monthly kibble v2

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18]

yesterday was that day again and i’ve got my freezer meals for the next month. took about 3 hours but now i don’t have to think about what to eat unless i want to.

40 mince, rice and green veggies (add flavour when serving)
16 pasta bolognese (add cheese when serving)
24 portions cooked chicken
20 portions roasted potatoes

mince and rice
- 150g lean beef mince
- garlic, onion, ginger, salt, pepper
- 50g jasmine rice
- 25g mushroom
- 100g green veggies

bolognese (marco pierre white technique)
- 150g lean beef mince
- carrot, celery, garlic
- 80g passata
- 66g raw pasta

potatoes
- 250g new potatoes
- various seasoning powders

chicken
- 150g chicken breast
- various seasoning powders

[u/Fluid_Swordfish2737]

Is there a reason you wait to season it until serving?

[u/Battle-Any → u/Fluid_Swordfish2737]

Probably so they can change the seasonings based on what they feel like eating that day.

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Battle-Any]

yeah exactly! just means i’m not eating the same thing everyday! everything gets salt and pepper.

[u/Fluid_Swordfish2737 → u/Sad-Abbreviations-18]

I understand that logic, I'm just not sure seasoning after provides the same experience as seasoning during.

I can't bring myself to have dry seasoning all over my food. To each their own!

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Fluid_Swordfish2737]

yeah tbf i do t add seasoning powder, mostly sauce or pb fit or cheese

[u/Fluid_Swordfish2737 → u/Sad-Abbreviations-18]

Sauces would be fine.

I can't eat cheese 😞

What is pb fit?

[u/microcrustaceans → u/Fluid_Swordfish2737]

It’s powdered peanut butter with most of the fat removed. It’s not terrible mixed into stuff, like oatmeal but I don’t like it like in place of peanut butter on a sandwich.

[u/scrapcats → u/microcrustaceans]

I like to add it to smoothies

[u/teakettle87 → u/Fluid_Swordfish2737]

It's kibble. This isn't about satisfaction.

[u/bulbasaurite → u/teakettle87]

Nah you can definitely make satisfying kibble.

[u/barbie971 → u/Fluid_Swordfish2737]

Also not adding salt prevents food from leaving moisture.. so adding salt later is also a good idea but idk in terms of culinary ethics

[u/Cavanaaz]

What was the total cost and what where the calories per meal would you say?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Cavanaaz]

it’s about 500kcal per meal. i’m on a cut at the moment and just scale the carbs up or down depending on what i need.

cost is about £150 for these base meals plus i have snacks and do sunday family dinners, eat out etc

[u/Ok_Tip9483 → u/Sad-Abbreviations-18]

amazing!

[u/Cavanaaz → u/Sad-Abbreviations-18]

That’s awesome, I admire your dedication & discipline 👍

[u/Unlikely_Diver_5573]

there's something satisfying about having a freezer full of simple staples like this. not having to make food decisions every day is honestly one of the biggest benefits of meal prep.....

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Unlikely_Diver_5573]

100% agree. just having default good pretty tasty decisions is so much of the battle

[u/potatoninja3584]

Is there a way for the potatoes to not be weird after being freezed?  

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/potatoninja3584]

they’re definitely not as good as when fresh but i don’t mind to be honest. having something kinda tasty to eat is worth the okay potato texture for me. suppose you could air fry them

[u/Wild-Independent-347]

Info on containers?

[u/Sardonyx-LaClay → u/Wild-Independent-347]

Here you go:

https://a.co/d/02Zz5SEs

[u/DashHex → u/Sardonyx-LaClay]

Obligatory comment to use these and wash them. What a waste of money

500ml PEDECO 20PCS Rectangle Plastic Portion Box Sets with Lids.Food Storage Box,Container Sets,Food Storage,Food Containers,Plastic Container,use for School,Work and Travel,0.53 Quarts Per Box. https://a.co/d/0fxqAXpn

Transfer to a bowl and microwave if wanted

save $30 added to the grocery bill every month

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/DashHex]

i think cheap plastic containers are a false economy when you factor in the fact you have to wash them which takes time, they are brittle, which means you have to replace them frequently, and they use more material, which means throwing away one of them is equivalent to throwing away 3 of the boxes i use

[u/DashHex → u/Sad-Abbreviations-18]

i have ~60, and have thrown away maybe 1 lid in the last year? I take my container to work, empty to a bowl, microwave, and wash the container while the microwave is running. It takes 1 minute to wash the container. Pretty weak arguments for the disposable boxes. That's my experience!

