Meal Prep in advance

[kbx]

Can anyone point me in the direction of some info re. meal prepping in advance for the week?

 

I have a binge eating disorder which I am trying to resolve through a whole30, however as I am so constantly tired all the time when I get home in the evening I'm just far too tired to cook beyond putting some soup in a pan or something in the microwave. Carbs/sugar addiction, tiredness, an undoubtedly terrible day at work then trigger a binge and eating 3000+ calories of junk food in the evening   along with this I've been intermittent fasting for the last year or so, usually doing 20 hour fasts and only eating in the evening. This is purely due to convenience... there's no where near the office to get a carb/junk free lunch and I never have time for breakfast that isn't a cereal bar so I avoid these to avoid triggering the need to binge all day long. 

 

So I'm thinking my best solution to this would be making my own whole30 "ready meals" and soups for at least the first few weeks, a lunch to eat cold at work, and dinner which I can heat up, not having to cook everyday and keeping it simple but I don't really know where to start, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

 

I've never really frozen anything I've cooked before other than bolognese sauce  can I cook chicken, broccoli/other veg put it in a container, freeze then defrost later in the week  or would the quality/nutritional value be destroyed?

[ladyshanny]

Congrats on arriving here.  There are a tonne of resources for how to precook.  It takes time at first, most people do it on their weekend.  But it really reduces the amount of time you have to spend in the kitchen each week.  

 

For me, I do leftovers from teh night before for lunch, the same breakfast all week and then I precook food to make various dinners throughout the week.

 

Here's a post I made in another thread this week about pre-cooking:

 

In 25 minutes you can chop a fridge full of veggies (I did a butternut, four peppers, a bag of mushrooms, 5 onions) and then supplement with bagged spinach or kale, bagged coleslaw (make your own dressing or cook the shredded coleslaw and use as a "noodle" base), the bagged brocoli from Costco & a bag of snow peas.  Just before you start on the veggies, throw a dozen boneless skinless thighs on a greased cookie sheet into a 435F oven , throw some S&P, garlic and ginger powder at them bake them for 35 minutes.  Once the veggies are done and bagged, put two frying pans on the stove and put 2# of ground beef in one and 2# of ground pork in the other.  While those are sautéing, put a dozen eggs in a pot and start them hard boiling while you make a batch of immersion blender mayo and a batch of sunshine sauce.  And when that's done, your chicken thighs should be done.

 

So in about 45 minutes you have about 6# of protein + a dozen eggs, two sauces and a fridge full of veggies and your "during the week" cooking should be nearly non existent.  

 

You can also check out the following:

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/07/27/whole30-week-1-food-plan/

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/01/04/whole30-2014-week-2-food-plan/

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/01/14/paleo-kitchen-the-method-behind-my-madness/

 

There are also lots of resources here on our forum about cooking in advance, a little google action will get you there, just google "Whole 30 meal prep" or "Whole30 advance cooking"

 

The best most useful tip ever in the whole wide world of Whole30 is to PREP.  

 

You don't have to freeze all your food, you can do a couple hours of prep on a weekend day and have 20 minutes or less "cooking" time during the week and have gorgeous, flavourful, nutritious meals!  I highly, HIGHLY recommend you pick up Well Fed and/or Well Fed 2 for this program, these two books changed the entire way I think about cooking or assembling meals!

[Rebe_J]

I heartily agree with ladyshanny. The Well Fed books are worth the investment many times.

 

I'm a good cook, but I tend to be lazy (or efficient, however you look at it), and I sometimes work long hours. I like to be able to get a meal on the table in less than 20 minutes. Once a week, I'll spend a few hours planning, shopping, prepping and cooking.  I enjoy the kitchen time and consider it therapeutic.

 

I always have salad vegetables prepped in the refrigerator: bell peppers, radishes cucumbers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, green onions, etc. They are easy to pack in my lunch box with whatever protein. Homemade mayo is a base for dipping sauces and salad dressings. I try to keep a container of seasonal fruit (melon, pineapple, citrus) prepped, too. A few sections of grapefruit is enough; plus I don't get squirted.

 

In my freezer I have homemade meatballs (Well Fed2) and a big bag of (Costco) chicken tenderloins. When I cook up the chicken for a meal, I'll cook extra to have on stand-by for other meals. Frozen vegetables are handy, too.

 

Equipment and tools really streamline the work. I just got an Instant Pot pressure cooker and I'm excited about the time savings it offers. Spaghetti squash in 3 minutes? Yep. Be sure you are well stocked with storage containers and a method for labeling them. (masking tape and a sharpie pen)

 

A personal note: It has been my experience that about two weeks into the W30, I had the energy to get through the day without being totally knackered by the time I got home from a long and stressful work day. Eating to plan at regular intervals has been a life-changer for me.

 

Good luck!

