Meal-Planning: Dinner

Dinners in the meal-prepping world are all about make-ahead portions and freezers full of ready-to-thaw meals.  We’re all tired at the end of the day and thinking about dinner is often the last thing we want to do.  A little prep work ahead of time will assist you with preparing nutritious and delicious dinners. First, let’s review the basics of general meal-prepping:

1. Make a list so nothing’s missed! Decide which recipes you’ll make for the week, list out the ingredients, and get it all in one shopping trip.
2. Shop-n-chop! As soon as you get home from the grocery store, wash, chop, and store any fruits, veggies, or meats you plan on using within the next few days.
3. Buy in bulk! Purchase non-perishable items that you know you’ll use often in bulk such as grains and freezer-friendly foods.
4. Take out the Tupperware! Find some easy-to-stack and easy-to-see-through containers – these will help you stay organized and avoid wasting food.

So, what’s for dinner?

Cook-ahead categories: It may not seem like it’ll make a big difference, but cooking certain parts of your meals ahead of time (in bulk) will save you precious moments throughout the week. Try these:

1. Chicken/turkey/other lean proteins: Cook enough for two or three meals and season each portion differently to avoid getting tired of eating the same thing over and over. Bake some, grill some, or chop it up and sauté with spices! Then, toss into a Tupperware container (or a few!) that you can grab from throughout the week. Alternatively, you can place each single portion of chicken into a smaller one-meal sized container.
2. Rice/quinoa/millet/couscous/whole-wheat pasta/sweet potato: Again, think “bake in bulk!” At the beginning of the week, cook a large portion of what you might need later in the week. Then, either scoop some into your one-serving meal containers or simply grab portions from the larger container throughout the week.
3. Veggies: Roast a bunch of vegetables early in the week. Avoid “softer” veggies like zucchini or tomatoes as these might get soggy when reheated. Dish them out into your one-serving containers to complete each individual meal – or keep them all together in one big container until you need them.

By cooking these “staple” foods ahead of time, you’ll have a healthy meal on hand at all times! Some meal-preppers take this a step further – cooking full casserole, meatloaf, pot pies, and other dishes to freeze and eat at a later date! The level of preparation you choose is completely up to you – just remember to keep those hearty dishes healthy!

For more information, please contact Kim Miles, County Extension Agent – Family & Consumer Sciences at 325-646-0386 or kamiles@ag.tamu.edu.