meal prep

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Meh on the tofu…

I can already tell I’m gonna have to increase my speed soon but I don’t want to push it. I’m just happy to be moving regularly. I still have a bit to go but I am determined to finally get under 200 before summer comes. I keep saying that but, I think if I keep up this workout schedule, I’ll finally hit this goal.

I didn’t have time for breakfast before my run so, I made myself a sandwich and brought it to work with me for lunch. As for dinner, for some reason, tofu makes me feel so much more full than meat. Half a block is 200 or so calories so adding everything on top of that is a LOT of food. Even with half a ramen packet. Oh, I also tried a new ramen flavor which wasn’t that bad! Nothing really different from the regular chicken flavor. If it was on sale, I’d buy it again to change up my lunches a bit. But the tofu is really not the best in terms of the sensory experience. It’s too soft for me to use as often as I use other proteins. Even though it was extra firm. I should give fish another try. 

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Today’s Workout: Back to it!

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I am easing my way back into my workouts. Usually, after NYCC, I don’t do anything until my body is completely recovered. But, I am determined to hit my goals, build up some muscle, and get stronger. This was a quick session on the desk peddler and I’ve been doing some deep stretches. I think that’s why my body doesn’t feel as wrecked post con as it usually does. I’m sore but I don’t feel like I’m dying.

Unfortunately, not feeling wrecked doesn’t mean I’m not tired. I didn’t get up early enough to prep fancy stuff so, I tried my hand at ramen and veggies in the microwave. It was meh. I prefer the Itaki. And I like to balance out meals with noodles with a salad and since I paused the Saxenda (I did NOT want to be running for the bathroom at a convention where there are ALWAYS lines for the bathroom) I was starving around dinner time. This was a big salad and when you are that hungry and actually want a salad, it hits different. It was so good and made me so happy. All the greens are to help me get back on track after eating like absolute trash over NYCC weekend. I have some big plans to get creative with the food that’s already in the house as well as keeping my cardio around 30-40 minutes but having longer sessions with my resistance bands (which I forgot I owned). I know that’s not as good as using machines at a gym but I am absolutely broke and cannot afford a gym right now. I’m sure the bands will be just fine for now.

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Today’s Workout: It’s mine now.

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A little shorter session on the bike today but I got a lot of work done on some interesting stuff for the library. Gotta make sure I stay productive at the day job.

I did get up early enough to not only make myself a nice breakfast but prep my lunch as well. Since my kid doesn’t want lunches from me, I decided to use the lunch boxes I bought for myself! I’m on a radishes kick again, apparently. For dinner, I only wanted to use what I already had in the house to save money on groceries. The cut of steak I used (I forgot) had too much fat on it for my Itaki. I used it over some pasta with diced tomatoes instead. I made the whole pack of pasta and packed the leftovers for tomorrow. Since all of this together was over a thousand calories, I felt a little overfull at the end of the day. I think pasta in general is too heavy for me right now.

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Today’s Workout: Nailed it!

Today I did my run while dinner was in the oven and it worked out sorta well? The salmon got a little overdone but the marinade saved it from getting dried out and the rice cooker kept the rice nice and hot. But this seems to be the most efficient way to use my time: set up the food, go run, check on it before I shower, food is done once my shower is also done. I end up eating later than I’d like (a bit too close to 8pm for my liking) but it’s better for my stomach not to eat right before or immediately after my workouts.

I’m working on using up this bag of broccoli and I think I like the fajita strip type cut for the electric lunch box. They cook fast and are easy to eat.

I didn’t eat the salmon for dinner; I packed it up for lunch tomorrow. I was determined to give making that lemon tuna another try and I fucking NAILED it! It was sooooo good. I used this recipe and tweaked it by adding some lime juice and slices of cherry tomatoes. I put some avocado on it, used homemade bread from the breadmaker, and used the foil to keep it from making a huge mess. It could have used a little more onion for my tastes and some lettuce (I was just done with cutting vegetables by the time it came to lettuce for the sandwich) but I’ll remember that for next time. I bet if I make bagels again, I can put the tuna on it and get the exact experience from the bagel shop. Or just eat it with a spoon on its own; which I was sorely tempted to do.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workouts: Insert hump day joke here.

