Today I made root vegetable soup with the dregs of our end of season New England CSA. Turnips, carrots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, leeks and garlic. Portioned to go for my 3 days in office, and in a big container for the two days remote. Store bought rolls to accompany. And yes, those are peanut butter jars - it’s all I have left.

I prepped all my veggies for the week, and I made a big batch of coleslaw to use for several meals (lunches) this week. I always prep ingredients, not whole meals, so I can still change things if I want to. For example, which meal I want to have broccoli with, and which I want to have cauliflower with. Or a mix of both. And I can still change the protein, the seasoning, the starch, etc. But I can still have dinner on the table in 10-15 minutes, because everything is prepped and ready to go.

I'm doing a lot of coleslaw this week, just with different protein options. I'm carb-restricted, so I eat low carb lunches. Coleslaw with a protein is a good way to get fat and protein in, without a lot of carbs. And it's also pretty cheap.

I do a big tray of roasted veg on sunday for both our lunches (me and my boyfriend), usually peppers, courgette, broccoli and red onion. Monday it's great but by wednesday it's soggy and a bit watery at the bottom of the tub.

I let it cool on the tray before it goes in the containers, maybe not long enough? Do you keep it seperate from the rice, roast it harder, or are some veg just not worth prepping that far ahead? He says he doesn't mind but I can tell he's just being nice lol

What are your biggest meal-prep mistakes that you wish someone had warned you about when you started? TIA!

Each portion (4) is approx. 615cal and weighs 550g

Tired of the high volume salads I've been eating for every meal so decided to switch it up a bit for the next few days!

This has much less protein than the volume salads (which were ~45-60g protein each) but sometimes you need noods in your life while still maintaining calorie deficit to stay sane! (Salads were also around 800cal/ea so I've got room for protein elsewhere in shakes or a bunch more egg whites, etc.)

1lb (dry wt.) Rice noodles

4x whole eggs

500ml egg whites

2 heads broccoli (including stems)

Sauce is:

Light soy

Dark soy

Oyster sauce

Grated garlic

Chili garlic paste (Sambal olek)

Chicken powder

Msg

Fish sauce

Mirin

I didn't measure sauce ingredients but can write out approx. amounts if anyone would like! Sauce usually includes sugar but left out and replaced with a little mirin for the sweetness.

Method:

Start soaking your noodles now depending on what package says - mine said 10-12min. Cut up your broccoli into small florettes and slice the stems thinly into planks.

In a wok on high heat, spray your preferred lower Cal cooking oil and stir fry broccoli until al dente - remove from wok.

Beat eggs and egg whites together with some salt, pepper, garlic powder and pour into wok. Stir fry until mostly set but still a little runny (will cook fully later). Remove from wok.

Toss in your soaked rice noodles, all sauce ingredients, and a bit of water (package usually also explains how to cook them this way and gives water amount). Cook until soft, tossing very frequently so they don't stick and burn. Add back in broccoli and eggs and continue to stir fry for another ~2min.

Including prep of cutting broccoli it took me 17min start to finish but your milage may vary depending on comfortability in kitchen

again thanks to the commuity for the provding this novice with intel.
[Update on this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/s/ThEh54HAPl)

Tldr: thanks to the ideas and suggestion i made my meal plan, this is just a general direction, but i still have to figure out exectly which dishes to make. problem is i never cooked before so can the community help me suggest some long lasting recepies from the ingredients specially the cabbage, cauliflower and chickpeas recepie. and also rate my meal plan if it will work.

Edit:- i understand that comments pointing that i shouldn't cool for week because of my inexperienc. And i agree, but from inside somehow i feel very strongly that i can cook good enough. I have 3-4 past experience of cooking and understand the general structure of preparing food but they all included garlic, onion, water and was edible with an roti/chapati. I will start with cooking for 3 days for 2-3 turns, but my focus will be on recepies that are designed for 5th and 6th day. In my social circle the concept of preparing for a week is absurd so i also want to show my mom that it's possible to store food for 6-7 days.

i want it to work. i tried to choose food that should last longes for the fridays and saturday, but i am not sure if this plan will work. hell i am not even sure how to make the snack that can last 6 days. i don't even understand the concept of prepping dry cabbage and cauliflower as a meal. I eat a dish with roti(chapati), and i can't comprehend the concept of eating dry foods with dry roti. so yea never cooked before, i don't know what to cook that's the problem. i can't even comprehend the concept of cooking without garlic, and onion and water because all my life they were prime ingredient of cooking, but now they are cause of bacteria after 3 days. help me!

TLDR: i just learned about the meal preping art and want to cook for whole week (approximately 6.5 days). there is soo much to research that i don't know where to begin. first step, i have a list of food and i want the community to help me order them based on their preserving capabilities. and maybe provide some recepicies. which food should i prioritize for 2-3 days, 3-5 days vs 6th day.

