Why You Should Meal Prep Like A Restaurant

Summary

The video script details a new approach to meal prepping by focusing on preparing individual ingredients rather than complete meals. The narrator shares personal experiences with weight struggles and introduces various cooking techniques, including using a pressure cooker and a mandolin for slicing onions. The script emphasizes the importance of meal variety and creativity, showcasing how to assemble quick and healthy meals with prepped ingredients like roasted veggies, rice, chicken salad, and salmon with a miso-based sauce. The video also includes a sponsored segment on online therapy services.

Takeaways

• 🍲 The video advocates for a different approach to meal prepping by preparing individual ingredients instead of complete meals, which allows for variety and creativity throughout the week.
• 🥗 The speaker emphasizes the importance of using deli containers for meal prepping, as they are versatile and used by professionals, including in restaurants and by Jeremy Allen White in the series 'The Bear'.
• 🥦 The video discusses the speaker's personal preference for roasting vegetables as a healthy and fiber-rich option, despite some negative comments received about their weight.
• 🍚 The speaker prefers Jasmine rice over brown rice for its texture and the convenience of reheating it in a microwave, using a rice cooker for perfect results every time.
• 🐔 For protein, the video demonstrates how to poach chicken breasts to ensure juiciness and then shred them for easy meal assembly later in the week.
• 🔪 The importance of prepping raw ingredients like onions in advance is highlighted, with a safety tip to use a mandolin with a guard to prevent injuries.
• 🍅 The video includes a personal anecdote about the speaker's love for tomatoes and their method of preparing salted tomatoes with a touch of vinegar.
• 🍣 The speaker introduces a unique way of preparing salmon by cubing it and marinating it in a mixture of miso, soy, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, and brown sugar, then baking it for a charred exterior.
• 🥔 A pressure cooker is used to cook chicken and steam potatoes, showcasing its efficiency and the speaker's initial skepticism turned into belief in its capabilities.
• 🌿 The video touches on mental health struggles faced by the video editor, Kevin, and promotes the use of an online therapy service, 'BetterHelp', as a potential solution.
• 🥗 The final takeaway is the ease of assembling a quick and healthy lunch using the prepped ingredients, demonstrating the efficiency and excitement of this meal prepping method.

Q & A

What is the main philosophy of meal prepping suggested in the script?

The main philosophy is to prep individual ingredients and building blocks instead of complete meals, allowing for easy and fun assembly of different meals throughout the week.

Why does the speaker prefer using deli containers for meal prepping?

The speaker prefers deli containers because they are what restaurants use and were recommended by Jeremy Allen White in the show 'The Bear'. They are considered a strong weapon in meal prepping and cooking in general.

What is the speaker's opinion on brown rice compared to white rice?

The speaker is not a fan of brown rice, stating that it doesn't have a significant difference in nutritional value compared to white rice and that white rice, specifically Jasmine rice, has a better texture.

How does the speaker plan to cook the chicken breast?

The speaker plans to poach the chicken breast in simmering water to keep it juicy, and then shred it for easy assembly into meals like chicken salad.

What is the significance of the 'M' plus in the meal prepping process as mentioned in the script?

The 'M' plus refers to prepping raw ingredients that will be used in cooking later on, which is an essential part of the process to save time and effort during the actual cooking.

Why did the speaker decide to use a mandolin for slicing onions?

The speaker chose a mandolin over a knife for slicing onions because it's faster, easier, and results in uniformly thin slices, but emphasizes the importance of using the included guard for safety.

What is the speaker's stance on bodybuilding meals and their typical ingredients?

The speaker is not a fan of typical bodybuilding meals like broccoli, chicken, and brown rice, finding them boring and repetitive, and prefers a more varied and creative approach to meal prepping.

How does the speaker feel about the comments and DMs regarding their weight?

The speaker is affected by comments about their weight, as it has been a lifelong struggle for them, and such comments can be discouraging, especially when they are actively trying to lose weight.

What is the speaker's opinion on the pressure cooker and its results?

Initially skeptical, the speaker was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the chicken cooked in the pressure cooker, noting that it had a slow-cooked quality without the actual slow cooking process.

What method does the speaker use for preparing salmon in the script?

The speaker chops the salmon into bite-sized cubes and coats them in a sauce made of miso, dark soy, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, and brown sugar, then bakes them in the oven with convection to achieve a charred exterior.

How does the speaker feel about assembling meals using the prepped ingredients?

The speaker finds assembling meals from prepped ingredients to be easy, quick, and exciting, as it allows for a lot of variety and creativity in their meals.