Today was a kinda chill day. I got up early to make lunch for the kid (who actually ate it? And actually did the dishes so I had anything to make lunch with? Clearly, an anomaly) and made myself a thermos full of coffee to make it through getting up really early without enough sleep.

I keep waking up in the middle of the night and it’s starting to piss me off…

Anyhooooooo, I learned a valuable lesson food wise not to buy any broccoli from Misfits Market ever again. Either I can’t get the full bunch clean enough to avoid visible bugs (I assume a certain amount of bug eating risk in general but I don’t SEE them normally and I can live in blissful ignorance) or I get the pre-cut florets that have hidden rotten parts in them and they don’t taste right. So, if I get it from them, I either have to make sure to use whatever I buy in one day and see random flies or grubs during my meal or use veggies that taste off even though they are fresh from delivery. Honestly, I’m better off getting broccoli from Trader Joe’s or basically any other place than Misfits. Sorry, Misfits Market, your other stuff is good but not this. I ended up throwing it all out.

On the upside, the other veggies and fruit I’ve bought from Misfits Market have been alright. They are very, VERY fresh and need to be used sooner rather than later. And if you’re wondering why I’m harping on the broccoli, I’ll have to take more pictures of the meals I make at work with the electric lunch box. There’s a method to my madness in usually choosing broccoli as opposed to bok choy; which has a very different result when steamed in the Itaki lunch box. (not sponsored… I WISH I was sponsored!) I guess I should take pictures of how I prep then cook various meals in this thing? Eh, if I remember. I tend to have these types of meals on days where I have time to properly cook and eat them during my hour break, be it lunch on my day shifts or dinner on my night shifts. I have to strategically plan my break to make sure I have an outlet.

If I remember tomorrow, I’ll take photos of my prep before I take the ingredients to work. Also, I have a reputation at work now. Whenever someone smells something delicious at a meal time, someone pokes their head into the break room and says “Oh, it’s her again, not bringing enough for the rest of us.” I’m lucky to have coworkers who aren’t put off by my cooking.

But for now, I’m tired and sore and want to go to sleep.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Extra Cardio

Since I had to run to the store on my lunch break, I figured I’d count that as a workout for today. I had some quick leftovers for lunch so I had the time. Plus, it was a nice day! Even though the wind was a little cold.

I haven’t been cooking my lunch at work lately just because I’m out of the meat I usually use. My Butcher Box is coming up so I can’t wait to make my usual lunches. In the meantime, I’ve been over cooking dinner and prepping lunch as I plate the food. I am experimenting with what I get from my Misfit Market (that’s saving me some money on veggies, for sure) so I usually end up with something fairly healthy. I’ll see about posting more photos of my meals. I usually forget and just snarf down the food so I can move on to the next task.

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Today’s Workout: Week 4 Day 2 and Today’s Dinner

Today was an off day! So, I gave myself a little break and slept in but the first big thing I did was this run. I pumped up the speed in the end and it felt great. My muscles felt like they did some work but I was fine to do some chores after. Cue some meal prep!

Butcher Box and Misfit Market were my inspiration for dinner. Above is a serloin cap steak searing in a cast iron pan with some salt, pepper, garlic, and red chili pepper.

I was searing the steak while the oven heated to about 400F. I tossed in some whole garlic cloves, dried rosemary (I’m too broke for fresh) and unsalted butter (because there’s already salt there) and basted like all those fun Tiktoks you see.

This was after 25 minutes in the oven then I took it out to rest while I did the veggies.

Like I said before, the vegetables from Misfit Market need to be used right away. My delivery was today so, I tossed the brocolli rabe and regular broccoli in the pan and cooked them on the stove.

Steamy, right? I sliced up the meat while the veggies cooked and this was the final stage before plating.

I made myself a small bowl and put the rest in a container for lunch tomorrow. This was so savory and comforting. I did the veggies just long enough so that they retained the crunch that I like, even if I have to reheat them another day.

