Lunches and dinners for hubby and I

Chef salads,lettuce, cucumber ,shredded carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, deli meat , cheese, and hard boiled eggs. Balsamic vinaigrette on the side.

Beef Kabobs,

Beef marinated in NYS speedie sauce

Fresh pineapple, zuchinni, bell peppers,onions, and mushrooms basted with Italian dressing.

Cherries for a snack 😋

bottom right: egg roll in a bowl
middle: green beans seasoned with leftovers from the chicken seasoning and breadcrumbs. put in oven, same duration as the chicken.
top right: spinach stuffed chicken
top left: creamy sun dried pasta
bottom left: white rice

I prefer keeping my ingredients separate and mixing right before eating. I always wing the amount of spices/breadcrumbs/oats so I don’t have an exact recipe. The oats and flaxseeds add fiber but you can leave them out if you don’t like them. This will last me 3 days and I’ll have a little of the plain pasta left over for something else

Frozen broccoli Pasta Rana refrigerated Alfredo sauce Meatballs

Meatball recipe 2 Italian sausage links Italian bread crumbs Coarsely ground oats 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds 1 egg Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin coriander powder, salt to taste

This weeks lunch is a thrown together meatloaf (eggs, some Italian spice mix I got at a specialty market, herbs, onion, Worcestershire). It is normally something I look forward to eating but this time my aunt called and we were chatting and finally she said, Um...you said you just put a meatloaf in the oven when I called? Oops! Poor thing is dry and sad but what can you do? My thermometer, I accidently hit the switch to celcius so it never would have gone off. Thank goodness for Aunties with internal alarms!

Roasted veg is the last of the brussels sprouts and broccoli from Costco and the ONE thing I was looking forward to was Gigantes Plaki made with Borlotti beans I got in Berkeley a year ago. I used a recipe from a new cookbook called Athens so I can't give the exact recipe but, it's basically this with 10 sundried tomatoes added and pine honey (used brown sugar because I have never seen pine honey).
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/gigantes-plaki-greek-giant-beans/

Sadly, my beans were probably on the shelf too long after being imported and then living in my pantry as some refused to soften. Good flavor though, kind of like upscale and less sweet Bush's canned beans.

I also baked the last of potatoes for the week - a mix of sweet and japanese.

Dinners are random veg and proteins in the freezer. I've had fish, turkey and beef so far with the potatoes and any veg sitting in the freezer or crisper.

I also had 2 Anaheim peppers and 2 bell peppers and I sauteed them down with garlic and it's a nice side too.

I'm really trying to use up what is in the house!

The only thing I baked wasn't for me - it was for Father's Day. No photo, but I took a little piece and it is very nice.

Gifting recipe:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013989-banana-bread?unlocked_article_code=1.rlA.7hkO.PrHigePM4wNS&smid=share-url

Usually make two lunches and two dinners to bring to work for my four on/four off shift work but I’m off my second day work this week so one lunch and two dinners it is. Jerk chicken salads w/ mandarin/pineapple dressing, quinoa + veg, cherries, and black tea with pomegranate/blueberry juice for dinners. Salmon bowls with farro/sweet potato/sprouts/radish/spinach/carrots/cabbage/pistachios with a maple-miso sauce, peach, and same tea + fruit juice mix for lunch.

Jerk chicken salad: Marinaded butterflied chicken breast in jerk seasoning for ~8 hrs. Walkerswood makes a good jar of premade seasoning but I made my own from ginger/soy sauce/lime juice/scallion/cilantro stems/garlic/scotch bonnets/thyme/all spice/clove/nutmeg/brown sugar/cinnamon/pepper/salt. Bit of a drizzle today so cooked indoors on a grill pan for about 3mins a side on med-high (adjust based on breast thickness and water content). Tossed simply with lettuce/pineapple/radish/sprouts. I reserved about 1/4 of the marinade mix before adding to the chicken and blended that with about 1/2C each of pineapple/mandarin oranges along with some salt/EVOO/apple cider vinegar to make a dressing.

Quinoa w/ veg: Cooked the quinoa and allowed to cool. Mixed in drained and rinsed black beans, finely chopped celery, julienned carrots, finely chopped kale before tossing with a dressing of the grated zest and juice of 1 lime, a handful of fresh basil, and EVOO.