Outlines

00:00

🍲 Innovative Meal Prep Philosophy

The speaker introduces a new approach to meal prepping that moves away from the traditional method of preparing entire meals in advance. Instead, they advocate for preparing individual ingredients and building blocks, such as roasted vegetables, rice, and chicken breast, which can be combined in various ways throughout the week. This method aims to avoid the monotony of eating the same meal repeatedly and allows for creativity and flexibility in meal assembly. The speaker also shares personal struggles with body image and weight, highlighting the importance of a supportive environment when trying to make healthy lifestyle changes.

05:02

🍗 Meal Prep Techniques and Productivity

In this section, the speaker dives deeper into their meal prep techniques, discussing the use of a pressure cooker for efficient cooking and the preparation of proteins like chicken and salmon. They also mention the importance of prepping raw ingredients, such as onions, to streamline the cooking process later on. The speaker shares a mishap with a mandolin, emphasizing the importance of safety in the kitchen. Additionally, they explore the use of technology and apps for mental health support, specifically mentioning BetterHelp as a resource for online therapy.

10:03

🥗 Assembling Diverse and Exciting Meals

The speaker concludes by demonstrating the ease of assembling diverse and exciting meals using the prepped ingredients. They highlight the importance of having a variety of proteins, such as chicken, salmon, and beans, and the versatility of sides like tomatoes and potatoes. The use of a pressure cooker for steaming potatoes is also showcased, along with the creation of a quick and healthy sauce using cucumber, yogurt, and dill. The speaker reflects on the overall efficiency of their meal prep process and encourages viewers to consider this method for a more enjoyable and less repetitive meal planning experience.

Keywords

💡Meal Prep

Meal prep, short for meal preparation, refers to the process of planning, shopping for, and preparing meals in advance. In the context of the video, the creator is advocating for a different approach to meal prep that involves prepping individual ingredients instead of complete meals, which allows for more variety and creativity throughout the week.

💡Deli Containers

Deli containers are reusable, airtight food storage containers often used in delis and restaurants. The video emphasizes their importance in meal preparation, suggesting that they are a key tool for storing prepped ingredients and assembling meals, which is a central theme in the creator's proposed meal prep method.

💡Jeremy Allen White

Jeremy Allen White is an actor known for his role in the series 'The Bear'. The script mentions him as someone who uses deli containers, which serves to validate the use of these containers in the meal prep process described in the video, adding a touch of celebrity endorsement to the method.

💡Rice

Rice is a staple food made from the cooked grains of the grass species Oryza sativa. In the video, the creator discusses making Jasmine rice using a rice cooker, highlighting a preference for certain types of rice over others and the convenience of using a rice cooker for meal prep.

💡Chicken Breast

Chicken breast is a lean meat that is often used in meal prep due to its high protein content and versatility. The video describes a method of preparing chicken breast by poaching it, which is said to result in a juicier texture compared to other cooking methods, and then using it in various meals throughout the week.

💡Mandolin Slicer

A mandolin slicer is a kitchen tool used for slicing vegetables into thin, even slices. The script mentions using a mandolin instead of a knife for slicing onions, emphasizing the efficiency and ease of use of this tool in meal prep, but also cautioning about safety due to a personal injury incident.

💡Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is a kitchen appliance that speeds up the cooking process by using high pressure. The video features a pressure cooker as a new tool for the creator, used to cook chicken and potatoes efficiently, showcasing its potential in meal prep for time-saving and convenience.

💡Sauce

In the context of the video, sauce refers to a liquid or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. The creator mentions making a sauce with miso, soy, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, and brown sugar for salmon, and another sauce with cucumber, yogurt, tahini, and dill, demonstrating the role of sauces in enhancing the flavor of meals.

💡Bean Salad

A bean salad is a dish that typically consists of beans, often mixed with other ingredients like vegetables, herbs, and dressings. The video script mentions making a bean salad with capers, illustrating the use of prepped ingredients to create a simple, flavorful side dish as part of the meal prep strategy.

💡Salted Tomatoes

Salted tomatoes are tomatoes that have been seasoned with salt and allowed to sit in their own juices, developing a concentrated flavor. The creator expresses a preference for this simple preparation method, highlighting it as a quick and tasty side dish that can be easily incorporated into various meals.

💡BetterHelp

BetterHelp is an online platform that offers professional therapy services. In the video, it is mentioned as a sponsor, with the creator discussing the importance of mental health and accessibility of therapy, suggesting that BetterHelp could be a useful resource for those seeking such services.

Highlights

Introduction to a new meal prep philosophy using deli containers for ingredient-based meal assembly.

Critique of traditional meal prepping methods that involve eating the same meals repeatedly.

Personal anecdote about not being a meal prepper until purchasing deli containers.

Endorsement of deli containers as a meal prep tool used by restaurants and Jeremy Allen White in the series 'The Bear'.

