Latest news with #mealprep
Yahoo
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
12 Perfect Dishes for Your Next Picnic
Planning a picnic? These dishes are made to travel. They hold up in the heat, don't mind a little jostling, and are easy to pass around on a blanket or picnic table. They're the ones people actually reach for first—nothing soggy, nothing fussy, just good food that fits the moment. Want juicy, umami-rich Italian Meatballs in around 30 minutes? This recipe is made the classic way - with both pork and beef ground meat and loads of luscious sauce! Get the recipe: Italian Meatballs Summer in a bowl! This Keto Cucumber Salad is light, refreshing, and so easy to make. It's perfect for meal prep, picnics, cookouts, and potlucks. Get the recipe: Keto Cucumber Salad A deliciously grilled Pesto Turkey Sandwich with melted provolone cheese, juicy tomato slices, and fresh baby spinach. This all gets layered between tender turkey slices and crispy sourdough bread. Get the recipe: Turkey Pesto Sandwich These are the most perfect little Lemon Thumbprint Cookies - buttery, crisp, and with a bright yellow center. Get the recipe: Lemon Thumbprint Cookies The salty-sweet flavor combination of these classic Melon Prosciutto Bites is sensational. This elegant and simple appetizer is always a crowd-pleaser, consisting of just 2 ingredients and zero oven time! Get the recipe: Melon Prosciutto Bites This Shrimp Quinoa Salad is a protein-packed, refreshing, and nutritious meal perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep. Get the recipe: Shrimp Quinoa Salad Simple and rustic yet incredibly delicious, this Strawberry Galette is ready in under an hour thanks to the use of a buttery store-bought pie crust. Get the recipe: Strawberry Galette This Watermelon and Cucumber Salad is the perfect way to celebrate a warm and sunny summer day, especially when you pair it with a light glass of wine. This healthy salad is full of watermelon, cucumber, feta, avocados, and mint. Get the recipe: Watermelon and Cucumber Salad This glorious Panzanella Salad is a combination of the very best Italian flavors. Sweet tomatoes, garlicky croutons, and creamy mozzarella. These get mixed up in a bright dressing and topped with fresh herbs. Get the recipe: Panzanella Salad Pretty as a picture, my Lemon Blueberry Cookies are citrusy and buttery. Whip up the dough and have the cookies in the oven in 10 minutes or less! Get the recipe: Lemon Blueberry Cookies This Strawberry Feta Salad is one of the best summer salads for healthy eating. It is packed with flavor and texture and made with simple ingredients like baby kale, fresh strawberries, crunchy pecans, and creamy feta. Coated with a simple balsamic vinaigrette, this salad will surely be a hit at your table. Get the recipe: Strawberry Feta Salad Bake a batch of these outrageously delicious Brown Butter Brownies loaded with silky chocolate and decadent salted caramel flavors. Get the recipe: Brown Butter Blondies
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Influencer's VERY rude behavior on board 10-hour flight leaves social media in uproar
A woman has been brutally slammed on social media after she filmed herself assembling a meal midway through a flight – which included 'stinky' boiled eggs. To get her through the 10-hour journey from Los Angeles to Paris, Jess Marra came prepared with several containers filled with various ingredients so she could create a healthy dinner for herself to enjoy while flying. After the 33-year-old shared footage of herself prepping the meal on the plane, she was stunned to see the clip go viral on Instagram, garnering 1.5 million views and thousands of comments filled with backlash. 'What started as a fun travel moment turned into the international egg scandal of the year,' Jess, who works in digital marketing, told What's The Jam recently. The video showed her unpacking the various ingredients and assembling a salad – but viewers criticized her for doing so on a busy flight and for including boiled eggs, which can have a pretty poignant smell. One person commented: 'New fear unlocked: I get on a plane and the person next to me starts making an egg salad.' 'Just because you can eat an egg on a flight doesn't mean you should,' another user agreed. Someone else added: 'Between the egg, the elbow jabbing into your neighbor, the salad shaking and the "influencing" I am 100 percent annoyed and I'm not on the plane. Just be a normal person and stop trying to gain attention.' 'No one likes you on this flight... no one,' wrote one viewer. Another user added: 'Sorry honey, but no. Eggs - no. Multiple Tupperware containers no. 'Assembling a salad on the plane no. It's not your kitchen, it's a tiny shared public space in which we all just try to survive.' 