I work in construction and have a second job. I don’t get a lot of cooking time so I want to start meal prepping my lunches and suppers for the week.
Any ideas on what I can make that I can eat for suppers and lunches without spending money on ingredients I will use for one meal and it will go bad before I use it again?
Ah... good question. You've come to the right place.
I'm retired now but the quarantine has re-emphasized my need to meal prep, because I limited my shopping to once a week and also because I didn't want to waste any food.
Before I was retried (but still now) I did a lot of bulk food preparation. I even did it before I was vegan.
I believe I have written quite a bit on those subjects here. So have others. you'll have to search around to find them but I'm sure you'll find some good stuff.
some of my favorite authors/influences/bloggers have also written on those subjects.
Planning is super important. I actually make a weekly meal plan. I used to actually make an entry for each meal for each day of the week. Which is still a good idea - how else can you make sure you don't end up not eating grilled cheesed sandwiches the last 3 days of the week. But now, maybe partly because I'm practiced and also because none of my plans seem to survive the week, I do it more like here are 7 good lunches and here are 7 good dinners.
I just became a fan of this chef.
Over night oats is a great breakfast to eat and have prepared ahead of time. I've found that they last 7 days. so I can make 3 - 4 servings at a time and then have them every other day. Eating them every day is a possibility but I still wouldn't make more than 4 servings at a time.
Back when I was working I found that I liked to have what I would call
emergency meals. I would make a whole loafs worth of PBJs, cut them in half and freeze them. You can always stick a couple in your lunch box. and you can eat them while driving too. I also have some tips and tricks for those if you want them.
My other emergency meal was buritoes. I would freeze them and then just nuke them when I needed them. you can also throw them in a lunch box or eat them in a car. I have a some great directions for those if you need them.
I make a big pot of Cuban black beans and a big pot of rice and then combine the two in single servings containers (you can even use ziplock bags) and freeze them.
I do the same thing with Lentil stew and mashed potatoes. Let me know if you need recipes.
Bulk prep for salads is great. Here is a good video.
Some of my favorite youtubes have good ideas on the subject.
Sarah's vegan kitchen is great. just go to her channel and search "meal prep"
The Cheap Lazy Vegan is also a great resource. same thing just go to her channel and search "meal prep. "
Let me know if you need any more info.
