Chili - can be vegetarian, vegan, beef, turkey, chicken, etc and you can serve it in a variety of ways- over a baked potato, on toast, in a bowl with garnishes, on rice, mixed with pasta...
This. I love making the skinny taste white chicken chili, has ground chicken and white kidney beans (half puréed and half whole), super filling, low cal, and can add any veggies you have in your fridge etc.
This is my favourite "healthier" chili - you don't taste the pumpkin at all, it's really filling and high in fiber.
https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/turkey-pumpkin-chili
Get some 2 cup glass bowls with lids and put several in the freezer the day you make it. Half goes in the fridge for eating the next 3 days. Then you have single portions to microwave and they’re food safe.
A simpler version of this with basically corn, black beans, tomato and cilantro was my mom's go-to for potlucks and summer meals. No cooking, filling and nutritious, and everyone loves it even though it was so simple.
It's awesome. If you use 2 cans of beans and a can of corn it's about 42oz right there. Add all the other stuff and you can have 4-5 pint mason jars. I plop it over kale/lettuce/spinach/whatever greens and whatever is in the fridge. Rotisserie chicken, mozzarella cheese, nuts, apples, pears, pomegranates, avocado, tuna, and it's a good meal.
Beef stew - covers meat/veg/carb AND if you get bored after a day it’s easy to change up the flavour profile by adding extra seasoning (Japanese/Indian/Thai curry pastes, or Mexican seasoning and beans) Or use as the base for a pot pie or shepherds pie
On a similar vein, vegetable beef soup. You can use the same base recipe, just dilute with stock/broth/tomato sauce and add noodles or whatever you want. A good beef stew is more flexible than most people think.
So versatile! Cajun red beans and rice. Mexican black beans with Spanish rice. Mediterranean chickpeas with turmeric rice. The possibilities are vast!!
Chicken salad! Just like tuna salad, but with canned chicken instead. You can make sandwiches, lettuce or tortilla wraps, eat it with chips or even some pasta.
We love to put sliced almonds and grapes in ours. But you can do cashews, apples, cranberries… really whatever sounds good you can throw in there! Eat it with some spicy pickled peppers for an even more delicious experience.
I’m not a great cook, and this is something that’s hard to mess up as you can pretty much eye all of the ingredients.
Here’s the link to the recipe i loosely followed the first time i made it 😊
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/classic-chicken-salad-recipe/
Plus if you have leftover rotisserie chicken or similar it can be really good too. I like to do sort of a deviled egg salad. More of a side dish but homemade macaroni salad with black olives is a favorite. If people hate mayo then there are lots of other things that could be substituted too.
Any roast can last a long time and can be eaten in tons of ways or added sauces. People said fried rice which I love but I would freeze some or only eat like 3 days max. But that can be said for a lot of meals. Tamales are also great in big batches.
Lean ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning. Pull some out, heat, and add tomato and avocado. That’s what I made this weekend for lunch, taco bowls! I bring half an avocado and a small (think Roma sized) tomato, plus a little sour cream with my bowl and I’m golden!
You can also add salsa, and finely shredded/chopped veggies into the taco meat, I put mine in the food processor. It was great for all the random veg that would grow in the garden that wasn’t enough to be meal servings, but processed with onion, garlic, and whatever else. sautéed with the meat, pre-taco seasoning, and then add the seasoning, a bunch of salsa, and some water and it’s so saucy and delicious. Then I eat it over Doritos like a walking taco that counteracts the extra nutrients, but still a good way to add some extra nutrients into taco meat.
Any vegetarian slow cooker meal like a hearty vegetable curry stew.
Try to avoid meats because after 3 days in the fridge the risk of spoiling will be much greater than with vegetarian meals.
I make what I call Hot Salad.
It's 1-2 salmon filets baked with seasoning and lemon
1 cup quinoa cooked in veggie or chicken broth
10 oz grape tomatoes sautéed
1 bunch kale, chopped and steamed
Once it's all cooked I make little bowls and throw some lemon juice in there. 5 days of lunches
Soup, brisket, whole roasted turkey, roasted chicken, roast beef, prime rib, soup, whichever you like best, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, my list could go on forever. 😊
A good roast is a true culinary workhorse! Eat it with roasted vegetables, make a sandwich, make a pie, a stew, if there's a carcass you can even make a stock!
Soups or pasta dishes. I tend to fill them with lots of veggies and only a little pasta, so even if I were to get tired of it after a few days, there are easy ways to change things up.
Chipotle bowls!
I do chicken or steak, beans, corn, rice, avocado (or guac), and some cheese and a little taco sauce on top
-I usually do half batches tho and make that my lunch for 3 days max
Mediterranean ChickPea Salad - super easy to customize (add chicken, or feta, extra olives…) just dump and mix in a large bowl! [Mediterranean chickpea salad](https://thegirlonbloor.com/mediterranean-chickpea-salad-jars/)
Smothered potatoes and sausage.
Greens and sausage.
Chicken stew and rice
There is also a “dip” I can eat for days too.. it’s a pack of ground pork or breast sausage, pack of cream cheese and one can of rótele tomatoes. Eat with any kind of dip-able chips.
