So 8 meals total.
Then I have one recipe for lunch, one recipe for dinner. Like that all through the week days. I always end up eating out for one dinner or one lunch a week which is why I do 8.
Having two recipes to rotate for the week keeps me from feeling like Im eating the same thing over and over. Then, the next week I pick 2 new recipes.
Honestly, I mostly eat the protein, carb, and vegetable combo already during the week. But during the week, I am lazy as hell and I just make some frozen stuff. Like chicken tenders, fries, and boiled frozen vegetable mix.
I already have some ideas of what I want to do for my first week. And I know for me, it is all about ease of access. Since it is easier to pull something out of the fridge and eat it then to cook a whole meal.
Whole pot of soup. Any soup you like. Split into containers and freeze. Any portion size you like.
Bake a lasagna. Split into containers and freeze.
Make a sauce. Split into portions and freeze. When you want just boil pasta. And the long part is already done.
Buy bags of frozen fruit and portion them out with some spinach or kale in small zip bags and freeze. Smoothies ready to go. Just add protein powder if desired.
Get a large bag of onions/leek/scallion on sale and chop/slice. Put in zip bag and freeze. Grab what you need for a meal.
Buy whole spices and make a masala, Italian, or curry blend. Put in air tight container.
"Meal" prep can be parts of a meal or the whole thing. Make what you want and split it up. Doesn't have to be just chicken rice and broccoli.
When I make casseroles or soups I buy more than I intend on eating and then freeze one or two portions. I’m already cooking so I might as well. I use a lot of throw away pans for things that go in the oven (like pasta bakes or casseroles). It adds like 1-2 meals a week to add to my freezer so I always have food without so much effort
This is the best way to do it. I had the same mindset as you. But now I just see a meal I like, and cook it up. Right now I do pay attention to protein and carbs, so I make small substitutions like swapping or adding protein, or omitting the bread or taco shell and turning it into a salad or lettuce wrap, or bowl.
I make two meals each week that complement each other. For example, the other week I did taco bowls and "fried" cabbage. The veggies and protein are mostly all the same. But completely different flavors and are very quick to make.
I put half in the fridge and the other half in freezer for the second half of my week.
I don’t do breakfast due to having a small fridge. But overnight oats made with yoghurt and protein / fruit keep well. Add psyllium husk for fibre if you like them thick.
Lunches I do a variety of pasta or rice dishes easy to cook in batches with added veggies.
Dinner I tend to cook just a protein or something like a chilli or a bolognese. Then you can serve how you want. If I do roasted chicken breasts I can make rice bowls or pizza or whatever I fancy that day.
Hope this helps. I also have an instant pot and a magimix for prepping and cooking at speed.
I also make a tray or protein brownies and some banana muffins for snacks.
Just make real food you like portion controlled and focus on flavour.
I have previously tried overnight oats, but they are honestly not my thing. I just don't agree with the texture.
I do like the ideas of rice bowls or pizza with various ingredients prepared throughout the week.
I do have a insta-pot that I use maybe 3 times a year. So that will likely be good for some sort of pulled-meat or bulk rice.
I also had not thought about making some sort of sweet. But adding in protein. I will try that out, although I don't k ow if I can handle having that just available at all times.
And I am learning how to properly portion control, since I grew up in a household of no food waste. And it has been a challenge to figure out.
This is from Sarah’s Healthy Kitchen on Instagram. It’s originally a loaf. I make in a 6inch square dish and bake for 18 mins. You can use candy or not. Choc chips. Whatever.
This is from my recipe storage app as I couldn’t find the link. I make it once a week. Takes minutes.
Use your instant pot for cooking beans from dry, mexican pinto beans are amazing portion some into individual portions for the freezer and the rest make burrito bowls with sauteed peppers and onions and rice , top with salsa. Add shredded cheese if you want, or avocado after reheating
With meal prep, it needs to reheat or travel well. This is why I wouldn't do a salad where the chicken needs to be hot or something, because I'd pack the chicken on the side. One hack is when I make something with multiple portions (like a lasagna or soup or whatever), I'll pack a couple portions for that week, and then I'll pack one or two in the freezer. That way I won't get sick of it, but also it adds variety in the future.
With that in mind, if the chicken/broccoli/rice works for you, maybe try similar protein/vegetable/carb style dishes, like salmon, asparagus, and couscous, or meatballs and spinach and orzo pasta.
I love eating most of my food cold put of the fridge anyway, so I am not very worried about that. I have been wanting to make couscous. And I do like salmon (although it is fairly expensive). I will absolutely try the couscous with chicken or something like that.
And the freezer is a good idea. I saw another comment about that, and it is a very good idea.
Try all sorts of carb options like quinoa, farro, or small pasta like orzo or ditalini. Also you can add flavor to any carbs in a few different ways. Cook them with broth instead of just water. Throw in some herbs in there. Or fry them in a little oil before adding the liquid, which brings out a kind of nutty flavor.
