FYI: Hefty makes TV dinner trays (= convenient bodybuilding meal containers!)

[Kaido]

Another nice visual meal prep guide: (not mine)

http://imgur.com/gallery/OfZSP

 

[soccerballtux]

I've boxed mine up and won't be using for a few years. I feel like I just aged 10 using a tool like this. I was perfectly happy with the manual cooking I've been doing learning how spices interact with what at what temperatures on the stove. I'm cooking only paleo so it's just been a lot of saute'd vegetables in coconut oil. Chopped leeks/oil/garlic|onion/salt+pepper, mushrooms/oil/garlic|onion/salt+pepper, etc. I am returning to my go-to cooking plans and will stick with them until I no longer consider the act of cooking mentally stimulating and exciting. I like the balance of working with my hands chopping up colorful vegetables. Refreshing compared to computing all day.

your bacon meatloaf recipe you posted is very tasty but I was practically crying as I prepared. I hate following directions I didn't write myself. Feels so soulless. Like I'm a machine...

 

[Kaido]

I've boxed mine up and won't be using for a few years. I feel like I just aged 10 using a tool like this. I was perfectly happy with the manual cooking I've been doing learning how spices interact with what at what temperatures on the stove. I'm cooking only paleo so it's just been a lot of saute'd vegetables in coconut oil. Chopped leeks/oil/garlic|onion/salt+pepper, mushrooms/oil/garlic|onion/salt+pepper, etc. I am returning to my go-to cooking plans and will stick with them until I no longer consider the act of cooking mentally stimulating and exciting. I like the balance of working with my hands chopping up colorful vegetables. Refreshing compared to computing all day.

your bacon meatloaf recipe you posted is very tasty but I was practically crying as I prepared. I hate following directions I didn't write myself. Feels so soulless. Like I'm a machine...

The Instant Pot, you mean? Try using your own recipes in it! Also, it has a saute function, so you can use your coconut oil that way. It's useful for other stuff too...I made some great brown rice for my meals last night :thumbsup:

 

[soccerballtux]

no. it wasn't my idea. if things in life aren't my idea, then ... they have to be my idea.

 

[Kaido]

FWIW, Crockpot now has meals-in-a-bag available as a food service:

https://www.crockpotcuisine.com/OrderMeals.aspx

$5 per meal if you sign up on subscription, that's not bad! Same price as Subway...

Update: Discount code for a one-time purchase & review in this article:

http://realmomkitchen.com/17556/crock-pot-cuisine-review-2/

 

[RossMAN]

2-compartment for $3.99 (2-pack)

3-compartment for $4.89 (2-pack)

Two links aren't working, anywhere else I can order just a few instead of alternator sized?

 

[Kaido]

Two links aren't working, anywhere else I can order just a few instead of alternator sized?

Yeah, originally those links went to 2-packs, not a whole box. At any rate, Reditainer makes equivalent models, 10 two-compartment for $12 or 10 three-compartment for $14. That's probably the best deal you're going to get online when you factor in shipping, quantity, etc:

http://www.amazon.com/Reditainer®-Compartment-Microwave-Container-Divided/dp/B00TRCFVRE

 

[Kaido]

Life hack time! Made a little yogurt parfait the other day - yogurt, berries, granola. Had to run out for a bit, came back, granola was oatmeal. Was making breakfast this morning, saw my shaker bottle that has an extra screw-on container on the bottom for protein powder...voila! Dry granola in the container, yogurt & berries in the cup part:

Parfait to go!

 

[Kaido]

Getting into the higher-end of the meal preparation spectrum: ($2900 to $3350)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvCf7gAcEzU

This is basically a TV dinner sealing machine - dump the food in the tray, stick the tray in the machine, voila - sealed plastic on top, much better than just pressing the plastic lid down. I could actually see myself using this at home - I've started cooking for my family & extended family on a regular basis and we use the TV dinner trays a lot (I have a smoker, pressure cooker, etc. so I cook in bulk a lot & a couple family members are into bodybuilding as well); this may be doable if everyone chips in a few hundred bucks...I need to start a family kickstarter campaign I have a small chest freezer that I use for storing my microwave dinners...it's super convenient, especially for the older folks in my extended family with health issues who can't cook by themselves anymore. Oh also, bulk recipe of the week - kalua pork:

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig

It's basically like a super-soft version of pulled pork. It takes forever (16 hours in the crockpot), but I use an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot), which cooks it in about 90 minutes:

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/111934821818/pressure-cooker-kalua-pig

Great in a bowl with cabbage, or else make a little taco with some soft naan & other fillings.