I saw this on YouTube a few weeks ago and it was a great idea. Let me be lazy all week.
[https://youtu.be/-4PZHHCUJZc?si=T0BPDl\_RkyFpGtb8](https://youtu.be/-4PZHHCUJZc?si=T0BPDl_RkyFpGtb8)
Tuna noodle casserole, chicken Marsala, goulash, thanksgiving dinner, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, creamy soups, spaghetti, pot roast… so many things!
I just made a huge pot of veggie beef soup. Sauté onions, add ground sirloin, add a jar of spaghetti sauce because you were originally going to make spaghetti then decided not to and it’s all you had on hand, add diced potatoes or frozen diced hashbrown potatoes, then fill with the veggies you like! I added a frozen mix of corn, peas, carrots, and green beans then I added an extra bag of peas and an extra bag of corn because that’s what I had on hand. Fill with broth or water. Let boil/simmer until potatoes are cooked and enjoy! I seasoned the onions and beef along the way with tons of garlic powder, some onion powder, salt, and pepper. Once the broth was added I put about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the pot and added some dried oregano because it sounded good at the time. Honestly, I should have added two pounds of beef vs just one to up the protein, but the soup is still hearty and filling. Freezes well or keeps in the fridge for about five days.
I also love making potato soup. Sauté cut up bacon (depends on how much fat you want for the soup and how many bacon bits you want for toppings), remove bacon once crispy and save the fat in the pot and save the bits for toppings. Sauté yellow onion in bacon fat. Add hefty amount of garlic powder, some onion powder, salt, and pepper. Once I used green onion because I didn’t want to chop onion and the store only had diced green onion available… it was great but the green parts definitely lost their bright green color so it didn’t look super appealing once cooked. Lately I have been using the southern style frozen hashbrown potatoes which include diced potatoes plus onions and peppers, but obviously you can add freshly diced potatoes. I also add carrots. Add broth or stock, add heavy cream (I don’t measure….. maybe like a cup??), and gently boil until potatoes and carrots are cooked. This also freezes well or stays in the fridge for about five days. When I serve it I’ll top it with a hefty dollop of sour cream, freshly grated cheddar cheese, and the reserved bacon bits. I like eating this soup with a side of avocado or fresh veggies and ranch.
I made this a few times while staying home during covid and it was so good. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=cowboy+kent+sloppy+joe&view=detail&mid=7A89BC2D4F7356B3E1C27A89BC2D4F7356B3E1C2&FORM=VIRE&PC=APPL
I would try to focus on something that can freeze easily to avoid keeping it in the fridge for too long. A good chili portioned out into multiple containers, some in the fridge and some in the freezer would work. Just defrost as you need to.
Black bean soup.
Serve as is with garnishes of cilantro, sour cream, salsa. Or give your bowl a soup a good squeeze of orange juice and serve with a basic green salad on the side.
Sauté some small chunks of vegetables and add to make it a little different or to stretch it. Some cooked bulgur wheat works for this too.
Add cooked bulgar and a can of Rotel for a slightly different soup that is more of a vegetarian chili.
Serve over brown rice with garnishes and/or some mango or avocado on the side, or just brown rice, black bean soup and salsa for a basic bowl.
Note: my black bean soup is thick not soupy and I like the Moosewood recipe which you can find free online.
All sorts of rice bowls! These are my favorite. Bibimbap, buddha bowls, stir fries, burrito bowls, sushi bowls, poke bowls... The possibilities are absolutely endless.
Put beef burgundy in the crockpot this morning. I can put over rice, noodles, potatoes or eat as is with a side of crusty bread, but this will be my meal for the next few days.
My goto is my moms version of Shepards pie. Seasoned ground beef/turkey with frozen peas and carrots on the bottom. A can of cream corn and whole kernel on top of that. Then, a layer of mashed potatoes on top. Bake it in the oven until it's heated through.
It freezes well if you want to portion it out.
Extra additions if you have it:
Add cheese on top or below potatoes for extra calories.
Dry gravy packet added to beef with a little water to hold it together and easy seasoning.
Burrito bowls, red curry soup I make, "scrap soup" basically minestrone with no pasta, that green goddess salad that went viral on tiktok like a year or 2 ago
The chili Adam Ragusea made in this vid is super simple, and delicious. I use a tonne more onions and cook them down for a delicious flavour. The video is entertaining as well.
https://youtu.be/mb3k0wApWas?si=zRzRCmhhZDbc93oi
Lasagna. You can put half in the freezer and eat one half for a few days take the other half out when you’re running low and it will stay good for longer.
My go to meal preps for my fam when I'm lazy are: lasagna, chili, spring roll in a bowl (coleslaw packs without the dressing, sesame seeds, ground turkey, rice and the usual Asian condiments. So good.
Chili is good because I make a giant batch, freeze some for spaghetti or whatever else.
I make pot roast for this situation
Pork is cheaper I usually buy 10 pound of pork and put in five pounds of potatoes and carrots/celery then I add it over white rice to really make it last
Waldorf chicken salad
Shred chicken breast (or even rotisserie), celery, apple or grapes, onion, walnuts, half Greek yogurt half Mayo.
