Easy meal prep ideas
April 19, 2023 5:46 PM Subscribe
My husband and I recently put together overnight oat jars and vegetarian chili and it was a really nice way to spend time together without screens and encouraged healthier scavenging for food than we've been managing lately. Looking for more ideas and recipes, details within.
The overnight oats in particular were so ridiculously easy. The easier/faster, the better. Seriously, I'm the type of person who loves to eat veggies if they're chopped up conveniently and will far too often ignore them if they aren't. No ideas are too simple, even if it's just what to chop.
The only other major restriction is that I'm a vegetarian. Meat can be part if it if it's not the main component and it's easy to leave off of half the meals. We'd like it to be at least fairly healthy.
The overnight oats in particular were so ridiculously easy. The easier/faster, the better. Seriously, I'm the type of person who loves to eat veggies if they're chopped up conveniently and will far too often ignore them if they aren't. No ideas are too simple, even if it's just what to chop.
The only other major restriction is that I'm a vegetarian. Meat can be part if it if it's not the main component and it's easy to leave off of half the meals. We'd like it to be at least fairly healthy.
Best answer: Mason Jar Salads! Lots of different variations, they last for a good 4 or 5 days, assembly-line to make them.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 5:53 PM on April 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Sparky Buttons at 5:53 PM on April 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
If you're interested in baking, I like to make batches of muffins and freeze them in bags. In the morning, I take out as many as I want that day. I use recipes that are more on the healthful side - with oatmeal or whole wheat flour and blueberries or chopped apple. Quick breads would freeze well too. Those could be cut into individual slices before freezing.
Early in the pandemic, since I was ordering groceries and not running out to the store if I needed something, I started buying celery, green and red peppers, and carrots to chop up and keep in bags in the freezer. I make a lot of bean soups that I eat with a whole grains. Having most of the vegetables prechopped and ready to go means I can put a soup together really quickly. I also no longer have the issue of celery going bad in the fridge because I haven't gotten around to using it. (There are lots of storage options, but I use Zip Lock bags and wash them to re-use.)
FatFreeVegan is a great resource for meat-free soup recipes.
posted by FencingGal at 6:10 PM on April 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
Early in the pandemic, since I was ordering groceries and not running out to the store if I needed something, I started buying celery, green and red peppers, and carrots to chop up and keep in bags in the freezer. I make a lot of bean soups that I eat with a whole grains. Having most of the vegetables prechopped and ready to go means I can put a soup together really quickly. I also no longer have the issue of celery going bad in the fridge because I haven't gotten around to using it. (There are lots of storage options, but I use Zip Lock bags and wash them to re-use.)
FatFreeVegan is a great resource for meat-free soup recipes.
posted by FencingGal at 6:10 PM on April 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
Get a Cuisinart food processor and a good slow cooker.
There's an entire world out there of recipes that are basically "chop all these things, put them in the slow cooker and wait ten hours". With a cuisinart doing the chopping part, a lot of these recipes are reduced to "three minutes of bzzzzzt in the morning and dinner is sorted".
posted by mhoye at 6:16 PM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
There's an entire world out there of recipes that are basically "chop all these things, put them in the slow cooker and wait ten hours". With a cuisinart doing the chopping part, a lot of these recipes are reduced to "three minutes of bzzzzzt in the morning and dinner is sorted".
posted by mhoye at 6:16 PM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Mayak Eggs
I sometimes leave the peppers out of it (but I do add Korean pepper flakes) if I do not have them or do not want to chop peppers. The garlic is a must, though.
Serve with rice.
Scallion pajeon is also pretty easy.
I am also a fan of halushki but it is not good for you.
posted by oflinkey at 6:31 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I sometimes leave the peppers out of it (but I do add Korean pepper flakes) if I do not have them or do not want to chop peppers. The garlic is a must, though.
Serve with rice.
Scallion pajeon is also pretty easy.
