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Can one eat a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week?
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Is it possible to have a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week? I am talking about batch cooking, not eating lots of costly pre-made foods.
If so, how?
food-science
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
Is it possible to have a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week? I am talking about batch cooking, not eating lots of costly pre-made foods.
If so, how?
food-science
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
Is it possible to have a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week? I am talking about batch cooking, not eating lots of costly pre-made foods.
If so, how?
food-science
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
Is it possible to have a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week? I am talking about batch cooking, not eating lots of costly pre-made foods.
If so, how?
food-science
food-science
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
asked 1 hour ago
Demi
11814
11814
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The types of foods that reheat well are also quite suitable for being balanced in one main dish. Generally speaking, dishes with stuff in sauce freeze/chill and reheat well. So stew, curry, chilli, ratatouille etc. should work. Any of those can be made with plenty of veg, which is important if you're aiming for a balanced diet. An accompanying carbohydrate side can often be cooked in a similar time to reheating the main dish, so this doesn't need to be included (unless you want to of course). From the point of view of sticking to nutritional guidelines you can do much better this way than buying ready prepared stuff, and cheaper.
Freezing in single portions is important; I tend to use containers intended for takeaway meals.
Personally I batch cook about 5-6 portions most Sundays, but don't rely on reheating these every night. Quick simple meals (like a stir fry or an omelette) add a nice variety.
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Yes - this process is often called "Meal Prepping".
Typically with Meal Prepping, you would prepare and cook dinner for the rest of the week - either by cooking something that can be portioned out into individual servings (chili, soup, casserole, crock pot meal, enchiladas, etc), or by cooking multiple portions of the same meal (chicken with rice and vegetables, etc).
There are entire cook books dedicated to meal prepping! Here's just one example:
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook
For breakfast and lunch, meal preppers often take easy and quick items that can be portioned out for the week. Such as cheese cut into cubes, baby carrot sticks, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, grapes, crackers, etc.
One caveat that derails people from their meal prepping plans is the monotony of eating the same thing every day for a week. If this happens to you, maybe try food prepping twice a week, and prepare fewer meals. This way you can get a variety of food items, and keep a better variety of nutrients in your system.
For storage, I personally use the RubberMaid Brilliance collection. They have locking covers, can stack easily, are dishwasher safe (I'm lazy), and come in a variety of shapes and sizes - including "Bento" box style, and salad prep style.
Meal prepping can be a lot of fun, can be very healthy, and can save a lot of time!
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
I thought these foods only lasted 3-4 days in the fridge. What kind of containers would allow easily thawing small portions?
– Demi
1 hour ago
1
@Demi Prep twice a week - that's what I usually do. Eating the same thing every day for 7 days gets old quick... Or prep on Monday and over the weekend cook normal meals since you're home anyway and have more time.
– SnakeDoc
57 mins ago
1
Freeze some. I like rectangular Ziploc containers. A little hot water over frozen container and the "brick" of frozen food will pop out. Then that fits into a rectangular ceramic Corning casserole dish which I microwave.
– MaxW
55 mins ago
1
With careful use of a freezer and portion-sized containers it's perfectly possible to have good variety and convenience. It takes a few cooking sessions to build up a decent stock in the freezer but after that it can be maintained on one session a week. I tend to make a big batch on a Sunday evening, and cook once or twice properly in the week, with the other dinners coming from batches. Sometimes I make a second dish as well, like a pasta sauce (not much extra washing up if you're making chilli/curry etc. at the same time)
– Chris H
31 mins ago
1
A mistake I sometimes make is to cook too much when the freezer is full. Eating the same meal 8 times in 6 days is a personal worst in that regard.
– Chris H
29 mins ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The types of foods that reheat well are also quite suitable for being balanced in one main dish. Generally speaking, dishes with stuff in sauce freeze/chill and reheat well. So stew, curry, chilli, ratatouille etc. should work. Any of those can be made with plenty of veg, which is important if you're aiming for a balanced diet. An accompanying carbohydrate side can often be cooked in a similar time to reheating the main dish, so this doesn't need to be included (unless you want to of course). From the point of view of sticking to nutritional guidelines you can do much better this way than buying ready prepared stuff, and cheaper.
Freezing in single portions is important; I tend to use containers intended for takeaway meals.
Personally I batch cook about 5-6 portions most Sundays, but don't rely on reheating these every night. Quick simple meals (like a stir fry or an omelette) add a nice variety.
