Meal Prep for Everyone

This post originally appeared on my book review blog, Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree in 2023. It was well received as was a few other posts in the same basic vein. Now that I’m a widow and cooking only for myself, I thought what the heck, why not update it? So, I copied it over and started updating it. Some little devil on my shoulder egged me into asking AI to change the tone to “Humorous.” This post is the result of that.

A few years ago, I slapped a post on my other blog about how Meal Prep could help you get dinner on the table faster than you can say “Where did the time go?” It really does, as long as you don’t turn it into a last-minute scramble! Meal prep is a game we often play at the very last second—I’m not just referring to that frantic dash to the freezer for meat. No, I’m talking about hacking away at a mountain of vegetables for that gourmet soup, stew, salad, or one-pot wonder. We’re talking celery, carrots, peppers, and onions—oh, those dreaded onions (seriously, they should come with a warning label for tear production) that make you question your life choices!

Why not just buy it?

Before you leap out of your seat shouting that you can just buy those pre-chopped veggies, hold your horses! Let’s do a little math, shall we? What’s more economical: the mystery bag of chopped veggies you’re stuck with or your own personal chopping factory where you can pick only the produce your family actually likes? Last time I checked, the grocery prices were practically screaming at me—turns out it’s way cheaper to grab the whole fruits and veggies in the produce aisle than to pay a tiny elf to chop them for me!

There are so many books, pins, and blogs out there on this topic that I think I might need an Olympic-sized pool just for swimming through all the ideas! I absolutely enjoy diving into these treasure troves of creativity—it’s just that sometimes, I feel like I need a life vest to float above the overwhelming waves of suggestions!

It’s just little ol’ me now, that’s the scoop! Honestly, cooking for more than two is like hosting a dinner party for an army, unless we’re diving into the glorious realm of soups! So, what tickles my fancy are ingredients that are prepped like they’re auditioning for a cooking show—perfectly measured out so I can toss in just the right amount without breaking a sweat!

I don’t have time!

I had this brilliant lightbulb moment the second time I brought home a bag of celery stalks, only to find that a few of them had taken a turn for the worse before I could actually use them. So, I snatched up a cookie tray that would fit into my side-by-side freezer and lined it with parchment paper—my culinary version of a red carpet! With my cutting board and knife in hand, I unleashed my inner chef and got to chopping. Fast forward 5 to 10 minutes, and voilà! The tray was brimming with chopped celery like a miniature forest. I tossed it in the freezer and did the waiting game for about 2 hours. When I returned, the celery was frozen solid enough that it practically jumped into a freezer container on its own! The pieces were so nicely separated that I could easily snag just what I needed without throwing a tantrum. I kept at it until all the celery was done—like the marathon runner of the veg world! And if you’re dreaming of salads or stir-fries, be sure to stash some of those chopped veggies in an airtight container for the fridge, because, you know, nobody likes soggy salad!

I bravely faced off with a colossal onion and, armed with my trusty mandolin slicer—no, not the musical kind!—I triumphed after a fierce five-minute slicing duel. This heroic vegetable is off to the refrigerator to await its fate. But wait, there’s more! I plan to chop up a few more of its onion buddies and freeze them, because who wouldn’t want a mini onion army ready for battle later?

This is sliced Starfruit – the fancy fruit that thinks it’s too good for the fruit bowl! A friend of mine has a tree in her backyard, and she’s taken to freezing these dazzling slices like they’re potential heirlooms. Now, instead of ice cubes, she’s jazzing up her drinks with star-shaped fruity bursts. Who needs boring ice when you can sip on a piece of tropical flair? Cheers to being the coolest kid on the block!

When it comes to storing frozen vegetables, you might want to think twice before using your old gym socks! I like to mix it up with a fascinating collection of freezer bags and containers—talk about a cool party! This way, I can easily play a game of “What’s in the Bag?” every time I open the freezer. Just make sure to slap a date on those bags and containers; nobody wants to embark on a culinary expedition to the land of the unknown veggies!

My recipe calls for a different type of measurement!

Oh, absolutely! My cooking magazine crush, Cook’s Illustrated, once took a whack at this onion conundrum. They declared that a small onion equals half a cup of diced tears—sorry, I mean onions; a medium onion serves up a full cup of onion goodness; and a large onion? Well, that monstrous thing is a whopping two cups! Who knew chopping onions could turn us into culinary mathematicians?

Now, of course, you probably won’t just be rolling around with onions like they’re the VIPs of your kitchen. That’s what led me to an absolute gem of a website, https://www.howmuchisin.com/produce_converters — I mean, talk about a place where vegetables have their own conversion parties! Having stumbled upon this treasure, I’m plotting my grand return to my favorite recipes, armed with my notepad and a questionable amount of enthusiasm!

Now that I’ve handed you some veggie ammunition, go forth and cook like a culinary superhero!