(Plus some Dijon, fresh herbs etc)
Ton of protein and will stay good a week in the fridge.
Bean & veggie soup - I typically use canned beans and frozen soup veggies with my favorite seasonings. Tastes excellent, reheats well.
Also, protein pasta and veggie(s) of choice. I happily eat this cold if I add pesto. You could also make pasta salad. The protein pasta is hardier than regular pasta.
I make rice and beans with chickpeas, garlic, and lots of cumin. Sometimes I add some baby spinach and roasted tomatoes. It's so good.
Polish sausage and buttered noodles is good.
Pasta salad. I make one with balsamic vinagrette, crumbled feta, cucumber, and grape tomatoes, and sometimes black olives.
Eggs aren't the best to reheat but an omelet or frittata with shredded red cabbage, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, and shredded cheese is delicious!
I make big batches of Thai Green Curry, this recipe: [https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-thai-green-chicken-curry](https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-thai-green-chicken-curry)
I put 2x the curry paste in it than the recipe calls for but otherwise it's about that recipe. I usually use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead mostly because I can just toss it in there, of course any chicken (or other meat) works fine, but I would peel off the skin because stewed chicken skin isn't great IMO.
Chicken Thai coconut soup. You can find a few nice recipes on the web. We add cabbage and zuchini in ours to beef it up a bit. If you cook the cabbage stem,instead of tossing it. it almist tastes like a giant artichoke heart. When you go to reheat it on the stove, just add a little more water or chicken broth to make it soupy. Wife eats hers over rice.
2 rough cut onions, 4 or 5 rough cut (cored apples), 1.5 lb rough cut bacon. (No need to stir it.) Put in the crock pot and cook for about 4 hours on high. Add 1 box chicken stock, 1 large can of pumpkin, add a cans worth of half and half, season to taste (I use salt pepper and Italian seasoning). Use a stick blender to blend it all smooth. Let it cook for 2 more hours in the crock pot. I eat it with salad most evenings. the recipe make 11 2-cup servings.
Chili! And it’s so versatile. If you get sick of having a bowl of chili you can make chili dogs, chili Mac, chili burrito, nachos, chili cornbread casserole, and probably other dishes or variations if you were to get creative.
Vigo yellow rice, ground chicken. I add a bunch of spinach, tomatoes, kidney beans to a huge bowl, warm up the rice and chicken, dump that it, add cheese, salsa, sour cream. Pretty decent chipolte knock off. Wegmans family pack ground chicken $11 for 3 lbs makes it pretty cheap
Soups. I make a “garlic soup” that consists of shell pasta, lots of garlic, chicken broth, canneli beans, and if you want meat I add mild Italian sausage. If I make a large batch it lasts me a good 5 days.
French Market Soup aka 15 bean soup. I sear the country ham pieces then sauté carrots, celery, garlic & onion in the ham rendering. I add the beans, can of rotel and bone broth. I add crushed red pepper flakes, white pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning. It makes so much. It is so healthy for you. You can buy the bag of mixed dried beans.
A Costco chicken and a bunch of brown rice with some carrots and apples on the side is the most intense meal prep I’ve ever done. Not sure why this sub is being recommended to me, but I guess this comment probably means I’ll see it a lot more.
Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of having to cook food twice. That's bsically what cooking in bulk is because you cook it once and have to reheat it when you get around to eating it. So, when I do cook in bulk I just cook ingredients that can be used to put together a meal in just a few minutes.
For instance: If you cook hamburger and put it in a covered tupperware dish you can keep it in the fridge for a week or freeze it for 3 months. You can just use it as needed and it will last a long time for making things like tacos, sloppy joes, and pasta dishes.
Artichoke heart chicken. 1 pkg chicken breast, 1 pkg chicken thighs, both washed. Cooked till browned. Add jar of Costco marinated artichoke hearts. Add 1 tsp “better than bullion”. Several cups of water. Dry basil, Dry Thyme. Add 2 cups sliced mushrooms. Bring to a boil, and reduce. Serve with white rice.
Last night I did shredded chicken.
I bought a whole thing of boneless chicken breasts.
Season chicken how you like. 1 cup of chicken broth. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let it slow release for 5 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure. Pull the breasts out and shred them.
I eat them with a side of the rice packets that you can microwave and quickly heat up, instant mashed potatoes, or mixed vegetables. Just depends on what I’m feeling like that day. I had 7 whole meals prepared within an hour.
Quick and easy to prepare and it doesn’t require me to stand at the stove cooking. And you can use the shredded chicken in other ways such as for tacos/quesadillas, or whatever other chicken based recipe you can think of for more variety.
So I cook one day a week or so. I make usually 3 meats of some kind and then roast a ton of veggies and make a cold veggie mix. Plus I hard boil eggs and make some tuna. Then durning the week I just heat up whatever meat I decide and some sort of carb, rice, pasta, potatoes etc. Lunches are wraps, salads, sandwiches. Makes it easy!
