I typically spend the week thinking about what I’ll make for main meals and then execute it all on one day. I make 8 full meals then 5 overnight chia oats and 3-5 portions of whatever meat was on sale at the store. It typically takes a few hours on my last day off any week (work a really weird schedule). I supplement any other cooking/more oats as the week progresses.
I only cook for myself so most recipes end up going in the fridge or freezer since they make more than 1 serving. I don’t like eating the same meal twice in one day but I don’t mind eating the same meal every day, so as long as I have 3 distinct meals in rotation each day I’m fine. If that number drops to 2 or 1 then I get cooking again.
I’ve never been someone who can eat the same thing multiple days in a row, so i can’t do the “standard” approach of making proportioned meals. I also can’t just eat food I’ve heated back up in the microwave for every meal.
In a perfect week, I’ll make some bread, some rice, a soup/stew, a sauce of some sort, etc. I also make a lot of yogurt and ricotta-type cheese (from milk, not whey), because milk is heavily subsidized where I live.
I basically just try to have different things I can combine in different orders, and typically I’m leaving some part of the process to still be done each night (roasting veggies, boiling pasta, stir frying something, etc).
Beans/ lentils in a slow cooker. The most convenient, low effort, healthy, environment friendly meal possible.
I’m Pakistani so we have a massive daal culture anyways. I’ll say I eat 10 meals of beans a week easy.
Other Pakistani/ Indian foods are also very meal prep efficient and microwavable. The perfect cuisine to learn more about if youre a prepper.
Interesting! I do really like lentils! Typically when I make them I mix with cooked quinoa and very spicy seasonings. I’m American but my roots are Syrian.I unfortunately haven’t learned to cook much Middle Eastern food, outside of kibbeh, grape leaves and hummus.
Pakistan/ Qatar for me. So had more than my fair share of Arabic cuisines. There’s quite a few grains plus lentils dishes in both regions.
Haleem is the big one in pak. Harees in Arab nations. Although hareesa is also a thing in Pakistan. Similarly harees was heavily influenced by haleem. Thr addition of slocesncame from India.
Also other dishes that follow the pattern. Often with a lil meat in there too.
Middle eastern good is also great for prep.
I’ve prepped grapeleaves as a side for my meal once. I make them the way my grandma taught me, vegetarian with rice and a ton of lemon juice. I’ll definitely look into the things you talked about more!
I buy two 30 packs of beer and divide them 7 ways.
I make huge pots of stews, beans, sauces, etc. and freeze most of it.
As long as I remember to take something out of the freezer, I can always count on a good meal.
Oh yeah stews and sauces are perfect for the freezer!
Bulk cook meat. Bag and freeze.
When I need a meal – break/portion chunk of meat along with frozen vegetables and flavor as desired – eg curry, chilli, etc.
I found that if the food was too easy/convenient to eat after being prepped that it would just get binge eaten.
Yeah freezing works well for me when I make meat sauces. But I don’t usually freeze whole muscle meat that way.