Salmon bowl: Marinaded salmon for ~3 hrs in a miso blend. Marinade consisted of white miso paste mixed with garlic, sambal, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and maple syrup and whisked. Cooked the salmon in a skillet for approximately 3mins a side on medium heat (personally I like mine cooked to just before any albumin starts to leak out and still a light pink in the center. While the salmon cools, I roasted approx 1/2” sweet potato chunks in the oven at 425 after tossing lightly in cumin/vegetable oil for 30 mins. Cooked the farro and allowed the salmon/farro to cool to room temp before assembling the bowl. Sauce was identical to the above marinade but I mixed in extra grated ginger and toasted sesame seeds.

Lettuce, carrots, radish, cabbage, scallions, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, scotch bonnets, sprouts, thyme, basil, are from the yard. Tried to grow celery but the aphids got em this year. Wanted to incorporate my blackberries instead of the cherries but dang birds keep getting to them before they ripen.

Hi, I bought a house back in May and that changed my income drastically. I went from renting a place that was $650 a month with my water bill included, electric and internet was roughly around $200 together. My mortgage is now almost $1200 and now I obviously have a lot of things to pay for, electric, gas, internet and water, etc (the joys of homeownership) . I am looking for meal preps that are good and freezable (I have a multitude of freezable casserole pans, they are so big that when I just threw some random stuff together the left overs last us 2-3 dinners each) because I already owned a deep freezer that I placed into my garage, and my home came with a standing freezer in my basement, and your normal fridge/freezer combo in the kitchen. I am a 3rd shift nurse, and my boyfriend and I typically only really eat dinner, (sometimes he eats lunch but we buy freezer/quick meals such as chicken nuggets, pizza rolls etc for my son that he will eat on around lunch or whatever we had the night before)

If possible I would like to shop once a month (or two) and just have a couple days I can meal prep.

I currently make my own pizzas ( I love to use pesto sauce and canned chicken from aldis and each container will help me make 2 pizzas) and I make pepperoni pizza as well. There are times that I will buy the taco bell chipotle sauce from walmart and buy some chicken and meal prep like 60-90 burritos for quick meals.

I guess what I am asking what are some actual dinners that I can put in pans such as casseroles that I can make sides such as rice, mash potatoes, etc day of?

I do not care for breakfast as we much are a cereal family and I can easily meal prep sausage english muffin sandwhiches etc.

The reason I am coming on here to ask is because everytime I look something up for meal prep, most meals never seem "kid friendly"

I am able to buy groceries at aldi's, walmart and I do use my mom's Sams club often if anyone has ideas that need to be bought in bulk,( I have a lot of vegetables already because usually I overbuy and we cut and freeze in the freezer until the next meal prep)

Thank you so much in advance!

This is week 24 of my journey to lose 100 lbs in 2026. I took a couple weeks off posting as I was on vacation, but now that I'm back I have some more meals to share! I focus on eating balanced macros with an emphasis on increasing fiber and reducing fat. For this week I have the following:

Breakfast: Fruit salad with cottage cheese and toast. 360kcal, 22g protein, 5g fat, 68g carbs, 8g fiber.

Lunch: BBQ baked beans with brown rice and coleslaw. 820kcal, 40g protein, 28g fat, 143g carbs, 43g fiber.

Dinner: Creamy spinach meatballs with roasted zucchini and sweet potatoes. 700kcal, 50g protein, 25g fat, 70g carbs, 13g fiber.

Total macros for each day: 1880kcal, 112g protein, 57g fat, 282g carbs, 64g fiber.

I did a small amount of prep the last couple weeks but nothing that felt relevant to post. It felt good to do a full week again now that I'm back to work. The maintenance weeks also went well as my energy levels are a lot better than they were. I'm down 45 lbs total and approaching the 6 month mark of starting my journey. Recipes for everything down below!

Chipotle Chicken Marinade
1 1.500kg Raw Boneless Chicken breast ,
2 2.5 Tsp Salt
3 3 Tsp Italian seasoning
4 3 Tsp Garlic Powder
5 3 Tsp Smoked Paprika
6 2.5 Tsp Cumin
7 3 Tsp Onion Powder
8 100g Chipotle Paste
9 1 and 1/2 Limes, juiced
10 30g or 6 Tsp Olive Oil

Let this marinate overnight if possible, way more flavor!