 

[Kaido]

Got some 16-ounce SOLO hot/cold cups with vented lids off Amazon. $14 shipped for a 25-pack: (56 cents per cup w/ lid)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FX0DLLW

Good for hot stuff (soups, stews, chilis, leftovers, anything you want to defrost & microwave later), as well as cold stuff like homemade ice cream. Also useful for oatmeal & DIY portable cereal containers. Basically, anything you (1) want to make in bulk, and (2) want to be disposable (unless you want to buy a truckload of Pyrex/Tupperware containers to re-use over time). Better deals can be had price-wise if you buy in bulk off a place like the Web Restaurant Store. Visual size reference:

 

[Kaido]

23 make-ahead lunches:

http://www.thekitchn.com/23-makeahe...-the-work-week-recipes-from-the-kitchn-216410

Also, Salad Swag:

http://www.thekitchn.com/salad-swag-the-cure-for-the-common-salad-201121

 

[Kaido]

 

[Ns1]

^^

I'd have to bring 3-4 boxes to work every day.

 

[Kaido]

^^

I'd have to bring 3-4 boxes to work every day.

Yup, I have a giant picnic lunchbox with a handful of freezer packs that I use for my meals. Although they do make meal prep bags now that can fit the TV dinner trays & drinks/protein shakes:

https://isolatorfitness.com/meal-prep-bags

 

[jtvang125]

I was just browsing on Amazon for something like this but there's so many different brands it's hard to choose. And then the numerous reviews of them cracking easily makes the choosing even hard. There is one brand that is supposedly heavy duty but pretty expensive at $25 for a set of only 5.

 

[Kaido]

I was just browsing on Amazon for something like this but there's so many different brands it's hard to choose. And then the numerous reviews of them cracking easily makes the choosing even hard. There is one brand that is supposedly heavy duty but pretty expensive at $25 for a set of only 5.

The big packs are meant to be disposable. Certain brands can be reused a limited number of times if treated gently, but the lids do tend to crack over time because it's thin plastic. The thicker ones, like Tupperware/Rubbermaid/Pyrex (silicon/rubber-lipped lids & rigid plastic or glass trays/bowls), are meant to last a really long time, but they're more expensive (big price hike if you want to prep 40 meals for your deep freezer) & also thicker (= less space in your freezer). So it depends on how far ahead you want to prep your meals, and whether or not you want disposable trays or reusable trays.

I wouldn't mind investing in a bunch of thick, reusable trays for long-term cost-savings, but the thin plastic ones let me pack more into my limited freezer space, plus I never have to do the dishes, which is awesome, especially if you have plastic recycling at work/school/home.

 

[jtvang125]

The big packs are meant to be disposable. Certain brands can be reused a limited number of times if treated gently, but the lids do tend to crack over time because it's thin plastic. The thicker ones, like Tupperware/Rubbermaid/Pyrex (silicon/rubber-lipped lids & rigid plastic or glass trays/bowls), are meant to last a really long time, but they're more expensive (big price hike if you want to prep 40 meals for your deep freezer) & also thicker (= less space in your freezer). So it depends on how far ahead you want to prep your meals, and whether or not you want disposable trays or reusable trays.

I wouldn't mind investing in a bunch of thick, reusable trays for long-term cost-savings, but the thin plastic ones let me pack more into my limited freezer space, plus I never have to do the dishes, which is awesome, especially if you have plastic recycling at work/school/home.

I ended up getting the 20 pack 3 compartment ones for about $22. I'll only need about a weeks worth of meals prep'ed so I figured the extras should give me a few months of use.

