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Thread: Meal Prep Tips
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10-23-2012, 05:18 PM #1
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Meal Prep Tips
Male
28yrs
172lbs
10-12% bf
6"2
tdee=3319
For my next cycle I'm trying to throw on about 15lbs of lean muscle mass over 8 weeks. I'm thinking I need to eat at least 3800 calories a day to do this. I've read some of the meal logs from other members and its seems daunting from a prep perspective. I work 55+ hours a week and fitting in the necessary gym time is hard enough; I can't imagine having enough time to cook all that you folks eat. That said, are you using a pre-cooked meal provider that delivers or what? If you have any tips that would make this goal easier to acheive I would appreciate it. Thanks for the help!
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10-23-2012, 06:12 PM #2
cook it for the week all on your day off. i like to use the uncle beens 90second rice. real easy and fast. all your veggies you could blanch ahead of time and just reheat them.
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10-23-2012, 06:24 PM #3
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What about your lean meats? I've tried cooking several pounds of chix breats on a Sunday to dole out over the week, but imo it gets kinda nasty and takes the enjoyment out of eating in general. Having to eat 3800 cals for someone who naturally doesn't eat that often is daunting. Do you have any advice to do it in an enjoyable cost and time effective way?
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10-23-2012, 07:16 PM #4
I think spend about 30 mins every night in the kitchen cooking.. I cook chicken monday, broccli tues, lean beef patties wed and repeat and cook enough of each one to last 3 or 4 days. Brown rice you can get in heat up tubs and tuna is an easy snack to take with you. While eating breakfast you can prep you're meals for the day which only takes 10 mins. Thats how I run my food operation and I also work 55+ hours per week
train 5 nights
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10-24-2012, 07:33 AM #5
i got it down to a 2 day science...
eggs i boil 16 at a time for 2 days ( morning eggs i just nuk em)
ground turkey i get in 1.25lb packages and i eat 6-7 oz per day and last 3 days and still taste great, just pan cooked or grilled doesnt matter
chicken yep pretty much sucks anything after 2 days.
pack everything up at night..GOLDEN!!
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10-24-2012, 09:20 AM #6
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Great feedback guys. I'm definitely going to get on the egg and ground turkey train. Tuna is a great idea also. Eating enough is definitely the hardest part for me. I guess that's where the rubber meats the road if you will...lol
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10-24-2012, 09:42 AM #7
I cook ten pounds of chicken every week. Usually on Sunday. I have never had a problem with I lasting six days. That covers most of my protein for the week and I can supplement with some fish.
I usually make a big pot of brown rice that lasts most of the week.
Vegies I make on the fly, and almonds are available for snacks.
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10-24-2012, 09:52 AM #8
Thats almost 23 oz of chicken a day at 7 days. most store breast are 4-6oz. So 5-6 chickens breasts a day? sounds nasty especial how dry they get after a day in the fridge. I get over 250 grams a protein and dont need that much chicken... thats would make me puke..... id def have to switch it up bro... dunno if most could stomach that.
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10-24-2012, 09:55 AM #9
I cook at night the day before I hate the taste of the food after a few days in the refrigerator I like it fresh
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10-24-2012, 09:58 AM #10
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I agree. Ten pounds of breasts cooked in advance to last the entire week would take some serious discipline to choke down after Wednesday. I only cook enough to last two days. It keeps the flavor fresh and the depression during mealtime to a minimum.
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10-24-2012, 06:10 PM #11
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I don't know if anyone has a Sprouts around them, but if you do, would you consider their chix sausage a good substitution for plain old chix breasts? They don't provide the nutritional breakdown, but assuming its mostly ground chix its kinda the same thing right? Trying to find some ways to bring flavor and variety into the mix...
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10-24-2012, 06:40 PM #12
I've been thinking meal prep should really get a sticky since this comes up a lot and is key to success. Hoping this thread get some good feedback and gives ideas from all. Having pre-cooked meals has many benefits-- Easy to calculate daily macros, easy to stay on diet when you have all food ready, saves time by cooking in bulk-- That's just a few but I am sure there are more.
So here is what I do.
Every Sunday I marinade and grill chicken breast for the week. Cook brown rice in rice cooker (has a brown rice setting and takes no more than 2 minutes to throw in rice, water, a couple chicken boullion cubes, some EVOO) I use the steamer veggie bags and just put in micro for 4 minutes (A bit under cooked but since I heat at work they end up done)
I then use 3 compartment Tupperware for chicken, rice, veggies. That's 2 meals per day done. 4 days worth goes in fridge and 3 days in freezer. (This solves chicken tasting crappy at end of week)
Next I'll grill some 1/4 93% lean hamburgers and put those in Tupperware with sweet potato. Either nuke or boil the sweet potatoes.
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10-24-2012, 06:41 PM #13
8oz chicken each per three meals is 120 grams of protein.
Eggs (breakfast) is 32 grams of protein
8oz of fish for dinner at 40 grams
24 gram casein shake before bed
3 snacks of almonds bring in another 18
Total = 234 grams of protein not including the little bit that I get from brocoli and oatmeal.
You are right though, I can eat the exact same thing multiple times a day for a long time and have no problems. Actually, I get sick of fish once a day after a while but can eat chicken several times a day, every day, for months. I don't season them...I just take them out of the bag, nuke for 50 seconds and eat.