'Please take a kind hint from the majority of comments here and leave those boiled eggs at home next time…,' another person agreed. Someone else commented: 'Nothing wrong with [bringing your own] food but I'd be really cross if the person next to me started bringing out all of this stuff including smelly eggs and peeling avocados. 'What's wrong with a sandwich or something that doesn't require all the mixing and unpacking of ingredients? Inconsiderate.' Despite the backlash, Jess insisted that her meal didn't smell, saying she doesn't overcook the boiled eggs deliberately to avoid any odor. The rest of the meal was less offensive, consisting of salad, avocado, berries. and salad dressing – items she grabbed from her fridge for the 'last minute' flight to avoid spending on costly airport or airplane food that she doesn't enjoy. The LA-native said: 'Despite what the internet thinks, I was discreet in my window seat and kept everything low-key. 'When the flight attendant came around for meal service I politely declined and once everyone around me was settled eating, I got to work. 'No one on the flight seemed to notice or care. 'But once I posted the video on Instagram, all hell broke loose. 'The comments were brutal. 'People were yelling at me for being selfish, inconsiderate, endangering the lives of passengers, and just generally being the worst human ever. 'I was kind of in shock. Was it a little weird I assembled a salad at my seat? Sure. 'Is it the end of the world that I ate an egg on a plane? Certainly not! 'Hard boiled eggs are sold in every airport convenience store and even at Starbucks for people to eat during flights. 'Plane food has a strong odor and, many times, eggs are included in the meal service as well. 'It's not like I unwrapped a tuna melt or started microwaving salmon mid-flight! The internet really ran with it, but in reality, I'm just a hungry girl trying to eat my dinner.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Add pistachios to your meal prep: stay fuller for longer with this plant-based packed lunch recipe
Meal prep has a bit of a reputation – think bland chicken, limp broccoli, and plain rice. But it doesn't have to be that way. With the right ingredients, you can build something that holds its texture, delivers on nutrients, and still tastes good on day three. This grain bowl is a perfect example. Earthy pistachios, crisp red pepper, and naturally sweet red onion come together to create a meal that's both balanced and satisfying. With about 13g of plant protein and 11g of fibre each serving – much of it thanks to those nutrient-rich pistachios – it keeps you feeling full without the heaviness. Expect steady energy, a calm stomach, and less temptation to reach for that mid-afternoon sugar fix. Prep 10 minCook 25 minServes 3 portions 150g cooked quinoa or bulgur wheat 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed1 red pepper, diced1 courgette, diced1 small red onion, sliced1 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp smoked paprika 60g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped2 tbsp chopped parsley Juice of 1 lemon Salt and black pepper Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/430F/gas 6. Chop your vegetables and combine on a roasting tray with the chickpeas, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, then in a large bowl, mix roasted veg, chickpeas, and cooked grains. Add lemon juice, parsley, and pistachios. Toss well. Store in airtight containers; top with extra pistachios before serving. Learn more about pistachio benefits
The Sun
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Best food flasks UK 2025; tried and tested
LOOKING for a way to keep your favourite meals piping hot while you're out and about? The best food flasks are the ultimate solution for anyone who loves a hearty soup, a warming curry, or even their overnight oats on the go. In summer, they're a great addition to your camping supplies, and they're also ideal for keeping salads crisp and refreshing during the morning commute. We've done the hard work for you and rounded up the top food flasks that tick all the boxes — keeping your meals hot (or cold) for hours, being leak-proof, easy to clean, and, of course, stylish enough to carry around without embarrassment. We've tested a range of food flasks to ensure they deliver on performance, practicality and price. Whether you need one that can handle a heavy-duty hike or simply something to keep your leftovers warm at your desk, we've rated them all so you can make an informed choice. Zwilling Thermo Food Jar Thermo Food Jar, £34.95 £27.96 from Zwilling with code JUNE20 BUY HERE Pros: Includes stoway spoon, lid can also be used as a bowl, big 700ml capacity, dishwasher safe, lightweight considering its size Cons: Bulky design makes it less portable than some competitors, only comes in two colours Rating: 9.5/10 This is a proper bit of kit. Measuring 17cm in height with a 10cm diameter, it's the biggest flask we tested, which might put you off if portability is a key consideration. However its 700ml capacity means