I'm 4th week into my most recent meal prep journey..

2100 calories, 152g protein, 193g carbs, 79g fat per day for 4 days. I do 4 days because there's always something - lunch meeting, dinner w friends, etc that have 1 or 2 of those things, I'm good until Friday lunch-ish. Some people also asked why 2,100 - it gives me flexibility to have those lunches/dinners without too much restriction. I know generally what to order for lower calorie/higher protein food, and having a couple of dishes that are 400-500 calories over (so 1000 calories over) what these are, I'd only average ~200-300 calories more per day. It's not the end of the world for me.

Posting video in reply (i can't seem to attach it here)

This week's lineup:
• Loaded sweet potato with spiced beef and beans
• Creamy gochujang gnocchi with ground beef
• Bulgogi rice bowl
• Protein coffee cake with monk fruit (snack)
• Strawberry protein mousse (dessert)

** I had the protein coffee cake with monk fruit after lunch today... I personally wouldn't make it again so proceed with caution if you're making it haha

recipes ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

Loaded sweet potato with spiced beef and beans

Makes 4 servings

693 kcal · 40g protein · 66g carbs · 31g fat per serving

🛒 Ingredients

• 160g black beans, tinned, drained
• 1 chilli powder, to taste
• 40g mature cheddar, grated
• 1 cumin, to taste
• 800g sweet potatoes
• 600g beef mince (5% fat), 5% fat
• 100g avocado
• 1 (~0g) salt, to taste
• 1 (~0g) black pepper, to taste
• 1 smoked paprika, to taste
• 160g sweetcorn, tinned, drained </aside>

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F). Allow about 10 minutes for it to come to temperature.
2. Place the sweet potatoes in an oven-safe dish and bake at 180°C (360°F) for approximately 50 minutes, until completely soft when pierced with a skewer or knife.
3. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned all over. This takes around 8–10 minutes.
4. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, and chilli powder to the browned beef and stir to coat. Add the drained sweetcorn and black beans. Season with salt and pepper, stir everything together, and cook for a further 1 minute until warmed through.
5. Once the sweet potatoes are baked, slice each one open lengthways. Spoon the spiced beef mixture evenly over each potato. Top with the avocado and grated cheddar, then portion into meal-prep containers.

Creamy gochujang gnocchi with ground beef

Makes 4 servings

556 kcal · 33g protein · 49g carbs · 25g fat per serving

🛒 Ingredients

• 1 cup (~226g) low fat cottage cheese
• 0.5 tsp (~1g) black pepper
• 2 whole (~30g) scallion, sliced, for topping
• 1 tbsp (~17g) white miso paste
• 2 tbsp (~30g) water, for beef seasoning
• 2 tbsp (~36g) gochujang
• 1 tbsp (~9g) sesame seeds, toasted, for topping
• 4 clove (~12g) garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp (~14g) toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp (~4g) ginger, minced
• 1 lb (~454g) gnocchi
• 2 tbsp (~32g) balsamic vinegar
• 0.25 cup (~59g) water, for sauce
• 1 tsp (~3g) gochugaru, Korean chili flakes, for topping
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 lb (~454g) extra lean ground beef </aside>

Instructions

1. In a blender, combine the low fat cottage cheese, gochujang, white miso paste, and water. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.
2. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and fully cooked through. Drain any excess fat if needed.
4. Add the coconut aminos, balsamic vinegar, water, toasted sesame oil, black pepper, crushed garlic, and minced ginger to the cooked beef. Stir to combine and cook for another minute until fragrant.
5. Once the water is at a full boil, add the gnocchi and cook for a couple of minutes until they float to the surface.
6. Before draining, scoop out about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water and set it aside. Then drain the rest of the gnocchi in a colander.
7. Return the drained gnocchi to the pot over low heat. Add the blended cottage cheese sauce and about three-quarters of the seasoned beef. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and stir everything together until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.