[toeinthetide]

I cook a big breakfast casserole of a dozen eggs, ground meat or chopped sausage/bacon, all sorts of veggies, potatoes or sweet potatoes or squash, garlic powder, spices etc.  Everything but the eggs should be sauteed together until cooked, although soft veggies can be added last to partially cook.  Throw it into a casserole dish then cover with your dozen beaten eggs.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 min and there you have breakfast for one week!  I cook this every Sunday and there are endless variations so I don't get sick of it.  Waking up to a delicious and filling meal will make your day so much better.  There is no reason to fast.  I also usually cook a bunch of meat and meals for packed lunches and sometimes for dinner each Sunday as well.  With good food to last you all day, you won't be so tired for a quick easy dinner such as salad when you get home.

 

Also, you definitely want to "invest" in a Slow Cooker or Crockpot (a basic model will run you about $20).

[Rebe_J]

I make a similar breakfast casserole every week, too. I portion it out and keep it in the refrigerator. My husband will have it for breakfast nearly every day; he would eat Cherrios otherwise.   I will take it to work and either eat it cold or warm it in the microwave in the employee lunchroom.

 

Here's a photo of my "egg pie" over kale, topped with salsa and avocado.

[Res0718]

I do all my meal prep for the weeks on Sunday. I portion out food for each meal in individual containers so I can just pull it out of the refrigerator before I head to work. I love both Well Fed cookbooks, and the NomNom Paleo Cookbook and app. Sometimes I double recipes to make things easier. It a lot of work on Sunday but it really helps the week to go smoother.

[Looboo]

I am in need of a very low maintenance breakfast. My favorite is egg muffins, similar to the egg casserole but I find more convenient. On Sunday I'll make a dozen muffins with all sorts of veggies or meat in them. I put them in containers of 2 so I can just grab a container on my way out the door and heat it up at work or eat cold.  You can google paleo egg muffins and there will be a number of recipes.

 

[Rebe_J]

I am in need of a very low maintenance breakfast. My favorite is egg muffins, similar to the egg casserole but I find more convenient. On Sunday I'll make a dozen muffins with all sorts of veggies or meat in them. I put them in containers of 2 so I can just grab a container on my way out the door and heat it up at work or eat cold.  You can google paleo egg muffins and there will be a number of recipes.

 

That does sound more convenient. I'll have to see if I can find my muffin tins--they were put into deep storage when I did my first W30 in 2012.

[kirkor]

My egg muffins always seem to stick to the bottom of the cups more than I'd like. Any tips?

[Edesia]

Kbx - Even before lstarting Whole 30 (I'm a little more than half way done with my first), planning for the week and cooking on the weekends has been key for me. I hate cooking during the week after getting home from work. Being tired at the end of the day (which is not as much of a problem since I started Whole 30) has always been the worst possible time for me to decide what to eat or to have to go out shopping for ingredients. If I'm not prepared ANDY I'm hungry, bad choices inevitably happen. I love cooking and wish I had time to cook a brilliant dish for every single meal, but that's not possible.

What I typically do is decide on 2-3 main dinner dishes that I will cook on the weekend (time permitting), and I will make enough to get two meals out of each dish for myself and my husband. I will also decide what sides to have on hand. Some things can be cooked ahead of time, like roasted vegs, and some things can be cooked quickly and without much prep, like an acorn squash or sweet potato. I always have a selection of frozen vegs as a plan b, if needed. Fish is also an easy choice during the week because it is easy and quick to cook. I have also been making a frittata-like egg casserole that makes four breakfast servings that I can heat up in the morning. For lunch, I will also make something that lasts several days, such as a chicken or meat soup, or a piece of salmon.

So many foods freeze well, so you can experiment with this and eventually will end up with a good selection in your freezer. Don't feel like you have to everything at once. Try one new recipe this weekend that looks delicious to you and see what it feels like to know it is waiting for you at the end of the day! You can do this.

[Edesia]

Sorry for the typos above...working off my iPad...

[EmilyK]

My egg muffins always seem to stick to the bottom of the cups more than I'd like. Any tips?

 

Mine did too until I liberally greased the muffin cups with bacon drippings.  Delicious, AND popped right out.  

[EmilyK]

So today was my batch-cooking day for the week.  In 2 1/2 hours, I made a batch of mayo and sunshine sauce, shredded the kalua pig i had in the slow cooker overnight, roasted 2 chickens and a spaghetti squash, made a batch of of turkey-cranberry meatballs, made a pot of roasted butternut squash soup, and sliced up a thing of mushrooms to add to my breakfast scrambles.  

 

Usually I will cook up some bacon/veggie/egg muffins but i still have some left from last week.  I also will usually roast a couple of trays of sweet potatoes/brussels sprouts/bulk veggies for quick lunch sides but I didn't seem to need those this week, either.  

 

I usually plan my dinners and 3-4 meal components for lunches on friday night, then grocery shop Saturday morning and cook saturday afternoon.  This week, i was a little behind, but it still worked out.

[Munkers]

My egg muffins always seem to stick to the bottom of the cups more than I'd like. Any tips?

 

I have an oven-safe silicone muffin tin that I like to use for egg muffins. I don't even bother greasing them but the muffins pop right out.