 

[Kaido]

I got a new lunchbox today - the 6-meal Isobag from Isolator Fitness:

https://isolatorfitness.com/products/isobag?variant=37957643082

MSRP is $109, but there are always sales & discounts available (check Retailmenot etc.). I paid $79 for mine; build quality is very good, on par with an Ogio backpack, plus it has a limited lifetime warranty. It includes the bag with strap, 3 freezer packs, and a dozen reusable meal prep trays. The main front pocket holds the trays, plus there's a zipper top for loose stuff or another TV dinner tray, and two side pockets for bottles, plus a couple of mesh pockets for more bottles. However, it is surprisingly compact...about the size of a Coleman hardbody lunchbox cooler, a little wider tho. This is quite a bit smaller than my previous soft-pack picnic lunchbox, lighterweight, and better-built.

 

[Kaido]

FYI - my 10oz RTIC Lowball tumbler (insulated Thermos-style, keeps cold stuff cold & hot stuff hot, not as well as the 30oz cup, but pretty well) fits with room to spare in the side zipper drink pocket:

https://www.amazon.com/RTIC-Stainless-Steel-Lowball-10oz/dp/B01DMWMQOU

I have an aftermarket spill-proof lid for it (plastic tab slides over the straw hole). I don't usually use them for drinks - mostly for yogurt (homemade in the Instant Pot) or oatmeal (usually overnight oats, although if I'm in the mood for hot cooked oats, I've been going with Coach's Oats - 4 minutes in the microwave, done booyah!). If you haven't done homemade yogurt yet, it's pretty good & makes a couple quarts, which is enough for a week's worth of parfaits or fruit bowls with granola or however you like to eat it. You can also make overnight oats in bulk & use them for close to a week.

 

[Mai72]

I got a new lunchbox today - the 6-meal Isobag from Isolator Fitness:

https://isolatorfitness.com/products/isobag?variant=37957643082

MSRP is $109, but there are always sales & discounts available (check Retailmenot etc.). I paid $79 for mine; build quality is very good, on par with an Ogio backpack, plus it has a limited lifetime warranty. It includes the bag with strap, 3 freezer packs, and a dozen reusable meal prep trays. The main front pocket holds the trays, plus there's a zipper top for loose stuff or another TV dinner tray, and two side pockets for bottles, plus a couple of mesh pockets for more bottles. However, it is surprisingly compact...about the size of a Coleman hardbody lunchbox cooler, a little wider tho. This is quite a bit smaller than my previous soft-pack picnic lunchbox, lighterweight, and better-built.

That looks pretty cool.

There is a lot of debate surrounding the 6 meal a day plan. I like to incorporate intermediate fastening 5 days a week, so many of my calories are being consumed in 2 meals. With 2-3 snacks thrown in. For me, 6 meals is just too much.

I was doing my meal prep on Sundays. I'm going back to doing this. It was great when I did it. I was able to cook my meals for the week while listening to my audio books. Loved it. Plus, I get to throw my meals in the microwave is pretty sweet.

 

[Kaido]

That looks pretty cool.

There is a lot of debate surrounding the 6 meal a day plan. I like to incorporate intermediate fastening 5 days a week, so many of my calories are being consumed in 2 meals. With 2-3 snacks thrown in. For me, 6 meals is just too much.

I was doing my meal prep on Sundays. I'm going back to doing this. It was great when I did it. I was able to cook my meals for the week while listening to my audio books. Loved it. Plus, I get to throw my meals in the microwave is pretty sweet.

I always thought I just had a high metabolism, but it turns out I have reactive hypoglycemia...basically I gotta eat every 3 hours or I get sleepy, and if I eat too much at one time, I get sleepy. I actually do 7 "meals"...really it's 3 smaller-size meals, plus 4 snacks. Current schedule:

4am: Workout
5am: Morning snack
7am: Breakfast
10am: Brunch snack
12pm: Lunch
2pm: Afternoon snack
5pm: Dinner
6pm: Dessert

Sounds like a lot of food, but most people snack throughout the day anyway (vending machine etc.). Sample meal plan: (everything homemade & in portions about half the size you'd normally eat...small meals)

5am snack: yogurt with fruit compote
7am breakfast: breakfast burrito
10am snack: crack chicken quesadilla
12pm lunch: panini sandwich (turkey, moz, spinach, tomatoes)
2pm snack: granola bars
5pm dinner: meatloaf, corn on the cob, dinner roll
6pm dessert: double peanut butter cookies

Once you get used to meal prep, it's pretty easy. The only semi-tricky part is fitting all of the macros into IIFYM for the day, so you have to learn how to make macros for your meals, divide them up, and then make them fit into your meal plan for the day. I like IIFYM because you can basically eat whatever you want; you're not stuck with plain chicken & broccoli day after day after day.