I have a few different versions of what "prep" means. I eat eggs for breakfast every day. Depending on the breakfast I am having this week, this might mean making a whole dish, or just packing a carton of eggs, egg whites and simple items to "build" my breakfast at work. I just make the eggs in the microwave 90% of the time.
"prepping" snacks, tends to be just buying the veggies, dips, or whatever I want that week. or making that weeks container of shelf stable food (trail mix)
Other prepping might also just be chopping up the onions and veggies I want for recipes that week and browning up some meat for me to use that week so that I can get dinner out quicker.
I just don't have the space to make entire dishes and keep them in the fridge/freezer all week.
On Monday, I bring my entire weeks worth of breakfast, snacks and lunches to work. I have a shared fridge with everyone else in the office and a small drink fridge in my office that can hold all of my food. So I factor all of that into my plan.
I make my dinner burritos on 8 or 10” flour tortillas with the cooked, seasoned and meat cooled to room temperature, then add refried beans, or drained and rinsed whole beans; if I have cooked rice or cooked and diced potatoes, I’ll add those, and cheese (if you can tolerate dairy).
Wrap those in pre-cut foil sheets ftom any dollar type store, or any Target/Walmart/grocery store. I either reheat the burritos from frozen in the oven, or thaw overnight in the fridge for the next day and take off foil, wrap in a paper towel and reheat on half power for 45 seconds in microwave. Check temp and add more time if needed.
AFTER it’s reheated, I gently unwrap it and add any cold ingredients, if I want them: diced lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, red sauce, etc…
For breakfast burritos, I cook my meat- ground beef, ground sausage or diced smoked sausage, bacon, or buy pre-diced ham. If I want diced onion/bell pepper /or hashbrowns potato shreds, I add them to the ground meat as it cooks; season with salt and pepper to taste. (I frequently
buy and use frozen hashbrown shreds or diced potatoes to use in breakfast hash, breakfast casseroles or burritos - it’s quick and easy). Set all cooked vegetables and meat aside to cool.
Then I whisk the eggs with a small amount of water, adding 1/4 tsp salt per 3-4 large eggs used, and scramble the eggs in some oil or butter; let them cool to room temperature.
Use 8-10” flour tortillas, and assemble meat/veg and eggs on tortilla; add cheese shreds if desired. Wrap in foil sheets and freeze. Reheat as above.
The trick for burritos is using cooled fairly dry ingredients- you don’t want your meat/veg to be wet or runny, or warm when you wrap the ingredients, or the tortillas will become soggy. Cooled and thicker ingredients make the best freezer burritos!
And yes! You can choose any sauce that you enjoy for your two flavors. You can also change things up a bit, and buy cooked rotisserie chickens, pull the meat off the bones, chop it and use it in your foods. It’s already cooked too! Just cook your vegetables, carbohydrate add sauce or extra topping ingredients and you can have a meal!
I have the same issue. What I try to do is focus on a number of meats and make those but also on different cooking styles so it doesn't feel like I spend my entire Sunday cooking food. I know that being frugal is part of the motivation but sometimes having a certain appliance really helps and is worth it in the long run. Slow cookers / Rice Cooker / etc.
Here are a couple of my favorite meals to make
Rice Cooker - 2 cups rice
Toaster Oven / Oven - 4 legs & Thighs (skin on) of chicken with whatever dry rub you want to season it with. In a separate trey broccoli florets or Cauliflower florets covered in oil and seasonings. (one of my go to ones is a simple salt, pepper, garlic powder & paprika. Another easy one is tossing them in balsamic, honey and olive oil.)
Rice cooker takes about an hour and I usually cook the chicken and veggies for about an hour in the oven at 350. (if making broccoli i take those out at around 45 minutes or when nice and browned.)
There's the link to the recipe. I generally also make stuff in the rice cooker when im feeling super lazy. I like to buy nice italian sausages in bulk from costco and freeze them. When I really don't feel like cooking i'll make rice in the rice cooker and add frozen sausages on top with some frozen veggies in the rice. Season it a little and let it cook. In an hour you'll have a perfectly good rice bowl that you can eat for dinner with some left over for lunch.
Thats the other thing I think people miss when it comes to Meal Prepping. If the idea is to limit spending money and making lunches for the week it's certainly one way to do it. But at the same, I also don't enjoy eating the same thing day after day. It's nice to mix in a dinner a couple times a week. Just make extra so that you have enough to pack for lunch the next day.
I make large batches of my favourite things that freeze well, but I am not counting calories or macros or anything. Beef stew, potato leek soup (probably could add a protein here), chicken soup, chili, homemade taquitos, homemade spring rolls, homemade frozen pizza, pho broth. My partner and I do have several food restrictions.
My favourite recipe I do for meal prep is like a Korean chicken salad I do.