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The types of foods that reheat well are also quite suitable for being balanced in one main dish. Generally speaking, dishes with stuff in sauce freeze/chill and reheat well. So stew, curry, chilli, ratatouille etc. should work. Any of those can be made with plenty of veg, which is important if you're aiming for a balanced diet. An accompanying carbohydrate side can often be cooked in a similar time to reheating the main dish, so this doesn't need to be included (unless you want to of course). From the point of view of sticking to nutritional guidelines you can do much better this way than buying ready prepared stuff, and cheaper.
Freezing in single portions is important; I tend to use containers intended for takeaway meals.
Personally I batch cook about 5-6 portions most Sundays, but don't rely on reheating these every night. Quick simple meals (like a stir fry or an omelette) add a nice variety.
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The types of foods that reheat well are also quite suitable for being balanced in one main dish. Generally speaking, dishes with stuff in sauce freeze/chill and reheat well. So stew, curry, chilli, ratatouille etc. should work. Any of those can be made with plenty of veg, which is important if you're aiming for a balanced diet. An accompanying carbohydrate side can often be cooked in a similar time to reheating the main dish, so this doesn't need to be included (unless you want to of course). From the point of view of sticking to nutritional guidelines you can do much better this way than buying ready prepared stuff, and cheaper.
Freezing in single portions is important; I tend to use containers intended for takeaway meals.
Personally I batch cook about 5-6 portions most Sundays, but don't rely on reheating these every night. Quick simple meals (like a stir fry or an omelette) add a nice variety.
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
The types of foods that reheat well are also quite suitable for being balanced in one main dish. Generally speaking, dishes with stuff in sauce freeze/chill and reheat well. So stew, curry, chilli, ratatouille etc. should work. Any of those can be made with plenty of veg, which is important if you're aiming for a balanced diet. An accompanying carbohydrate side can often be cooked in a similar time to reheating the main dish, so this doesn't need to be included (unless you want to of course). From the point of view of sticking to nutritional guidelines you can do much better this way than buying ready prepared stuff, and cheaper.
Freezing in single portions is important; I tend to use containers intended for takeaway meals.
Personally I batch cook about 5-6 portions most Sundays, but don't rely on reheating these every night. Quick simple meals (like a stir fry or an omelette) add a nice variety.
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
answered 22 mins ago
Chris H
12.9k12537
12.9k12537
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Yes - this process is often called "Meal Prepping".
Typically with Meal Prepping, you would prepare and cook dinner for the rest of the week - either by cooking something that can be portioned out into individual servings (chili, soup, casserole, crock pot meal, enchiladas, etc), or by cooking multiple portions of the same meal (chicken with rice and vegetables, etc).
There are entire cook books dedicated to meal prepping! Here's just one example:
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook
For breakfast and lunch, meal preppers often take easy and quick items that can be portioned out for the week. Such as cheese cut into cubes, baby carrot sticks, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, grapes, crackers, etc.
One caveat that derails people from their meal prepping plans is the monotony of eating the same thing every day for a week. If this happens to you, maybe try food prepping twice a week, and prepare fewer meals. This way you can get a variety of food items, and keep a better variety of nutrients in your system.
For storage, I personally use the RubberMaid Brilliance collection. They have locking covers, can stack easily, are dishwasher safe (I'm lazy), and come in a variety of shapes and sizes - including "Bento" box style, and salad prep style.
Meal prepping can be a lot of fun, can be very healthy, and can save a lot of time!
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
I thought these foods only lasted 3-4 days in the fridge. What kind of containers would allow easily thawing small portions?
– Demi
1 hour ago
1
@Demi Prep twice a week - that's what I usually do. Eating the same thing every day for 7 days gets old quick... Or prep on Monday and over the weekend cook normal meals since you're home anyway and have more time.
– SnakeDoc
57 mins ago
1
Freeze some. I like rectangular Ziploc containers. A little hot water over frozen container and the "brick" of frozen food will pop out. Then that fits into a rectangular ceramic Corning casserole dish which I microwave.
– MaxW
55 mins ago
1
With careful use of a freezer and portion-sized containers it's perfectly possible to have good variety and convenience. It takes a few cooking sessions to build up a decent stock in the freezer but after that it can be maintained on one session a week. I tend to make a big batch on a Sunday evening, and cook once or twice properly in the week, with the other dinners coming from batches. Sometimes I make a second dish as well, like a pasta sauce (not much extra washing up if you're making chilli/curry etc. at the same time)
– Chris H
31 mins ago
1
A mistake I sometimes make is to cook too much when the freezer is full. Eating the same meal 8 times in 6 days is a personal worst in that regard.
– Chris H
29 mins ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
up vote
1
down vote
Yes - this process is often called "Meal Prepping".