I switched from bulk meal prep to what I call "gourmet small-batch macro-fitted meal prep", haha - basically making foods I like to eat in a regular or large batch & then dividing those up, but not making a million of them, just a half dozen or dozen containers - that way I don't overdose & avoid getting sick of the stuff I like to eat. For me, the biggest beneficial tool has been having a deep freezer where I can store everything in quantity.

After a good ten years of working on my own diet, I don't think food timing really matters for regular day to day living. I've done one meal a day, I've done 6 meals a day, no real difference. My personal food philosophy, at this point in time, is that pretty much all weight-loss diets boil down to eating less calories than you take in, then using macros to improve your intake for growth (IIFYM is a convenient acronym), getting enough sleep & going to bed early, and exercising on a regular basis (for me, daily, for digestive reasons, separate story tho).

For me, a big thing I came to realize with meal prep is the difference between theory & practice. It's easy to write it all out & have it sound boring or limiting, but during the course of a day, when you get hungry & you have a TV dinner tray of one of your favorite meals just a microwave cycle away from eating, it's pretty dang awesome. Building up a decent supply of freezer meals you can cycle out is even better because then you can rotate a variety of meals to keep things semi-new.

 

[deadlyapp]

I ended up getting the 20 pack 3 compartment ones for about $22. I'll only need about a weeks worth of meals prep'ed so I figured the extras should give me a few months of use.

I can vouch for the Fitpacker containers and I think they have multi-compartment versions. Unless they've changed something I'm still using ones I've had for almost a year and a half (at about $1/ea) with only one or two being cracked badly enough that they couldn't be used.

As far as the conversation around meals I'm with Kaido. Everyone is different but I find I do much better sticking to eating about every 3-4 hours which results in 4 meals total for me and a workout shake. I follow Renaissance Periodization so for the most part I'm loading my fats up in the morning and my carbs up at night with an overall macro balance that changes based on how much I work out on a given day.

My typical prep plan is to prepare a big patch of protein and use it in different ways for each of my meals. I'll usually use approximately the same meals for any given week but rotate the following week.

eg this week:
Breakfast : Chicken, eggs, egg whites, brussel sprouts
Lunch : Broccoli and Beef, snack of PB
Pre-workout : Chicken, brown rice, green peppers
Post-workout : Chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, whole wheat pasta or couscous

 

[Kaido]

I was at Walmart today & decided to try out their Ozark line of double-insulated containers. I got a 20oz & a 40oz. Surprisingly nice quality for the price (I think $9 & $12 respectively or something). The 20oz fits perfectly in the Isolator Fitness bag's zippered drink pocket, so I'll keep my drink in there & my yogurt or oatmeal in the other pocket in the 10oz RTIC tumbler. Only downside is there's a straw hole in the stock 20oz lid, so I need to order one with a removable latch off Amazon (fortunately they are pretty cheap). The 40oz is awesome, super huge, but tapered for standard cupholders if you have the height available. It's going to live in my car with ice & water for commuting.

So my daily carry will be the lunchbox, plus the insulated gallon "The Jug" bag for water. The 40oz is for convenient access to water while driving (60 to 120 minutes a day currently). I eat my morning snack at home & then my other six "meals" from the bag, which is really nice depending on where I'm at for the day...I don't need to be home to cook everything thanks to meal prep. Yummy pre-made meals all day long FTW!

 

[Kaido]

I can vouch for the Fitpacker containers and I think they have multi-compartment versions. Unless they've changed something I'm still using ones I've had for almost a year and a half (at about $1/ea) with only one or two being cracked badly enough that they couldn't be used.

As far as the conversation around meals I'm with Kaido. Everyone is different but I find I do much better sticking to eating about every 3-4 hours which results in 4 meals total for me and a workout shake. I follow Renaissance Periodization so for the most part I'm loading my fats up in the morning and my carbs up at night with an overall macro balance that changes based on how much I work out on a given day.

