Meal Prep: Why we do it and how it is sustainable. Recipe included!

Let's talk meal prep and how much more sustainable it is to take a day to prep all your dishes for the week.

I’ve always used whatever containers we have around but eventually we invested in the snap top glass storage containers from Costco because they stack easily in the fridge and glass is easier to see through and store with but you can literally use any containers you already have.

Meal prepping is not just a time-saving strategy; it’s also a step toward a more sustainable lifestyle. By dedicating just a few hours each week to planning and preparing meals, you can significantly reduce food waste, minimize reliance on single-use packaging, and make more mindful choices about what you consume. This small but impactful habit empowers you to align your meals with your values, benefiting both your household and the planet.

Here’s a list of reasons why our family meal preps whenever we can. Of course…it’s not always possible every week but it sure does feel like relief when everything is ready to go!

    Portion Control: Prepping helps you use exactly what you need for your meals, reducing leftover ingredients that may spoil.

    Better Planning: You can plan meals based on what’s already in your pantry, ensuring older ingredients are used before they go bad.

    Bulk Buying: Prepping often involves purchasing ingredients in bulk, which reduces single-use packaging and cuts costs!

    Efficient Cooking: Preparing ingredients in batches (e.g., chopping, boiling) uses less energy than doing so repeatedly throughout the week.

    Consolidated Storage: Prepped ingredients take up less space in the fridge or freezer, which can improve appliance efficiency.

    Seasonal and Local Produce: Planning ahead allows you to incorporate more seasonal, locally sourced, and environmentally friendly foods.

    Meat Alternatives: It’s easier to incorporate plant-based meals when the ingredients are prepped and ready to go.

    Avoid Takeout: Having ingredients ready discourages last-minute takeout, which often comes in non-recyclable packaging and may have a higher carbon footprint.

    Planned Purchases: Meal prep ensures you buy only what you need, reducing unnecessary trips to the store and associated transportation emissions.

In conclusion, setting aside just three hours a week for meal prepping can transform the way you approach food and daily life. It’s a practical investment that pays off by saving time, energy, and money while reducing stress during busy days. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just starting out, meal prepping is a sustainable and rewarding habit that helps you take control of your schedule, health, and environmental footprint.

Delicious and EASY recipe below!

Pork ShuMai - style dumplings

We are prepping this on Sunday! We’ll be able to use the leftover ginger, garlic and lemongrass to make a broth too. We have to water down Asher’s foods to make them purees so I often make sure we always have broth prepped too and made of vegetable scraps or the bones of our meat. I even keep shrimp shells to make shrimp broth too!

I had already planned to prep for our family but I also found out about a family that could use help in my area and not every one has cash they can just put in to a GoFundMe or Paypal account. I do these things I call “foodie fundraisers” where I raise money for folks but people can choose to get a food in exchange for their donation. It’s a little thing I do when I can because…I’ve been there. I’ve needed help and didn’t know how to ask and didn’t even WANT to ask people for cash. So, when I was getting a divorce I used to sell food on social media to help pay for basic needs and my utilities. Anywho—-just wanted to share that little tidbit with you all because it brings me joy to help others and to feed people…here we go:

Pictured are ones that also contain shrimp. You can do that too if you prefer!

What you’ll need:

Circle Shaped dumpling wrappers

1 pound ground pork

Starch Slurry ( 2tbsp water + 2.5 tbsp Cornstarch and Rice Flour

1 tbsp sesame oil

2-3 green onions finely sliced

Oyster mushrooms if you would like them!

4 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

.5 teaspoon sugar

1 inch chunk of ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 inch chunk of lemongrass stalk.

Easy Peasy Prep and Cook

I doubt this is the “proper” way to do it but my ex-mother-in-law did it this way and it’s so easy.

Basically we would put all of the ingredients in a food processor MINUS the pork.

Then, process them until a paste. Add more rice flour if soupy and more soy sauce if it’s too thick.

Then we would mix that paste with the pork.

Once its mixed nicely, we would just plop a little spoonfull in the dumpling and pinch the sides like the photos show.

Steam until done!

How to use the ingredients for other dishes:

Lemongrass Stalk:

Add to broth, or freeze for later. You can also grind the lemongrass, ginger and garlic leftovers and put them in an ice cube tray for soup later!

Garlic:

Keep a container of already chopped garlic weekly so you can always add it to oil for stir frys and more!

Scallions:

Goes great on eggs or on top of anything, really! They don’t keep long so leave them whole until needed if you don’t have a plan for them in the next few days after making dumplings.

Oyster Sauce:

This is a staple ingredient in our home. It’s got a sweetness and saltiness and we use it in fried rice, stir frys and our version of General Tsao chicken.

Do double or triple this recipe because you will definitely want to freeze some for later and skip the packaged dumpling bags at the grocery store!

Sauce:

We like two different sauces that are foolproof.

One is that you just mix Soy Sauce and Honey and cook it down to make a sweet soy. You can add some grated ginger to this and it is delicious

The other one we jokingly call “Basic B*tch Asian Sauce” It’s so delicious but it’s literally just sweet chili sauce mixed with soy sauce!

We hope you enjoy…here’s a pic of Amelie having this dish for her birthday in 2020!

Drink Water and Breathe- Mel