it should satisfy even the biggest appetites, and considering its capacity, it's also very lightweight, clocking in at half a kilo. It's also really cleverly designed; like the Thermos flask below, it comes with a stowaway spoon, but Zwilling goes one step further; the lid doubles up as a bowl, making it easy to share your food. It performed outstandingly in our tests, keeping water warm for a really impressive length of time. After almost three hours, the water was too hot to physically touch, and after six hours, it was still piping hot. And — this will be a theme in this roundup — the Zwilling flask gets a big tick for being dishwasher safe, meaning you don't have to wash it up by hand after a long day at work. Our only tiny niggle is that it's perhaps not as fashion-forward as some other flasks — it only comes in two colours, white and black — but to many shoppers, that won't matter. Thermos Icon Series Food Flask Thermos is likely the first brand name that comes to mind when you think of food flasks. After all, the word has become synonymous with keeping food and drink warm; people are as likely to call one of these a "Thermos" as a "food flask", no matter what brand it is. This flask is from the brand's "Icon Series", which it claims "blends a legacy of quality with advanced insulation". The result is a sleek, stylish metal food flask that comes in an array of colours; we opted for Ice White, but there's a few lovely options available. There's also a 710ml option available if you're feeding two (or one very hungry person). The Thermos was one of two flasks we tested that includes a stowaway spoon cleverly stashed beneath the lid; it's a lifesaver if you're camping, and it could even come in handy if you're too lazy to get up and get a spoon at the office. It's also one of only a couple of flasks we tested that is dishwasher safe, so it gets bonus points for that. In our test, it was a step or two behind the Zwilling flask, but ahead of the rest of the pack. It's also a full £10 cheaper than the Zwilling, making it the perfect choice if budget is a key consideration. Black+Blum Food Flask BUY HERE Pros: Comes with a spoon and elastic strap, sleek metal design, impressive heatkeeping capabilities Cons: Tall and narrow design can make it slightly hard to eat certain foods, 0.4L capacity might be too small for hungrier people Rating: 8/10 It's a tiny thing, but we love that Black+Blum straps a chic wooden spoon to its food flask; it's a nice touch, and makes sure you won't be left in a situation where you'll be forced to slurp food straight out of the jar. It's also very nicely designed, with a sleek metal construction. While the metal finish certainly looks nice, we were worried that it would leave the flask vulnerable to scratches and dings, but after a couple of uses, it still looks as good as new. That's backed up by the reviews on the Black+Blum site, with one person writing that their flask 'has been in constant use for two years and is still in perfect condition'. It really impressed in our boiling water test; six hours after we first put boiling water into it, when the water in many other jars was tepid, the water in the Black+Blum flask was still steaming. Our only tiny qualm was that Black+Blum has chosen a taller, narrower design, compared to the short and wide shape opted for by Le Creuset and Hydroflask, which makes it slightly harder to get to the food at the bottom of the jar. However, it does make it more portable, and it could probably fit into the water bottle compartment of most backpacks. Chillys Stainless Steel Food Pot BUY HERE Pros: Looks sleek, can be personalised, lightweight, decent heat keeping capabilities Cons: Not dishwasher safe, metal finish is easily marked Rating: 7/10 Chillys bottles are as much a status symbol as anything else, and the brand's Food Pot looks just as sleek. Ours came in a brushed metal finish, which looks really nice, but we'd probably go for one of the other colours if we were to buy one; the metal was quite easily marked, and we could see it getting quite battered quite quickly. We suspected that, like the Le Creuset pot, it could be a bit style over substance, but we were pleasantly surprised by its heat-keeping capabilities. I'ts also one of the lightest food flasks we tested, which could be an important factor if you're ferrying it to work every day. However, it's not dishwasher safe, which caused us to dock some points. Being a Chillys product, it's also super giftable, and the brand leans into that by adding the option to engrave a name on the flask for £10. Hydro Flask 20oz Insulated Food Jar BUY HERE Pros: Large capacity, dishwasher safe, wide diameter makes food easy to eat, soft grip lid is super easy to open Cons: Doesn't look as sleek as other flasks, easily marked Rating: 7/10 If we were to design a food jar, this is the shape we'd go for: short, stout and wide, making it easy to eat your food without getting