My typical prep plan is to prepare a big patch of protein and use it in different ways for each of my meals. I'll usually use approximately the same meals for any given week but rotate the following week.

eg this week:
Breakfast : Chicken, eggs, egg whites, brussel sprouts
Lunch : Broccoli and Beef, snack of PB
Pre-workout : Chicken, brown rice, green peppers
Post-workout : Chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, whole wheat pasta or couscous

Nice on the Fitpacker containers! I'll have to try those when I buy my next batch of containers. The 150/200/250-packs I buy from the restaurant store tend to fall apart pretty quickly, they are fairly flimsy & are really designed for like a one-time use plus leftovers.

I've been doing a lot of Chinese take-out-style meal prep lately...beef & broccoli, orange chicken, sweet & sour chicken, General Tso's chicken, all in the Instant Pot. One of these days I need to put together a little cookbook...

 

[Kaido]

So a quick update:

Travel gear:

1. Lunchbox: I use a 6-meal Isobag, very nice complete system (insulated bag + multiple reusable trays + slim ice packs are all included). Pricey, but there are always sales & coupons if you look around.
2. Drinking water: I use a 30oz Ozark double-wall, vacuum-sealed tumbler. Keeps ice cold all day!
3. Water storage: I gave the IsoJug to my brother & ended up switching to a 64oz Ozark double-wall, vacuum-sealed water bottle. I put ice & water in this and use it to refill my 30oz tumbler.

Accessories:

1. Corningware Meal Mug: I mostly use this for overnight oats...it's basically bowl-sized with a handle & lid. It's made from a stone-like material; it is dishwasher/refrigerator/freezer/microwave/pre-heated oven safe.
2. RTIC 10oz Tumbler: This fits great in my Isobag side pocket & can be used for oatmeal, yogurt, soup, and other stuff. You have to get a separate lid if you want one that seals (the stock one has a pre-cut hole for a straw). This is also a double-wall, vacuum-sealed container, so hot stuff stays hot & cold stuff stays cold.

So that's pretty much it for the portable, reusable stuff. Everything is fairly heavy-duty so I don't have to buy stuff over & over again from it falling apart. Next up is the disposable container stuff:


Freezer storage:

1. TV dinner trays: My Isobag came with slightly more durable single-compartment trays. I also buy double & triple-compartment trays off Webrestaurant (microwave/freezer/dishwasher safe & reusable at least two or three times if you don't want to chuck them right away). Still haven't experimented with the oven-safe TV dinner trays yet (I typically just get the small cheapo foil trays for that).
2. Deli containers: I switched from the 16-ounce SOLO hot/cold paper/wax cups to the plastic deli containers. They are freezer/microwave/dishwasher safe as well. The lids are a bit annoying (somewhat difficult to pop off), but they do a better job with keeping freezer burn off stuff.
3. Vacuum-seal bags: I get thicker butcher bags on a roll for my Foodsaver. I've also started using Foodsaver's expandable bags for stuff like casseroles, brownies, and bigger birds.

Eating schedule:

I have reactive hypoglycemia & find it more beneficial to split up my meals into smaller meals. I still do breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but with snacks before each meal. I feel waaaaay better eating small quantities of food (like half a plateful) instead of a full plate (or two) of food.

1. 5:00am: Morning snack
2. 7:00am: Breakfast
3. 10:00am: Brunch snack
4. 12:00pm: Lunch
5. 2:00pm: Afternoon snack
6. 5:00pm: Dinner
7. 6:00pm: Dessert

Maintenance:

1. I eat my morning snack at home using the Corningware meal mug (usually overnight oats, yogurt aka a parfait with fruit & granola, or a smoothie from my blender).
2. I fill up my cups with ice & water in the morning. I also pack my lunchbox. That's usually my food for the entire day, unless I know I'll be home for dinner & am in the mood to cook.
3. When I get home, I do all of the dishes from my lunchbox & chunk the freezer packs in the freezer, then put the lunchbox & tumblers on a dedicated spot on the shelf.

