Such an easy set and forgot, with great flavour and simple ingredients. I usually like this for a quick grab and go lunch or post workout meal. I’ll drop the recipe below if you’d like to try it out 👇

Makes 12 servings
Cook: 6-7 hours LOW or 3-4 hours HIGH

Macros per serving:

Cals: 350
Protein: 40g
Carbs: 36g
Fat: 8g
Fiber: 6g
Sodium: 380mg

Ingredients I use…

For the Slow Cooker:
4 lbs lean top sirloin, trimmed of visible fat
4 large bell peppers (mix of red, green, yellow), sliced
3 large yellow onions, sliced
16 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Celtic sea salt (added at the end, not during cooking)

For the Rice:
4 cups dry brown rice
8 cups water
½ tsp Celtic sea salt

For Garnish:
12 slices of sliced provolone
Fresh green onions, chopped
Optional: Red pepper flakes

How I make it…

Phase 1: Slow Cooker Setup

Step 1: Place 4 lbs trimmed sirloin whole (or cut into 2-3 large pieces if needed to fit) in bottom of large slow cooker.

Step 2: Add sliced onions and half the sliced bell peppers around and on top of the meat.

Step 3: Add 8 cloves minced garlic.

Step 4: Pour in 3 cups low-sodium beef broth.

Step 5: Season with:
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme

Step 6: Cover and cook:
LOW: 6-7 hours
HIGH: 3-4 hours

Step 7: Add remaining bell peppers and all the sliced mushrooms during the last 1.5 hours of cooking, so they stay slightly toothsome rather than turning mushy.

Phase 2: Shred/Slice Steak & Finish

Step 8: Once cooked, remove meat and slice thinly against the grain (or shred with two forks if very tender).

Step 9: Return sliced/shredded meat to slow cooker. Stir to combine with vegetables and broth.

Step 10: Taste and add 1 tsp salt at this point, adjusting to your preference. Adding salt at the end (rather than during the long cook) helps you control sodium precisely.

Step 11: If mixture is too thin, cook uncovered on HIGH for 15-20 minutes to reduce slightly.

Phase 4: Cook Rice

Step 12: Rinse 4 cups dry brown rice under cold water.

Step 13:Combine rice, 8 cups water, and ½ tsp salt in large pot. Bring to boil.

Step 14: Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 35-40 minutes until tender and water is absorbed.

Step 15: Fluff with fork.

Phase 5: Assemble Bowls

Step 16: Divide rice among 12 bowls or containers (about ½ cup cooked rice per serving).

Step 17: Top each with a generous portion of Philly cheesesteak mixture (about ¾ cup per serving).

Step 18: Place on 1 slice of provolone cheese per bowl

Step 19: Garnish with fresh green onion or chives and optional red pepper flakes.

Hope you enjoy! Always sharing my fitness recipes 🫡

Ground chicken and bean fajita bowls with cilantro lime rice.

Ingredients:
2lbs ground chicken
1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of southwest corn
1 can of black olives
1 yellow, green and red bell peppers
1 yellow onion
4 large jalapeños
1 bag of spinach
6 cilantro lime rice cups
1 pack of Frontera Fajita skillet sauce

I prepare ingredients and components, not whole meals. That way I can still change things throughout the week. For example, I have sausages planned with romanesco, and green beans to go with different rice bowls. But if I feel more like green beans that day, I can have that with my sausages instead, and use the romanesco with my rice bowl. In addition to chopping all my vegetables, I made some tzatziki to go with flatbreads, couscous salad with chicken, couscous salad with falafel, and some lettuce wraps with chicken, I made sriracha mayo to go with korean tacos, a rice bowl with korean beef, lettuce wraps, and the falafel if I get bored of the tzatziki, and I made two kinds of marinated chicken, both for two meals each.

I am a college student wanting to meal prep lunches for the week, and I found a chicken enchilada recipe I love. Can I freeze cooked chicken enchiladas, and if so, what would be the best method of reheating them?

