Meal Prep, cooking, etc.

[Doctor_Strange]

Hey,

How many out there meal prep, say on Sundays, for instance? Do you use plastic or glass containers? Also, is a cooking pot or rice cooker worth investing in (I thought it retains the starch). I'm an incoming OMS-1, and just curious what people do and maybe what I should look to buy before starting next month. My buddy at MD school says the biggest thing that prevents him from meal prepping is time/lack of discipline...

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[samac]

I'm like your buddy at an MD school. But, I started eating out a lot and put on 40 lbs in a year and a half and I've worked my ass off for the last 6 months to get it back off.
Don't be like me.

 

[Doctor_Strange]

I'm like your buddy at an MD school. But, I started eating out a lot and put on 40 lbs in a year and a half and I've worked my ass off for the last 6 months to get it back off.
Don't be like me.

Was that through diet alone, or exercise as well?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Personally I don't know how to use a crockpot all that well and I'm not a big fan of things like chilis.

But I mostly cook on the weekends and then either on Wends or Thursday as I like some variation.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

One of the best things I learned with the crock pot (when I wasn't a vegetarian) was just putting a whole uncooked chicken in or a few breast and just letting them cook. Usually bland as hell but simple enough and good protein.

Bland is sad tho.

 

[samac]

Was that through diet alone, or exercise as well?

Diet and exercise 5 days a week.

 

[BlastedHeath]

I usually meal prep by cooking one dinner on Saturday and one on Sunday and freezing the extra portions. Most of my recipes are around 4 servings so after a few weeks of doing that I have a nice stockpile of meals. I use a website called Plan to Eat to organize and plan recipes and shopping lists. Usually use plastic containers but I'm not super happy with them and I'm considering going to glass after I move next month. Also prep and freeze breakfast burritos, and I've done sandwiches and smoothie bags too. I have an instant pot and I love it because I can use it as a slow cooker or pressure cook if I am short on time.

 

[Scrubs101]

My problem is my kitchen lacks the utensils and ingredients necessary to meal prep decently tasty meals, outside of bland chicken, pasta, and bland rice ive got nothing to make in large portions. Would love to learn how to get creative without having to make a trip to the grocery store every other day, im more of a twice a month guy


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[Doctor_Strange]

I usually meal prep by cooking one dinner on Saturday and one on Sunday and freezing the extra portions. Most of my recipes are around 4 servings so after a few weeks of doing that I have a nice stockpile of meals. I use a website called Plan to Eat to organize and plan recipes and shopping lists. Usually use plastic containers but I'm not super happy with them and I'm considering going to glass after I move next month. Also prep and freeze breakfast burritos, and I've done sandwiches and smoothie bags too. I have an instant pot and I love it because I can use it as a slow cooker or pressure cook if I am short on time.

I actually meal prepped breakfast burritos some time ago. It just was too soggy. I know wrapping each one would prevent that but I got to lazy. And it just tasted different so I'm stuck with cereal it seems.

 

[popopopop]

My problem is my kitchen lacks the utensils and ingredients necessary to meal prep decently tasty meals, outside of bland chicken, pasta, and bland rice ive got nothing to make in large portions. Would love to learn how to get creative without having to make a trip to the grocery store every other day, im more of a twice a month guy


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Not sure what your situation is here. No pantry or room for any room for a spice rack?

 

[BlastedHeath]

I actually meal prepped breakfast burritos some time ago. It just was too soggy. I know wrapping each one would prevent that but I got to lazy. And it just tasted different so I'm stuck with cereal it seems.

My method is to cook thick cut bacon and/or sausage, then fry hash browns in the remaining oil/grease, followed by scrambling eggs. I keep the ingredients separate until assembling. As things are going, I make a stack of tortillas separated by wax paper, then I just assemble them one after another, adding some cheese with the previously prepared ingredients. I think the key to avoiding sogginess is to let all of the ingredients cool before assembling. I wrap them in the wax paper or plastic wrap, and place 5 to a large freezer bag and freeze immediately. I usually take one out right when I get up and leave it out while I get ready so that it has a chance to defrost a bit. Then wrap in a paper towel, microwave for one minute, flip it over and microwave for another 30seconds to one minute. I've made up to 30 at once before and they still tasted fine after 2 months in the freezer.