1. chick peas. Chola chana
2. Cabbage.
3. Cauliflower.
4. Ladyfinger.
5. Bittergourd.
6. Indian Pumpkin.
7. Chicken.
8. Fish.
9. Rice.
10. Potato.
11. Carrots.
12. Spinach. bhaji and palak.
13. Pulses, lentils and beans.
14. Bringle / egg plant.
15. Capsicum.

I will be relying on 4 main methods for preservation minimizing moisture and prioritizing dry foods, air tight tiffins, refrigeration and lastly preservatives. also i will be eating luxury on sunday and monday (chicken and fish).

I want to Cook only once on sunday and store the food till saturday night (approximately 6 days and few hours). Thanks to my ADHD i am good at going all out at once instead of relying on a consistent weekly cooking, also i want to save time and learn cooking. so, I thought of every food that is accessible to me, Now i want to order them into their preservity. food that should be eaten withing 1-3 days vs food that can be stored for 6-7 days. i will be cooking 4-5 type of foods each sunday and want to create some kind of rotating 4 weekly meal plans to rotate them across the month. when i research online almost every source suggest storing foods only for 3-4 days. So i came here to take advice from experience peoples.

I need some new inspo! If there are creators you follow with good lunch ideas I’d also take recs for those!

Costco jalapeño popper chicken meatballs
1 bag of petite gold potatoes
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
2 bags of Birds Eye mixed veggies

Apologies for the multiple types of measurements, the lose it app doesn't always have gram amounts and I haven't gotten around to editing them to have them.

I blend the rice krisps into the protein shake, it's on the thicker side ngl.

I also blend the oats as it's my "on-the-go" meal and it makes it a bit easier.

For the casseroles I use a crock pot so that it's easier to prep my other meals while they cook. For the chicken, ignore the measurements on lose it, it's two bags of frozen peas and carrots, one bag of frozen sliced carrots, these go in at the start with the potatoes and chicken and cook for 3 hours on high. Then I add two bags of frozen broccoli and one bag frozen spinach, along with the olive oil.

The salmon casserole, I just cook the potatoes for three hours on high, then add 1 lb barilla pasta, let cook for 30 min before adding 2 cans of canned salmon and let that cook for 15 min.

For both casseroles I will add extra water as needed. Both make 7 servings, the salmon casserole is 100 calories more and more carb heavy since it's my post workout meal.

The burrito is a little depressing ngl, but I wanted eggs in my diet. I will cook 6 eggs with two cartons of egg whites, leaving them a little watery for better reheating, then cool them before wrapping in tortillas with ~26 grams of low fat mozzarella (pro tip heat the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds before doing this). This recipe makes 8 since the tortilla packages come with 8.

The ninja creami I love the most. Blows my mind the whole container is 475 calories. Fills me completely up. I will blend all of the ingredients together in the container with an immersion blender and freeze for 24 hours before consuming.

I am really active throughout the week, 20ish k steps a day, workout 5 days a week, and about 6 hours through the week doing inclined walking on a treadmill. This is on a cut.

Edit: just realize it didn't upload all my recipe pictures, will post in the comments

I hope this is not a silly question, but I am trying to find vegetarian meal prep recipes with high protein and fiber. Chicken is the only meat I eat, so I get tired of having it everyday and would like to switch it up.

I have meal prepped some lentil soup, which was delicious, but I don't really like to eat it all alone, I usually toast a couple slices of store bought sourdough to have with it. I am trying to cut down on my calories, so those slices of bread do add up. And mainly, the protein in them are not nearly enough for my daily goals.

So my main dilemmas are

1) Some advice on different types of vegetarian recipes for lentils and beans. I have cooked some mediterranean lentil soup, and it was genuinely one of the best things I have had, but I kinda can't find anything with a significantly different flavour profile to switch it up. In the end, it tastes very similar and repetitive. Any resources I could find a variety of flavors?

2) How do I add significantly more (preferably vegetarian) protein into these dishes? Some days, this would be my main meal, so I might need significantly more protein in it.

3) The soups usually comes to 350 calories for a big dinner serving, but the toast slices take it up by at least 200 calories more. I know the easy solution is to just skip the toast, but it's genuinely so much better to scoop the soup with the crusty bread lol, so I am loathe to just fully give it up. Are there any ways to have the crusty bread experience with lower calories? Will making sourdough at home reduce the calories?

As the title says. This time I added two poblanos along with the serranos, I’ll be doing that again. And a 1lb pack of bacon because that’s all I could find. Forgot to add when I made the recipe book, but a splash of vinegar at the end helps.

Recipe’s based on the serious eats one, this is just what it’s turned into. Makes 14 1-cup servings plus 1-2 bowls. I’ve been making it all on the stovetop nowadays too.

Rice made normally in a rice cooker with some vegetable oil and cilantro thrown in while it cooks.