Explanation of the meal prep process focusing on prepping individual ingredients rather than complete meals.

The importance of prepping based on frequently used and time-consuming ingredients like onions.

Incident of a finger cut while using a mandolin without a guard, emphasizing safety in meal prep.

Use of a pressure cooker to efficiently cook chicken, showcasing a modern cooking technique.

Mental health struggles of the video editor, Kevin, and a promotion for the BetterHelp app.

Preparation of a unique salmon dish with a miso-based sauce for a different flavor profile.

The art of assembling a quick and healthy lunch using prepped ingredients.

Inclusion of beans in the meal prep routine for nutritional balance.

Experiment with steaming potatoes in a pressure cooker for a new side dish.

Creation of a homemade sauce using leftover cucumber, yogurt, and tahini for a versatile meal component.

Reflection on the total time spent on meal prep and suggestions for efficiency improvements.

Final thoughts on the benefits of the ingredient-based meal prep method for variety and excitement in meals.

Closing remarks and a teaser for the next video.

Transcripts

this is objectively the best way to meal

prep for the week if you have some

self-respect you know those sad broccoli

chicken and brown rice type meal preps

where you eat the same thing over and

over again I mean imagine you're 4 days

in and you're having the same exact

boring meal only a little drier and I'm

not going to lie I'm not a meal prepper

or at least I wasn't a meal prepper

until I purchased a ridiculous amount of

Deli containers way too many Deli

containers do not judge me these things

are your strongest weapon when it comes

to meal prepping and cooking in general

and it's what restaurants use and what

Jeremy Allen White uses in the bear so

that's enough to convince me let me

explain the philosophy here essentially

instead of prepping meals we're going to

prep individual ingredients and building

blocks that are going to make assembling

meals during the week extremely easy and

fun leading to no two meals being the

same you have both the convenience and

the freedom and creativity plus you get

to feel like a pro Chef every time you

pop open that lid by the way the reason

I'm wearing this tape is because I

injured my wrist recently which will be

the least of my concerns by the end of

this

video let's start the clock and see how

much time this will take me okay the

first thing I'll do is roast some

veggies this is pretty boring recently

I've been a pretty healthy boy losing

some weight actually and veggies are a

big priority for me I need that freaking

fiber by the way I've been reading a

bunch of comments and even DMS about me

gaining weight which come on man it's

crazy how some people find it necessary

to comment on someone else's body like

there isn't a real person at the

receiving end of that I would really

like to not care about all that but my

weight has been a big struggle for me my

whole life and it just really gets to me

man made me feel like on multiple

occasions I'm not going to lie

especially when I'm actively trying to

lose weight it just really doesn't

help anyways let's make some rice and

I'm not making brown rice because it

sucks I don't know what it is that

bodybuilders love so much about

alternatively colored white carbs like

brown rice brown bread sweet potato have

some fun guys like it doesn't make that

big of a difference plus it has a way

better texture I specifically mess with

Jasmine rice that is my jam and of

course I'm using my trusty wise cooker

because it makes perfect rice without me

having to think about it at all and I

can reheat this in a microwave make

fried rice down the line do whatever I

want with it but really those are kind

of the only options and speaking of

bodybuilding meals let's make some

chicken breast and my plan with these

chicken breast breasticles is to make

them into something I can have cold out

the fridge literally scoop it out of the

container and that thing is chicken

salad you guys know I love chicken salad

I will first poach my breast in

simmering water which trust me if you do

it correctly will lead to a way juicier

breast than just drying it in the pan

while that is resting maybe the most

essential part of this process is the m

plus which is the fancy way of saying

prepping raw ingredients that are going

to be used in cooking down the line and

here you need to keep in mind what you

use most and is most annoying to do when

you actually cook for me it's definitely

onions so I took a bunch of onions and I

was planning to slice them but then I

had the brilliant idea of using a

mandolin instead of a knife because it's

probably faster easier and it leads to

melin Star thin slices like these but

please if you do this I beg you you need

to use the included guard do not raw dog

the mandolin that's stupid because this

might

happen

damn I am objectively one of the biggest

stupids this time I use my freaking

guard God yep that's me and yeah it was

a pain in the ass to continue prepping

this it's crazy how a little finger

cut can just completely ruin my mood I'm

not strong enough to deal with this

I did bail pepper scallion and a bunch

of fresh herbs this a mix of parsy

cilantro and Dill but I was honestly

kind of sick of everything at this point

in the meantime our chicken breast has

finished resting and now we can shred

it and now I can use the stuff I prepped

before to prep even more stuff which is

pretty cool I was also going to add

Capers but I forgot you should add

Capers and also if I wasn't trying to

minimize the calories like a beta I

would add way more Mayo to this plus