Typically with Meal Prepping, you would prepare and cook dinner for the rest of the week - either by cooking something that can be portioned out into individual servings (chili, soup, casserole, crock pot meal, enchiladas, etc), or by cooking multiple portions of the same meal (chicken with rice and vegetables, etc).
There are entire cook books dedicated to meal prepping! Here's just one example:
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook
For breakfast and lunch, meal preppers often take easy and quick items that can be portioned out for the week. Such as cheese cut into cubes, baby carrot sticks, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, grapes, crackers, etc.
One caveat that derails people from their meal prepping plans is the monotony of eating the same thing every day for a week. If this happens to you, maybe try food prepping twice a week, and prepare fewer meals. This way you can get a variety of food items, and keep a better variety of nutrients in your system.
For storage, I personally use the RubberMaid Brilliance collection. They have locking covers, can stack easily, are dishwasher safe (I'm lazy), and come in a variety of shapes and sizes - including "Bento" box style, and salad prep style.
Meal prepping can be a lot of fun, can be very healthy, and can save a lot of time!
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
I thought these foods only lasted 3-4 days in the fridge. What kind of containers would allow easily thawing small portions?
– Demi
1 hour ago
1
@Demi Prep twice a week - that's what I usually do. Eating the same thing every day for 7 days gets old quick... Or prep on Monday and over the weekend cook normal meals since you're home anyway and have more time.
– SnakeDoc
57 mins ago
1
Freeze some. I like rectangular Ziploc containers. A little hot water over frozen container and the "brick" of frozen food will pop out. Then that fits into a rectangular ceramic Corning casserole dish which I microwave.
– MaxW
55 mins ago
1
With careful use of a freezer and portion-sized containers it's perfectly possible to have good variety and convenience. It takes a few cooking sessions to build up a decent stock in the freezer but after that it can be maintained on one session a week. I tend to make a big batch on a Sunday evening, and cook once or twice properly in the week, with the other dinners coming from batches. Sometimes I make a second dish as well, like a pasta sauce (not much extra washing up if you're making chilli/curry etc. at the same time)
– Chris H
31 mins ago
1
A mistake I sometimes make is to cook too much when the freezer is full. Eating the same meal 8 times in 6 days is a personal worst in that regard.
– Chris H
29 mins ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
Yes - this process is often called "Meal Prepping".
Typically with Meal Prepping, you would prepare and cook dinner for the rest of the week - either by cooking something that can be portioned out into individual servings (chili, soup, casserole, crock pot meal, enchiladas, etc), or by cooking multiple portions of the same meal (chicken with rice and vegetables, etc).
There are entire cook books dedicated to meal prepping! Here's just one example:
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook
For breakfast and lunch, meal preppers often take easy and quick items that can be portioned out for the week. Such as cheese cut into cubes, baby carrot sticks, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, grapes, crackers, etc.
One caveat that derails people from their meal prepping plans is the monotony of eating the same thing every day for a week. If this happens to you, maybe try food prepping twice a week, and prepare fewer meals. This way you can get a variety of food items, and keep a better variety of nutrients in your system.
For storage, I personally use the RubberMaid Brilliance collection. They have locking covers, can stack easily, are dishwasher safe (I'm lazy), and come in a variety of shapes and sizes - including "Bento" box style, and salad prep style.
Meal prepping can be a lot of fun, can be very healthy, and can save a lot of time!
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
Yes - this process is often called "Meal Prepping".
Typically with Meal Prepping, you would prepare and cook dinner for the rest of the week - either by cooking something that can be portioned out into individual servings (chili, soup, casserole, crock pot meal, enchiladas, etc), or by cooking multiple portions of the same meal (chicken with rice and vegetables, etc).
There are entire cook books dedicated to meal prepping! Here's just one example:
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook
For breakfast and lunch, meal preppers often take easy and quick items that can be portioned out for the week. Such as cheese cut into cubes, baby carrot sticks, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, grapes, crackers, etc.
One caveat that derails people from their meal prepping plans is the monotony of eating the same thing every day for a week. If this happens to you, maybe try food prepping twice a week, and prepare fewer meals. This way you can get a variety of food items, and keep a better variety of nutrients in your system.
For storage, I personally use the RubberMaid Brilliance collection. They have locking covers, can stack easily, are dishwasher safe (I'm lazy), and come in a variety of shapes and sizes - including "Bento" box style, and salad prep style.
Meal prepping can be a lot of fun, can be very healthy, and can save a lot of time!
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
edited 54 mins ago
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
answered 1 hour ago
SnakeDoc
772614
772614
I thought these foods only lasted 3-4 days in the fridge. What kind of containers would allow easily thawing small portions?