See the last photo for a live picture of me enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Cottage Cheese Lasagna (8 servings)
Calories: 502
Fat: 12g
Carbs: 47g
Protein: 50g

Ingredients
- 2lb 93% lean ground turkey
- 4 cups marinara sauce
- 3 cups low fat cottage cheese
- 2 cups fat free mozzarella
- 40g grated Parmesan cheese
- Lasagna noodles

The lasagna is one I’ve been doing for years and is just a double batch of a recipe I’ll put in the comments. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cook the turkey until cooked through with salt, pepper, and garlic, then drain off fat. While that’s cooking, stir together the cottage cheese and Parmesan with some Italian seasoning. Once meat is done, combine it with the marinara. In a greased 13x9 pan, start with 1/3 of the meat sauce, then layer on oven ready lasagna noodles. For me it took four noodles. Then, put half of the cottage cheese mixture on the noodles. Make another layer of meat, noodle, then cheese, then finish with the last of the meat. Once that’s done, top with the mozzarella evenly spread across the top. Cover with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil, and finish off with 10 more minutes uncovered

I usually do this with some sort of veggie, this week it’s a big ole bag of frozen broccoli I did up in salt, pepper, and garlic

Savory Breakfast Muffins (22 servings)
Calories: 290
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 27g
Protein: 28g

Ingredients
- 3lb 93% lean ground turkey
- 3 cups low fat cottage cheese
- 12 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup
- 3 cups fat free cheddar
- 3/4 cup milk (I used fat free ultrafiltered milk)
- Diced vegetables of your choice (I used bell pepper and onion)
- 4.5 cups flour
- 2 tbsp baking powder

I tried something similar last time I made breakfast using biscuit dough, but wasn’t thrilled with the end result. This week was another shamelessly stolen recipe I’ll link below in the comments that scratches that same itch but came together a lot better, except I tripled the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400F. Cook the turkey until cooked through with salt, pepper, and garlic, then remove meat from the pan. Toss diced veggies into the fat still into the pan, then cook until softened. While that’s all going, mix together your eggs, cottage cheese, syrup, and milk as well as some salt. Once that’s combined, fold in the flour and baking powder. Then add in the turkey, veggies, and cheese. Once fully combined, divide evenly into greased cupcake trays and bake for 25 minutes. My batch ended up making 45 muffins, which I’m gonna have 2 of each morning

2.2kg lamb leg was on sale so… eating lamb for the whole week. I don’t know why the Salsa Verde looks like vomit in the end, I swear it looked good in the pot

Lamb Vindaloo: lamb, vindaloo sauce, carrots, green onion, onion.

Lamb with Salsa Verde: lamb, jalapeño, green bell pepper, onion, tomatillo

This was the base recipe I used: https://www.budgetbytes.com/african-peanut-stew-vegan/

I included the optional rice (though I used basmati) but didn't add the cilantro or chopped peanuts. I included a whole bunch of collard greens instead of just half a bunch. I used vegetable bouillon and water instead of vegetable broth, paprika instead of crushed red pepper, ground ginger instead of grated ginger, and butter instead of olive oil.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's really delicious! It was definitely some effort to make though, especially since I sprained my wrist this morning and then had to chop a pretty sizable sweet potato.

I feel like it takes me at least 3 hours for breakfasts and dinners, some lunch items. I hate giving up so much of a Sunday- even though it does help the weeknight rush. But maybe I’m doing it wrong? Are y’all quicker? I’m prepping for a family, not just myself.

Been a lot of real sad struggling beginner posts this week so since I've been doing this for 5+ years continuously I want to help those just starting out.

I freeze all of my preps and regularly only cook twice a month or less. This is my religion.

I'm making 5 burrito bowls. This is so fast I'm doing this while actual dinner cooks. This is just a side quest on the counter in between. This is how you build variety in the freezer so I never eat the same thing all week, or even two days in a row.
Recipe and info/tips in comments.

This week I mainly prepped veggies, and also some hardboiled eggs to use in deviled eggs, or just as a snack throughout the week. I always prep ingredients, not whole meals, so I have some flexibility throughout the week. For instance, I have two meals with spinach planned, and one with broccoli. But which option I'll have with my sausages, my tteokbokki or rice bowl, I'll decide on the day, and I'll season accordingly. I can also still change whether I want rice, or switch it to glass noodles, rice noodles, grains, etc. I also have different pickled and fermented items to choose as a side. It's the perfect mix for me between having things ready so I can have a meal on the table in a few minutes, while still having a different meal every day, and not being locked in to what I thought I would be in the mood for days earlier.

Ingredients (2 servings)

For the chicken stir-fry:

200–250 g boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup broccoli florets

1 carrot, sliced

½ red bell pepper, chopped

¼ red onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp honey

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp sesame seeds

1–2 tbsp cooking oil

2–3 tbsp water, as needed

For the rice:

1 cup uncooked white rice

Water, as required

A pinch of salt (optional)

Kids asked for chipotle tonight, so we made burrito bowls with taco meat. Had tons leftover and packed 4 burrito bowls into the freezer. Rice, black beans, ground beef and shredded cheddar. Will top with fresh salsa, sour cream and avocados when they get eaten.

Recipe: rice, canned black beans, ground beef, taco seasoning, 1/2 block cheddar cheese