I meal prep, but not into individual daily containers. Instead, I prep large batches of food that can be ladled out into a bowl or container. When joined with bread or chips, they become very filling meals. Here are my two main recipes for ladle meal prepping.
- Beef Taco Filler
- Pork Veg Curry
Both of these can provide about 4-5 meals each.
Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson
Beef Taco Filler
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. Ground Beef
- 1 to 1.5 Cups of Rice (I prefer GOYA Spanish Yellow)
- 3 Red or Green Peppers
- 1 White Onion
- 3 Tomatoes
- 1 Can of Black Beans
- 1 Jar of Salsa
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
Kitchen Items Needed
- Medium to large skillet / frying pan with lid
- Silicone spatula
- Ladle – not metal, to not scratch the pan
- Rice cooker or pot for the rice
Process
(Start the rice about 10-15 minutes before everything so it’s ready in time to add it into the pan).
I process the veggies the night before cooking, to reduce time spent in the kitchen all at once.
Chop up the onion and pepper and set aside. Diced is best – it’s up to you. Chop up the tomato and set aside by itself. Leave in fridge until ready to cook.
Fire up the oven burner to medium heat and add oil to the pan, let it warm up, drop in the onion and pepper together. Add salt and garlic powder. Let it sizzle for 5-7 min with the lid on.
Drop the ground beef in, break it apart and salt it. Leave the lid on for a bit and let it cook once it’s all broken up for about 5 min.
Drain the beans.
Drop the tomato, beans, and 3/4 of the jar of salsa in and mix everything together. Let it all heat up for a few minutes, then drop the cooked rice in and mix it all up.
Let it all simmer together for 10 minutes or as long as you want to get out any excess moisture.
Ladle into containers and store in fridge.
Eating
When I’m ready to eat this, I cook it at 350 degrees for 8 minutes in the oven. If I’m eating it for lunch, 2-3 minutes in the microwave does the trick. Add tostito chips for a great meal.
Pork Veg Curry
These porkchops are super thick, normally I get thinner ones. Either way it’ll work – thicker will take longer to cook though.
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 boneless pork chops
- 1 to 1.5 Cups of Rice (I prefer GOYA Spanish Yellow)
- Broccoli florets
- 2 Jars Madras Curry
- Olive Oil
- Seasoning (salt, pepper)
Kitchen Items Needed
- Medium to large skillet / frying pan with lid
- Silicone spatula
- Rice cooker or pot for the rice
- Ladle – not metal, to not scratch the pan
- Meat thermometer
- Large oven pan for the meat
Process
(Start the rice about 10-15 minutes before everything else to make sure it’s ready in time to add to the pan).
Fire up the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
Add some oil to the oven pan, drop the pork chops in and slide both sides of them around in the oil to cover their surfaces. Add seasoning to both sides of each one.
Put the meat into the oven.
Fire up the top burner and add oil to the frying pan. Toss the broccoli in and add salt. After about 10 minutes, add the curry and stir it all in.
Reduce heat to a high simmer.
Keep an eye on the meat temperature. Pork needs to hit 170 degrees internally to kill off all the bacterial stuff.
Add the rice in and stir.
When the pork chops reach 170, take them out and cut them into small pieces. Add them into the simmering curry.
That’s it. Stir it all up, ladle into containers and put in the fridge.
Eating
When it’s time to eat, I heat small batches up in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. If I’m at work, microwaving a small container of this for 2-3 minutes does the trick. Add bread / naan for a great meal.
Once I got used to making these meals, it became a no-brainer to make them – there’s (relatively) a lot of steps, but it becomes natural to cook it all up and ladle it around and eat and be merry. Remember the chips/naan! It bulks up the meal and you’ll be full and happy.
Enjoy,
Daniel