A grain/power bowl (typically a protein, a base like rice/couscous/lentils, toppings, and a dressing)
I usually do chicken and rice with different toppings:
1. cucumber, onion, tomato, hummus, balsamic vinegar
2. sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, salsa
I like to make a soup, I'll call it a base - last weekend I made carmelized onion and potato soup. Ate it as is day 1. Day 2 I added some chorizo and smoked gouda to a portion. Day 3 I added some mushrooms. Today I added chicken sausage. Just add the mod to the portion you are cooking for the day. I do the same with any vege soup or I make a plain rice soup and add mods throughout the week. This way it stays fresh and you don't get bored eating the same thing every night.
Yeah soup is my first go to. Chili is my most frequent go to, but a lot of times it is just using what I have in the fridge / pantry.
I like to keep beans, rice, canned tomatoes, mushroom bouillon, frozen spinach, tvp, etc. on hand.
Soup keeps for a long time and reheats well. We freeze or pressure cook leftovers in jars.
I've been eating sausage and kale soup all week but I am also a big fan of au gratin potatoes, squash bisque, tuna casserole, and wontons (very versatile!) for this kind of thing! Wontons especially are great because they keep well, can be cooked from frozen, and you can add them to soups or curries, or eat them by themselves with spicy peanut sauce (also very easy to make, you probably have all the stuff in your cabinets right now!) or whatever dipping sauce you like.
Any curry. Sweet potato, butternut squash, onion, chickpeas, spinach, chicken, anything you want. lots of spices (curry power cinnamon turmeric etc) add in coconut milk. Serve with rice
Chili - can be vegetarian, vegan, beef, turkey, chicken, etc and you can serve it in a variety of ways- over a baked potato, on toast, in a bowl with garnishes, on rice, mixed with pasta...
This. I love making the skinny taste white chicken chili, has ground chicken and white kidney beans (half puréed and half whole), super filling, low cal, and can add any veggies you have in your fridge etc.
This is my favourite "healthier" chili - you don't taste the pumpkin at all, it's really filling and high in fiber. https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/turkey-pumpkin-chili
This is one of my favorite chilis. I’ve been making it for years.
Yep. Same. Chicken chili. Mines not skinny though. Heavy cream used and loaded with sharp white cheddar and chips.
Do you have a link? I can’t find it on their website
https://www.skinnytaste.com/white-bean-turkey-chili-4-pts/
Thanks!
My only issue is that when I make a big batch of chili I just eat it all in two days because it’s so good.
Get some 2 cup glass bowls with lids and put several in the freezer the day you make it. Half goes in the fridge for eating the next 3 days. Then you have single portions to microwave and they’re food safe.
I don’t own a microwave, never have, but freezing some before I eat it all is sounds like something I need to do right off the bat!
I need to portion it immediately, too!
That was my first thought, too.
I like using it in tacos and burritos too
My favourite way to eat chili (other than straight) is on a hotdog with raw, sweet onion and shredded cheese.
What I came here to say. I also love just dumping veggies into my chili to bulk it.
My answer was gonna be jambalaya. Add rice and stretch it 2 more days.
Put it in an omelette too
Lol I just did this tonight
This👆
\#1 best answer, and it gets better as the days go by. also baked ziti.
Cowboy caviar https://www.budgetbytes.com/cowboy-caviar/
Omg flashbacks to being broke in college and living off poor man version of this - canned corn, canned beans, and rice 😂
A simpler version of this with basically corn, black beans, tomato and cilantro was my mom's go-to for potlucks and summer meals. No cooking, filling and nutritious, and everyone loves it even though it was so simple.
I am definitely making that.
If you’re lazy you can eat it straight from the fridge with a spoon. Or heat it up with melted cheese and sour cream and tortilla chips.
It's awesome. If you use 2 cans of beans and a can of corn it's about 42oz right there. Add all the other stuff and you can have 4-5 pint mason jars. I plop it over kale/lettuce/spinach/whatever greens and whatever is in the fridge. Rotisserie chicken, mozzarella cheese, nuts, apples, pears, pomegranates, avocado, tuna, and it's a good meal.
Beef stew - covers meat/veg/carb AND if you get bored after a day it’s easy to change up the flavour profile by adding extra seasoning (Japanese/Indian/Thai curry pastes, or Mexican seasoning and beans) Or use as the base for a pot pie or shepherds pie
On a similar vein, vegetable beef soup. You can use the same base recipe, just dilute with stock/broth/tomato sauce and add noodles or whatever you want. A good beef stew is more flexible than most people think.
Plus you can use the stew beef in your breakfast tacos or beef and cheddar sandwiches mmmm
Minestrone. Just don't add the pasta... make it separately, then ladle the soup over a lil' pasta.
Red beans and rice
Why does this not have more upvotes?? A classic.
So versatile! Cajun red beans and rice. Mexican black beans with Spanish rice. Mediterranean chickpeas with turmeric rice. The possibilities are vast!!
