Since my little boy has come around, meal planning & shopping has become infinitely hard. I’m wondering if anyone uses an app to help plan dinners for the week and helps build a shopping list?
My grocery spend swings 20 to 30 dollars week to week and it is driving me insane. I have a spreadsheet. I track cost per serving. I plan meals before I shop. And I still walk out having spent more than I meant to almost every other week.
The main problem is protein prices. Chicken thighs are one price this week and a different price next week, and I have not figured out a system that accounts for that without just buying whatever is cheapest and then scrambling to build a prep around it at the last minute.
I tried building a flexible meal plan where I swap proteins based on what is on sale, but that only works if I already know what I am making with each one. If I do not have a plan for ground beef ahead of time, I end up buying it anyway and then burning mental energy figuring it out in the store parking lot.
Curious how people who prep consistently handle this. Do you set a hard number and cut something if you go over? Do you stockpile when prices drop? Do you have a backup prep that works with almost any cheap protein so you are never stuck?
ETA: I am not trying to meal prep on 25 dollars a week or anything extreme. I just want it to stop being a guessing game.
I'm finally getting an air fryer after overthinking it for a few months. My issue I don't know which size to get.
I cook for 2 adults and sometimes up to 4 ppl when we have guests. Its mostly chicken, veggies n leftovers. My budget is around 100 to 200 bucks.
For people who are in a similar household, which size and model would you recommend?
I’m researching how people plan everyday meals and would love to learn from your actual routine.
When you open your fridge or pantry and see ingredients you already have:
How do you decide what to cook?
Do you usually search recipes by ingredient, use a meal-planning app, ask someone, or improvise?
Which ingredients do you most often forget about or discover too late?
How do you decide what groceries to buy before your next shopping trip?
What is the most frustrating part of planning meals?
I’m especially interested in situations where you have a few ingredients but are missing one or two items needed to make a complete meal.
Please share a recent example if you have one. I’m trying to understand the problem before deciding whether to build anything.
This week’s breakfast: chocolate chocolate chip muffins (~235 cals). Lunch: Thai peanut chicken, edamame, veg, and rice (~410 cals). Dinner: macaroni and cheese, bbq chicken thighs, and green beans (~760 calories). I’m still on my weight loss journey and eating around a 2100 calorie budget, so this is the bulk of my food for the day but not all of it. I’ll make a new dinner midweek.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask for some advice on this idea I had and not going to sell anything. Basically I want your feedback before I waste time making this and see if anyone would also use it.
So realistically I actually cook two or three nights and the rest of the nights I would eat or go out. The app plans the whole week off that. Each cooking night you make two things at once, say a tray of chicken and a pot of beans, so the week can alternate and you're not eating chicken three days running. Every other night is assembly, five minutes, one pan.
This is what I am assuming:
Let me know if you what you think. You can be roast me lol
These are my “loaded street corn beef bowls” that I made last week that are usually a go-to on my heavy training weeks (which is frequently right now haha)
I’ll drop the recipe below for anyone who wants to try them 👇 I tried to make it as detailed as possible for you 👍
Ingredients
For the Seasoned Beef:
ground beef (80/20)
2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
For the Crispy Skillet Potatoes:
2 lbs baby Yukon gold potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes
2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
For the Mexican Street Corn:
4 cups corn (fresh, frozen, or canned - drained well)
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, diced (seeds removed for mild, keep seeds for hot)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
For the Street Corn Sauce (Elote Style):
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
½ cup cotija cheese OR feta cheese, crumbled
For Toppings:
½ cup cotija cheese OR feta cheese, crumbled (for topping)
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 avocados, sliced OR 1½ cups guacamole
3 limes, cut into wedges
Optional: Pickled jalapeños
Optional: Pico de gallo
Optional: Black beans (1 can, drained - extra protein + fiber)
How I make them:
Phase 1: Make the sauce
Step 1: In small bowl, whisk together:
1 cup Greek yogurt
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne (if using)
Step 2: Stir in ½ cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese.
Step 3: Mix until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until serving.
Phase 2: Cook potatoes
Step 4: Heat electric skillet to 400°F.
Step 5: Add diced potatoes to skillet (add 1 tbsp oil if needed).
Step 6: Season with:
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
Step 7: Spread in single even layer. Cook undisturbed 5-6 minutes until bottom is golden and crispy.
Step 8: Flip potatoes. Cook another 5-6 minutes until crispy on all sides and cooked through.
Step 9: Remove potatoes from skillet. Set aside in bowl.
Phase 3: Cook beef
Step 10: Keep skillet at 375°F.