Bulgogi rice bowl

Makes 4 servings

528 kcal · 41g protein · 65g carbs · 11g fat per serving

🛒 Ingredients

• 8 tbsp (~128g) soy sauce
• 2 whole (~220g) yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1.33 cup (~247g) jasmine rice, uncooked, washed
• 2 tsp (~5g) black pepper
• 1.33 tbsp (~18g) sesame oil
• 1.33 tbsp (~28g) honey
• 2 tsp (~6g) sesame seeds
• 20 oz (~567g) eye of round beef, thinly sliced, shabushabu style
• 0.67 cup (~166g) beef bone broth
• 4 tsp (~11g) garlic, minced
• 2 whole (~30g) green onion, thinly sliced </aside>

Instructions

1. Thinly slice both the yellow onion and the green onion. Keep them separate — the yellow onion goes into the rice cooker, and the green onion is reserved as a topping.
2. Rinse the jasmine rice under cold water, swirling with your hand, until the water runs mostly clear. Drain well.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the thinly sliced beef with the honey, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper. Toss well to coat every slice evenly.
4. Add the washed rice, beef bone broth, sliced yellow onion, and the marinated beef (along with any remaining marinade) to the rice cooker. Close the lid and cook on the standard white-rice setting for about 30 minutes until the rice is cooked through and the beef is tender.

Strawberry protein mousse

Makes 4 servings

258 kcal · 26g protein · 12g carbs · 12g fat per serving

🛒 Ingredients

• 920g plain Greek yogurt
• 40g sugar-free strawberry Jello powder, 1 package sugar-free
• 4 cup (~947g) boiling water </aside>

Instructions

1. Add 1 cup of boiling water to the Jello powder in a bowl and whisk until completely dissolved.
2. Let the dissolved Jello mixture sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes until it has cooled down but not yet set.
3. Add the Greek yogurt to the cooled Jello mixture and whisk well until fully combined and smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl or container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.

Protein coffee cake with monk fruit

Makes 1 serving

231 kcal · 49g protein · 4g carbs · 1g fat per serving

🛒 Ingredients

• 17g instant coffee
• 50g granulated monk fruit sweetener
• 300 ml (~308g) egg whites
• 60 ml (~60g) hot water
• 20g vanilla protein powder, for drizzle </aside>

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Line a baking dish or loaf tin with parchment paper.
2. Pour the egg whites into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for around 5 minutes until stiff peaks form.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the instant coffee, granulated monk fruit sweetener, and hot water. Stir until fully dissolved and slightly thickened.
4. Gently fold the coffee mixture into the whipped egg whites using a spatula. Work slowly and carefully to preserve as much air as possible — don't overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the lined baking dish or loaf tin. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes until lightly set on top.

I made bulgur with desiccated coconut and chicken stock.

I marinated the boneless chicken thighs overnight with yogurt, oil, tandoori masala, coriander & cumin powder, turmeric powder, fresh garlic, kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), lemon juice, salt & chilli powder & a little paprika just for colour as I didn’t want to add artificial colour. I cooked the chicken under the grill to get it charred. Once cooked I placed it on a platter and smoked it with a hot piece of charcoal and some oil poured on top, covered it with aluminium foil and left it alone for 20 minutes. Really imparted a nice smokiness to the chicken.

For my veggies I just opted for peas mixed with a green sauce I made. It consists of fresh herbs (mint, parsley & coriander), fresh garlic, small piece of onion and a handful of green chillies. I blitzed it all up with a dollop of yoghurt, oil and lemon juice. Salt to taste.

I got tired of purchasing Lipton Iced green tea and lugging them home. I could only afford them when they were BOGO, also they were made with sucralose (Splenda) so they have an aftertaste. I added too much mango syrup because I couldn’t taste it when the tea was room temp, so it was a little too sweet. I drink a 16oz bottle with a bottle of water.

I did my mise-en-place for the week, which this week was mainly cutting my vegetables. By prepping all the ingredients, I can have food on the table in minutes, but I still have the flexibility to change things as I don't prep whole meals.