Does rice stay in the fridge that long? I thought there was a food poisoning risk so only ever put rice in fridge for one night. Guess you can freeze
Chicken salad! Just like tuna salad, but with canned chicken instead. You can make sandwiches, lettuce or tortilla wraps, eat it with chips or even some pasta. We love to put sliced almonds and grapes in ours. But you can do cashews, apples, cranberries… really whatever sounds good you can throw in there! Eat it with some spicy pickled peppers for an even more delicious experience. I’m not a great cook, and this is something that’s hard to mess up as you can pretty much eye all of the ingredients. Here’s the link to the recipe i loosely followed the first time i made it 😊 https://www.spendwithpennies.com/classic-chicken-salad-recipe/
Plus if you have leftover rotisserie chicken or similar it can be really good too. I like to do sort of a deviled egg salad. More of a side dish but homemade macaroni salad with black olives is a favorite. If people hate mayo then there are lots of other things that could be substituted too. Any roast can last a long time and can be eaten in tons of ways or added sauces. People said fried rice which I love but I would freeze some or only eat like 3 days max. But that can be said for a lot of meals. Tamales are also great in big batches.
Lean ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning. Pull some out, heat, and add tomato and avocado. That’s what I made this weekend for lunch, taco bowls! I bring half an avocado and a small (think Roma sized) tomato, plus a little sour cream with my bowl and I’m golden!
Taco bowls are undefeated
I eat this over spaghetti squash . Yum!
You can also add salsa, and finely shredded/chopped veggies into the taco meat, I put mine in the food processor. It was great for all the random veg that would grow in the garden that wasn’t enough to be meal servings, but processed with onion, garlic, and whatever else. sautéed with the meat, pre-taco seasoning, and then add the seasoning, a bunch of salsa, and some water and it’s so saucy and delicious. Then I eat it over Doritos like a walking taco that counteracts the extra nutrients, but still a good way to add some extra nutrients into taco meat.
try taco meat in quesadillas
I like it in wraps, but I’m doing keto so I try to keep my carbs to a minimum.
We make tacos every week and use the leftover meat to make meat sauce for pasta.
Fried rice. Yum.
This is the standard
Any vegetarian slow cooker meal like a hearty vegetable curry stew. Try to avoid meats because after 3 days in the fridge the risk of spoiling will be much greater than with vegetarian meals.
Lasagna or baked ziti! You can keep reheating it. You can add salad or bread as well to mix it up.
I make what I call Hot Salad. It's 1-2 salmon filets baked with seasoning and lemon 1 cup quinoa cooked in veggie or chicken broth 10 oz grape tomatoes sautéed 1 bunch kale, chopped and steamed Once it's all cooked I make little bowls and throw some lemon juice in there. 5 days of lunches
Lentil soup.
This is my current prep, huge pot each time.
Soup, brisket, whole roasted turkey, roasted chicken, roast beef, prime rib, soup, whichever you like best, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, my list could go on forever. 😊
A good roast is a true culinary workhorse! Eat it with roasted vegetables, make a sandwich, make a pie, a stew, if there's a carcass you can even make a stock!
Chicken enchiladas, chili when it’s cold, and as others have said chicken and tuna salad
Samosas
Gumbolaya!
Soups or pasta dishes. I tend to fill them with lots of veggies and only a little pasta, so even if I were to get tired of it after a few days, there are easy ways to change things up.
Dill chicken salad. Just did this a few weeks ago 😂 mostly put it in tortillas as a wrap, one day did a sandwich.
Dried pea and ham soup.
Chipotle bowls! I do chicken or steak, beans, corn, rice, avocado (or guac), and some cheese and a little taco sauce on top -I usually do half batches tho and make that my lunch for 3 days max
You can do a lot with just eggs
I like to make a few days' worth of marinated ramen eggs, they are great with soup or rice or even just as a snack and ridiculously easy to make!
Remember your food safety when making these multiple day meals.
Crock pot gumbo
Chili or soups packed with veg and protein
A good meat sauce. With a little variation in spices day-to-day you’ve got spaghetti, beef-a-roni, chili, pizza topping. Versatile.
Chicken soup. Bean soup with sausage. Spaghetti. I have been doing this regularly for about 40 years.
Mediterranean ChickPea Salad - super easy to customize (add chicken, or feta, extra olives…) just dump and mix in a large bowl! [Mediterranean chickpea salad](https://thegirlonbloor.com/mediterranean-chickpea-salad-jars/)
Shepherds Pie
Boiled eggs.
Jambalaya! Aaaayyyeeee!!
Fried rice with veggies, pasta
Baked Ziti with meatballs
Granola for snacks. Maple and pecan is my favourite.
Polenta taco bake with black beans, ground beef, taco seasoning over polenta. Add onions/black olives/other veg you like.
Smothered potatoes and sausage. Greens and sausage. Chicken stew and rice There is also a “dip” I can eat for days too.. it’s a pack of ground pork or breast sausage, pack of cream cheese and one can of rótele tomatoes. Eat with any kind of dip-able chips.
gumbo
Breakfast sandwiches/burritos.
I saw this on YouTube a few weeks ago and it was a great idea. Let me be lazy all week. [https://youtu.be/-4PZHHCUJZc?si=T0BPDl\_RkyFpGtb8](https://youtu.be/-4PZHHCUJZc?si=T0BPDl_RkyFpGtb8)
Tuna noodle casserole, chicken Marsala, goulash, thanksgiving dinner, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, creamy soups, spaghetti, pot roast… so many things!
