I’ve finally grown tired of my old standby, which was pulled chicken sandwiches. The only other time I batch-cooked lunch was when I was doing keto, but adding a high-fat lunch into an otherwise “normal” day is making my skin break out and I feel pretty heavy after lunch. I figured we’ve probably got some competent cooks here and would go directly to the source.
Assume no ingredients are off limits - except shellfish, which I’m allergic to - I’m a good cook and have plenty of specialty grocery stores nearby. Has to be able to keep for at least four days in the fridge (cooked sunday, i want to make it to thursday at least) and microwave well (no fish, no boneless/skinless chicken breasts, which get gummy and gross in my experience.)
Sub in Rice, Potatoes, Pasta for your sandwiches
Slow cook the chicken in a crock pot and you can add it to any kind of stirfry, you could even use Quinoa
Other bread items you could use are english muffins, or bagels to take with you that are portable. Rice cakes would work too
Boneless skinless chicken breasts reheat just fine. The biggest problem is people cook their chicken 100% through, when you have to realize if you are re-heating it you want to undercook it so it does not dry out. That is the key. If you want some flavor stick to 93/7 Turkey, Chicken Thighs, or 90/10 beef so that way you know for a fact it wont dry out.
These are my go to meals
beef/turkey/thighs + Bell peppers + onions + rice + Sauce of choice (TJ Salsa, regular salsa, hot sauce, green dragon hot sauce)
1 scoop whey 6 oz yogurt + rice cakes/banana + PB (if you need extra fat)
Rice Cakes + Whey + Yogurt (make a sludge and coat the rice cakes
Beef or Turkey Burgers + english muffins (little sliders)
Breakfast burgers (turkey or beef) on a bagel with low fat cheese
breakfast skillet (eggs + potatoes + peppers/onions) mixed into a scramble
Sometimes i slow cook a pork loin and just divide it with meals mixed with rice + eggs (make a fried rice). Plenty of options, dont be afraid to use new spices and sauces to help mix things up.
chicken thighs, reheat better in my experience… but i also usually buy and roast or smoke whole chickens (soup, chicken salad, etc are all options for the next few days)
slow cooker a pork shoulder, and have meat for dayz.
utilize your ground beef, chicken, lamb, etc for meatballs (you can even stuff them with rice), or even meatloaf.
onions, garlic, peppers, corn, mushrooms, peas, beans, etc are nice touches for good healthy flavoring.
i also have a ton of different seasonings on hand as well
for me, still can’t beat a good rib eye, strip steak, or flank steak. overnight oats, and scrambled eggs are staples of mine, that travel well.
i cook everything rare my preference, and helps with texture when reheating, like Bob said.
Yeah, I’m great at doing dinners since I can heat stuff up in the oven/saucepan/etc but being at the mercy of the office microwave and our tiny fridge has, for some reason, felt like more of a limitation than I’ve let it be, and I’ve also had so many bad recipes that I wanted to ask y’all for stuff you like.
And yeah, I think I can get organic/free range thighs for like $4 a pound here.
Dump a few cans of red beans into a pan, add chicken broth, sriracha sauce(be conservative or it will be horrifically spicy) and worcestershire sauce, heat until the water is reduced a bit, store it and serve with rice. It turns out really good.
Yes, generally speaking I enjoy food and cooking and also feel like crap after I eat fast food. To clarify, I don’t have issues with getting calories/macros, just looking for new recipes.
Get a skirt steak. Not flank steak, not butcher steak, skirt steak. Heavily salt both sides and let it come to room temp. Meanwhile, light a good amount of natural chunk charcoal. No briquettes and absolutely nothing with lighter fluid.
Once the coals are no longer actively on fire, are ashed over and at maximum heat (we’re talking 1200+ degrees), spread them out, and give them a quick blow to get any loose ash off. Lay the steak straight on the coals. No grill. No foil. ON the coals.
45 seconds. Flip. Don’t worry if there’s some ash on it, the juices will turn it into delicious sauce, you’ll see. 30 seconds. Off the coals, pull any sticking hunks of coal off, tightly wrap in a double layer of heavy duty foil, let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain, pour accumulated ashy juices over.
Rare. Smoky. Tender. Lean. Extremely affordable. Insanely flavorful. Makes a large batch. And delicious cold or reheated.
Goes absolutely wonderfully with a habanero chimichurri if you have room for the fat macros, recipe available upon request.
Here is a complete article of lunch ideas, include
sandwiches
instead of sandwiches-hot food ideas
instead of sandwiches-cold food ideas
vegetables and fruits
Hopes that helpful!