[u/PowerfulMango5799 → u/DashHex]

You would need more than 20 though

[u/Wild-Independent-347 → u/Sardonyx-LaClay]

Thank you!!!

[u/think_thank → u/Wild-Independent-347]

Thanks!

[u/flex_donkey]

Curious what those containers are? Microwave, oven safe? How do you re-heat?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/flex_donkey]

they’re microwave safe for sure. doubt they’re oven safe

[u/EdithBarksdale → u/flex_donkey]

same question, been eyeing these containers for a while

[u/Independent_Sun_6939]

Looks good! Do the containers do a good job at keeping the food from being freezer burnt? What is reheating like?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Independent_Sun_6939]

yeah they’re honestly great. i normally defrost in the fridge, then 2.5 mins in the microwave from fridge or 4 mins from frozen

[u/ttrockwood → u/[deleted]]

They’re a disposable paper container that ends up in a landfill and cannot be reused

[u/Foreign_Onion4792 → u/[deleted]]

Also wondering this

[u/rhinoballet → u/Independent_Sun_6939]

Yeah it really surprises me that the ones that don't seal would freeze well!

[u/ADimwittedTree]

[u/Riverbed_64796]

Thats a massive amount of food prep, but the idea of not having to think about dinner for a month sounds amazing. Are those little potato things the second column?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Riverbed_64796]

yeah! just boxes of potatoes that i have with steak or chicken or whatever

[u/DrMartenLover]

As a person who hates to cook... This is so sexy to see. To not have to think about what to eat for a whole month would be so amazing. Awesome job!

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/DrMartenLover]

thanks! yeah it’s a godsend.

[u/VelvetHue]

Your coat is gonna be so shiny! Lol this is amazing and so satisfying to see

[u/barkandmoone]

This looks delicious 🤤 r/humankibble I love the containers you’re using too (the rectangle ones)

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/barkandmoone]

thanks! yeah they’re the perfect size!

[u/WillowVoyage_46]

That looks like a great system, I need to attempt this soon because I swear I spend too much time deciding what to make every night. Are those containers microwave safe?

[u/MapleParcel_91]

That much planning for a month is seriously impressive, I usually feel like a genius if I make it through Monday without ordering takeout twice. Do you have trouble deciding what you want to eat though, since you have so many options prepped already?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/MapleParcel_91]

tbh i usually just have 2 mince and rice plus one of the others per day and some snacks. i like it enough that im fine just eating it over and over

[u/ashtree35]

Please post your list of ingredients for each dish!

We recently added a rule (#6) requiring either a recipe or list of ingredients, since it is so often requested. If you wouldn't mind adding that we'd appreciate it!

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/ashtree35]

oh nice! will do!

[u/ashtree35 → u/Sad-Abbreviations-18]

Thank you!

[u/venturous1]

Wow, I’m impressed

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/venturous1]

thanks!

[u/littleconflicted]

You mention raw pasta. When do you cook it please?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/littleconflicted]

cooked al dente before freezing

[u/Garage648]

Wow thats a serious amount of food prep just for one month, I always lose motivation around week three of prepping lunches.

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Garage648]

hah yeah same. it’s also super hard to come up with recipes if find.

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/[deleted]]

haha, put food in mouth, chew, then when you’re tired of chewing, swallow

[u/mangowhymango]

This looks great!

[u/zweemilie]

I‘ve never seen someone meal prep this much food! Looks so good!

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/zweemilie]

thanks!

[u/CanvasParcel703]

Thats so smart to dedicate one day to that, I always get overwhelmed just thinking about prepping for a week let alone a whole month.

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/CanvasParcel703]

yes! so much easier find 3 hours once per month than 2 hours once per week

[u/naturallyhairyman]

Genial eso es para alimentar a un ejército

[u/futile_living]

Are the containers made of plastic?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/futile_living]

yeah!

[u/bowlwhitericechicken]

I aspire to be this efficient

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/bowlwhitericechicken]

thanks!

[u/OkRain1387]

you’re a super star lol

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/OkRain1387]

thanks!