 

[Msk3195]

I meal prep on Sundays for lunch and dinner.

Plastic non BPA containers.

I make generally one grain based (rice, quinoa, farro, pasta) meal and one protein based meal.

Crock pots are good. Large pots and pans are good. DONT DO SOUP too messy.

If you eat meat make big things of chicken (which you can flavor differently to suit your taste that day).

Rice you can add different stuff to to flavor it.

 

[Scrubs101]

Not sure what your situation is here. No pantry or room for any room for a spice rack?

Lack of knowing what to buy outside of the basics lol minimal cooking skills

What kind of seasonings would y'all suggest?

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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Lack of knowing what to buy outside of the basics lol minimal cooking skills

What kind of seasonings would y'all suggest?

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Start with black pepper, oregano, garlic, paprika. Herbs such as fresh or dried dill, cilantro, parsley and basil can also be used effectively to produce both aroma and change in flavor of meats and starches.

 

[Scrubs101]

Start with black pepper, oregano, garlic, paprika. Herbs such as fresh or dried dill, cilantro, parsley and basil can also be used effectively to produce both aroma and change in flavor of meats and starches.

Thank you! Ill give these a try this weekend


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[YoungDoc25]

Lack of knowing what to buy outside of the basics lol minimal cooking skills

What kind of seasonings would y'all suggest?

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All you need is some Slap Ya Mama seasoning

 

[popopopop]

Lack of knowing what to buy outside of the basics lol minimal cooking skills

What kind of seasonings would y'all suggest?

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Try the pre-packaged dry/wet marinades from Campbell's or whatever brand you see at your store. They're cheap and offer simple recipe ideas on the back. After you get a feel of what you like and how not to burn things, you can buy a lot of spices in bulk at Sam's/Costco.

 

[BlastedHeath]

Lack of knowing what to buy outside of the basics lol minimal cooking skills

What kind of seasonings would y'all suggest?

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One of my favorite websites for food ideas is BudgetBytes.com, I highly recommend it. Most of her recipes are very easy to follow, cheap, and use seasoning well.

Here is a go to recipe of mine, especially when I don't have anything prepped: Crispy and Tender Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe I keep a premade container of this mix of spices in my cupboard, and almost always have chicken thighs in the freezer, I get the ones at Costco that are 99 cents a pound and presealed in packs of four. Make up some rice or mashed potatoes and add in some frozen veggies and you've got a decent homemade meal.

 

[medstar11]

My favorite thing I use is my electric pressure cooker. You can make a crockpot meal in usually around 20-40 minutes and it is even better as there is no loss of moisture in the meat. I highly recommend these to any incoming 1st years and they are multipurpose tools that have the rice cooker/ slow cooker/ and pressure cooker all in one. I attribute my ability to lose 15lbs without much effort to the instantpot! You can make most meals in just that pot alone and it would be perfect for meal prep and it wouldnt take you all day to cook! Pinterest is full of recipes for healthy versions of most foods and they really are good!

 

[Noxy]

Ok I can't comment on much else since I can't cook to save my life, but a great breakfast on the go which I plan to continue when I start school is egg muffins. Make them sunday night in a muffin tin. Scramble eggs and season, add whatever toppings..mushrooms, onions, green pepper bacon, if you are feeling daring lol. Bake them up and warm em in the microwave easily all week. I also make them with egg whites so im not eating cholesterol bombs every day. Healthy breakfast on the go without wasting time or spending extra money. Rice cooker and crockpots are life savers as well.

