Weekly Meal Prep Video December 2017

weeklymealprepvideoI am so excited to finally share a meal prepping video with you!

When I wrote my blog post about how I meal prep for the week, I knew I wanted to make it more practical by actually sharing a menu and what I did to meal prep. I hope filming this video will be very helpful for you and make this meal prepping idea more clear for you. I tried to share lots of tips in it for you, not just the chopping and storing of ingredients.

I had so much fun filming it. It felt like I was hanging out in my kitchen with all of you while I got some work done and got our family prepared with lots of meals for the coming week. A big shout out to my husband who filmed the video, to my amazing 2 (almost 3 year old), who was such a trooper and did such a good job playing quietly in the background and my 1-year-old who took a really nice long nap while all of that was going on.

Here’s the Menu Plan for the food I was prepping, click on the titles for all the recipes:

Other Recipes Mentioned:

Homemade Chicken Broth

Homemade Poppy Seed Filling for the Rugelach cookies

Seasoned Breadcrumbs for the Chicken Scampi:

1 1/2 – 2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1-2 teaspoons dry herbs mixtures (I used onion salt from Trader Joe’s and chicken seasoning) (if they have added salt, use less salt)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 – 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

 

 

35 Comments

    • olgak7

      Usually 1-2 days, Olga. I’ve never heard of anyone doing this either, but one day I peeled too many potatoes, so I covered them with water and kept them refrigerated until the next time I needed potatoes and it worked out great, so now I do it whenever I need to:).

      • Alli

        Hi. Yes I did that once too! And after two days they were still good and fresh! Thought I was the only person on earth to do that 🙂 haha.

  • ILONA

    Olga this was a phenomenal video! I enjoyed watching and smiling as you talked and made cute jokes! Your prep techniques are wonderful and I’ll be using some methods! Thanks so much! This was so fun to watch and you’re looking so happy and healthy! I am so glad to see you this way! Blessings to you! Great work again!

    • olgak7

      Thank you so much for the kind words, Ilona! I really wanted this video to be as helpful as possible and it felt like I was chatting with friends as I was cooking:).

  • Jenny

    This was so much fun! It was helpful to see your process but also inspirational because you were clearly enjoying what you were doing!
    When you talk about rehearing things, like the sweet potato, do you do that in the microwave? Sometimes I feel like the microwave causes a lot of flavor to be lost. But it probably also just depends on the kind of food.
    Thank you! You are one of my favorite food bloggers and I always get excited when I see you’ve made a new post.
    Also, your little boys are adorable 🙂

    • olgak7

      I completely agree with you about the microwave, Jenny. I try to avoid using it as much as possible. I reheat things in a skillet or a small saucepan 99% of the time. In the case of the sweet potato for Josh, I scoop out a portion of the sweet potato and heat it up in a small skillet until it’s warm enough. I do the same with oatmeal, soup, rice, potatoes, pasta and just about anything else.
      Thank you so much for taking the time to write and for your kind words. It means a lot to me.

  • Katie

    Loved this! I was surprised to hear you say you didn’t prep meat in advance, and I completely agree with you about defrosting and freezing multiple times. So what I do is handle ALL of my meat at once. I usually meal plan and shop for 2 weeks at a time. Shortly after getting home, usually after my kids are asleep, I will cut and season meat according to the recipes I will be making, and put them into freezer bags. I put the meats I will use within several days in my fridge, the rest in my freezer. For example, I will get 3 racks of ribs in a package, remove membrane, cut into individual ribs, season with a dry rub. Divide into 3 bags, put one in my fridge, and two in my freezer. I’ll cut chicken breasts to equal thickness, throw them into a freezer bag with some marinade to grill and use the “scraps” chopped small and coated in taco seasoning and a bit of oil, that I can suatee and use in quesedillas or rice bowls or whatever. ANYWAYS, all that to say, prepping the meat for my meals has been the biggest game changer for me.. All I have to do is cook it. I am paranoid about cleaning all of the surfaces and cutting boards after handling meat, so I can take the time and do it once thoroughly, instead of 14 times.. Also, I find the meat is more flavorful, because it has been sitting in the seasoning.. Hope you give this a shot. Thanks for the video. Definitely got some new ideas.

    • olgak7

      I do prep a lot of meat in advance, Katie, but the video was already too long for me to go into too much detail about the specifics of meat prep. Just like you, I try to be extra cautious when handling meat. I’m paranoid about cleaning up after meat prep too:).
      I mentioned in the video that I portion out meat when I bring it home from the store. I like to portion out and prep as much of the meat as I can when I bring it home from the store. For example, I will trim, cut and pound out several batches of chicken breast for cutlets and then portion it out for several different meals, etc. I also like to make my own ground meat as much as I can, so I will do 5-10 lbs at a time. When I make meatballs, I make at least a double portion and freeze part of the meatballs for another time.
      Thank you for sharing your tips too! I loved reading all your wonderful ideas.

