I’m currently doing 18:6 fasting and it’s going OK - BUT I’m totally rubbish at meal preparation, like big ham salads in a wrap, grapes and granola with yoghurt, carton soup…. Aaaand, then I’m totally stuck. What are your SIMPLE, healthy ideas for while you’re fasting? And I mean SIMPLE (as in shopping for as well as preparing) , if you’re telling me to add stuff I’ve never heard of, it just ain’t going to happen 🙄
This sub is awesome, please tell me what you’ve got - I really want to eat better. Eager to hear what you all have to say.
Im lazy.. I buy the precooked precut chicken breast strips for 2 lunches during the work week. ill add hot sauce. With that ill eat an avocado straight up with a dash of salt…scoop it right out of the rind. 1 apple and a palm full of walnuts. minimal pre-prep.
ill eat another 2 lunch meals that are a bit more work.
roughly a pound of grass fed beef thas split between 2 containers with half a can of black beans in each. 1 can covers 2 meals. i apply Cajun seasoning liberally. then ill do a kiwi, a greek yogurt and a palm’s worth of olives. only prep is the beef but i covers 2 days for 10 mins of work and im not eating chicken all week.
i have a huge lunch box i keep at work. i load it up on monday so i don’t have to lug much back and forth.
Do you happen to have a sous vide appliance?
I am a huge fan of portioning out proteins into their own bags, cooking them all at once (or in a couple batches if not all the same protein) and throwing them in the fridge, where they’ll keep the entire week as long as the bag isn’t opened (hence the portioning into bags.) I season them just with salt (not a fan of pepper usually) and maybe some onion and garlic powder. That way I can season them based on what I’m in the mood for on a given day.
From there, I can throw it on a salad with whatever kind of dressing I want (don’t have to worry that I have an Asian-inspired chicken breast but vibing blue cheese dressing that day.) Or have it plain/with some melted herbed butter on it and a side (I’m also a big fan of frozen riced broccoli and/or cauliflower with some heavy cream, butter, and serving of cheese, microwaved and mixed so it like a cheese sauce.)
Days where I’ve miscalculated things (or weeks where I didn’t prep by sous viding my protein for the week) I’ll either sous vide protein as-needed (it’s very hands off, and you’re not beholden to specific cooking windows - so I can throw something in a few hours before my eating window and pull it out when I get a break at work - but I’m also lucky that I work from home, and ymmv.) And if I haven’t done that, then there’s my old friend: eggs. Soft-boiled, fried, in an omelette, whatever. Eggs are great.
If I’m a little egged out (it CAN be hard to eat enough to hit protein goals, especially if you’re OMAD) I also supplement with a protein shake. It’s the most processed thing I eat, and goes against the grain of my normal approach of keeping to simple, whole-as-possible foods, but it helps fill in most nutritional gaps. I use Keto Chow (whose favors are hit or miss, but when they’re good, they’re fantastic) but try to limit how frequently I drink them because they are expensive.
Edamame makes a fantastic veggie side loaded with fiber. Just need to thaw them (make sure they’re cooked - most frozen ones I see are, but fresh need to be cooked.) I don’t even need butter or seasoning except salt - they’re that tasty to me.
I also like to have some cottage cheese on hand - it’s a good side to have, especially if I need a little more protein or fat for my macros. The Hood brand does have a decent number of carbs for what it is (I think around 5, and barely any fiber, so you can’t gorge on it, but a serving gives you like 13g protein. But, I do understand cottage cheese isn’t for everyone - I only like the Hood cottage cheese with chives myself.
Those are my standbys - once I prep by cooking my protein, it doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to “cook” a meal (chop up fresh veggies for salad or microwave frozen ones.) Maybe 15 minutes, if I’m cooking some eggs or something.
Lemon pepper chicken - chicken breasts marinated in lemon pepper spice and any other herbs you like, a splash of lemon juice and cooked in an air fryer or oven (200degC at around 10mins). Eat with rice and/or salad; you can also make a sandwich with bread and lettuce. also good paired with roasted vegetables.
Salmon rice bowl - cook salmon with soy sauce, sesame oil, and little salt and pepper. put on rice, add scrambled eggs, some cucumber slices, avocado slices and sesame seeds.
Gyudon (Beef rice bowl) - cook onions until caramelized, add beef slices and a dash of broth. if you can find cooking sake and mirin, you can add about a splash of each. cook until the sauce is a bit reduced. season with salt and pepper. put on rice, and add soft-boiled egg on top.
*I’m asian, so most of my meals prep ideas have rice.*
Rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken shredded and mixed with buffalo sauce (franks is my fav — no cals, no carbs) and a ranch seasoning packet with crackers, in a wrap or just alone.
Cauliflower pizza crust (trader joe’s for me) with some cheese and pepperoni. 5 minutes in the oven and done.
Riced cauliflower, ground beef or chicken, bacon and cheese for a shepherds pie-ish meal. again, 5 minutes in the oven and done.