 

[BlastedHeath]

My favorite thing I use is my electric pressure cooker. You can make a crockpot meal in usually around 20-40 minutes and it is even better as there is no loss of moisture in the meat. I highly recommend these to any incoming 1st years and they are multipurpose tools that have the rice cooker/ slow cooker/ and pressure cooker all in one. I attribute my ability to lose 15lbs without much effort to the instantpot! You can make most meals in just that pot alone and it would be perfect for meal prep and it wouldnt take you all day to cook! Pinterest is full of recipes for healthy versions of most foods and they really are good!

If anyone is looking into buying an Instant Pot, the last few years it has been extensively marked down on the big Amazon sale days, black Friday and prime day. Prime day is coming up, so it might be worth it to keep an eye out.

 

[deleted244469]

As someone who is currently poor, Crock Pots are the way to go. Or, I'll make a huge pot of Bolognese and eat that for the week (Italian crew).

I cant meal prep. Reheating food completely ruins the taste/texture (Especially reheated meat). It takes me 20 min tops to make a decent, fresh meal for myself. Although, I'm usually slightly lazy and grab a pre made side (e.g. Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes).

I don't eat Breakfast, so that makes that part easy

 

[ladysmanfelpz]

I'm like your buddy at an MD school. But, I started eating out a lot and put on 40 lbs in a year and a half and I've worked my ass off for the last 6 months to get it back off.
Don't be like me.

Dam I'm more interested on how you put it on. Did you just stop working out entirely? And what did your diet degrade to to put on that much weight?

 

[samac]

Dam I'm more interested on how you put it on. Did you just stop working out entirely? And what did your diet degrade to to put on that much weight?

I got focused on school and let my health degrade. I wasn't very good at time management and it took me till my last semester of didadics to finally figure out my strategy to be able to take care of myself and grades.
I had stopped working out and started eating out more often and when I did eat at home it was mostly quick fix things like frozen dinners or other quick meals that had very little nutrition value.
I know many other people who put on 20-30 lbs over the past 2 years. It's easy to get into an unhealthy routine.

Just don't be like me. Keep exercising and cook.

 

[popopopop]

I got focused on school and let my health degrade. I wasn't very good at time management and it took me till my last semester of didadics to finally figure out my strategy to be able to take care of myself and grades.
I had stopped working out and started eating out more often and when I did eat at home it was mostly quick fix things like frozen dinners or other quick fix meals that had very little nutrition value.
I know many other people I know put on 20-30 lbs over the past 2 years. It's easy to get into an unhealthy routine.

Just don't be like me. Keep exercising and cook.

It sucks replacing all of my clothes, because they don't fit right :*(.

 

[GUH]

Breakfast could be simple - a protein bar and some yogurt or an apple.
Lunch was tougher since there were a lot of options for eating out and since I was on campus so much it would have been necessary to pack a lunch in advance and bring it to school. Same thing on rotations. I would usually just try to control my portions but that's difficult when you eat out.
I was usually home at night so I made enough time for myself to cook most meals. Slow cookers are great - just throw some potatoes, onions, and a pork shoulder or pot roast and you have dinner for a week. You can also just cook a batch of brown rice (simple with a rice cooker) and a bunch of chicken on Sunday and it will last for several meals. Just microwave some frozen broccoli with the pre-cooked chicken and rice and you have an easy and healthy dinner. Or if you're feeling very cheap and lazy, a can of black beans over rice with some hot sauce is pretty filling. On call nights all bets are off and you'll probably eat pizza/fast food/nothing.

You'll likely have more time to cook than your post indicates.

 

[CajunMedic]

I tried meal-prepping in my second year. It lasted about a week. I did marginally well making a menu for the week on Sunday, and doing my shopping and daily cooking based off of it. I tended to cook things that could be done quickly. I had a meal plan for the undergrad cafeteria, but by lunchtime most days, I was ready to GTFO for lunch and hardly used it. Usually, my study group would meet up somewhere and we'd have a group meal before studying. Closer to tests, it became more pizza and Jimmy John's

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

I've never been able to meal prep for more than a day in advance because my roommates would 100% eat all of my food lol.

Looking forward to trying a Sunday regime to prep food for the week.