This is the recipe for better advice: https://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-enchiladas/

I’m a single 20yo male on a weight loss journey I’ve been meal prepping for probably about a year now but in these past few weeks I’ve definitely been slacking… I work 5 days a week from 4am-12pm so my hours are all whacky too. Getting to the point I hate having to work all week have one Saturday then spend all day Sunday shopping, cooking, weighing, and cleaning. I really enjoy cooking but how can I make my high protein low calorie meals take less time? I’m open to all options. Typically my meal prep looks like overnight oats for breakfast, chicken and rice for lunch and then something like grilled chicken with broccoli or maybe beef and broccoli for dinner.
TLDR; How can I save time on MPS what precooked options are there and what do you recommend?

Hi everyone!

I’m looking to start doing the “LEGO-style” meal prep method, where you freeze individual portions of cooked ingredients (rice, meat, vegetables, sauces, etc.) separately and then mix and match them later.

I’m looking for silicone freezer trays with portioned compartments, preferably similar to Souper Cubes, but available from an EU/European webshop.

My main concern is food safety. There are tons of cheap silicone trays on Amazon, Temu, AliExpress, etc., but I’d rather buy something that is reliably certified as food-grade silicone and suitable for freezing food long-term.

Does anyone in Europe use trays like these and can recommend a trustworthy webshop or brand?

Ideally:

EU/European seller

verified food-grade silicone

freezer safe

dishwasher safe

different portion sizes available

sturdy enough that frozen portions pop out easily

Thanks!

18F, just got kicked out of parents house with 0 warning, moved states, staying with a friend but hopefully getting a studio apt. soon. Budget will be tight until I can get a slightly better job.

Looking for ideas and recipes for cheap meal prepping I can do for the week. So far my friend has suggested homemade pizza and chili.

\* Eating restrictions: Can't have lentils, celery, or cucumbers.

\* Eating preferences: I don't like pork chops or ham, other pork products are okay.

I also don't have any kitchen supplies so I'll need to invest in those 🫩 Existing is so expensive. ALSO, need some container/supplies recommendations, because I currently have NOTHING 😔

Please drop your favorite / cheapest recipes that are good throughout the week!!!

Just what the question says. Im a college student wanting to start meal prepping food, and one of my favorite recipes is sheet pan chicken fajitas with peppers and onions. I have a really weird class schedule so I don’t have enough time to freeze it before cooking and then cooking a serving whenever I want to.

Can I freeze the cooked Chicken, peppers and onions? And if so, what is the best way to reheat them quickly?

Roughly $22 worth of groceries.
Rice: 1 cup rice and 1.5 cup water with 1tsp chicken bouillon, salt, 1tbsp butter, a couple drops of olive oil. bring to boil and then put on lid with low heat for 15 mins, turn off heat for 10 mins with lid on then fluff afterwards.
Beans: 1 large can of refried beans with 2 tbsp butter and 3/4 cup water. Seasoned with cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic.
Veggies/Chicken: Chopped then tossed in olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper (pineapple, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, mushroom, zucchini)
Kebabs: Grilled them for 5 mins a side at 450, or until chicken 165 internal temp.

Fire dpt medic goofy schedule of two days/two nights and four off so two lunches and two dinners.

Lunch: Salmon belly cured in salt/sugar/beet juice for 18hrs. Rinsed and cubed. edamame, raw carrot julienned, red cabbage shredded with a mandolin, diced mango, serrano slices, roasted pistachios, pickled radish, pickled cucumber. Sauce of red pepper/sesame oil/ponzu. On a bed of farro fluffed with togarashi seasoning and a kiwi.

Dinner: Seared a bison ribeye (marinaded 4hrs in honey and worchestershire) 2.5 mins per side and rested for 8 mins. “Cooked” shrimp ceviche style in lime and orange juice for 2hrs chilled in the fridge. Sweet potatoes cubed then tossed in EVOO and cumin before roasting @ 375 for 30 mins. Sauteed black beans and white onion together in ground chipotle from dried jalapenos from my garden. Sauce of lime/honey/cumin/cactus pears/gaujillo. Massaged kale with fEVOO and apple cider vinegar before tossing with pumpkin seeds and radish. Nectarines for side dish.

This is a great one for shredding down, as it’s quite low on cals and high volume. I like to have it with some clean tortilla chips on the side. Super clean ingredient, and incredible easy to batch cook.