Meal prep:

1. I like IIFYM (flexible dieting), where you track your calories & macros (protein/fat/carbs) every day. This has given me the best results, while still being able to eat whatever I want (every day is a cheat day!).
2. I get bored of the same food really easily. I think this is a big part of what makes eating out so attractive...you get access to a huge variety of different foods with no prep work & no dishes. My current attempt to manage this is what I call "small batch gourmet meal prep". It basically means you make a big batch of food, eat some for dinner, and put the rest into containers to freeze. But you're not making so much that you're going to get sick of it...like you're not going to make 50 servings of lasanga, just maybe 5 or 10. Eventually, you can build up your freezer stock so that you can have a couple week's worth of really delicious meals to rotate through.
3. I focus on making what I call Really Good Food. To some people, "gourmet" means fancy food with little portions on big plates presented artistically. For me, I just want food that tastes pretty dang awesome. Flavortown, baby! It's not any harder to make really good food than it is mediocre food, since you're going through the same cooking process, but with some effort of digging through Pinterest recipes, tweaking them to your preference, and adding them to your recipe book, you can come up with a pretty awesome menu.
4. I use a lot of appliances to help me cook. On the days when I'm in the mood to cook, I don't mind spending an hour or two in the kitchen. Otherwise, all I want to do is sit down & eat. I use tools like the Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker), Anova (sous vide), and Traeger (pellet smoker). They give me very consistent results with a low amount of interaction.
5. I've also recently began to adopt a Flexible Menu system. Basically you plan out your meals for the entire week, then go shopping for all of the ingredients, but you don't nail down what you're going to eat on which day ahead of time...you see what mood you're in, so if you want tacos on Monday & pizza on Tuesday, you're not locked into Taco Tuesday, haha. This suits me a lot better because it's a mood-based menu system rather than set & defined meal plan.
6. Another project I'm working on is what I tentatively call "Schedule & Habit-based Cooking" (the SHC system). It's basically cooking efficiently...the minimal amount of time & effort required to get excellent output (which is where the appliances & cooking gadgets come in). For example:
   1. No-knead bread: Spend 60 seconds mixing the ingredients with your hand the day before. Let sit overnight (self-kneads). Punch down the next day (60 seconds) & let rise for 2 hours, then bake 45 minutes. Voila, a delicious loaf of bread that would cost you $5 at Whole Foods with hardly any effort required. Same applies for things like crusty dinner rolls & pan pizza.
   2. NY pizza dough: 60 seconds in the food processor, then let sit overnight in the fridge. Good for up to five days (can be frozen as well). You can use this for pizza dough, for calzones, and for breadsticks.
   3. Crack chicken: I make this in the Instant Pot, then package & freeze them into portions. It's kind of like BBQ pulled pork, except made with chicken in an aflredo-like Ranch-cream cheese sauce. Pretty dang tasty! First, dump everything into the pot & let it go for about half an hour (60 seconds of work). Then shred the chicken & add it back into the pot with some cornstarch to thicken the sauce up (maybe 2 minutes or so).
   4. Cookies: (variety...chocolate-chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, pignolis, etc.) Make the cookie dough (5-10 minutes). Roll into dough balls & flash-freeze on a pan for a couple hours. Once hard, transfer into storage (ziploc bags, deli containers, or vacuum-seal). Lately I've been vacuum-sealing quad-packs for when I want cookies. Then I just pull one out of the freezer, preheat my oven & let the dough balls thaw out for 20 minutes, then bake them for 10 or 20 minutes (whatever the recipe calls for) & boom, fresh-baked cookies without the fuss!

Food has proven to be a more complex subject than I originally gave it credit for when I got into H&F back in 2008 or so (when I was dead-set on eating plain broccoli, brown rice, and chicken haha). I mean, not only is planning, shopping, and cooking complex, but really figuring out how to effectively cook at home on a regular basis (to save money, improve flavor, and reduce chemicals & preservatives in my food) & also make it so that I didn't get sick of eating the same crap all the time. As always, it's a work in progress, but I have a pretty good hardware setup (isobag + tumblers + stone cup) & have been further defining the procedures for things like Flexible Menus & Schedule & Habit-based Cooking so that I'm not spending all of my free time cooking, but can also eat what I'm in the mood for instead of being locked into a particular meal at the time, so that's pretty cool!