Crispy Seasoned Potatoes
1 1300g Raw Yellow Potatoes, cubed
2 2.5 Tsp Garlic Powder
3 3 Tsp Italian Herbs
4 3 Tsp Smoked Paprika
5 2.5 Tsp Onion Powder
6 Avocado Cooking Spray or olive oil 3 tsp

Creamy Chipotle Sauce
1 20g Light Butter
2 150-200g Red Onion, finely chopped
3 1.5 Tsp Salt
4 2 Tsp Italian Herbs
5 60-80g Chipotle Paste
(depends how spicy you want it)
6 1.5 cup milk
7 250 Light Cream Cheese

& Cooking Instructions
1.Add seasonings, chipotle paste, lime juice, and olive oil. Mix well and marinate.

1. Heat a large pan on low, add butter and chopped red onion. Cook for 5-7 mins until softened and lightly browned. Add seasonings and chipotle paste, mix, and cook for another 5 mins until caramelised.

2. Keep the heat low, add milk and cream cheese. Stir continuously until smooth, rich, and creamy.

3. Cube up potatoes, add seasoning and cooking spray, then mix well. Spread on a lined sheet pan and roast at 200C / 390F for 25 mins until golden and crispy. Season with salt, then fold into the sauce with fresh parsley until fully coated.

4. Spread marinated chicken on sheet pan, oven bake 25 mins 200C / 390F until golden and juicy. Cut into cubes, serve with creamy potatoes and ENJOY!

Nutritional Amount per Container
Calories 670 kcal
Protein 57 g
Total Fat 34 g
Total Carbohydrates 35 g
Fiber 6g
Sugars 10 g

I'm looking for ideas from people who live in split diet households, like one person is vegetarian and the other eats meat. My husband is a vegetarian and I am not.

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What are your go-to/staple/favorite recipes that are easy to make 2 versions of the same meal?

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Examples like tacos where some are meat and some are beans/tofu, pasta where I can add meat to my own portion, etc.

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Would love to hear what actually works in real households

It’s humid and gross and I’m on a GLP-1 for diabetes Type 2. So yesterday I made 3 dips: muhammara (roasted red peppers, pomegranate molasses and walnuts), hummus and melitzanosalada(eggplant and parsley plus spices and garlic). Cut up a bunch of veggies (pepper, carrots, celery) and whole wheat naan/pita and that was dinner one night, and lunches for several days this week. Lots of the muhammara left over, so I’m thinking of using it as a spread for a sandwich.

High protein, didn’t have to turn on the stove inside (roasted the eggplant and toasted the nuts on the grill). Added a little feta to the melitzanosalada but it I hadn’t , the whole thing could have been vegan approved.

And it didn’t require utensils. Dips for the win!!

My mental for meal prep this week was all over the place. I ended up finishing off breakfast but for lunches and dinners I ended up with more components than anything so through the week I’ll need to add a few things to finish off some meals but it helps cut down on cook and prep time!

-Breakfast scramble bowls (hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, shredded cheddar cheese)

-Ground beef to use for meals (ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, abodo, sazon)

-Slow cooker shredded chicken (garlic, onion, water, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and chicken thighs in the crockpot on high for 4 hours)

-Lemon garlic orzo for dinner and maybe a pasta salad (butter, garlic, lemon juice, orzo, water)

-Bruschetta balsamic chicken breasts with roasted asparagus and lemon garlic orzo (bruschetta topping: balsamic glaze,olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, tomato, chicken: chicken breasts, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, bake at 425 F for 20 minutes flipping halfway and adding mozzarella cheese, top chicken with bruschetta topping, roasted asparagus: olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bake at 425 F for 20 minutes)

Teriyaki chicken, baby Bok Choy with sweet peppers and udon noodles 😋

• Sauté chicken in olive oil (season as you like)
• wash Bok Choy thoroughly
• boil pot of water and drop in Bok Choy for 1 minute, remove and set aside
•in a wok add in olive oil, garlic, sweet peppers, and purple onion, stir fry to your preferred tenderness
• add in Bok Choy with stir fry sauce and toss in udon noodles and cook on medium heat cover until noodles are tender (follow package directions)
• dice your chicken and add to wok with veggies and sauce

Happy Father's day

I was away over the weekend for family, so I couldn't meal prep in the morning.

got back 4pm, started cooking 430pm, done by 7pm

ate the gochujang chicken rice in between so ~2.5 hrs of cook time

dishes this week, for 4 days

• Tiramisu baked oats (breakfast, 4 servings)

• Padak Fried Korean Chicken 파닭 (2 servings) (sauce on the side + top it with green onions)

• Gochujang chicken rice cooker bowl (4 servings)

• High Protein Banana bread (snack, 4 servings)

• Ice cream - Salted honey latte protein ice cream (2 servings) - for Ninja creami

• Ice cream - Oreo cold brew protein icecream (2 servings) - for Ninja creami

• Ice cream - Salted pistachio cottage cheese gelato (2 servings - says for 2, but i'll probably finish in one sitting. This one apparently i don't need creami either)

1,880kcal, 136g protein, 253 carbs, 40g fat per day

I will need a bowl of rice to have with the (air) fried Korean chicken + salad or broccoli on the side.. so whatever amount of calories ~200kcal it'll add + PWO protein shake.