Step 11: Add ground beef directly to skillet. Break up with spatula.
Step 12: Cook 8-10 minutes until browned and no pink remains.
Step 13: Season with all spices listed above. Stir well.
Phase 4: Make the street corn
Step 14: Keep skillet at 375°F (use remaining protein fat for flavor!).
Step 15: Add diced red onion and jalapeño to skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes until softened.
Step 16: Add 4 cloves minced garlic. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 17: Add 4 cups corn to skillet. Spread in single layer.
Step 18: Cook undisturbed 2-3 minutes until corn gets slightly charred on bottom.
Step 19: Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes until corn is tender and has charred spots throughout.
Step 20: Season with:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
Step 21: Stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Phase 5: Assemble
Step 22: Divide crispy potatoes among 6 large bowls (about ½-¾ cup per bowl).
Step 23: Top each bowl with:
Generous portion of protein (about 6 oz chicken strips or ⅔ cup ground beef)
½ cup charred street corn mixture
Optional: ¼ cup black beans
½ avocado, sliced OR 2-3 tbsp guacamole
2-3 tbsp street corn sauce drizzled over everything
2 tbsp crumbled cotija or feta cheese
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedge on the side
Hope you enjoy! Let me know how you like them, I’m always sharing my recipes 🫡
Persian-inspired pomegranate braised lamb with jewel rice
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Rotator cuff surgery early Oct. Ill be on my own after a week. In a sling for another 5 weeks (6 total) and limited use and light weight after. (I have le creuset pans lol). My other arm isnt great either.
I really need to prep high protein meals to freeze preferably without a ton of carbs as my blood sugar is borderline. Just take off the foil, put in a bowl and microwave would be great.
I will buy chicken breasts and hamburger to cook and freeze and maybe a chuck roast or two.
I dont want to use rotisserie chicken and dont like thighs.
Right now I plan on chili, ham and bean soup and meatballs as I do those regularly for winter as I tend to get SAD here in the dark frozen north.
Recipes or casseroles that include veggies would be great.
Thank you.
My first more serious attempt to meal prep. I need to get more containers, I only have one 5qt sized now. It was a bit of scramble from whatever I can find in the freezer/fridge/pantry.
Next time I'll definitely leave the potatoes/sweet potatoes separately to give myself more flexibility. Both were first cooked to medium firm and only than thrown on flattop to add them some crisp.
This was intended as an "ALL IN" lunch to support my workouts, recovery and make sure I don't crave in between the meals 😄
Contents: 1lb 93% lean turkey, 1lb 88% lean beef, 3 eggs, plenty of onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower rice, tomato sauce, garlic, garlic powder, pepper, a bit of BBQ sauce, sriracha sauce. (skip the burger patty from one of the pictures, I was multitasking)
Total final "product" came to just just under 6.5lbs (~2900g) of very tasteful goodness. It may not look fancy but is super balanced and tasty. I run my numbers and the 5qt container on the right of first picture filled with 600g(!) serving contains:
energy: 740cal
proteins: 46g
carbs: 82g
fiber: 11g
fat: 25g
This should get the job done for this week!
Hi all, my boyfriend and I recently started going back to the gym so he can burn fat/gain muscle and I can tone up/be healthier. I'm struggling with different meal prep/dinner ideas to stay on track with our goals and get everything in one grocery run per week. I'll eat just about anything but he's a bit pickier. I work from home so i can throw anything together, but he takes his lunch to work, so I'm hoping to give him some variety for healthy lunches. Do yall have any meal prep ideas? TIA!
I know absolutely nothing about how things hold up when frozen- I have actually never frozen something I’ve cooked before.
I love this recipe (seriously try it- I questioned it until the very end when I added lemon, which isn’t in the description but is in the video)- can anyone give insight and/or advice about how well it will hold up in the freezer or if any special steps beyond just tossing it in a container are needed?
This was so good. Im planning to reheat in the air fryer to re crisp up the skin and toast the veggies more!
Frozen chicken breast nuggets, store bought mashed potatoes warmed in the microwave and steamed French style green beans. I’m feeling a bit down and this is better than eating fast food for lunch. I got lunch for Monday and Tuesday I’ll worry about Wednesday, come Tuesday night 🥱
- Cheeseburger Mac with Roasted broccoli (top)
- Beefy queso loaded potatoes (bottom, queso off screen)
The queso loaded potatoes were the largest standout because the taco flavors were on point and the queso was delicious. Texture and flavor held up even on the 3rd day of reheating.
Cheeseburger Mac tasted like a high protein hamburger helper and was banging.
I promise I do love her. Must hit my protein goals.