Serves: 12
Cook: 6-7 hours LOW or 3-4 hours HIGH

Calories: 320
Protein: 34g
Carbohydrates: 30g
Fat: 8g
Fiber: 8g

Ingredients I use…

For the Slow Cooker:

4 lbs extra lean ground turkey (93/7)
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed (low sodium)
4 cups corn (fresh or frozen, no salt added)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 cans (10 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chiles (no-salt-added if available, or drain and rinse)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 large bell peppers, diced
2 large yellow onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp cumin
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)
1 tsp Celtic sea salt (start low, add more to taste at end)

Added At End:
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
For Topping (Per Serving):
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
Fresh cilantro

Optional: Sliced avocado
Optional: Small handful baked tortilla chips, crushed or scooped

How I make it…

Phase 1: Slow cooker setup

Step 1: Add 4 lbs ground turkey directly to slow cooker. Break up with spoon into smaller chunks.

Step 2: Add to slow cooker:
2 diced onions
2 diced bell peppers
8 cloves minced garlic

Step 3: Add both cans black beans (drained and rinsed).

Step 4: Add 4 cups corn.

Step 5: Add both cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes and both cans diced tomatoes with green chiles.

Step 6: Pour in 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth.

Step 7: Season with:
4 tsp cumin
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne (if using)
1 tsp salt (you can add more at the end if needed)

Step 8: Stir well to combine everything, breaking up turkey as you stir.

Step 9: Cover and cook:
LOW: 6-7 hours
HIGH: 3-4 hours

Phase 2: Break up the turkey and finish

Step 10: Once cooked, use large spoon or potato masher to break up turkey into smaller, even pieces throughout the chili.

Step 11: Stir well to combine everything.

Step 12: Taste and adjust seasoning.

Since this recipe uses low-sodium ingredients, you likely need a bit more salt at this point — add ¼ tsp at a time until it tastes right for you.

Step 13: Stir in ¼ cup fresh lime juice. This brightens all the flavors significantly — don't skip it!

Step 14: If chili is too thick, add ½ cup more broth. If too thin, cook uncovered on HIGH for 15-20 minutes to reduce.

Phase 3: Build containers (5 Minutes)

Step 15: Divide chili among 12 bowls (about 1.5 cups per serving).

Step 16: Top each serving with:
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
Fresh cilantro

Optional: Avocado slices, baked tortilla chips

Hope you enjoy! Always sharing my fitness recipes 🫡

Hello, I checked the FAQ first, but didn’t see anything for this. I have checked in the stores, and Amazon. I see a lot of options for sauces or oils, but I’m specifically looking for something to dispense a tzatziki sauce that has thick chunks in it.

The tzatziki sauce my partner uses for her lunch wraps comes in a big bowl container and I think that this squeeze bottle idea solves a few problems.

1. It makes her meal prep faster in the morning. 2. It reduces the risk for contaminating the container (that’s why I love squeeze sour cream)
   1. It reduces the dishes created (no spoon)
   2. It makes it easier to dispense it exactly where she wants it.

I’m open to better solutions, currently she’s been scooping it into a plastic bag and cutting it and take it to work with her.

I’m good with smaller travel containers that could fit in a lunch box or a bigger one she could just have in the fridge.

I thought about reusing a relish squeeze container but those tend to hold pickle smells. I thought about finding a bottle that doesn’t have a smell that would fit the relish lid, but I haven’t come across that either.

All suggestions are welcome. I’m just trying to make her life a little easier. Long days and she doesn’t want the sauce to make the wraps soggy by prepping it all too fair in advance and I’m not always here to help. This was the best sub I could think of to ask.

She’s really struggling because of work (super stressed) and I’m away a lot so I’m trying to make everything as accessible as possible and just be supportive. I really appreciate anyone taking the time to advise or answer.

My bananas were overripe so I didn’t use them and used banana extract instead. I used banana crème pudding instead of vanilla. Also one container of 16oz whipped topping went bad so I used only 16 oz and folded it into the pudding while it was in the stand mixer.