I am also a fan of halushki but it is not good for you.
posted by oflinkey at 6:31 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Put the dry ingredients for muffins in a mason jar, including walnuts, chopped dried apricots, etc., Attach a label with a rubber band with instructions to add eggs, OJ(Milk, if you eat dairy), pumpkin, etc. I'm always grateful to Past Me when I can bake muffins quickly.
posted by theora55 at 6:39 PM on April 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 6:39 PM on April 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I'm assuming you eat dairy and eggs... one of my simplest bang-for-the-buck tricks is muffin tin frittata (apparently also known as egg muffins??).
The thing that's so great about them is their versatility. You can make a stir fry out of anything you have on hand, as long as the flavors go well together, then add the base egg mixture and some cheese, and after 15-20 min in the oven you've got a healthy, protein-rich snack/meal you can eat with one hand.
To illustrate the versatility, the recipe I linked to makes 3 different flavor combos in one muffin tin. You can do as they did, and make 4 out of 12 muffins meaty, and the rest veggie. Or you could triple the ingredients of a single flavor combo to make a whole tin of one type.
Happy eating!
posted by nadise at 7:15 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
The thing that's so great about them is their versatility. You can make a stir fry out of anything you have on hand, as long as the flavors go well together, then add the base egg mixture and some cheese, and after 15-20 min in the oven you've got a healthy, protein-rich snack/meal you can eat with one hand.
To illustrate the versatility, the recipe I linked to makes 3 different flavor combos in one muffin tin. You can do as they did, and make 4 out of 12 muffins meaty, and the rest veggie. Or you could triple the ingredients of a single flavor combo to make a whole tin of one type.
Happy eating!
posted by nadise at 7:15 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have started buying rainbow carrots specifically to peel and cut into large sticks just to keep in the fridge for snacking. They are so much better raw than cooked and look pretty in the fridge in a clear container (I have the Rubbermaid brilliance ones, I cut the carrots to fit the length of those which makes a pretty good snack length.) I’ve also done the same with colorful cauliflower varieties - orange, purple, and white cauliflower are all great raw and stay crunchy for about a week in the fridge once broken up into florets. Bell peppers don’t last as long but come in a variety of colors and once sliced into strips nest neatly in the same container as the carrots.
When I have energy left after prepping and cutting the crudités I will sometimes make a dip for them, which improves over time as it marinates in the fridge. My most common one is yogurt, raw minced garlic, mint, sumac, salt and pepper, and really good olive oil. That’s excellent on all the veggies listed above and also great for flat breads, bean dishes, to swirl into a soup or whatever strikes your fancy. Other dips I’ve done include a slightly spicy sweet gochujang honey tahini thing, a proper emulsified vinaigrette with Dijon and shallots, a lemon heavy aoli, tzatziki, and a peanut chili lime dip. I’m imagining in your setup maybe one person makes the sauce while the other does the veggie prep work.
Anyway, huge snacking game changer to keep the veggies 1. All ready to grab and eat out of hand straight from the fridge and 2. Colorful so my eye is drawn to them 3. Not pre-sauced so I can choose to dip them or not or apply a different flavor if I’m tired of what I had before, unlike say a marinated bean salad where it’s the flavor it’s gonna be no matter what.
posted by Mizu at 7:26 PM on April 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
When I have energy left after prepping and cutting the crudités I will sometimes make a dip for them, which improves over time as it marinates in the fridge. My most common one is yogurt, raw minced garlic, mint, sumac, salt and pepper, and really good olive oil. That’s excellent on all the veggies listed above and also great for flat breads, bean dishes, to swirl into a soup or whatever strikes your fancy. Other dips I’ve done include a slightly spicy sweet gochujang honey tahini thing, a proper emulsified vinaigrette with Dijon and shallots, a lemon heavy aoli, tzatziki, and a peanut chili lime dip. I’m imagining in your setup maybe one person makes the sauce while the other does the veggie prep work.