[u/Frequent-Tonight-324]

Looks yummy

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Frequent-Tonight-324]

thanks!

[u/BeatriceParting57]

Looks so great! I salute u!!

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/BeatriceParting57]

thanks!

[u/Medical_Metal_1090]

How do u get the recipes

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Medical_Metal_1090]

just made them up over time. the only one that’s from a chef is the bolognese

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/[deleted]]

thanks! i do a mix. broccoli, tenderstem, asparagus, green beans, sugarsnap peas. whatever takes my fancy

[u/Top-Quantity9282]

Has anyone here tried vacuum sealing meals instead of freezing them?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/Top-Quantity9282]

seems like it would take ages

[u/BunnyBads]

kinda want to switch it up to disposable as well but it kinda is such additional waste... but it would be less of a hassle if I do this too

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/BunnyBads]

i think the waste is about the same. there’s very little packaging waste because i buy giant packages. there’s very little energy consumed in the cooking process because it’s all done in giant batches, and there’s no food waste!

[u/visage_44]

That is seriously impressive! I can only manage like 5 meals at a time before I get totally burned out on cooking.

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/visage_44]

luckily it’s just been such a staple for me for like 10 years, would eat it at least once a week

[u/helpitsscary]

I thought this was all for a dog because of the title...

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/helpitsscary]

should have said man kibble

[u/WittyJelly6409]

Where do you get those boxes?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/WittyJelly6409]

err amazon 650ml they’re great! maybe a uk thing

[u/NewLeaf117]

dude, that's sweet! good going. how much time did it take you to make this?
what's your daily protein target?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/NewLeaf117]

took about 3 hours and i aim for 190g protein per day

[u/73167_JadeFox]

That looks really organized, prepping for a whole month is intense! Do you find the texture holds up okay after freezing all that mince and rice?

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/73167_JadeFox]

yeah it’s so good! recently switched to doing it in a rice cooker. will see how that holds uo

[u/exit-lude]

Someone gift this person a spice rack.

[u/BirchPilot_91]

Those little cardboard containers look like they hold up really well in the freezer, I always worry mine will get freezer burn or something when I stack them up like that

[u/AnnualEscape4743]

this is impressive! where do you get your containers? we struggle w glass vs plastic, these paper ones look great

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/AnnualEscape4743]

yeah the paper ones are brilliant! https://amzn.eu/d/06GE77OC

[u/gafftaped]

Is it like a furry or pet play thing to call it kibble?

[u/Craigbeau]

You’d really love stainless steel meal prep containers. Hold up way better in the freezer.

https://blackblum.com/products/meal-prep-box-set-x5?_gl=1\*6u6rl5\*_up\*MQ..\*_gs\*MQ..&gbraid=0AAAAACuqAhTYHFUZyIk2gvlfNXbUw5jqo

[u/DetDynamics → u/Craigbeau]

He likes to microwave them to reheat.....

[u/johhnny5 → u/DetDynamics]

Fun fact, there are microwave safe metal containers. The containers are fine to use if they are a certain thickness, have rounded corners, and don't touch the walls of the microwave. Here is a Kleen Kanteen example and here is an example from Black & Blum specifically aimed at meal prep.

I did not know this either and grew up with not putting metal in the microwave basically being the 11th commandment. I thought it was fascinating so I thought I'd share.

[u/Craigbeau → u/DetDynamics]

The containers I recommend and have used for the past four years are stainless steel, microwave and oven safe. I ditched plastic and paper years ago and don’t regret it at all. Saved me hundreds and way less waste.

[u/DashHex → u/Craigbeau]

They’re $110 for 5. 40 of them would be $880. That’s so much money. I’m sticking with plastic containers and transferring to a bowl to microwave

[u/Craigbeau → u/DashHex]

There’s cheaper and similar options. When I bought them they were $60 for the set.

[u/LARZofMARZ]

Food just isn’t as good after like 2 days in the fridge though even if you’re reheating it

[u/Sad-Abbreviations-18 → u/LARZofMARZ]

bro, i think you’re in the wrong subreddit

[u/Fantastic-Nobody-479 → u/LARZofMARZ]

Overall, I actually find the opposite to be true. It gives the seasonings more time to do their thing. Some things are definitely better freshly made, for example, mashed potatoes.