Omelettes — add whatever you fancy.
For me, the key to simplicity (and success) has been buying most of my proteins in bulk and freezing. It sounds expensive, but trust me when I say it’s definitely cheaper in the long run than the constant, weekly or even biweekly grocery trips. Plus, it saves me a TON of time. Before I leave for work every morning, I remove whatever protein I’m having for dinner and leave it out to thaw during the day. Once you get into this daily habit, preparing your meals becomes a breeze. Any leftovers from dinner become lunch meals the following day. In today’s economy, no food of mine goes to waste.
Frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables. Steamable bags of broccoli, brussel sprouts, and green beans have been game changing. Nobody has time to roast or sauté veggies 7 nights per week, not to mention the dirty dishes it creates. Seriously, toss a steamable bag in the microwave for 5 minutes and forget the rest. Every now and then I’ll fancy it up. But Tuesday night? No thanks. Take your frozen brussel sprouts, toss in olive oil, panko, salt, pep, and garlic. Air fry 15 minutes. That’s as fancy as it gets. You’re welcome.
I go to Costco once per month and load up on the following proteins or something similar:
Salmon Filets - frozen & individually wrapped, 7 per package; nothing to do here but toss in the freezer when I get home. We have salmon once per week and always serve with a variety of rice and frozen veggies. I prefer plain jasmine rice (also bought in bulk). Salmon is easy and takes less than 10 minutes to pan sear. Season with salt, pep, and garlic powder. Melt olive oil + butter until hot, add salmon, cook 3-4 minutes each side depending on thickness of filets. Overcooked salmon sucks so don’t overcook it. With a minute remaining, add a knob of butter and a splash of lemon juice. Baste your filets in the delicious, foamy lemon butter. Remove from heat and plate. I don’t eat salmon any other way and I always tell my wife people pay $30 to eat salmon this good. Simple. Delicious. Healthy…ish?
Lean ground beef - frozen and already individually wrapped into 1lb packages (usually 5 or 6 per package) Again, nothing to do but toss in the freezer when I get home. Great for Taco night and Friday night meatloaf.
Pork Chops: portion into 7-8 vacuum sealed bags x 2 pork chops each. I’ll usually marinate 2 in teriyaki sauce, 2 with my own dry rub (salt, pep, garlic powder, onion powder, peprika, cumin, cayenne pepper), 2 in mojo marinade, and leave 2 plain to allow myself flexibility for different cuisines depending on my mood. Sure, pork isn’t the healthiest meat, but it’s a cheap protein option while beef is insanely expensive right now. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and always a veggie.
Chicken Thighs - 6 individually portioned packages of 3 thighs each. I’ll marinate a couple packages before freezing but usually just freeze the rest as is. You can do this with breasts, thighs, drumsticks, whatever. Similarly to the pork chops, I’ll marinate in Teriyaki, Mojo, or just a simple dry rub for grilling. I like to reserve the teriyaki chicken and pork nights for when we have leftover jasmine/white rice that I can easily turn into a side of fried rice. One might think you were at the local hibachi joint.
1-2 Rotisserie chickens - shred or chop and portion into 1lb bags; freeze. 2 chickens will usually yield me 4 lbs of meat. One of my favorite, clutch, 20-minute dinners is a Chicken Broccoli Pasta: Chopped chicken, Alfredo sauce, frozen broccoli, and fettuccini noodles. Warm it all and mix together. Another quick and easy meal is literally a bag of cesar salad and a portion of your chopped rotisserie chicken. When all you have to do is open a bag of salad and throw your chicken on top, who could complain? **Bonus - freeze the chicken carcus to make homemade chicken stock at a later date.
Frozen bag of Italian meatballs - spaghetti night, duh. Also discovered making my own meatball subs w/ marinara, mozzarella, oregano, and Parmesan. I’m salivating just typing this.
Frozen bag of “party wings” - usually reserved for weekend meals when I have more time to grill and flavor the wings: BBQ sauce, lemon pepper seasoning, and hot sauce. Feeling frisky? Mix Hoysin sauce and Sriracha sauce and call it spicy Korean bbq. Nobody will know the difference. Chop up a couple potatoes, season, and throw in the air fryer while you grill. This is your “healthy” alternative to chicken wings and fries.
Frozen Hamburger patties - everyone needs a hamburger every now and then. They even sell frozen black bean burgers, a tasty alternative.
Find the recipes and meals you love and make them staples. Rotate them every couple weeks. Don’t be afraid to try new recipes when time permits. I hope you and others find this useful.
Things like curries, stews, shepherd pies and bolognaise will all be easy to batch cook and freeze. I always freeze without the pasta or rice and then microwave them while the starch is boiling. Depending on your goals you might need to add more vegetables than the standard recipe or add more protein if you need more protein and calories. I use a slow cooker for these type of meals because it’s so easy to throw the few things into them at breakfast time and leave it on low all day