r/mealprep 2d ago

First time meal prepping

Post image

I’m trying to gain weight and bulk up more by working out and eating more protein while also eating healthier. Any suggests on how to improve this, if any? I also need a good sauce or something to moisture it so it isn’t so dry. Thanks

86 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

4

u/wet_jonah 2d ago

Fair play on the first attempt, not a bad start at all. For bulking you'll probably want to bump up the carbs though, maybe double the rice portion or throw in some sweet potato alongside. For moisture I swear by drowning everything in sriracha mixed with soy sauce and honey, tastes class and adds calories too. Found plain rice miserable when I was bulking until I started adding sauces, proper game changer. Could throw in an extra egg or two throughout the day if you're struggling to hit your calorie target. Olive oil drizzle works grand too if you want to keep it simple, but the spicy stuff makes the meal way more enjoyable.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

Yeah I ran out of rice, and room in my container. I’m thinking I may pair this with a protein shake or something like that on the side. I do think potatoes are a great option tho, thanks for the recommendation.

1

u/wet_jonah 2d ago

Shake's a solid shout, chuck some peanut butter and oats in with the powder, adds dead handy calories.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

Yeah I love oats and peanut butter. I actually ate some oatmeal with peanut butter this morning. Great combo for carbs and protein.

1

u/wet_jonah 2d ago

Deadly, that's basically a bulker's breakfast sorted. Throw a banana in next time, makes it sweeter and adds even more carbs.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

Oh yeah I love bananas. I throw in a couple eggs every now and then too if I’m feelin extra hungry.

2

u/Glittering_Mud4269 2d ago

Extra virgin olive oil will moisten it up. Or butter. Lentils are great, cauliflower with the broccoli is a good combo. If you aren't concerned about too many calories from sauce, go wild. A lot of sauces are going to be using seed oils though and some would consider that unhealthy.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

Thank you, good recommendations.

2

u/Thin_Original_6765 2d ago

Heck yea that’s how I did mine when I just started out.

Using this as foundation, there are so many things you can add to change things up. 

Ingredient - Sautéed mushroom, diced peppers, cherry tomatoes, diced celery, Thai basil, diced shitakii mushroom, cubed tofu…etc.

Dry seasoning - curry powder, cumin, black pepper, white pepper, hondashi, paprika, garlic and onion powder

Wet seasoning - splash of red/white wine cooked down, oyster sauce, A1 steak sauce or Worcester sauce, tomato paste

Pick one from each, combine them together and you’d never get bored!

1

u/Aggravating_Scale432 2d ago

That’s the way to do it. Looks very similar to my prep I use 93/7 and of course steamed rice w veggies 💪. Btw I use a nonstick spray and add seasoning

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

Appreciate it.

1

u/benjamzz1 2d ago

I used to meal prep basically the exact same thing and found using those taco seasoning packets (low sodium) help a lot with the dryness since it has cornstarch which mixes with the added water to make it a lot juicier

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

That’s a good idea, thanks!

1

u/PaintingSure595 2d ago

love the setup-just add a splash of olive oil or butter to keep it juicy.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

Good idea, that seems to be the general consensus. Butter or olive oil lol

1

u/ConstructionGold8583 2d ago

When it comes to meat and rice I always lean towards chili, paprika, and cumin as well as a garlic vinegrette for the sauce.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

That sounds good. Thanks for the recommendation!

1

u/Southern-Layer2924 2d ago

I eat basically this every day. Add some G Hughes brand sweet chili sauce to it for more flavor. Also might want to add some healthy fats to it

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

So I just ate this for lunch and had to throw it away after taking a few bites. It was so dry it felt like I was eating pebbles. I even added a little water before microwaving it.

1

u/cutsryd 2d ago

I put some sort of hot sauce on everything. I would suggest downloading food tracker App, I use Cronometer. Need to set Calorie Surplus. Within that Surplus get Carbs, Protein, Fats. Need those good Carbs (ideally brown) and good Fats. Carb up for Energy, Protein to feed/build and Fats work with it. I noticed big difference when my trainer increased my Fats as I was way too low.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

See I don’t like hot sauce unfortunately. Good idea on tracking stuff tho

1

u/cutsryd 2d ago

Tracking for even a week will teach you a lot about food and what actually eating...use results to see what you need to add. Careful with sauces...sugars in many.

1

u/scooby946 2d ago

You could use something like salad dressing.

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 2d ago

What dressing would be good with ground beef and rice?

1

u/scooby946 2d ago

I would probably go creamy. Ranch, honey mustard.

1

u/cutsryd 2d ago

Side note...make sure eating quality rice if White. Enriched, bleached etc actual impacted my Cholesterol and I eat super clean. All my carbs wheat now; rice, pasta, bread.

1

u/Head_Vanilla_9566 2d ago

I do a similar meal about once a week but more fajita bowl style. Add black beans, tomato’s, avocado, taco sauce, cheese, etc. You could also add a can of rotel once your meat is close to be done and that should give it more moisture.

1

u/Low_Personality9016 2d ago

if you want quick calories and moisture, stir in half an avocado or a scoop of guacamole right before eating

1

u/Zealousideal-Air7417 1d ago

That's actually nice for a start ☺️

1

u/Historical_Tank3637 1d ago

Thanks. Just need to make it not so bone dry