This was the perfect dinner for a day I do a run. I had just a salad with tuna for lunch before this; super light and easy to make.

I dunno the science behind protein before or after a run but since I don’t really do breakfast (I have gummy vitamins and coffee) it’s usual for me to have food after a run when I’m off for a day and run first thing in the morning. Also, this wasn’t a huge meal prep day. This was more of a big dinner that fed me and the teenager (no clue if they even like this…) tonight with some leftovers for me to use the next day. The amount of food I used wasn’t suited for a week’s worth of food unless I cooked it all in a different way. I had fun cooking this and is totally a meal I’d only make if I had time. This isn’t something to throw in the oven after work and eat while still giving me enough time to workout, do one of the three side hustles I have, get the dishes in the dishwasher, and get to bed at a decent hour.

But the last bit of meal prep I did was a huge hit with the teenager; who demanded I make that more often. Hey, cabbage is cheap. I’ll make that whenever.

Just, in case anyone hears my kid saying I don’t know anything; I had to teach them to put lettuce on the bottom bread before you put the juicy chicken and coleslaw on top to make sure you don’t have a soggy sandwich. This is to the kid who also said they hated sandwiches…

Parenting is a journey, let me tell ya.

I do plan to post an example of how I cook my lunches at work soon!

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Interesting Meal Prep (Nope, not sponsored)

I started getting Misfit Market to save some money on vegetables but I have noticed that I end up with stuff that still goes bad too quickly. So, I decided to get creative.

I got a bag of potatoes that there was no way I was going to use up by eating a baked potato with dinner every so often. I figured making chips was the best way to use up the whole bag and satisfy my regular cravings for salty crunchy things. Only drawback is I underestimated how salty Trader Joe’s Cheesy Seasoning was on it’s own and added too much salt. The chips are still good but I know anyone but me probably wouldn’t be able to tolerate them. I combined the cheesy seasoning with garlic powder as well. Awesome combination, in my opinion.

I also got cabbage and the first box I had with cabbage in it I kept with all the good intentions of using it but I hadda toss it. This time, I chopped up half of the red and white head of cabbage, sliced up one red and one white onion, seasoned it with (a reasonable amount of) salt and pepper, a dash of onion salt, some cilantro, and lime juice. I let it sit for awhile as I prepped the chicken thighs.

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The chicken was from Butcher Box (so I had a lot of this as well) and was marinated in lemon juice, rosemary, garlic salt, pepper, and paprika. I probably should have done it overnight but it was just for 5-6 hours or so. I led them keep marinating while I made the chips and when the chips were done, I just fried them in the same oil. Not the healthiest way to cook them but I wanted to get all the use I could out of that oil.

The warm chicken and cold cabbage were surprisingly refreshing! I would totally make this again for a lighter dinner than pasta or chili. And it gave me plenty of leftovers to pack for lunch today.

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I reheated the chicken on the top of the container in the microwave for one minute to keep the other ingredients cold. All together, this lunch is about 390 calories and is really filling. And in that picture, you can see how over salted some of those chips are. Luckily, there’s a decent balance of too much and just fine and since there was so much seasoning on the chips, the rest of the meal didn’t need it.

And heck, it’s pretty to look at!

Most of the time, I bring in ingredients to cook at work. The next time I do that I’ll post about it but it’s meals like this that come in handy when I don’t want to or can’t spend half of my lunch break cooking the food. This was quick and tasty. Absolutely gonna make this again.

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Today’s Workout: First Day of School

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I think both me and my kid got a little too complacent with a wake up routine. Now that school has started, we both need to be up earlier. They need to be on time for class and I need to make lunch; meaning a much earlier wake up time. We didn’t get it today so I was grouchy all day making a quick kettlebell workout an easy choice to burn off some calories and some grumpiness.

I’m working on food prep (partly why I want to get up earlier) so that making dinner takes less time and I can get to my workouts earlier. I can do 30 minute sessions of weights if I time it right and still have time to write and go to bed at a decent hour. I have the feeling I’ll have to go back to doing big cooking jobs on weekends if I don’t have to work. I’d rather wait until it’s cooler but we’ll see.

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