Quick dinner meal-prep for office workers, fresh and nutritious丨曼食慢语

Summary

In this video, Amanda shares her time-saving dinner prep routine, emphasizing the importance of pre-prepping ingredients rather than freezing entire meals. She demonstrates how to prep various meat dishes, like pork, shrimp, and chicken, with marinades and seasonings, allowing for quick cooking throughout the week. Amanda also suggests using convenient ingredients like canned tomatoes, frozen noodles, and pickled vegetables. Each dinner recipe is designed to be quick, flavorful, and efficient, with ideas ranging from noodle dishes to curries. Her approach aims to inspire viewers to streamline their cooking while still enjoying delicious, fresh meals each day.

Takeaways

• 😀 Prepping ingredients in advance is essential for quick and easy dinner preparation throughout the week.
• 😀 Avoid freezing fully cooked dinners, instead prep ingredients so you can cook fresh meals quickly when you get home.
• 😀 Preparing meat in bulk and freezing it in meal-size portions saves time, especially with beef, minced pork, and chicken.
• 😀 Cod, salmon, and shrimp are convenient proteins to prepare in advance for a variety of dishes.
• 😀 Prepping vegetables like green onion, garlic, and various sauces ahead of time helps streamline cooking and reduces daily prep time.
• 😀 Store fresh vegetables like lettuce early in the week and save longer-lasting veggies like cabbage for later.
• 😀 Using pre-cooked or half-cooked ingredients, such as canned tomatoes or bamboo shoots, can further speed up dinner preparation.
• 😀 Simple seasoning and sauces (e.g., miso, rice wine, and oyster sauce) can transform basic proteins into delicious meals.
• 😀 Meals like noodles, stir-fries, soups, and curries are great options when you’ve prepped your ingredients and only need to assemble and cook.
• 😀 Organize your cooking days to have a mix of simple and more complex meals, saving time for when the weekend comes around.

Q & A

Why does Amanda consider dinner the most important meal of the day?

Amanda believes dinner is the most important meal because after a long day at work, she doesn't want a light meal. She prefers a fulfilling and hearty dinner to relax and unwind.

What is Amanda's approach to meal prepping for dinner?

Instead of freezing entire meals, Amanda preps ingredients in advance, so she can quickly cook a fresh meal when she gets home. This way, she avoids eating frozen food and still enjoys a warm dinner.

How does Amanda manage to cook a warm meal in just 15 minutes?

Amanda shops for groceries once a week and prepares her ingredients ahead of time. This way, when she gets home, she can cook quickly by having most of the work already done.

What are some of the key ingredients that Amanda preps in advance for meat dishes?

Amanda preps beef, minced pork, cod, shrimp, chicken, and tonkatsu in advance. For each, she marinates or mixes with seasonings and stores them in the fridge or freezer in portions, making cooking faster later.

What is the importance of prepping green onions and garlic in bulk?

Prepping garlic and green onions in bulk saves time throughout the week. Minced garlic, for instance, can be stored in olive oil, which allows Amanda to use it quickly without the need to chop fresh garlic each time.

Why does Amanda prefer to use pre-cooked or pre-packaged ingredients for certain dishes?

Amanda prefers using pre-cooked or pre-packaged ingredients like canned tomatoes, bamboo sprouts, and pre-sliced meats to save time during the week. These items help minimize prep work while still delivering fresh meals.

What is Amanda's method for preparing and storing chicken for different meals?

Amanda preps chicken in multiple ways: she chops chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and marinates them for stir-frying, while for chicken legs and wings, she sprinkles curry powder and saves them for later use in curry dishes.

What role do frozen ingredients play in Amanda's meal prepping?

Frozen ingredients, like shrimp, wonton skins, and Kao Nang (flour-based items), play a key role in Amanda’s meal prepping strategy. Freezing these items helps preserve them and ensures they last longer, while still being easy to use when needed.

What is the process for preparing Tonkatsu, and why is it not as complicated as it seems?

Tonkatsu is made by tenderizing pork, marinating it with seasonings, and coating it in flour and egg before deep frying. Amanda simplifies it by prepping and storing it in the fridge, then baking it in the oven, which makes the process quicker and easier.

How does Amanda ensure the freshness of vegetables throughout the week?

Amanda plans to use more perishable vegetables like lettuce early in the week and stores hardier vegetables, such as cabbage, for later. She also recommends prepping green onions in bulk and storing them with a kitchen towel to keep them fresh for up to a week.