I have a previous eating disorder and four years of vegetarianism to thank for my lack of caring about food. I am in it for the fuel only.
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10-24-2012, 07:15 PM #14
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I love the veggie steam bags. A little pricier than just buying crowns and carrots raw, but imo worth the saved time. Also love the uncle bens rice packets that can be nuked.
Still surprised by how many of you cook a full week of chix in advance. I simply can't stomach it after the third day.
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10-24-2012, 08:07 PM #15
you dont have to cook the chicken all the way. cook it to about medium. then cut it in hlf and finish it in a pan. it'll still be juicy and flavorful and take half the time.
i also cut all my raw protien in half and cook it like that.
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10-24-2012, 08:20 PM #16
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That's great idea, bc normally I would take my chix in bulk, throw it in a baking tray at 350 for 25-27 minutes and whoalla. There's no crispiness or texture. That's probably why it gets so beat by Wednesday. This Sunday ill try the partial oven cook followed by a quick pan sear to see how that works. Life as a bachelor...
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10-24-2012, 09:24 PM #17
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With my veg I prepare it in two blocks. Once on Sunday nightt and once on Wednesday night. I finely chop enough of it to last me the days needed and store it in the fridge using Tupperware. With the veg finely chopped up, it takes just minutes to cook. Put it in a bowl full of water and zap it covered in the microwave. Otherwise get those steamers for the microwave, veg done
Chicken if you take 2 minutes to chop it into small pieces it doesnt take long to cook. Or prepare it on a Sunday and Wednesday with the veg and store it and cook every night. Or prepare it every 2 if your concerned about freshness. Using sauces and herbs on my meats is how I add 'variety' to my meals just get the good ones
Rice can be done in one hit on a Sunday or get those microwave ones.
Not sure about sweet patoto yet I useually just cook that fresh. I imagine it would last a little while.
Breakfast I just make a pancake mix using egg whites, grounded oats or spelt, some blue berries and blend it all. If I don't have time to cook it I add a cup of water and drink it haha. Takes minutes to prepare.
Doing that can save you a lot of time in the kitchen and keep stuff fresh. I cook every night, my dinner and 3 meals for the next day. Takes about 30 min. Just prepare stuff on set days and prepare it so it doesn't take long to cook. Then cook fresh.Last edited by blummy; 10-24-2012 at 09:29 PM.
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10-24-2012, 09:34 PM #18
Same here. Sundays I cook 5-10 lbs of chicken, 2-3 lbs of beef, steam a bunch of veggies, and cook a large pot of rice. Eggs are mixed in my morning shake> i will often blend oatmeal and add it to my shake as well but if not they only take a minute or two in the microwave. This easily lasts me until the next sunday. I also keep a couple of pounds of frozen fish in the freezer when i want to mix things up. When its time to eat, i weigh out the portion i need. I have become very fond of cold foods as I am always on the go and dont have access to a microwave often. When I can i will heat the food in the microwave for a few minutes.
I go through a pound or two of broccoli, a pund or two of spinach, a couple of peppers and onions
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10-25-2012, 06:56 PM #19
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I've been looking at a lot of user meal plans here and most are having fish nearly every day. Isn't anyone worried about mercury poisening? Either that, or I reckon you folks have a nice silvery tint to your skin.
I do cans of tuna in a crunch, but NO more than three times a week. I don't know, maybe the whole mercury thing is a farce. Please advise those of you with experience.
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10-25-2012, 07:13 PM #20
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10-25-2012, 07:44 PM #21
Originally Posted by Noles12
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10-25-2012, 08:06 PM #22
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I'm glad Noles dispelled that though. If I could look like his avatar by eating that much tuna sign me up. Consider it done.
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10-25-2012, 08:09 PM #23
ha ha thats alot of tuna! lol
I too work 55 + hours J. However I have managed a routine that has been working so far. I cook all my chicken on Sundays usually 5-7lbs of breast. Grill it on the doesn't take long. I premake my egg whites twice a week. I cook the eggwhites in a small round pan and I cook about 4-6 patties. I put them in the fridge and heat when ready to eat. I eat chobani plain greek yogurt in the am, its sour so i eat it with grapes makes it more tolerable. Huge protein intake and less sugar then most yogurts. I sub shakes in between meals to keep costs down as well. I will have a yam or nuts for snacks and fillers. Salads I eat unlimited amounts of. I will need to change it up a bit when I start bulking up but for the meantime its working.
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10-26-2012, 01:41 AM #24
Im all about pre cooking chicken and packing it and all my vegatables in glad ware carriers for the week. I also carry my supplement book bag everywhere I go. So basically Im a walking viatmin shoppe.
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10-26-2012, 02:05 AM #25
Originally Posted by jfromthebloc
If you bought farmed fish there'd be much less risk of increased mercury in your system although plenty if farmed fish lack other chemicals and nutrients that are your friends!NO SOURCES GIVEN
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11-22-2012, 12:44 PM #26
Pretty sure that Noles avi is Wayne Brady
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11-28-2012, 04:31 PM #27
Have a scoop of whey protein with every meal. That's 4 oz of chicken breast you're replacing. Less cooking.
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