Since people ask reguarly: yes, as long as the vegetables are very fresh when you cut them, and you store them well (cold fridge, airtight containers), most vegetables easily last untill the end of the week. Exceptions are things like cucumber or tomatoes. That's why I only prepped the cucumbers I need today and tomorrow, and not those I'll need later in the week.

All the meat and fish are smoked, chicken, bbq goat ribs (trying something new), mackerel, turkey and burgers. Sides jollof rice, fried rice and prawn noodles. I was going to make steam veg but I got tired so will do that tomorrow.

In all honesty I haven't tried an authentic cooking of this dish and this time I didn't use a recipe so it wasn't as labor intensive as usual when I make it for guests.

Family is leaving this week and I just got a fitbit so I'm trying to be healthy for a bit. Estimated about 45g of protein.

Instructions:

Debone 4 lbs chicken thighs and fry in olive oil (this time I used butter) getting browned on both sides. After browned, add thinly sliced 1/8s of a whole lemon, thinly sliced halved whole onion, and olive slices with ginger and garlic and season with tumeric, saffron, cumin, cinnamon, salt (spices descending in importance). Cook until onions are soft, then cover chicken in water and simmer down until chicken is tender. Cook the quinoa (I did 1.5 cups dry) according to packaging.

Normally I use preserved lemons in a later stage instead of the fresh, but I just wanted to throw this together and adding them in with the onions makes the rinds super soft. Plus the preserved lemons add a ton of salt.

Lmk if you want more of the recipe with more sides, it's really a fancy dinner but I just tried to make it quick.

2nd photo is freshly served, third is when you should add the water and chicken browning, and fourth is microwaved leftovers.

Chicken was bogo so I got free range and total cost was around $20

This is week 25 of my journey to lose 100 lbs in 2026. I plan for balanced macros with a focus on reducing fat and increasing fiber where possible. I have the following this week:

Breakfast: Keto toast with cottage cheese and a banana. 240kcal, 25g protein, 5g fat, 45g carbs, 20g fiber.

Lunch: Rice and bean bowls with grilled chicken and avocado salsa. 850kcal, 74g protein, 22g fat, 121g carbs, 37g fiber.

Dinner: Kale and bean veggie soup with cabbage slaw. 815kcal, 34g protein, 23g fat, 115g carbs, 28g fiber.

Total macros for each day: 1905kcal, 133g protein, 50g fat, 280g carbs, 85g fiber.

I had some leftover salsa and cabbage so threw together a slaw last minute for some extra bulk. The soup is incidentally vegan if that matters to anyone as well! Down another 1 lbs this week for 46 lbs lost total. Recipes for everything below!

I used Chipotle sauce, trader joes taco seasoning, and some spices from the pantry to make this week's lunch: turkey chili. It was random. I also used 2 yellow onions.

This is almost 3lbs of turkey split between 6 days, I was told to bump my protein from 4oz per meal to 6 to 7oz per meal. I came close, but the amount would fit in the containers.

I used the last of the preseasoned vegetables from Costco (thank goodness it's all finally gone. I must never fall for that again), jarred pickled onion and store bought salsa. I have 1/4 of a large avocado as well.

It's very filling, that's a lot more protein in a meal than I'm accustomed. It does keep me from snacking.

Dinner is fresh veggies i roasted this weekend, rice balls I have in the freezer (I scoop 1/2 cups of Korean rice blends and freeze so I can have a single serving when I want), and a frozen seafood item.

For the past week, I’ve been eating dinner/my post workout meal at the gym since I don’t live close by.

Chicken meatballs (store bought) baked in the oven according to the directions on the package, steamed sweet peas and and jasmine rice 😋

I’ve been trying to get more serious about cooking at home instead of ordering takeout, and the biggest game-changer for me has been removing the friction of prep work. If I have to wash, peel, and chop a fresh chili or green onion every single night, I get lazy and end up opening a food delivery app.

Here is my monthly routine right after grocery shopping. I flash-freeze finely chopped green onions, red/green chilies, and zucchini chunks.