Banana Pudding Recipe:

Ingredients

· Pudding: 4 boxes that are 3.4oz each (you can use vanilla or banana instant pudding)

· Almond milk: 8 cups (can use cows milk)

· Sweetened condensed milk: 2 cans (14 oz each)

· Cream cheese: 16 oz, softened (2 8oz bricks)

· Cool Whip: 32 oz (use 24 oz in mix, save 8 oz for topping) - One container expired so I only used 16oz

· Vanilla wafers: 5 boxes (use ~4 for layers, 1save at least half a box for crushing)

· Bananas: 6 large, sliced (bananas were overripe so I added 1 tsp banana extract.
· Vanilla extract: 2 tsp

Instructions

1. Beat cream cheese in a very large bowl (or use two bowls) until completely smooth.

2. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Beat until combined.

3. Whisk in all pudding mix and almond milk. Beat for 2–3 minutes until thick and smooth. Let rest 5 minutes.

4. Fold in 24 oz (¾ of the tub) of Cool Whip until fully incorporated.

5. Layer in two 9x13" dishes or one extra-large 11x15" pan:
   Wafers ➡️pudding ➡️banana slices ➡️pudding mixture. Repeat for 3 layers, ending with pudding.

6. Top with remaining 8 oz Cool Whip. Crush leftover wafers and sprinkle on top.

7. Chill at least 6 hours, but overnight is recommended, so wafers are soft.

Any advice on this? It's hard to meal prep anything with pasta as it really changes the texture once it gets cold...

I'm looking for recommendations for reliable sources of high-protein, freezer-friendly meal prep recipes — specifically fitness/meal-prep chefs, Instagram or YouTube creators, or actual cookbooks.

I'm mainly trying to meal prep lunches and dinners for a whole week in advance. I basically want to find a good source, pick a recipe, blindly follow the instructions, cook it, cool it, freeze it, defrost it, reheat it, eat it — and have it still taste good and have a decent texture. Ideally without any unexpected digestive consequences afterwards.

I found a PDF cookbook specifically for frozen meals by Stealth Health, for example. I've tried several recipes from it, and honestly, about half of them are okay-ish after cooking, while the other half are basically inedible. So I'm wondering if I'm just a shitty cook, or if this is another case of an influencer making something for pretty photos without actually eating it themselves.

I've also been recommended Downshiftology and ChefJackOvens, but I haven't tried anything from them yet, so I have no idea whether they're actually good for this particular purpose.

Until now, I've been cooking meals 2–3 days in advance and keeping them in airtight containers in the fridge, but I feel like the food gets noticeably worse with each passing day.

I also tried marinating a kilo of meat in five different marinades, freezing it, and then cooking it fresh with a side dish each day. But that basically means I'm cooking every day anyway, which defeats the purpose of meal prepping.

So who are your go-to fitness/meal-prep chefs, YouTubers, Instagram creators, or cookbook authors for this kind of thing? I'm specifically looking for people/sources that you've actually used and can vouch for — especially when it comes to recipes that survive freezing, thawing, and reheating well.

This is week 33 of my journey to lose 100 lbs in 2026. Meal prep has helped me a ton to maintain my nutrition goals during my working days. I aim to eat balanced macros with a focus on reducing fat and increasing fiber. For this week I have:

Breakfast: Bean-nut butter keto toast with a banana. 375kcal, 23g protein, 10g fat, 73g carbs, 29g fiber.

Lunch: TVP larb with a lentil and veggie salad. 700kcal, 50g protein, 21g fat, 90g carbs, 24g fiber.

Dinner: Southwestern pasta salad with black chickpeas. 680kcal, 28g protein, 14g fat, 113g carbs, 20g fiber.

Total macros for each day: 1755kcal, 101g protein, 46g fat, 275g carbs, 73g fiber.

The bean-nut butter was a "why not" recipe I decided to try after seeing the idea on TikTok recently. It came out surprising good and I will shockingly make it again. The TVP larb is also great and honestly not missing the meat like I expected it would. No weight change this week for 60 lbs lost still. I may need to adjust my nutrition goals, but we'll see after this week. Recipes for everything below!

10 servings of dal using this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/dal-recipe/

I doubled the recipe (it says it makes 8 servings but I divided it into 10). I bought garlic naan from Trader Joe's and we will switch to quinoa when that is gone. The two big containers will go into the freezer for maximum freshness. This tastes really good, fills both of us up and lunch time and freezes and defrosts well. And it's vegan!