your hands messy (it also makes it easier to clean). If you're eating somewhere cold, the design might mean you lose heat a bit faster, and it's perhaps not as portable, either, but personally, that's a sacrifice we're willing to make. The Hydro Flask also won a place in our hearts thanks to being dishwasher safe; most food flasks aren't, and it's a dream to be able to throw it in with your dinner plates after a long day at work. Hungry shoppers will also appreciate this flask's 20oz (591ml) capacity, and the soft-grip lid is a nice touch, making it easy to open even if you've got wet or greasy hands. Initially, it impressed in our testing, too; unlike some other flasks, you could barely tell there was boiling water inside; the outer still felt cool to the touch. However, after six hours, the initially boiling water was only tepid, which was disappointing. Another (admittedly shallow) complaint is that it perhaps looks a little less chic than other food flasks. After all, every day is a fashion show. It was also quite easily marked, the purple finish getting scuffed with black marks after just a couple of journeys to work. Material: 18/8 Stainless Steel; Capacity: 591ml; Weight: 420g; Dishwasher safe? Yes Le Creuset Food Jar BUY HERE Pros: …it's Le Creuset, lovely ridged design, double threaded opening prevents leaks, not badly priced considering the brand name Cons: Didn't retain heat as well as other models Rating: 6.5/10 We've got no qualms in admitting that we were drawn to this food flask thanks to the brand name and design. Embossed with Le Creuset on the side and adorned with the three concentric rings that the brand usually puts on its ceramic lids, it certainly looks the part. It also comes in four of the brand's iconic colours: Cerise, Shell Pink, Satin Black and Deep Teal. All come with a sleek metal lid that contrasts nicely to the hard plastic jar. It's the best of both worlds; the combination looks more sleek than a flask entirely made of plastic, but it's likely to look fresher for longer compared to a full metal flask, which is prone to scratches and dents. With a 10.7cm diameter and a height of 12.4cm, this fits firmly into our preferred 'short and stout' category, giving you enough width to get to the bottom of the flask without too much effort. However, in our highly scientific tests, we did notice that it lost a lot of heat through its lid, resulting in only lukewarm contents after six or so hours.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I tried viral 5,4,3,2,1 shopping method & it cut my weekly food bill in HALF – but here's why I won't be doing it again
FIVE, four, three, two, one . . . no, not that old Manfred Mann hit from the 1960s – this is the latest food shopping trend on social media. It's a simple method: Buy five portions of veg, four fruits, three proteins, two grains and one sweet treat each week. The budget formula has gone viral, especially as mums claim it has cut their food shop bills by half or more. It encourages you to cook from scratch, avoiding the high costs of pre-packaged meals and snacks. For a family of four, my weekly food bill frequently hits £120 or more. So can this hack feed a family and save serious cash? Julie Cook tried it, for five days, and this what she found. DAY 1: THE REALITY OF RATIONING BREAKFAST would often be cereal or an egg — but today it was toast only. 'Bread is all I have in,' I said to my kids, Alex, 16, and Adriana, 11. They stared at me as if I'd said I'd just seen a unicorn. 'What, no cereal?' Adriana gasped. They eat lunch at school so when they came home I made them a cottage pie with half the minced beef, an onion, two chopped carrots, some of the potatoes to make mash and some tomato puree I had in the cupboard. The meal went down a treat and they asked for more. Afterwards they usually want something sweet but I explained about the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method and how sweet treats were rationed this week to just one pack of six mousses. I'm an Irish mum & I feed my family of six for three days with €26 shop Alex loves fruit so was happy but Adriana has a sweet tooth. 'Can't I have a mousse?' she said. 'When they're gone, they're gone,' I replied. Hubby Cornel, 44, a musician, was happy with the cottage pie and fruit. When I also explained this strategy could save us hundreds, maybe even thousands a year, he perked up even more. So far, so good. DAY 2: COOKERY COMPLAINTS AFTER a breakfast of, you guessed it, toast, my kids set off for school clutching bananas as extras. Normally, I'd cook something from scratch one day and, if there were no leftovers, make something simple like frozen chicken in breadcrumbs the next — but they were off-limits this week. Besides, I still had half a pack of mincemeat to use up, as it said to use within 24 hours once opened. I made a bolognese with the mince and added it to the pasta shells I bought. Normally the kids love this dish. But Adriana groaned: 'We had mince last night.' I replied: 'Well, I want to use it up.' I felt rather miffed. The ingratitude! Hubby seemed OK while Alex, bless him is 16 and all food's good food to him — although he did ask if there'd be something 'different tomorrow'. They ate resignedly and I bribed both by offering one of the sweet treats. 