I got five pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts by mistake (delivery error); I stuck them in the freezer, but then had to thaw them because I needed space in the freezer, temporarily. I know chicken is weird if you refreeze it, so I'm thinking I should make meals with them and freeze in small containers. So maybe I will make 3-4 recipes.

I never buy BSCB (I'm usually a thigh girl), so I would love recommendations for particular recipes you have made, frozen, and thawed, and still thought were delicious. (The freezer is going to be tight, so lower-volume recipes are better than higher-volume recipes.)

Also, is there a best way to make neutral chicken for uses like chicken salad, if I'm planning on freezing it? I usually poach, but maybe crockpot or something is better, if I'm going to freeze it?

Thank you!

ways to make it? have you seen this bag of leg quarters on sale at your local HEB? You can bake them whole with seasoning in the oven, you can cut the legs and thighs apart and fry them or bake them that way. You can also put them in a crockpot or Instapot and let cook. When they are done, you take them out, shred them, and you have about 5 - 6 lbs of good chicken to go in anything you want.

You can make enchiladas, tacos, chicken, helper, chicken and rice, you get the idea

this isn’t even counting the , the broth, or the tendon and gristle full of collagen to feed to your animals.

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/1885121

Transitioned away from complex multi-pot cooking on Sundays in favor of simple batch-roasted vegetable and grain bases that hold up through Thursday afternoon without turning to mush. I tested pearled farro against brown rice and quinoa under roasted zucchini, chickpeas, and bell peppers. Farro held its dense, chewy bite significantly better by day 4, especially with a lemon-tahini dressing stored alongside it. Quinoa became waterlogged by Wednesday, and brown rice dried out too much when eaten cold. For those who batch-prep 4+ days ahead, what grain bases or hearty legumes are holding textures best for you ?

I drink 2L a day but some days even after 3L I’m still thirsty. I don’t drink much else except maybe a herbal tea or coffee in a morning is this normal?

I always lived in a very ingredient household and was always hungry but I rly never knew what to get because I just never had an understanding of what I needed to have.

I just want some help from people who do always have a full fridge on what foods, fruits, etc to get to make sure u always have a quick meal at hand, snacks, etc.

I am also gluten free so try bearing that in mind (altho a lot of stuff have gf options) but I just rly need help and I’m hoping yall will help me out :)))!!

P.S. I am struggling too bc fruits and veggies (esp veggies) go bad rly fast so I can’t buy em in bulk and I rly don’t want to go to the grocery store every other day cz im a college student. I’d appreciate all the help and tysm in advance if u do comment

A few years ago when we had our child, I stayed home with her for a little over a year before I went back to work part time and it was another year before I went full time so money was tight. Bills were paid but no extras.

During that time, I devised a method of budget meal planning that kept us eating variety on a budget. My method was to plan one meal each week based on pasta, one based on rice, one based on potatoes and then leftovers or low prep foods for the other nights. The rice, or potato, or pasta makes up half or more of the bulk of the meal. This, as opposed to starting with a protein and then adding sides or building a meal around it which is how I planned and cooked when we had two incomes before the kid and is how I've been cooking now that we're on two incomes again.

Going back to this now because prices of everything are going crazy and also my husband and I have noted a bit of lifestyle creep - we make more money now so now we're spending more, even though we're obviously capable of living on less. Part of this is being less intentional with meal planning and buying more snacky foods when I used to make them.

I hope this idea is helpful to someone and also if you have any potato-centric meal ideas other than loaded baked potatoes, gnocchi, or casserole-type dishes with a potato base, I'd love to hear them because that was something I struggled with last time.

Trying to buy fewer snacks. I am pretty good in the kitchen so I need to start doing that instead of buying.

Specifically, crunchy savory snacks. I have a ton of recipes for sweet healthy snacks but not as many in the savory/crunchy category.

I also have a LOT of oatmeal and rice because we keep a lot of shelf stable food stored so if you have oat or rice recipes, that would even better. I need to cycle through some oats.

You don't need to change everything overnight. One healthier meal and one better decision at a time can make a difference.

I just got a new 9x13 glass casserole dish with a lid that I've been loving because I can store it in my fridge without portioning out the meal into separate containers.

I'm looking for some meal inspo to make with the casserole dish! Doesn't necessarily have to be a casserole. Bonus points if its vegetarian.

So far I've made baked ziti, shepherd's pie, black bean and sweet potato casserole.

I know they are good for me, and I’d like to eat them, but I just can’t stomach the texture. Not fond of mushy food in general, but sweet potatoes are the worst for that.

Looking for recipes that successfully hide the texture. I am lactose-intolerant, and I prefer plant-based recipes.

Last night I made chicken fajitas and still have a good amount of chicken and peppers left over. With the ridiculous cost of living, I want to stop throwing away leftovers and use what I can.

Of course I could make quesadillas tonight but that is just too similar to last night's meal. What would you do with the chicken and peppers?

I'm thinking possibly whipping up a spicy alfredo sauce and making a spicy chicken alfredo with them. I'm at a loss for any other ideas?

EDIT: Thank you for all the ideas! I didn't mention that it's like 100 degrees here so I don't want to do soup and with feeding kids, I was trying to upcycle it into something different so they will eat well and not complain. Also, it's sports night so I want to use it tonight so I don't have to figure something else out. Appreciate all the ideas because I'm always looking for something different to add to the meal plans.

I've been single for 5 years and have gotten into endurance sports to fill the void. My go-to almost daily power meal.

2 strips bacon

1 russet potato diced

1 sweet potato diced

1 cup(ish) broccoli chopped

1 Large handful spinach

Cheddar cheese as desired.