• The Freezer Trick: I lay them out somewhat flat in these reusable silicone bags so they don’t freeze into one giant, solid block.
• No Thawing Needed: When I'm cooking a meal mid-week, I don't even thaw them—I just grab a handful and dump them straight into the hot pan or soup pot.

It saves so much time and keeps the ingredients perfectly fresh for weeks. There would be always some ingredients that you purchase often, then maybe try this out!! Would love to hear if anyone has tips for freezing other aromatics like ginger or garlic without losing too much flavor!

I absolutely killed it today, got through all of this in 1.5 hrs

what i made:

• Chicken pesto and rice bake x4 servings

• Japanese beef curry with rice x4 servings

• Gyudon x4 servings

• High protein banana bread x4 servings

• Chocolate oreo Japanese cheesecake x4 servings

hitting 2125 cal and 160g protein per day across 4 days. the gyudon and curry are both rice-based so they reheat well, no texture issues.

the oreo japanese cheesecake is one of my favorites and I had too many ripe bananas left over so I made it again. The banana bread always comes out in different texture - I think it has to do with how ripe the banana is, but last week when I made it, it was more like a banana chocolate pudding - I absolutely loved it. We'll see how it turns out this week.

recipe below ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

Chicken Pesto & Rice Bake

Makes 4 servings

590 kcal · 38g protein · 53g carbs · 25g fat per serving

Ingredients

• 200g broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 80g green pesto
• 450g chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• 300g cherry tomatoes
• 200g rice, washed optional
• 100g parmesan, for topping
• 1 (~0g) salt and pepper, to taste
• 400 ml (~421g) chicken stock
• 80g light cream cheese, Philadelphia light, dolloped on top </aside>

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). This takes about 10 minutes, so get it going first while you prep everything else.
2. Chop the broccoli into bite-size florets and cut the chicken breast into bite-size chunks.
3. In a large oven-safe dish, combine the rice, chicken, pesto, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together well so the stock and pesto are evenly distributed.
4. Scatter the grated parmesan evenly over the top of the dish, then dollop the light cream cheese over the surface.
5. Cover the dish tightly with a lid or foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes until the rice is cooked through and the chicken is done.
6. Remove the cover from the dish and return it to the oven for a final 5 minutes until the cheese topping is golden and crispy.

Japanese beef curry with rice

Makes 3 servings

754 kcal · 41g protein · 74g carbs · 31g fat per serving

Ingredients

• 90g carrots
• 9g chicken stock powder
• 1 (~0g) salt and pepper, to taste
• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 10g minced garlic
• 120g brown onion
• 21g tomato sauce reduced sugar, optional, for extra sweetness
• 300g Spud Lite potatoes, or 150g normal potatoes
• 450g cooked white rice
• 3 cube (~54g) S&B Japanese curry mix blocks
• 195g beef or chicken bone broth </aside>

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook with the lid on so the meat stays tender and moist. Break up the mince as it cooks until fully browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.
2. In the same pot, add the carrots and potatoes. Cook over medium heat with the lid on until about 80% cooked through, around 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the carrots and potatoes are about 80% cooked, add the sliced brown onion to the pot with the lid on and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the Japanese curry roux blocks and stir until they melt and coat the vegetables evenly.
4. Add the cooked beef mince back into the pot. Stir everything together so the curry paste is spread evenly. Add the chicken stock powder, bone broth, and optional tomato sauce. Stir to combine, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until everything is well incorporated and the sauce thickens slightly.

Gyudon

Makes 4 servings

531 kcal · 45g protein · 61g carbs · 10g fat per serving

Ingredients

• 2 whole (~220g) yellow onion, sliced
• 4 whole (~176g) eggs, for soft-boiling
• 1.33 cup (~247g) jasmine rice, uncooked, washed
• 2 tbsp (~36g) mirin
• 1 tbsp (~6g) ginger, minced or grated
• 20 oz (~567g) eye of round beef, thinly sliced, shabu-shabu style
• 4 tbsp (~64g) soy sauce
• 2 whole (~30g) green onion, thinly sliced
• 0.67 cup (~166g) beef bone broth
• 1 tsp (~3g) dashi powder </aside>

Instructions

1. Thinly slice the green onions and set aside for topping.
2. Wash the jasmine rice under cold running water until the water runs mostly clear. Add the washed rice, beef, beef bone broth, soy sauce, mirin, dashi powder, yellow onion, and ginger into the rice cooker. Stir briefly to combine, then close the lid and start the cook cycle.
3. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
4. Gently lower the eggs in and cook for exactly 6 minutes. While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath in a bowl. Immediately transfer the eggs to the ice bath to stop cooking and create a jammy yolk.