– Demi
1 hour ago
1
@Demi Prep twice a week - that's what I usually do. Eating the same thing every day for 7 days gets old quick... Or prep on Monday and over the weekend cook normal meals since you're home anyway and have more time.
– SnakeDoc
57 mins ago
1
Freeze some. I like rectangular Ziploc containers. A little hot water over frozen container and the "brick" of frozen food will pop out. Then that fits into a rectangular ceramic Corning casserole dish which I microwave.
– MaxW
55 mins ago
1
With careful use of a freezer and portion-sized containers it's perfectly possible to have good variety and convenience. It takes a few cooking sessions to build up a decent stock in the freezer but after that it can be maintained on one session a week. I tend to make a big batch on a Sunday evening, and cook once or twice properly in the week, with the other dinners coming from batches. Sometimes I make a second dish as well, like a pasta sauce (not much extra washing up if you're making chilli/curry etc. at the same time)
– Chris H
31 mins ago
1
A mistake I sometimes make is to cook too much when the freezer is full. Eating the same meal 8 times in 6 days is a personal worst in that regard.
– Chris H
29 mins ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
I thought these foods only lasted 3-4 days in the fridge. What kind of containers would allow easily thawing small portions?
– Demi
1 hour ago
1
@Demi Prep twice a week - that's what I usually do. Eating the same thing every day for 7 days gets old quick... Or prep on Monday and over the weekend cook normal meals since you're home anyway and have more time.
– SnakeDoc
57 mins ago
1
Freeze some. I like rectangular Ziploc containers. A little hot water over frozen container and the "brick" of frozen food will pop out. Then that fits into a rectangular ceramic Corning casserole dish which I microwave.
– MaxW
55 mins ago
1
With careful use of a freezer and portion-sized containers it's perfectly possible to have good variety and convenience. It takes a few cooking sessions to build up a decent stock in the freezer but after that it can be maintained on one session a week. I tend to make a big batch on a Sunday evening, and cook once or twice properly in the week, with the other dinners coming from batches. Sometimes I make a second dish as well, like a pasta sauce (not much extra washing up if you're making chilli/curry etc. at the same time)
– Chris H
31 mins ago
1
A mistake I sometimes make is to cook too much when the freezer is full. Eating the same meal 8 times in 6 days is a personal worst in that regard.
– Chris H
29 mins ago
I thought these foods only lasted 3-4 days in the fridge. What kind of containers would allow easily thawing small portions?
– Demi
1 hour ago
I thought these foods only lasted 3-4 days in the fridge. What kind of containers would allow easily thawing small portions?
– Demi
1 hour ago
1
1
@Demi Prep twice a week - that's what I usually do. Eating the same thing every day for 7 days gets old quick... Or prep on Monday and over the weekend cook normal meals since you're home anyway and have more time.
– SnakeDoc
57 mins ago
@Demi Prep twice a week - that's what I usually do. Eating the same thing every day for 7 days gets old quick... Or prep on Monday and over the weekend cook normal meals since you're home anyway and have more time.
– SnakeDoc
57 mins ago
1
1
Freeze some. I like rectangular Ziploc containers. A little hot water over frozen container and the "brick" of frozen food will pop out. Then that fits into a rectangular ceramic Corning casserole dish which I microwave.
– MaxW
55 mins ago
Freeze some. I like rectangular Ziploc containers. A little hot water over frozen container and the "brick" of frozen food will pop out. Then that fits into a rectangular ceramic Corning casserole dish which I microwave.
– MaxW
55 mins ago
1
1
With careful use of a freezer and portion-sized containers it's perfectly possible to have good variety and convenience. It takes a few cooking sessions to build up a decent stock in the freezer but after that it can be maintained on one session a week. I tend to make a big batch on a Sunday evening, and cook once or twice properly in the week, with the other dinners coming from batches. Sometimes I make a second dish as well, like a pasta sauce (not much extra washing up if you're making chilli/curry etc. at the same time)
– Chris H
31 mins ago
With careful use of a freezer and portion-sized containers it's perfectly possible to have good variety and convenience. It takes a few cooking sessions to build up a decent stock in the freezer but after that it can be maintained on one session a week. I tend to make a big batch on a Sunday evening, and cook once or twice properly in the week, with the other dinners coming from batches. Sometimes I make a second dish as well, like a pasta sauce (not much extra washing up if you're making chilli/curry etc. at the same time)
– Chris H
31 mins ago
1
1
A mistake I sometimes make is to cook too much when the freezer is full. Eating the same meal 8 times in 6 days is a personal worst in that regard.
– Chris H
29 mins ago
A mistake I sometimes make is to cook too much when the freezer is full. Eating the same meal 8 times in 6 days is a personal worst in that regard.
– Chris H
29 mins ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
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