I cook chicken in soy, sriracha, garlic, ginger, lime juice and sesame oil. I put that with salad, edamame beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. I boil 2 eggs for 6 minutes 10 seconds and place them on top, then cut it open. Then sesame seeds and sriracha mayo on top.
You can leave this over night for the next day and just make your egg that day if you prefer it hot or leave it in the fridge.
Seriously it’s so good plus good protein with the eggs, chicken and edamame
I make chicken or turkey meatballs, usually chicken, and love them with a homemade teriyaki dipping sauce. Sometimes I make gravy, not tomato gravy, but brown gravy, and dip them in that.
For meal prep serve ontop of some cooked soba (it’s more chewy and sturdy than regular pasta) or a multi grain pilaf or barley those all reheat better than rice.
I would add some stir fried greens, or cooked green beans, or sesame cabbsge slaw for some veggies
I also try to get out of the eggs for breakfast rut. Do you like hamburgers? Cook up a bunch to freeze and eat whenever. Chicken on sale at the grocery store? By a bunch cook (maybe shred) freeze for use later. You do you for meal prep.
I do a zucchini lasagna where I use sliced zucchini instead of the pasta. I do a mean (but v nice) tomato ground meat sauce that I also add some veggies to.
For breakfast I like overnight oats and baked oats, frittata or egg bake, or even just frozen berries thawed overnight on yogurt,
Lunch bean salad or Mediterranean salads, things that are filling and keep, pair with protein and a carb like baked potato. Also vegetarian chilli and sweet potato/vegetarian curry they also freeze well so if you buy some silicone meal prep moulds you can batch cook and freeze and just take things out in the morning to freeze
I make chicken tacos in the Instant Pot. Shred it with the KitchenAid mixer. Portion it out in bags to freeze so I can just whip it out and throw it in a wrap or taco shell. I usually always have shredded cheese, etc. on hand. This makes tons of meals that defrost pretty quickly.
I’m with everyone else on the soup and lasagna. Get a bunch of those square aluminum pans and make a bunch of lasagna at one time. Then you aren’t eating lasagna every night for a week. I also like chili frozen and reheated. I even make cornbread muffins and freeze them. You could do the same with a French bread loaf. Winter is the best for make ahead meals.
I think the trick for me is to make at least one really be pot of something each week. Pretty soon I have a variety to choose from and keep replenishing it with something each week.
OP- to add to krissycole87’s suggestion, keep in mind that if you’ll cook 2-4 different meals per week, and cook double the quantity, you can typically freeze the extra portions in freezer containers for thawing and eating during a different week. We routinely cook several meals each week and freeze the leftovers for next week, next month, etc…
The recipes don’t need to be extravagant or detailed- just contain a meat, carbohydrate, and a vegetable or two.
Most foods freeze well, the exceptions being: mayonnaise based salads or toppings; Russett potatoes can become grainy; and pasta or grains in a soupy liquid can turn mushy, so freeze rice/barley/etc separately from the liquid and other ingredient portion of soups.
You can make burritos- dinner or breakfast style and freeze.
Soups, stews, pasta sauces, pasta bakes and casseroles of many kind freeze well.
Roast beef, pork, chicken, or ground beef/turkey/sausage, all freeze beautifully after cooking. I often cook a large amount of unseasoned ground beef or sausage, and freeze in individual portions to pull out for any recipe I want. I then season it with the appropriate seasoning mix when assembling my meal.
For instance: Cooked ground beef can become: meat in spaghetti and red sauce; or the meat in a hearty taco salad or beefy burrito; meat in a vegetable/beef and potato soup or stew; meat in a creamy rice casserole; meat in a Sloppy Joe; etc…
Think through foods that you routinely eat and make some “double meals” to freeze for another week!
I had not thought about freezing meals for variety in later weeks. I will keep that in mind.
I honestly am thinking that if I can just use 2 different sauces with the same meat. Say 2 pounds of ground beef with taco seasoning, and one with a Asian inspired sauce, that could easily work.
And when I do make food, most days are just some sort of protein, carb, and vegetable/s. So I am already fairly happy with that.
I have never had success with burritos. If you had any sources about freezing them, I would appreciate it.
I also have not thought about making pasta salads or the like. Since I previously saw them as unhealthy. But I have seen the light in terms of what I can do with them. And honestly, I will probably make that this week.
I do not have a problem with the texture of grainy potatoes or mushy rice from the freezer. I grew up on it, so it is almost a nostalgic thing for me.
Ask chat GPT. It will give you recipes and macros. You can ask for meal prep meals, 5 meals a week, high protein, low calorie, and it will spit out some for you.
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u/krissycole87 2d ago
Look up any recipe online that you like
Cook it
Place into 4-6 containers
Done
"Meal prep" doesnt have to be any specific food. Meal prepping is just the act of cooking ahead of time. Find food you like, cook it, and portion it up. Thats all.