Anyway, huge snacking game changer to keep the veggies 1. All ready to grab and eat out of hand straight from the fridge and 2. Colorful so my eye is drawn to them 3. Not pre-sauced so I can choose to dip them or not or apply a different flavor if I’m tired of what I had before, unlike say a marinated bean salad where it’s the flavor it’s gonna be no matter what.
posted by Mizu at 7:26 PM on April 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
I really liked this lemon pepper chickpeas recipe.. You can add just about anything to it, chicken or other veggies. Read the comments for ideas. I'm thinking of trying artichoke hearts and maybe olives next time.
Avocado toast with white beans is strangely good too. I like to add a shake of everything but the bagel seasoning and I just used some white beans I had cooked from dry earlier in the week.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:51 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Avocado toast with white beans is strangely good too. I like to add a shake of everything but the bagel seasoning and I just used some white beans I had cooked from dry earlier in the week.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:51 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Sounds like a weekly veggie-pre-chopping date might be a good plan for your team! (And that sounds like an idea I should steal, frankly.)
An easy veggie dish that we make a few times a month is burritos. Start the rice first as it'll take at least 20 minutes (we like brown rice so it takes a bit longer). Can of black beans on the stove, chop a couple bell peppers (and a poblano if you have it) and a large onion, saute until those soften, add maybe 4-8 oz of chopped mushrooms if you have em (optional, but delicious). Add taco seasoning toward the end (we make our own, I think it is this one). Sometimes we serve it in a burrito shell, sometimes we just eat it in bowls. Top with whatever you like on your burritos. I like this salsa and cheese and avocado.
posted by eirias at 4:13 AM on April 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
An easy veggie dish that we make a few times a month is burritos. Start the rice first as it'll take at least 20 minutes (we like brown rice so it takes a bit longer). Can of black beans on the stove, chop a couple bell peppers (and a poblano if you have it) and a large onion, saute until those soften, add maybe 4-8 oz of chopped mushrooms if you have em (optional, but delicious). Add taco seasoning toward the end (we make our own, I think it is this one). Sometimes we serve it in a burrito shell, sometimes we just eat it in bowls. Top with whatever you like on your burritos. I like this salsa and cheese and avocado.
posted by eirias at 4:13 AM on April 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wonder if you would like to try home canning. It takes some special equipment such as a big pot that needs space but need not be hugely expensive. The traditional motivation is to preserve a fruit or vegetable that is cheap and abundant at peak season. I put up cranberry chutney using frozen berries because a batch is big enough to last us for 5 or 6 months. I'm thinking of trying a mustard pickle because it's just plain hard to find in stores.
Back in the day, I made grape jelly from regular Welch's grape juice because my son developed an allergy to corn syrup just at the time all the manufacturers changed to high fructose corn syrup.
It's possible to do a similar project putting food in a freezer, but it takes more freezer space than we have. I do occasionally make a batch of homemade English muffins with the help of a bread machine because we like a size a bit smaller than store bought.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:40 AM on April 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Back in the day, I made grape jelly from regular Welch's grape juice because my son developed an allergy to corn syrup just at the time all the manufacturers changed to high fructose corn syrup.
It's possible to do a similar project putting food in a freezer, but it takes more freezer space than we have. I do occasionally make a batch of homemade English muffins with the help of a bread machine because we like a size a bit smaller than store bought.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:40 AM on April 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I make breakfast burritos, which involves a lot of elements but each element is individually very simple:
Scrambled eggs
Plain rice
Black beans
Grated cheese
Hot sauce
Of those the beans are the most complicated, I fry some garlic then add the (canned) beans and some seasoning and cook until they're heated through. Then you just add a bit of each component to a tortilla, wrap in foil or greaseproof paper, and put in the freezer. You can defrost/heat straight from frozen in the microwave.
Being able to grab one and have it ready in a couple of minutes is so convenient sometimes I have to stop myself from eating them for every meal.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:47 AM on April 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
Scrambled eggs
Plain rice
Black beans
Grated cheese
Hot sauce
Of those the beans are the most complicated, I fry some garlic then add the (canned) beans and some seasoning and cook until they're heated through. Then you just add a bit of each component to a tortilla, wrap in foil or greaseproof paper, and put in the freezer. You can defrost/heat straight from frozen in the microwave.