Chocolate Oreo Japanese cheesecake

Makes 4 servings

263 kcal · 24g protein · 17g carbs · 11g fat per serving

Ingredients

• 0.5 tsp (~3g) salt
• 2 cup (~490g) fat free greek yogurt, plain
• 2 scoop (~60g) protein powder, dark chocolate flavor
• 2 tsp stevia sweetener
• 2 tbsp (~11g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 14 whole (~36g) Oreo Thins, without cream filling
• 2 tbsp (~20g) light cream cheese, 95% light </aside>

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the fat free greek yogurt, cocoa powder, light cream cheese, protein powder, stevia, and salt. Stir or mix well until smooth and fully combined.
2. Lay the Oreo thins (with cream filling removed) on top of or alongside the cheesecake filling. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

High Protein Banana bread

Makes 4 servings

175 kcal · 22g protein · 17g carbs · 3g fat per serving

Ingredients

• 10g chocolate chips
• 100g protein powder
• 50 ml (~52g) skimmed milk
• 2 whole (~236g) banana
• 1 whole (~44g) egg, medium </aside>

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) while you mix the batter. This usually takes about 10 minutes.
2. Mash the bananas well in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, protein powder, skimmed milk, and chocolate chips and mix everything together until a thick batter forms.
3. Pour the batter into a suitable baking dish or air fryer basket. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes until cooked through.

I’m blue collar worker trying to lose weight and don’t wanna prep for lunches. So I eat kids lunchables two fruit cups and a small yogurt drink for lunch. Since April 1st I’ve lost 30 pounds with this method lol.

EDIT

For dinner I eat half a pound of ground beef with quarter to half a red onion, 3-4 baby bells mushrooms all thrown together, then air fry about 3-4 golden potatoes and eat those. My snack is carrots and ranch. I also compulsively drank alcohol for about 2 years ( 1 year heavy) which led me to being 270 pounds. I stopped drinking and stopped eating out and that probably is one reason why I’ve lost weight so quickly. I also have a very laborious job as an iron worker so that gives me tons of exercise

I was worried about postpartum and prepared a lot of freezer meals. But this birth was super easy and I'm healing pretty quick so I felt ready to do what I love - cook!

To those who wonder where my partner is and if he has hands - yeah, he's been using them to take out two children out, so I can focus on doing something that makes me happy.

Buckwheat bowls

Cooked buckwheat, carrot salad with greek yogurt and sriracha, cucumber, tomato, edamame, radishes, hardboiled egg and we're adding canned tuna before eating. Super yummy, super fresh for this heat.

Potato and sausage bake

Mixed potato, onion, frozen vegetables and homemade sausage, added a bit of oil and spices, baked until soft. Then I added egg+milk mixture and baked some more.

Coconut dessert cups

I mixed shredded coconut with vanilla pudding and added melted chocolate on top.

Poppyseed lemon cake

Added a cup of poppyseeds and lemon zest in my standard cake batter. Sweet smooth quark for filling (cream cheese will do) and topped with powdered sugar and lemon juice mixture.

Spelt flour buns

Classic yeasted dough for bread with spelt flour and seeds. Knead, let rise, shape buns, let rise again, bake for 15 minutes at 200°C

Sandwich making station

I also filled compartments in my sandwich box, so making sandwiches will be easier for me in case I need to do it one handed (I have a two week old baby who likes to be held)

I also took care of my kefir grains, sourdough starter and kombucha, because I've been neglecting them.

That's it! I'm pretty proud of myself 🥹