  • Rita

    Hi Olga,

    I’ve started meal plan recently and I too find it so beneficial! I have two questions though. You mentioned that you store the breadcrumbs in the pantry. But I wonder if you add cheese to it and it’s not refrigerated wouldn’t it go bad? Also, this might be a bit nerdy but would chopping and dicing veggies ahead of time cause oxidation and loss of minerals and vitamins? Oh and I wish my Baby loved sweet potatoes! They are soooo good for the babes!

    Thank you!

    • olgak7

      Hi Rita! You brought up a lot of really great points; that’s awesome.
      A lot of store-bought seasoned breadcrumbs have cheese in them too:). When I use Parmesan cheese, which is very dry, I keep the seasoned bread crumbs in the pantry, otherwise, if I’m using something like Mozzarella, I will season the breadcrumbs with the dry herbs but add the cheese later, or else keep the seasoned breadcrumbs in the refrigerator or the freezer. Great question!
      I’ve never done any research about vegetables losing minerals and vitamins if they are chopped in advance, but I am willing to compromise losing a few vitamins in order to have less stress in the kitchen at dinnertime:). I’m sure it is still healthier than getting take out or eating processed food, so it’s ok with me.
      Yes, sweet potatoes are so healthy! I’m so thankful that Josh likes them.

  • Lilly

    I recently discovered your blog and look forward to your recipes! I enjoyed watching this video. I will admit, I really think you have convinced me to try prepping meals. I would love to see more of these videos and your tips and tricks. Thank you!

  • Oksana

    I love these types of videos. Especially when I can see your face and you’re talking to the camera as you’re working. Lately some other bloggers started posting videos, where it’s only like 3-5 minutes long. And they’re commenting off camera. I know it’s more convenient to just get through the recipe. But, it’s so impersonal, I don’t even like to watch videos like that anymore, but just go and read the recipe. Thank you for being so personable. Every video you made so far is very unique. Gives me something to watch as I work in my own kitchen.

    • olgak7

      Thank you for taking the time to write, Oksana. I wasn’t sure what the feedback would be, since nowadays most recipe videos are really short with voiceovers, but I enjoy watching the long ones myself too.
      I will post more videos as much as I am able to. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed this video format.

    • Tallya

      I completely agree with Oksana. I LOVE to see your face in real time and even though I have been cooking for years, I really enjoy seeing the step by step played out, it is inspiring and helpful. Please dont appologize for babies in the background, it is rather sweet to hear and it is real life.

  • Ksyusha

    Hello, I absolutely loved your tips and tricks for meal preparation. I was wondering if you like your steel steaming basket? I am looking into buying one to make baby purée for my son , wanted to see what you think of yours.

    • olgak7

      I’ve had this steaming basket for more many years (at least 6) and I love it. I use it for many different recipes and it works really well and has held up great too. I bought it at Bed Bath and Beyond, but I’m not sure what brand it is.

  • Karen

    Hello Olga, great video! I enjoyed watching it and learned a lot from you. Could you add a list of the tools you used in the kitchen while preparing these meals ? I really liked the large wooden cutting board. Thanks ahead of time! Blessings to you and your family 💫

    • olgak7

      I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the video, Karen. When I have some free time, I will make a list of the tools that I used – that’s a great idea to include it.
      The large wooden cutting board is really great, but unfortunately, I bought it many years ago at Home Goods, so I’m not even sure where you could buy it, since there isn’t a brand name on it.

  • Tatsiana

    Hello Olga,
    Thank you so much for your wonderful website, and for this very helpful post. Combining a full time job & dedication to feed my family healthy homemade meals feels overwhelming, honestly, on most days, especially when there’s a picky eater involved (or two ;)). So I have a special appreciation for any info & tips that help streamline the whole home-cooking process. 🙂
    I wanted to ask you about handling mushrooms. To wash OR Not to wash? 😉 I wash mine, but they soak up a whole bunch of water that then steams up everything in the pan I add them to when I’m trying to saute. I heard multiple chefs on different cooking shows recommend not to ever wash your mushrooms and just scrub them instead, but the mushrooms i get from my grocery store…… ahem… I just CANNOT not wash them.
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for being so long.
    Thank you. 🙂

  • Anna Fogdall

    Just checked out your blog for the first time. Love these meal prep videos!! I want to start doing that! We also have an instant pot and I love that thing! I am going to try your instant pot recipes and looking forward for more recipes in the instant pot. Not sure if you take requests but I would love a borscht with meat recipe in the instant pot! I’m super excited that I found your blog!

    • olgak7

      Hi Anna! I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying these meal prepping videos and posts.
      I love my Instant Pot too; it’s so helpful:).
      I personally prefer to cook Borsch on the stovetop, not the Instant Pot. Here is the recipe that I use: Borsch.

  • Smitha

    Hi Olga thank you for the video, so helpful and made me want to meal prep too…and it really does help ALOT. One question, I dont have a instant pot. Will I get the same result for the oatmeal if I make it on stove top?

  • Olga P.

    Olga thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this video! I live alone and ever since I moved out of my parents home I’ve had a hard time buying groceries for just me and ended up throwing away so much food. Your videos about meal planning and cutting down food waste were really helpful and I’ve started to totally rethink the way I grocery shop and plan meals for work and have stopped throwing things away. You’re definitely an inspiration! Thanks again!

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