Being able to grab one and have it ready in a couple of minutes is so convenient sometimes I have to stop myself from eating them for every meal.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:47 AM on April 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Cut up and roast a lot of vegetables and create a roasted vegetable "library".
posted by BibiRose at 5:55 AM on April 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by BibiRose at 5:55 AM on April 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
Homemade pizza on store-bought crusts or naan used to be our start to a Friday night date. Thai salad/fresh spring rolls or other wraps are good too.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:25 AM on April 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by warriorqueen at 6:25 AM on April 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: There's a reason I recommend the Moosewood Daily Special cookbook so much, and that's because it works for a huge array of different scenarios - including this one. In fact, "meal prep for the week" was one of the biggest ways I used it for several years.
It's just soups and salads, but a lot of the various soups and salads are meant to "go together" as a sort of combo plate - so I would pick a couple of soups and a couple of salads each week and make them up on the weekend, and then they would live in my fridge for a week and "packing my bag lunch" or "making dinner" was simply a matter of opening the fridge and picking a couple of servings of a couple of things. Add a biscuit or a roll and some fruit or a brownie and you've got a complete meal, including dessert. Some of the soups and salads are meant to be "main dish" recipes, and others are more simple "side dish" ones; they also have recipes for simple salad dressings and bread-type things, to go with the soups and salads and round things out.
When I was still doing theater and knew there would be days I'd come home from rehearsal with zero energy, I'd also make a couple batches of soup and dole them out into freezer-safe containers, so that when I got home I just had to fling one of them in the microwave and have some soup with bread for dinner (otherwise the alternative was eating an entire box of Ho-Ho's or something).
I still cook that way a lot today (although I've expanded into including other cookbooks), and the Daily Special recipes for biscuits, popovers, and Sichuan sesame noodles are my go-tos.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:29 AM on April 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's just soups and salads, but a lot of the various soups and salads are meant to "go together" as a sort of combo plate - so I would pick a couple of soups and a couple of salads each week and make them up on the weekend, and then they would live in my fridge for a week and "packing my bag lunch" or "making dinner" was simply a matter of opening the fridge and picking a couple of servings of a couple of things. Add a biscuit or a roll and some fruit or a brownie and you've got a complete meal, including dessert. Some of the soups and salads are meant to be "main dish" recipes, and others are more simple "side dish" ones; they also have recipes for simple salad dressings and bread-type things, to go with the soups and salads and round things out.
When I was still doing theater and knew there would be days I'd come home from rehearsal with zero energy, I'd also make a couple batches of soup and dole them out into freezer-safe containers, so that when I got home I just had to fling one of them in the microwave and have some soup with bread for dinner (otherwise the alternative was eating an entire box of Ho-Ho's or something).
I still cook that way a lot today (although I've expanded into including other cookbooks), and the Daily Special recipes for biscuits, popovers, and Sichuan sesame noodles are my go-tos.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:29 AM on April 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Budget Bytes has some great vegetarian meal prep ideas. I'm a fan of those lunch boxes.
I am totally the same as far as - if there were a bowl of veggies placed in from of me, I'd be happy to eat it, but I'm not gonna do that work when I'm ready too eat. One of my favorite easy-to-prep snacks is small containers with chopped celery sticks and a blob of peanut butter. They can live in the fridge like that until ready to nosh. You can go full ants-on-a-log, or keep it easy by doing a blob of peanut butter in the corner for dipping.
posted by hydra77 at 10:16 AM on April 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
I am totally the same as far as - if there were a bowl of veggies placed in from of me, I'd be happy to eat it, but I'm not gonna do that work when I'm ready too eat. One of my favorite easy-to-prep snacks is small containers with chopped celery sticks and a blob of peanut butter. They can live in the fridge like that until ready to nosh. You can go full ants-on-a-log, or keep it easy by doing a blob of peanut butter in the corner for dipping.
posted by hydra77 at 10:16 AM on April 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by SPrintF at 5:52 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]