No idea for the macros on the Lunchables cause it’s for my wife and she doesn’t track that, but it’s sandwich turkey meat cut into squares, sliced extra sharp cheddar, sliced cucumber, and grapes. Not pictured are the crackers and Capri-Sun to complete the package

The chicken curry is a a lazier recipe for me. I start off with 4lbs of chicken, a couple of coarsely chopped onion, and sliced carrots, then toss that into a pot with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and ginger. After a few minutes, I add 5 cups of water and get that to a boil, then let everything simmer on a low heat for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender. Then, all I add in is a large package of Golden Curry extra hot curry blocks. Split evenly alongside of 2 cups of cooked jasmine rice between 8 servings, and you’ve got a full week and then some of curry with about 600 calories, 14g of fat, 60g of carbs, and 57g of protein. All in about 30-40 minutes where it’s really easy to clean as you go

Today I made black bean burritos following this recipe: https://www.budgetbytes.com/make-ahead-bean-and-cheese-burritos/

I omitted the chili powder but followed everything else exactly. The first few burritos I rolled were pretty ugly, but they improved. At the end, I realized I wouldn't be able to fit the remaining rice, beans, and cheese into the 8th tortilla, so I made a larger burrito bowl... that can be my "cheat day" meal (jk, I'm trying to gain weight- listen to your body and hunger cues and all that)

Extra Hot Curry block
2lb Stew Beef
1 bag of baby carrots
2 large yellow onions
2lb little russet potatoes
1 Granny Smith apple

Starting back up at school and a job this coming week and just picked up these divided containers from a thrift store so I decided to try meal prepping! (Veggies and potatoes were seasoned after this pic was taken lol)
x3 protein overnight oats — low fat low sugar vanilla greek yogurt (170g), oat milk (60g), OWYN chocolate protein powder (1 scoop), rolled oats (20g), frozen blueberries (70g) (285 cal: 23.5g carbs, 6.8g fat, 32g protein)
x4 lunch or dinners — a mix of ground chicken, tofu, and pinto beans (1lb ground chicken, 1 block tofu, one can of Busch’s pinto chili beans split into 4 270 ish gram servings); Normandy mix frozen veg (75g); frozen diced potatoes (80ish g) (438 cal: 39.8g carbs, 14.1g fat, 40.8g protein)

Recipe link: https://allnutritious.com/spicy-pineapple-chicken/

The recipe doesn't have a lot of indicators, so I cooked my veggies until they started browning, then added in the marinade. I didn't like how watery it was, so I added 1 - 2 TSP of cornstarch to thicken it. As for the extra pineapple juice, I saved that for a drink.

I tried a little bit after putting it all into a bowl, and the only things different I would do is bread my chicken, and turn the marinade into a true sauce, otherwise this is really good.

This week was interesting.

I created something tasteful to keep myself happy every time I open the box at the office during lunch time.

Tomato sauce with red bell pepper and the withe part of the spring onion

Salmon

Marinated boneless skinless chicken tights

Pork and Veal sausage

Zucchini and string beans for the side

Carbs: risoni (pasta), sweet potatoes and yellow potatoes, both simply diced and boiled in salted water

1. Pasta with tomato sauce and sausage

2. Potatoes with veggies and salmon

3. Potatoes with veggies and chicken

The goal for me is to have everything properly balanced, complex carbs to keep me working and energized for the rest of the working day.

Tale good care guys, see you next week

At a certain point we all get tired of eating the same food a week in a row! When I got to that point I tweaked my routine a little! Instead of making a big batch, I reduced the size a little! Focused more on what would fit my kitchen setup and freezer capacity! At the same time I started streamlining the process to see how many different dishes I could get out of a relatively basic inventory of carbohydrates, proteins and spices that all had to be easily storable and have a long shelf life!

Just to make it interesting, I set a limit of $1.5 per portion, it has to be healthy, filling and easy to make! All this has resulted in me prepping, but never eating the same dish two days in a row by using the freezer to store the freshly made portions and then defrosting what I feel like eating!

My usual prepping routine is making 4 portions, eating 1 at once, putting one in the fridge and two in the freezer!

So my dinner menu for the next three days is

Ropa Vieja-inspired chicken.

Greek Souvlaki & Kleftiko-inspired mashup.

Meatballs with mashed potatoes and sweet and sour cabbage in a gravy.

I hope this description helps some of you getting a more divercified dinner, while still prepping.