Way to go! I'm a huge fan of planning and prepping. I like to have paleo breads and protein pancakes frozen and ready for quick breakfasts, fruit compote in the fridge, ready to go veggies, a mix of flax, chia, hemp seeds, and bee pollen, homemade soups and other cooked and frozen main dishes. Suoer fast at meal times!

Right now in my fridge I have all kinds of veggies chopped and ready to go for quick salads or wraps or to throw into a stir fry, it makes life so much easier. Plus, I put them in pretty jars and it looks good when I open the fridge. LOL

Yes I do whole meal preps every week and its amazing how much time you can save. Its also a meal already waiting for you when you get home, which has saved me many times. I bought some great containers from Amazon which also helps me stay organized. I'm a huge fan of advanced meal prep.

I found this neat veggie chopper on Amazon...I love it!!!

Yep, I have a vidalia chop wizard and couldn't live without it. Especially that really tiny option, it makes bell peppers and onions small enough that I can sneak them into my husbands food. LOL

I have the vidalia chop wizard too and love it. I use it to make my salads and to chop veggies for roasting... especially things like potatoes. I prep proteins but I really like Lyn's idea of putting them in jars so visually I see choices. I have lots of jars from canning to make use of. Preparation is key.

Here's another way that I do advanced prep for meals - you can fill the mason jars with whatever salad items work for you and they are so convenient.

I love salad in mason jars !!

Have you seen where they take an empty single serve applesauce container and put dressing in it, then set it inside the lid. It fits perfect resting on the rim with the lid of the jar snug up against it.

no that's cool!

I would love to hear more about 'food prep.' What are some things you batch cook on the weekend so your work week goes more smoothly? I'll be making my favorite chili and freezing it in single serve containers. I love it with scramble eggs in the morning, great for dinner too. I think it is the bit of chocolate added that really makes it of my favorite Keto meals!

http://meljoulwan.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/

I kind of follow Mind over Munch idea about it. I cut up veggies, spiralize squash and cut up chicken to make meal prep easier.. I haven't gotten to the point where I prep individual containers of meals. I want to try and find some keto soups that I can make on Sundays for the week now it is getting colder. I love chili KC! That is a good idea as well

My typical prep is...
~cut up raw veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, green onions, shredded carrots, shaved carrots (using a vegetable peeler) I use these on salads, in wraps or as ingredients for other things I may decide to cook along the way.
~roast veggies like a sweet potato and beets I use these warm in buddha bowls or cold in wraps or salads
~stir fry certain combos like bell peppers, shredded carrots and onions (good on tostadas or in burritos or on salads or in wraps) or mushrooms and onions (good mixed with peas and teriyaki or in buddha bowls or on brown rice...etc.)
~I also either prepare or just open and rinse a can of beans or chickpeas to have ready to throw into dishes or on a salad
~make brown rice, lentils or quinoa
~I usually buy my greens ready to go, if not, I get those ready and cut up too

It changes but those are the most typical. Like today I will be sautéing zucchini and squash which can easily be added to the bell pepper, carrot and onion mix with a little fajita seasoning or put into a buddha bowl with shoyu for a more asian feel. Really, once you get it all cut up it is so easy to grab it and throw it together in a million different ways so you never get bored.

- salads
- baked seasoned vegetables ( onion, carrots, potatoes, garlic, brussel sprouts etc)
- vegetarian chili
- quinoa with sun-dried tomatoes
- chopped fruit
- I pre-make entire meals into containers as well
There are great videos and recipes online for advanced food - prep to get any other ideas you like.
You can do most things up in advance. I pick one day of the week usually and do it all at once. I feel great being extra prepared, am way less likely to idly graze while I decide what to eat and always have a meal ready to pop into my bag if I have to head out.

Bumping this up. Good thoughts for the New Year.

would love more ideas on meal prep. I want to do this in 2018

Question for those that do meal prep: do you actually make a meal plan for the week ... or do you just have the food available and decide what to eat as you go? (basically protein/veggie for lunch/dinner etc. or specific meals?)

I would like to do actual meal plans and just take out of the freezer, but need good freezer pans, etc. What is the best to use?

I, personally, prep all kinds of veggies and rice and stuff and then decide as I go along. I do my veggies in a way that I can quickly turn them into all kinds of different things depending on my mood. The key for me is to have it as easy as possible. I don't mind cooking a dish but am less likely to do it if I have to peel and chop onions and peppers and all that jazz. If they are all ready to go, I grab what I want and cook it how I feel or throw it in a salad, the options are endless. That said, I also like having frozen meals ready to go so whenever I cook a big meal for myself I freeze a couple individual portions for an easy grab later. But I never do a whole family meal like that because my family eats very differently than I do. Diane, I see all kinds of ideas on pinterest for family freezer meals and they usually use those cheap disposable aluminum pans and stack them in the freezer, then just pull them out and pop them in the oven.

I prep things that are the complete meals, and am still using my glass and freezer safe plastic containers, although it would be great to ditch the odds and ends and have some organized container system to stream line the process. I always have big bags of triple washed greens in the fridge, and add them to almost every meal. If it's a soup, I line the serving bowl with greens and pour the hot soup over it. If it's a lentil pasta, I cover the dinner plate with greens, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, and a drizzle of olive oil. We also eat a lot of main dish salads, and our go-to is a huge bed of greens, tomato, avocado, raw nuts, hard boiled eggs, and pan sauteed crispy chick peas. When the greens start to look less than fresh, I cook them up and serve them on the side of any meal. I tend to only have other fresh produce on hand if if I know I will use it that week. I always have avocados and organic cherry tomatoes at the ready, and lentil pasta and quinoa always in the pantry for add ins. I am not vegetarian, but I lean that direction. Currently in my freezer I have frozen organic fruits and veggies, cauliflower mash, sliced roasted turkey, clean dressing, turkey soup, vegetarian lasagne, tamales (home made by chofam to fit our preferences), pot roast, paleo pancakes, savory and breakfast paleo bread. I do love prepping and cooking, but for the basics I just prep a couple of hours on the weekends, and weeknights are a breeze. We also eat out a lot, because Dallas is a mecca for wonderful healthy food options at competitive prices. It is so so so worth it to eat clean and healthy almost all of the time!

Thanks for beginning this topic, this is something I struggle with as well!

This is a good thread so I am bumping it.
I made Kitchen Sink soup, hamburger/sausage/chorizo burgers, and an egg casserole this weekend. Froze every thing in single serving grab and go.

What did you prep this weekend?

I prepped all my Muffin in a minute dry ingredients in little individual containers and put them in the freezer. That way I only have to add an egg and a tsp. of ghee before microwaving it. Also I made grain free baking mix and have been experimenting with scones made from that!

Cindy you are the Queen of meal prep. I have been making two 90 second breads at once and thinking I was doing well. Love my 90 second bread with maple extract and sweetener mixed in. Tastes like french toast with maple syrup, but no syrup, just lots of butter on top.

What is on your meal prep plan for the weekend? I'm boiling some eggs, making a Keto seed bread loaf, large quiche, instapot chicken, and making a cold cuts/cheese/olives platter for grab and go lunches.

Making flax crackers so I have something crunchy to bite on.

Gwen. Love your flax cracker recipe. Soo good

Oh, I forgot about those crackers! Yummy and crunchy.

Making my grocery list for weekend meal prep for next week. What is on your meal prep schedule for this coming weekend.

Reddit has a mealprep subreddit: s.reddit/r/MealPrepSunday/

I'm on keto, so just have various ingredients ready for simple recipes. Pretty easy to prepare for a meal when you're not hungry and can skip it...