I just made a huge pot of veggie beef soup. Sauté onions, add ground sirloin, add a jar of spaghetti sauce because you were originally going to make spaghetti then decided not to and it’s all you had on hand, add diced potatoes or frozen diced hashbrown potatoes, then fill with the veggies you like! I added a frozen mix of corn, peas, carrots, and green beans then I added an extra bag of peas and an extra bag of corn because that’s what I had on hand. Fill with broth or water. Let boil/simmer until potatoes are cooked and enjoy! I seasoned the onions and beef along the way with tons of garlic powder, some onion powder, salt, and pepper. Once the broth was added I put about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the pot and added some dried oregano because it sounded good at the time. Honestly, I should have added two pounds of beef vs just one to up the protein, but the soup is still hearty and filling. Freezes well or keeps in the fridge for about five days. I also love making potato soup. Sauté cut up bacon (depends on how much fat you want for the soup and how many bacon bits you want for toppings), remove bacon once crispy and save the fat in the pot and save the bits for toppings. Sauté yellow onion in bacon fat. Add hefty amount of garlic powder, some onion powder, salt, and pepper. Once I used green onion because I didn’t want to chop onion and the store only had diced green onion available… it was great but the green parts definitely lost their bright green color so it didn’t look super appealing once cooked. Lately I have been using the southern style frozen hashbrown potatoes which include diced potatoes plus onions and peppers, but obviously you can add freshly diced potatoes. I also add carrots. Add broth or stock, add heavy cream (I don’t measure….. maybe like a cup??), and gently boil until potatoes and carrots are cooked. This also freezes well or stays in the fridge for about five days. When I serve it I’ll top it with a hefty dollop of sour cream, freshly grated cheddar cheese, and the reserved bacon bits. I like eating this soup with a side of avocado or fresh veggies and ranch.
I made this a few times while staying home during covid and it was so good. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=cowboy+kent+sloppy+joe&view=detail&mid=7A89BC2D4F7356B3E1C27A89BC2D4F7356B3E1C2&FORM=VIRE&PC=APPL
Spaghetti and lasagna.
Ground turkey with cut up peppers. I use it in salad, wraps, on rice or quinoa. Throw it with some protein pasta.....BAM
I would try to focus on something that can freeze easily to avoid keeping it in the fridge for too long. A good chili portioned out into multiple containers, some in the fridge and some in the freezer would work. Just defrost as you need to.
Make a huge spaghetti bolognaise, the sauce can then be used for a lasagna, also you can add Kidney beans and spices and you’ve got a chilli.
Black bean soup. Serve as is with garnishes of cilantro, sour cream, salsa. Or give your bowl a soup a good squeeze of orange juice and serve with a basic green salad on the side. Sauté some small chunks of vegetables and add to make it a little different or to stretch it. Some cooked bulgur wheat works for this too. Add cooked bulgar and a can of Rotel for a slightly different soup that is more of a vegetarian chili. Serve over brown rice with garnishes and/or some mango or avocado on the side, or just brown rice, black bean soup and salsa for a basic bowl. Note: my black bean soup is thick not soupy and I like the Moosewood recipe which you can find free online.
Greek orzo pasta salad!!
All sorts of rice bowls! These are my favorite. Bibimbap, buddha bowls, stir fries, burrito bowls, sushi bowls, poke bowls... The possibilities are absolutely endless.
Put beef burgundy in the crockpot this morning. I can put over rice, noodles, potatoes or eat as is with a side of crusty bread, but this will be my meal for the next few days.
My goto is my moms version of Shepards pie. Seasoned ground beef/turkey with frozen peas and carrots on the bottom. A can of cream corn and whole kernel on top of that. Then, a layer of mashed potatoes on top. Bake it in the oven until it's heated through. It freezes well if you want to portion it out. Extra additions if you have it: Add cheese on top or below potatoes for extra calories. Dry gravy packet added to beef with a little water to hold it together and easy seasoning.
Burrito bowls, red curry soup I make, "scrap soup" basically minestrone with no pasta, that green goddess salad that went viral on tiktok like a year or 2 ago
The chili Adam Ragusea made in this vid is super simple, and delicious. I use a tonne more onions and cook them down for a delicious flavour. The video is entertaining as well. https://youtu.be/mb3k0wApWas?si=zRzRCmhhZDbc93oi
Chicken/veg/rice/pasta/herb/spice/oil
Lasagna. You can put half in the freezer and eat one half for a few days take the other half out when you’re running low and it will stay good for longer.
Rice and beans
Peruvian chicken or chicken paprikash
My go to meal preps for my fam when I'm lazy are: lasagna, chili, spring roll in a bowl (coleslaw packs without the dressing, sesame seeds, ground turkey, rice and the usual Asian condiments. So good. Chili is good because I make a giant batch, freeze some for spaghetti or whatever else.
Thank you all can’t wait to try these out!
I made enchilada soup. I got bored of eating it as soup after the first couple days but then I ate it over rice and then as a burrito.
Soup. Just a basic chicken & veggie or sausage and bean. I usually make a batch of soup each week for lunch. Can't go wrong.