maybe some dried cranber or something

like that but for now this is perfectly

fine I can scoop this onto tortillas and

make a straight one minute lunch wrap

for

example that freaking mandolin

completely took me out for the day so I

had to come back the next day with a

reinforced bandage ready to prep some

more and I was excited because I

recently purchased this guy a pressure

cooker it really seemed to me like a

gimmicky telemarketing product but I've

heard some good things about it so I

wanted to try it out and I went

completely lazy mode just threw

everything in there no Browning no

flavor building no nothing I even put in

some overall rub which I don't even know

what that is I just saw it in the store

and thought it sounded funny not a

sponsor but I would totally take that

bag speaking of which hey everyone I am

Kevin's video editor Kevin and I

frequently struggle with my mental

health mainly due to how my employer

treats me therapy is I think a very

important tool that sadly is not very

accessible for a lot of people it's it's

very expensive it also takes a lot of

time and effort to get and also at the

end of the day you might not even like

your therapist well today's sponsor

better help is an app where you can get

Professional Therapy online without any

of that hassle all you have to do is

fill out a questionnaire about your

situation in my case it's a crippling

existential anxiety after that they

quickly match you with a therapist

within 48 hours in most cases then you

can schedule out sessions with your

therapist whenever you want to and if

you're not happy with your therapist for

any any reason you can always change

them at no additional cost so if you

feel like this could be a good option

for you go to betterhelp.com squ you're

going to get a nice discount and you

also get to support the channel

hopefully Kevin can pay me a little bit

more because right now the situation is

dire thank you better help now let's see

if this pressure cooker pressure cook

this pressure cooked chicken

[Music]

good

that's

scary oh my God

surprise surprise the chicken was

actually beautifully cooked the meat was

falling apart I didn't really believe

believe initially I didn't really

believe in this device but honestly I

changed my mind somehow it has that slow

cooked quality without actually slow

cooking which I don't really get how I

assume it's some science stuff while

that cools down let's work on our third

and final protein and I'm sure this is

probably some recipe someone made before

but in my world I'm the pioneer of this

method I basically chop the salmon into

bite-sized cubes and build a sauce based

on miso dark soy mirin sesame oil garlic

and brown sugar it's going to look very

unpleasant if you think about it too

much but I take this paste and just coat

the salmon in it place them on a baking

sheet making sure they all touch the

surface and then put it in the the oven

with that fan mode on it's called

convection it's going to Brown the tops

faster and that's exactly what we want I

want my salmon to be almost charred I'm

really into that almost burnt surface

and then biting into that and it's like

a soft juicy inside relax it's very

close to lunchtime so at this point I

was straight starving however before I

had lunch I wanted to make another side

and that's simply put Tomatoes I love

tomatoes specifically salted tomatoes

that have sat in salt and their own

juices for a while and I also like a

touch of vinegar in there I really feel

like that salted tomato taste hits in a

way that nothing else in the world hits

these are quite Tomatoes if I'm

being honest and I cannot wait to go

back home to Romania this summer to

stuff my face with those Tomatoes

anyways I'm getting ahead of myself look

how easy it is to assemble a very decent

lunch using the stuff I already made it

takes like 1 minute to put all this

stuff together and at least in my

opinion the freedom this method gives

you will make you meals exciting every

single time so now we have three

proteins but you may have realized a

very important thing is missing there's

no way I was going to go through this

week without beans I think no human

should unless you're allergic or

something I'm going very basic here just

making a bean salad load it up with

capers for that Briny hit and that's

pretty much it and I'm just now noticing

somehow most things I make fit perfectly

into that container it's pretty wild for

my final side I had some potatoes and I

didn't want to overthink it just chopped

them up and I wanted to put this

pressure cooker to another test how well

can it steam these potatoes it comes

with a steaming rack so I just dump my

potatoes in

there pressed a couple buttons and that

was

it God honestly I was going to make a

potato salad or something but I had one

bite and I felt the most perfect potato

texture so I didn't want to mess with

the purity of it just like a waxy almost

chewy but still soft potato and all I

added was salt

Perfection now I know I'm pushing it but

for the last thing I needed like an

allaround sauce and I didn't have a plan

for this before but I just saw this

leftover cucumber so I decided to turn

it into a ttii type sauce added yogurt

tahini and a bunch of

dill and that was my sauce and there it

is it did take Me 3 and 1/2 hours split

into 2 days but honestly I worked in a

highly inefficient manner I think you

could easily knock this time down to 2

and 1/2 hours or so and I think it's

super worth it just look how easy it is

to assemble an amazing meal one minute

healthy delicious exciting and I will

see you guys next time thank you for

watching

um I don't know what else to say bye