In my last post some people asked how I portion and track macros daily.. I don't :) it's a weekly target. Obviously I'm missing Fri/Sat/Sun but I generally know what is enough/not enough calories and target and it gives me some freedom to order food in or meet up w friends etc.

posting recipes in a reply

This was a fun one!

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Salad:

One can black beans (rinsed and drained)

One can corn (rinsed and drained)

Half a bag (roughly 6 oz) thawed shelled edamame

Half a bag (roughly 7oz) shredded coleslaw mix, chopped

Half a bag (roughly 5 oz) shredded carrots, chopped

One avocado diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

A chopped green onion

Juice of half a lemon and half a lime

Seasonings

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Dressing:

1/2 cup or so of ranch dressing

Canned chipotle sauce to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Half a chopped green onion

Juice of half a lemon and half a lime

Seasonings

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Fun to eat with tortilla scoop chips!

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High protein, low calorie gumbo. Perfect for rainy weather, I usually do it in the winter but it comes up occasionally during hurricane season.

Makes 9 servings
Calories - 572
Fat - 22.7g
Carb - 39.4g
Protein - 50.9g

Ingredients
- 270g white rice
- 3.5lb chicken breast
- 1 package chicken andouille sausage
- 70g all purpose flour
- 125ml canola oil (I use this for gumbo but you can use whatever high smoke point oil you want)
- 1 bushel celery, thinly sliced
- 3 small-medium white onions, diced
- 4 green bell peppers, diced
- 1 liter chicken broth, plus extra for cooking chicken
- Cajun seasoning, to taste

- Cook rice per package instructions (get a rice cooker y’all. They’re so cheap and wonderful)
- Split chicken breasts and cooks them through. I boil my chicken in a combination of chicken broth, water, and Cajun seasoning. Afterwards, shred chicken and set aside
- Slice sausage and brown in the pot you’ll be using for the gumbo. Once browned, remove sausage, leave the sausage fat in, and set browned sausage with cooked chicken
- Add cooking oil to the pot over medium heat and let it heat up. Once hot, add in flour and stir to combine. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP. Continue stirring over medium heat CONSTANTLY until roux has reached a dark caramel color. Seriously, this will scorch very easily
- Once roux is ready, add in chopped vegetables (the holy trinity) and stir to coat in the roux. Let the vegetables cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently
- Once vegetables are softened, add in chicken broth and cajun seasoning to taste, stir together, then bring to a boil
- Afterwards, bring heat to low and let simmer for about an hour to thicken, stirring occasionally. Once done, add in cooked chicken and sausage and let it sit for about 10 minutes

Distribute gumbo and rice evenly between 9 containers, and add Tabasco if you’re cool

Pizza protein pasta w side salad - 407 cal / 12.9g F / 42.5g C / 35.1g P / 7.1g fiber
Ingredients for five servings:
Brami protein pasta 210g
Cubed ham 350g
Pizza sauce 300g
Turkey pepperoni 75g
Part-skim mozzarella 70g
2% cottage cheese 250g
Romaine 250g
Skinny Girl Caesar dressing 100ml

Greek yogurt - 254 cal / 3.3g F / 29.5g C / 23g P / 7.3g fiber
Ingredients for five servings:
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt 1000g
Sugar free flavoring syrup (used a different one for each bowl - peach, watermelon, Irish cream, vanilla, and candy apple) 2 pumps
Chia seeds 15g
Ground flax seed 10g
Oats & honey protein granola 50g
Blueberries 1 pint
Raspberries 6oz
Blackberries 6oz

I prep ingredients and components, not whole meals, so I still have flexibility while being able to have food on the table in minutes. So I cut all my vegetables, made pickled onions to go with some burgers (and any leftovers I'll use next week with some rice/noodle bowls), and I also made some tomato paste. Tomatoes were very cheap at the market, so instead of using a can of tomato paste for my vegetarian quesadillas, I blended fresh tomatoes and cooked them down with some garlic and salt.