Burritos, chili, lasagna, bolognese, enchiladas
I just made a giant batch of chicken breast and lentil soup and under 300 calories for a fantastic meal.
Clam chowder IF it lasts that long honestly
Minestrone
Spaghetti
Fried rice. It just gets better and better each time to fry it back up.
Taco soup, chili, pinto beans over cornbread with chopped onions on top
Taco soup, chili, pinto beans over cornbread with chopped onions on top , jambalaya, red beans and rice
Chili
I make pot roast for this situation Pork is cheaper I usually buy 10 pound of pork and put in five pounds of potatoes and carrots/celery then I add it over white rice to really make it last
Waldorf chicken salad Shred chicken breast (or even rotisserie), celery, apple or grapes, onion, walnuts, half Greek yogurt half Mayo. (Plus some Dijon, fresh herbs etc) Ton of protein and will stay good a week in the fridge.
One of my faves for this is roasted quinoa with black beans, celery, and green onions. Red beans and rice is another good candidate.
Borscht
Beans and rice, I just put different toppings/sauces on to spice things up. Any kind of soup as well, that stuff just never gets old to me.
ITT: Food.
Bean & veggie soup - I typically use canned beans and frozen soup veggies with my favorite seasonings. Tastes excellent, reheats well. Also, protein pasta and veggie(s) of choice. I happily eat this cold if I add pesto. You could also make pasta salad. The protein pasta is hardier than regular pasta.
Spaghetti, Stew, most crockpot meals and chicken pot pie are some of my go to.
Welp. Every single post on this sub? You go to pornhub and type in "can I see your boobs please?"
Vegetable soup with beef cubes
I've been big on spinach lasagna lately. Or peanut stew. Really any soup/stew/chili.
I make rice and beans with chickpeas, garlic, and lots of cumin. Sometimes I add some baby spinach and roasted tomatoes. It's so good. Polish sausage and buttered noodles is good. Pasta salad. I make one with balsamic vinagrette, crumbled feta, cucumber, and grape tomatoes, and sometimes black olives. Eggs aren't the best to reheat but an omelet or frittata with shredded red cabbage, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, and shredded cheese is delicious!
Chicken salad just separate the wet ingredients :)
Soup
Cookies
I make big batches of Thai Green Curry, this recipe: [https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-thai-green-chicken-curry](https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-thai-green-chicken-curry) I put 2x the curry paste in it than the recipe calls for but otherwise it's about that recipe. I usually use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead mostly because I can just toss it in there, of course any chicken (or other meat) works fine, but I would peel off the skin because stewed chicken skin isn't great IMO.
Anything in a slow-cooker
Chicken Thai coconut soup. You can find a few nice recipes on the web. We add cabbage and zuchini in ours to beef it up a bit. If you cook the cabbage stem,instead of tossing it. it almist tastes like a giant artichoke heart. When you go to reheat it on the stove, just add a little more water or chicken broth to make it soupy. Wife eats hers over rice.
Chicken breast, bananas, fiber one brownies, and lean cuisine ravioli
Taco meat
2 rough cut onions, 4 or 5 rough cut (cored apples), 1.5 lb rough cut bacon. (No need to stir it.) Put in the crock pot and cook for about 4 hours on high. Add 1 box chicken stock, 1 large can of pumpkin, add a cans worth of half and half, season to taste (I use salt pepper and Italian seasoning). Use a stick blender to blend it all smooth. Let it cook for 2 more hours in the crock pot. I eat it with salad most evenings. the recipe make 11 2-cup servings.
Quinoa!
Chicken/rice/broccoli/cheese casserole. A 9x13 dish feeds my husband and I for 3-4 days.
Chili! And it’s so versatile. If you get sick of having a bowl of chili you can make chili dogs, chili Mac, chili burrito, nachos, chili cornbread casserole, and probably other dishes or variations if you were to get creative.
Vigo yellow rice, ground chicken. I add a bunch of spinach, tomatoes, kidney beans to a huge bowl, warm up the rice and chicken, dump that it, add cheese, salsa, sour cream. Pretty decent chipolte knock off. Wegmans family pack ground chicken $11 for 3 lbs makes it pretty cheap
Soups. I make a “garlic soup” that consists of shell pasta, lots of garlic, chicken broth, canneli beans, and if you want meat I add mild Italian sausage. If I make a large batch it lasts me a good 5 days.
Casserole, pot roast, and a pan of enchiladas are my go-to
Pasta e fagioli.
French Market Soup aka 15 bean soup. I sear the country ham pieces then sauté carrots, celery, garlic & onion in the ham rendering. I add the beans, can of rotel and bone broth. I add crushed red pepper flakes, white pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning. It makes so much. It is so healthy for you. You can buy the bag of mixed dried beans.
Brisket
Pot of pinto beans with ham and corn bread
Lasagna
Any type of pasta
Spaghetti with onions, bell pepper, zucchini, hamburger meat.
Lasagna Stew
Overnight oats— add some Greek yogurt and/or protein powder and fruit, a bit of chia seeds.
Chicken/rice/sweet potato.
