Hi folks,

Wanted to share with all of you my way of meal preparation:

When I first started dieting, it seemed overwhelming. The total prep time for 3-4000 clean calories per day seemed like a monumental, time consuming task. I quickly learned how to streamline the whole process, and have it down to a point that I literally spend less than 10 minutes per day in the kitchen.

Two things that would be needed to do it my way are a vacuum sealer and a counter-top pressure cooker. A vacuum sealer can be purchased online for as little as 20 dollars. The best value for the bags, that I have found, is from Sam's club. I'm not sure if Costco has them. For 40 dollars or so you can buy around 6 months worth of bags. A pressure cooker(not a dual smoker/pressure cooker) can be found for as little as 75 dollars new. The one I use is a Cuisinart model that cost around 100 dollars. These two items pay for themselves and save enough time that it could be justified to spend 3X what they actually cost, in my opinion.

The items that I cook most are Whole turkey breast(super fucking cheap when it's not November or December and keeps damn near forever when frozen), chicken breast, brown rice, and round steak(This shit is hard to cook without it making your jaw sore chewing it).

The beautiful things about the counter top pressure cooker as opposed to a stove-top model is there is no need to monitor and they are far more efficient. A stove-top model will not help you in this case.

Chicken breast: I buy the big ass package at Sam's club or Wal-Mart. Last time I checked the price was the same at either(about $1.77/lb where I live). I trim off the fat and toss the whole thing in the pressure cooker with enough water to cover it. Toss in your favorite seasoning(I use Montreal chicken for the most part). Set the timer for 20 minutes on high pressure and walk away. If you don't get back to it for hours or even the next day it will still be hot. Be careful when you are removing the chicken breast, as it's going to be so tender that it will fall apart. I will usually cook three packages and vacuum seal them in 3-day quantities.

Turkey breast: Same thing applies. Peel off the skin, trim the fat, drop in the pressure cooker and cover with water. Once again add the seasoning that you prefer. I find it best to do this before bed and take it out the next morning. It's too damn hot the same day and you can't spoon it out because, like the chicken, it's going to be so tender it will fall apart. Portion what you will use in the next 3 days(or however long you trust it) and vacuum seal the rest. I do one of these per week. Oh, cook time on the whole breast is 30 minutes.

Round steak: Round steak/Flank steak make a perfect dinner if you prescribe to the no carbs at night philosophy. It's still good even if you don't. Same as the others, trim the fat(or leave it), drop in the pressure cooker and cover with water. Add your favorite seasoning and cook it on high pressure for 30 minutes. This too is going to be so tender, it will fall apart. Now, I am a bad-ass cook and I have not yet found a way to cook the "healthy" cuts of beef and make them enjoyable without slow cooking them or using the pressure cooker. Pressure cooker, in my opinion, trumps slow cooking. Portion and vacuum seal what's left.

Brown rice: I've found that brown rice will keep for max 3 days in my fridge before it begins to take on a rancid flavor. Add six cups of water, and three cups of brown rice(obviously not instant brown rice). If you don't need that much or want more just keep the ratio at 2 parts water to 1 part rice. If you aren't concerned about salt you may like adding some bouillon cubes or you could substitute chicken broth for the water. I have tried both and although they are considerable more tasty, the broth is not worth the cost in my opinion, and the bouillon is too high in sodium. Cook time is 15 minutes on high pressure. I eat a shit-load of brown rice so I typically cook it every day. The rice is a little different than the meat items above. Don't let it sit in the cooker for more than 4 hours as some of the moisture will weep through the pressure locking valve and it will dry out and not be so tasty.

I hope someone finds this information useful. Please share with me if you have better ways of streamlining meal preparation :-)