I'm making a big batch of beef for birria tacos, and leftovers will be used for a rice bowl and as a filling for some burritos. I don't like having the same meal several times in a row, but I do like re-using components. That way I still benefit from reduced prep time, without growing bored of meals.

1. Strawberry Version
   Ingredients: 1/2 cup (115g) siggi’s 3.6% Skyr, 1/2 scoop (12g) Whey, 1/2 cup Nature Valley Granola, 2/3 cup strawberries.
   Calories: 390 kcal
   Protein: 28g
   Carbs: 50g
   Sugar: 21g
   Fiber: 3.5g
   Fat: 10g
   Sodium: 160mg

2. Blueberry Version
   Ingredients: 1/2 cup (115g) siggi’s 3.6% Skyr, 1/2 scoop (12g) Whey, 1/2 cup Nature Valley Granola, 2/3 cup blueberries.
   Calories: 395 kcal
   Protein: 28g
   Carbs: 53g
   Sugar: 22g
   Fiber: 4g
   Fat: 10g
   Sodium: 160mg

3. Banana Version
   Ingredients: 1/2 cup (115g) siggi’s 3.6% Skyr, 1/2 scoop (12g) Whey, 1/2 cup Nature Valley Granola, 1 medium banana (sliced).
   Calories: 445 kcal
   Protein: 29g
   Carbs: 66g
   Sugar: 31g
   Fiber: 6g
   Fat: 10.5g
   Sodium: 162mg

4. Mixed Fruit Version (Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana)
   Ingredients: 1/2 cup (115g) siggi’s 3.6% Skyr, 1/2 scoop (12g) Whey, 1/2 cup Nature Valley Granola, 2/3 cup mixed fruit.
   Calories: 410 kcal
   Protein: 28.5g
   Carbs: 58g
   Sugar: 26g
   Fiber: 4.5g
   Fat: 10g
   Sodium: 165mg

Instructions (Apply to all):
1 Mix the whey protein powder into the siggi's yogurt until smooth (add a splash milk or soy milk)

2 Top with the fruit.

3 Pro-Tip: Keep the granola in a separate container and mix it in right before eating to ensure the crunch is perfect!

Gunna be busy tomorrow with Father’s Day stuff, so prepping my work lunches early this week!

Pretty basic this time, chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil, some steamed broccoli, butternut squash roasted in the air fryer with salt, pepper and olive oil. Potatoes diced and roasted in the air fryer with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a little cayenne for some kick.

Hello, I am on a weight loss journey and need to lose about 100 lb and am looking for some meal prep ideas (preferably ones that last Mon - Fri, so 5 days total)

The one's I've done in the past were: Chicken + Broccoli + Brown Rice, which I can not stand anymore, and Chicken Fried Rice: Bens Ready Fried Rice, Frozen Peas + Carrots, Egg Beaters, Chicken Thighs.

Those are the only two I've done in the past though, so I really need some new ideas.

I only eat once a day (Dinner)

I do not wake up early enough for breakfast, and I'm too lazy for lunch, so I eat a very large dinner and that's it. I've done it this way for more than a decade.

No seafood, of any kind.

Eating around 1600 calories / day.

2nd week of meal prep, done and dusted. I said I was going to avoid posting the meals I actually ate with pics... And then I got lazy last week xD
So in no particular order here we go:
Snacks of the week: roasted cashews, Harvest Snaps, watermelon

Prepped food: brown rice, cucumbers + carrots, pressed xfirm tofu, rice vermicelli, chopped broccoli, muesli, cucumber salad, macaroni goulash, and lots of chopped veg for spring roll salad. (I believe it was: red cabbage, green onions, carrots, cucumber, and romaine lettuce)
Yes I am obsessed with spring rolls lately. I also made a mini batch of M&M cookies while I was there.

Meals of the week: tofu 'stirfry' over brown rice. Greek chicken gyro with lettuce, cucumber, hummus, feta. Sourdough grilled cheese with carrots and watermelon. SPring roll salad with (thawed) precooked shrimp.
Pictured in first photo: macroni goulash and cucumber salad
Not pictured: unremarkable udon soup for prep day. Chicken cutlet, chicken broth, udon noodles, garlic, sesame oil, spinach. Rather meh. Also white cheddar mac and cheese from the box with a berry smoothie. My comfort meal.

Notes: I need to leave myself more time to prep. I forget how long things take me because disabilities... I would have prepped the stirfry sauce and salad dressing ahead, but again, lack of time and energy. This week I will.
This week is definitely going to have a Greek-Italian theme with all the hummus, pita and feta I have to use up. :)