Need Some Help With Food Storage

[Banded 08 0]

Hi,

I was banded almost 4 years ago and and when I first started on solid foods I had a great system. At least I thought I did! I bought a whole bunch of 4 ounce Rubbermaid containers and I would cook chili, pot roast, stew, etc in bulk. I put everything I cooked into the 4 ounce containers and froze them. Then I would take 3 or 4 with me to work every day and I'd microwave them when it was time to eat. I'd have high quality food to eat all day long.

Since then though, the 4 ounce containers have gotten "stained" with and kind of gross looking. And they're pretty expensive to replace. And microwaving plastic is pretty gross!

I'm looking for ideas on how to store the food I make. I cooked pot roast on Sunday and put it in the fridge and figured I'd scoop some out every time I wanted some but there's some gross white stuff (fat?) on top of it and I'm scared to touch it!

What does everybody else do for food storage? I don't have time to cook every night or come up with a meal at every meal time so I could use some serious help.

Thanks,

Jon

[Fit in my 60's 25]

I think your system is good. Just bring an extra dish to microwave it in. Plastic does get gross when you microwave in it, and coming from a long line of breast cancer in my family, I was told never to microwave food in plastic anyway. Thanks for sharing your idea. I'm only 2 weeks banded and this sounds like a good plan to me.

[Banded 08 0]

I'm sorry to sound like an idiot here but I'm reeeeaaaaly bad with food and cooking! Do you mean I should bring a glass/pyrex dish or bowl and move the frozen food out of the plastic container and into the glass one before microwaving? How would I get the food out of the plastic container if it's frozen? Good luck to you!

[Short and Chunky 230]

Pyrex and Corningware make 1 cup containers (they are glass) and are great to use. If you want to keep using your plastic and move it over to glass...sit the frozen plastic container in warm/hot Water for a few minutes and you food will slide right out of the container into a glass dish. Great idea about the pre-packaging. A great suggestion for those of us who work and bag it to stay on track....I am having a salad with 3 ozs of roasted chicken and a babybel light cheese. I was banded on 7/7/11 and am currently down 80 pounds but have slowed a bunch - almost 3 pounds lost in the past 2 months...I feel no restiction so I guess it is FILL TIME...haven't had one in a couple of months. Have a great week everyone...

Melinda in Florida

[RhiRhi 12]

Store your food in small plastic bags like ziplock. Then bring a glass bowl like a pyrex dish and transfer from bag to dish. If you sit the food out in the morning after a couple of hours it will be easy enough to get out of the bag.

[Fit in my 60's 25]

I was thinking it'd be thawed out enough to transfer to a glass dish before microwaving.

[Banded 08 0]

Oh gotcha, I was thinking I'd leave it in the freezer til it's time to eat. I'm scared to leave it out but since a couple of you have mentioned it I guess it's probably safe.

I love the idea of using ziploc bags! Thanks everybody for the suggestions, sounds like you're going to save me a lot of money since I won't have to buy rubbermaid containers anymore!

And congrats to you Rhiannon!

[Banded 08 0]

Oh gotcha, I was thinking I'd leave it in the freezer til it's time to eat. I'm scared to leave it out but since a couple of you have mentioned it I guess it's probably safe.

I love the idea of using ziploc bags! Thanks everybody for the suggestions, sounds like you're going to save me a lot of money since I won't have to buy rubbermaid containers anymore!

And congrats to you Rhiannon!

[eac00100 1]

I freeze sauces, cream Soups, and chicken in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I pop them out, then put in plastic storage bags. I take out only what I need for that meal. They defrost on the counter nin no time. I also, freez "milk" cubes for shakes.< /p>

[eac00100 1]

Addition to above post: Put foood in cup cake lined cupcake pans. Again, once frozen, put into larger compact containers.

[georgia girl 35]

I freeze sauces, cream Soups, and chicken in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I pop them out, then put in plastic storage bags. I take out only what I need for that meal. They defrost on the counter nin no time. I also, freez "milk" cubes for shakes.

That is a very clever idea! I like the idea of doing the cupcake lined cupcake pans, too. That would even be good for chili....just heat up a couple of them and voila, lunch. I will definitely be doing this.

[horsegirl315 114]

I freeze sauces, cream Soups, and chicken in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I pop them out, then put in plastic storage bags. I take out only what I need for that meal. They defrost on the counter nin no time. I also, freez "milk" cubes for shakes.

Also, my ice cube tray wells are each 1 oz (i think most are), so thats a good way to measure. Just grab 4 cubes!