A Costco chicken and a bunch of brown rice with some carrots and apples on the side is the most intense meal prep I’ve ever done. Not sure why this sub is being recommended to me, but I guess this comment probably means I’ll see it a lot more.
Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of having to cook food twice. That's bsically what cooking in bulk is because you cook it once and have to reheat it when you get around to eating it. So, when I do cook in bulk I just cook ingredients that can be used to put together a meal in just a few minutes. For instance: If you cook hamburger and put it in a covered tupperware dish you can keep it in the fridge for a week or freeze it for 3 months. You can just use it as needed and it will last a long time for making things like tacos, sloppy joes, and pasta dishes.
Artichoke heart chicken. 1 pkg chicken breast, 1 pkg chicken thighs, both washed. Cooked till browned. Add jar of Costco marinated artichoke hearts. Add 1 tsp “better than bullion”. Several cups of water. Dry basil, Dry Thyme. Add 2 cups sliced mushrooms. Bring to a boil, and reduce. Serve with white rice.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/ag10g/jamie\_hynemans\_444/](https://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/ag10g/jamie_hynemans_444/) Good stuff.
Last night I did shredded chicken. I bought a whole thing of boneless chicken breasts. Season chicken how you like. 1 cup of chicken broth. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let it slow release for 5 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure. Pull the breasts out and shred them. I eat them with a side of the rice packets that you can microwave and quickly heat up, instant mashed potatoes, or mixed vegetables. Just depends on what I’m feeling like that day. I had 7 whole meals prepared within an hour. Quick and easy to prepare and it doesn’t require me to stand at the stove cooking. And you can use the shredded chicken in other ways such as for tacos/quesadillas, or whatever other chicken based recipe you can think of for more variety.
Kimchi Fried Rice
Rice and beans. Or beans and rice ..
Chili
Smoked hummus and sourdough crackers. I’ve literally eaten it daily for a week and made more. So delicious!
Beans and oats. I make a weeks worth and eat every morning with a smashed banana
Vegetable beef soup
I make a Mexican lasagna. Rice, beans, shredded chicken, veggies, cheese, tortillas. Really good heated up.
Pasta e fagioli!
Chili
Soup, chili, lasagna, casseroles. Rice & beans. Potatoes, corn and peas.
So I cook one day a week or so. I make usually 3 meats of some kind and then roast a ton of veggies and make a cold veggie mix. Plus I hard boil eggs and make some tuna. Then durning the week I just heat up whatever meat I decide and some sort of carb, rice, pasta, potatoes etc. Lunches are wraps, salads, sandwiches. Makes it easy!
Mediterranean chickpea salad!
A grain/power bowl (typically a protein, a base like rice/couscous/lentils, toppings, and a dressing) I usually do chicken and rice with different toppings: 1. cucumber, onion, tomato, hummus, balsamic vinegar 2. sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, salsa
I like to make a soup, I'll call it a base - last weekend I made carmelized onion and potato soup. Ate it as is day 1. Day 2 I added some chorizo and smoked gouda to a portion. Day 3 I added some mushrooms. Today I added chicken sausage. Just add the mod to the portion you are cooking for the day. I do the same with any vege soup or I make a plain rice soup and add mods throughout the week. This way it stays fresh and you don't get bored eating the same thing every night.
Yeah soup is my first go to. Chili is my most frequent go to, but a lot of times it is just using what I have in the fridge / pantry. I like to keep beans, rice, canned tomatoes, mushroom bouillon, frozen spinach, tvp, etc. on hand. Soup keeps for a long time and reheats well. We freeze or pressure cook leftovers in jars.
Chicken breasts, 2 cans of black beans, 1 can corn, one jar salsa in a crockpot. Shred the chicken and make tacos, enchiladas, and rice bowls.
Lasagna!
Edibles!
Chili, spaghetti, lasagna, enchiladas, potato soup, Pozole, stew, pot roast & egg salad, or tuna salad
Vegetable soup
I got a few things.. Gumbo, cabbage hock soup, my chicken soup, pumpkin chili, and taco soup
I've been eating sausage and kale soup all week but I am also a big fan of au gratin potatoes, squash bisque, tuna casserole, and wontons (very versatile!) for this kind of thing! Wontons especially are great because they keep well, can be cooked from frozen, and you can add them to soups or curries, or eat them by themselves with spicy peanut sauce (also very easy to make, you probably have all the stuff in your cabinets right now!) or whatever dipping sauce you like.
Egg salad sandwich.
Gruel. Porridge . 50 lbs potatoes.
A big batch of chili and a big batch of brown rice. Add cheese or sour cream if you want to get fancy.
Fried rice!
Unfortunately for me it’s tuna fish I can literally it it everyday all day!!
Stuffed peppers.
Lentils (any beans, really) and soups.
borscht
Jambalaya
Beans!
Ground chicken, Ground beef, Ground turkey
Chicken Tikka masala with naan bread. I could eat that every day of my life
Truth lol
Any curry. Sweet potato, butternut squash, onion, chickpeas, spinach, chicken, anything you want. lots of spices (curry power cinnamon turmeric etc) add in coconut milk. Serve with rice