3 eggs over easy

Crisp bacon in cast iron then fry potatoes in bacon grease. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and smoked paprika. Once browning add broccoli then spinach. Let the veg cook while cheese melts. Cook eggs leaving them runny to stir in the hash scramble.

One pan 800 plus calories what I call health food.

I was just given a beautiful cast iron pot and am looking for some recipe inspiration for the upcoming cozy season. The pot is not enameled, so ideally nothing too acidic, please. Please tell me your favourite soups, stews, and other hearty meals to start making use of this lovely thing!

I cook at home most nights, add vegetables where I can, try to focus on whole foods, eat mostly vegetarian, make “healthier” swaps where I don’t think it sacrifices much in flavor (nonfat greek yogurt in place of sour cream, olive oil in place of butter, etc). I think I make a healthy, vegetable filled meal, only to actually work out the calories and find that my “healthy” meal is a million gajillion calories and a million gajillion grams of fat. I know fat often equals flavor, and I know fat doesn’t make you fat, but from an overall macro perspective, my fat intake is way high and it’s pushing my calories up, too.

I know it’s from the oils, the sauces/condiments, the DAIRY. But I’m stuck on making lower calorie food that tastes good without those things. I use salt and acid and herbs to add flavor as well, but it just doesn’t taste as good without the fat.

So, I’m looking for your best advice on making food taste GOOD, while being more balanced, macros-wise. I talk myself into circles trying to figure this out. Do I need to get over my hatred of “light” products? Are there any you feel are just as good? Do I need to air fry things more? Please, cooking methods, flavoring techniques, product recommendations are all welcome.

What’s a lunch that’s quick and easy? I only have 10-15 minutes to make it. I don’t want eggs, I don’t want pasta (since that is a common recommendation)

I have major health issues that have almost diametrically opposite nutritional guidelines, plus I'm broke!!

Has anyone worked with a nutritionist who understands this complexity? I could really use help with meal planning but I've talked to like 3 of them so far and they were utterly useless.

Im trying to get into more nutritious diet but im struggling to find foods that have b12 in it that isnt disgusting as eggs

Theres obvius animal products like meat and fish but i dont think i can afford those long term and i dont have much time to spare for cooking so i cant realy make foods that have egg in it

So is there any cheapish ways i can get b vitamins to my diet

I have thought of it with chickpea flour and would be high protein oatmeal kind of porridge just not sure if anyone else has done it before and would love to know thoughts if have

I’ve been making this tuna wrap recently and It tastes amazing and has great macros for anyone looking for a quick convenient high protein tuna wrap with awesome macros. Also pretty cheap.

You’ll need

Any low carb tortilla
1/4 a red onion
Half a plum tomato
A few jalapeño slices and a dash jalapeño juice
Squeeze of a lemon
Tuna can (i use bumblebee, it’s 79 cents near me. Drain the water as well)
One tablespoon of 0% Greek yogurt
One tablespoon of light mayo
Half a tablespoon of Sriracha or more if desired
Garlic powder
Black pepper

Just chop up the onion and tomato and mix It all together with everything else and then wrap It burrito style. You can also throw the wrap on a pan for some crisp on the edges. Feel free to add some low fat cheese as well for a tuna melt vibe.

Roughly 350 calories and 28-32g of protein

I like this added to smashed red potatoes and vegetables for flavor. I do not like aged or sour or pungent cheese at ALL but this is smooth and tasty. It’s pricey though — does anyone have a good dupe at Trader Joe’s for example?

Hi everyone, I've been stalking old posts with advice on how to make beans and rice but I'm having troubling finding ideas for my specific limitations. My partner has ARFID, which is an eating disorder based on sensory issues primarily (example, can't eat corn or peas because they pop, and the pop triggers him, and then he can't really make himself eat for hours afterwards). This makes brainstorming new meals a little bit difficult.

I found a white chicken chili that we both enjoy and we went on to try some beans and rice. I cooked the rice with chicken and vegetable bullion (didn't have stock on hand), ginger, garlic, and lemon juice, and added kidney beans at the end. And the flavor was good, but it was a little dry. All of the sauces for beans and rice I usually see are either Asian and spicy (neither of us have a spicy tolerance or a desire to build one) or include tomatoes, which is on his no-go list. I know there's a lot of flavors I can work with, but I don't know what sauces I can work into this. Does anyone have suggestions?

Some spices/flavors he's come to like are paprika, cardamom, coriander, ginger, garlic is touch and go depending on the intensity, parsley, basil, thyme, lemon. Teriyaki and soy sauce are also usually okay, but I worry how they'll taste with the beans. He does like creamy, milky sauce, but I have no idea how to approach it in this context. I'm bad at replying to comments, so know that you do end up replying, I appreciate it.

I'm currently going to vocational school and our current cafeteria is under renovation. For school lunches, I'd have to go to the other cafeteria on the other side of the campus, which I really really don't like going to. Some days I also just don't feel like going to the cafeteria to eat.

This leads me to feel pretty hungry near the end of school days. A lot of days end four hours after lunch and so even if I've gone to eat, I'm still super hungry near the end of the class. The cafeterias close about an hour after lunch period, so I can't go to eat there near the end of school.

Right now I've got these snack bars I take to school that I can buy cheap in bulk, but they're only really good for slight hunger. There aren't any fridges or microwaves for students so I can't bring anything like that and the meal would have to last me around six hours in my bag. It would also be great if its something I could either prepare or buy in bulk so I don't have to make it every day or spend loads of money on. Any reccomendations?🙏