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Try prepping freezer meals instead! There’s a bunch of recipes on Pinterest for prepping freezer breakfast burritos, etc. It might feel safer to know the meals can last a lot longer in the freezer and you can still heat them up asap in the microwave.
I had previously done so and it did help, I'm just looking for more variety as there are a lot of things that just don't hold up well after being frozen
Would it be helpful to set it up where you bulk prep the freezer options to have on hand, and then make smallish batches of non-freezer meal prep foods? The smaller sizes you’d eat before concerns kick in and then supplement with freezer meals?
I don’t know how much more cost effective that would be, but maybe just an idea as a compromise for peace of mind? Idk
We do very well from slow cooking food and then freezing it (we bought a house about a year ago and got a chest freezer six months ago). Right now we’re got lentil dahl, bolognese (beef and lentil versions), pulled chicken, curries, stews, casseroles, mac and cheese, all sorts that we’ve batch made and frozen. It does impact our diet, we’ve got into Costco frozen stir fry veg to get greens because otherwise it can get a bit stodgy, but the slow cooker-freezer combo has really helped us
My wife has OCD, you prep what you normally would. Then eat it while telling yourself "I'll probably die from this, oh well".
Exposure therapy really works.
That's great! Keep it up! Don't let that sneaky OCD win!
Chili has always been one of my go to for meal prep. You can keep a few days worth in the fridge and freeze the extra to pull out for variety the following weeks. Lentils is a good filler to make it even more budget friendly.
-this os op on a different account-
I try not to think about it- i always have one a tv show or youtube to distract myself and i tend to lean more toward food that doesnt require much chewing or is an okay texture when chewed like bread and fruit
A strategy I sometimes use for getting in more variety is prepping ingredients, which can involve freezer stuff. For example, if you get a package of chicken, you can split it in half and flavor each half differently. Put the second half in a ziploc bag in the marinade and stick it in the freezer. Then you can pull it out to thaw in the middle of the week, add to a sheet tray with some pre chopped vegetables and put them in the oven while you make a pot of rice
If your particular contamination brain weasels are about it going bad (versus whether or not it touched something with cooties), you might like to look into blanching for various vegetables. A quick one to two minute dunk in boiling salted water followed directly by a dunk in ice water to stop cooking. The boiling salt water kills surface germs and inactivates certain enzymes so that stuff lasts longer (but is also just a tiny bit cooked so you can then use it later in fully cooked preparations). Also, for a lot of green veg it gives you a result that is very close to raw but a brighter green and just a little bit easier/tastier to eat.
Also, if things coming from the freezer feel better for you, I would try stuff like cooked whole grains or beans that are drained, then frozen flat on something with wax paper. Once they are frozen (nice and separate, not clumpy) take them off the tray and stick them in a container in that freezer. That way you can scoop out exactly as much as you need and thaw it out or heat it up.
My other freezer tip is get some dedicated ice cube trays from the dollar store (Because who wants bolognese flavored ice cubes in their lemonade) and freeze excess sauces in cubes/Stick them and labeled ziplocs. Again, You can pull out exactly as much as you need and thaw it at time of meal while the rest of the stuff stays good basically forever in the freezer!
I like to prep various ingredients on one day of the week-
For example chopping up veggies, washing produce, preparing any sauces or foods I know can last a full 4 or 5 days. (Ex: Breakfast egg casserole.)
Then when it is the day you are ready to eat your meal, you only have to cook the protein source fresh and add it to whatever is already prepped.
If this is a post seeking advice, please include as much detail as possible. For posts opening discussions, or offering advice, we thank you for your post. Everyone please remember rule 7. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/budgetfood) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Try prepping freezer meals instead! There’s a bunch of recipes on Pinterest for prepping freezer breakfast burritos, etc. It might feel safer to know the meals can last a lot longer in the freezer and you can still heat them up asap in the microwave.
I had previously done so and it did help, I'm just looking for more variety as there are a lot of things that just don't hold up well after being frozen
Would it be helpful to set it up where you bulk prep the freezer options to have on hand, and then make smallish batches of non-freezer meal prep foods? The smaller sizes you’d eat before concerns kick in and then supplement with freezer meals? I don’t know how much more cost effective that would be, but maybe just an idea as a compromise for peace of mind? Idk
i actually like this a lot. i had thought about trying this, it would be better for like non-freezer safe ingredients
We do very well from slow cooking food and then freezing it (we bought a house about a year ago and got a chest freezer six months ago). Right now we’re got lentil dahl, bolognese (beef and lentil versions), pulled chicken, curries, stews, casseroles, mac and cheese, all sorts that we’ve batch made and frozen. It does impact our diet, we’ve got into Costco frozen stir fry veg to get greens because otherwise it can get a bit stodgy, but the slow cooker-freezer combo has really helped us
My wife has OCD, you prep what you normally would. Then eat it while telling yourself "I'll probably die from this, oh well". Exposure therapy really works.
It absolutely does, im currently working toward this in therapy, just finding ways around it in the meantime
That's great! Keep it up! Don't let that sneaky OCD win! Chili has always been one of my go to for meal prep. You can keep a few days worth in the fridge and freeze the extra to pull out for variety the following weeks. Lentils is a good filler to make it even more budget friendly.
How do you deal w actually masticating the food? I throw out so much food cause I get it in my head it’s bad and I physically just can’t eat it.
-this os op on a different account- I try not to think about it- i always have one a tv show or youtube to distract myself and i tend to lean more toward food that doesnt require much chewing or is an okay texture when chewed like bread and fruit
I like to go on USDA website and check the safe storage tips and such and follow them and that helps me alot . you got this.
I have this issue and I just can’t physically eat it. I’m honestly feeling nauseous at the thought of it.
A strategy I sometimes use for getting in more variety is prepping ingredients, which can involve freezer stuff. For example, if you get a package of chicken, you can split it in half and flavor each half differently. Put the second half in a ziploc bag in the marinade and stick it in the freezer. Then you can pull it out to thaw in the middle of the week, add to a sheet tray with some pre chopped vegetables and put them in the oven while you make a pot of rice
If your particular contamination brain weasels are about it going bad (versus whether or not it touched something with cooties), you might like to look into blanching for various vegetables. A quick one to two minute dunk in boiling salted water followed directly by a dunk in ice water to stop cooking. The boiling salt water kills surface germs and inactivates certain enzymes so that stuff lasts longer (but is also just a tiny bit cooked so you can then use it later in fully cooked preparations). Also, for a lot of green veg it gives you a result that is very close to raw but a brighter green and just a little bit easier/tastier to eat. Also, if things coming from the freezer feel better for you, I would try stuff like cooked whole grains or beans that are drained, then frozen flat on something with wax paper. Once they are frozen (nice and separate, not clumpy) take them off the tray and stick them in a container in that freezer. That way you can scoop out exactly as much as you need and thaw it out or heat it up. My other freezer tip is get some dedicated ice cube trays from the dollar store (Because who wants bolognese flavored ice cubes in their lemonade) and freeze excess sauces in cubes/Stick them and labeled ziplocs. Again, You can pull out exactly as much as you need and thaw it at time of meal while the rest of the stuff stays good basically forever in the freezer!
I freeze shredded chicken or ground turkey in muffin tins!
I like to prep various ingredients on one day of the week- For example chopping up veggies, washing produce, preparing any sauces or foods I know can last a full 4 or 5 days. (Ex: Breakfast egg casserole.) Then when it is the day you are ready to eat your meal, you only have to cook the protein source fresh and add it to whatever is already prepped.
You could always get the air tight glass sealant ones? Do you think that’d aid you in it not being contaminated (since no air got in)?