'When they're gone . . . ' I began. 'Yes, when they're gone, they're gone!' Adriana snapped before running off upstairs with hers. I snuck my mousse out now and decided to eat it before anyone did a late night fridge raid. DAY 3: FRIDGE RAIDERS WITH my family well and truly tired of mince, I used the four-pack of salmon I had bought. I paired them with a jacket potato each and some curly kale. I also roasted the sweet peppers in some oil. I was pleased to be serving up healthy fish and greens and definitely eased the mum guilt of no treats in the house. At least I was giving my kids their Omega 3s. Despite all the veg, though, the salmon steaks were tiny and everyone asked for more. 'Er, that was it,' I winced. The kids raided the fridge and found three sorry-looking mousses. 'Where are all the yoghurts?' Alex asked. 'They're not part of this week's 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,' I replied. He grabbed some strawberries and sloped off upstairs. 'I'm starving,' Cornel groaned, looking in the fridge. 'Where's all the food?' Not a good day, really. I stared into the empty fridge weighing it up. On one hand, I would be saving a ton doing this. On the other, was it really worth it if everyone was starving? DAY 4: CALORIE CONUNDRUM DINNER tonight was chicken breasts with roasted potatoes, roasted carrots and some curly kale. I learnt my lesson last night with the meagre salmon steaks so I used all the chicken up to ensure everyone had second helpings. The kids were getting used to our fruit pudding now and asked for strawberries. There was a tiny handful left. 'It's a bit, well, monotonous,' Cornel said, helping me load the dishwasher. I stared into the fridge and felt the same. Usually it would be heaving with yoghurts, puddings and chocolate biscuits. I went to bed worrying whether I was giving my kids enough calories. Boys are supposed to have 2,800 a day at my son's age and my daughter is supposed to have between 1,400 and 2,000. I was concerned at this point if they'd had enough. Thank goodness they also get a healthy lunch at school. 'Structure helps for a more balanced diet' MARTIN NEWMAN, the Consumer Champion, says . . . "The 5-4-3-2-1 shopping method gives shoppers a simple framework to ensure their trolley reflects a more balanced diet – especially useful in an age of ultra-processed convenience. Going into the shop with this structure makes you more intentional. It shifts you from reacting to supermarket deals or packaging to thinking proactively about your meals. For parents, this is an easy-to-remember guide that helps ensure kids get nutritional variety without overthinking meal plans. By focusing on food groups, not brand names, shoppers may save money and reduce waste – especially if they plan meals around what they buy. People with specific nutritional needs – athletes, people with diabetes, allergies, or those on plant-based diets – may need more tailored approaches. Also, rigidly sticking to a numeric formula might not suit everyone's lifestyle, especially those cooking for larger households or with varied preferences." See DAY 5: SOUP SAVES THE DAY ALL the protein was now gone. I looked in the fridge and felt panic engulf me. My teen son works out at the gym and if there's no protein on his plate it's a disaster. But it had all gone. I decided to make a soup out of the bag of carrots, one onion and some potatoes, and blended it. Then I made a simple pasta sauce with some of the onion and some tinned tomatoes I had in my cupboard (thankfully.) 'Is there any cheese?' the kids asked. I grimaced. 'I only had three proteins — fish, chicken and meat,' I explained. 'This is NOT normal,' Adriana sighed. Afterwards I gave them both the final leftover chocolate mousses, with guilt. At the weekend, the cupboard and fridge were bare so I did my normal huge weekly shop, with yoghurts, crisps, biccies and all that. Oh, and sugary cereals. It came to £110. MY VERDICT THE 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, method of shopping sounds great on paper – and it is, in some ways. It made me meal-plan rather than going off the cuff like I usually do, and made me use up every single thing I had bought. But it also left very little room for spontaneity, extra portions or even just fun little treats. I am convinced my kids were hungry by the evening – hubby certainly was, I may have heard his stomach rumbling – and I just felt stressed by the whole thing. I am all for cooking from scratch – but only when you have the knowledge you have enough back-up food, if the kids want extra helpings or just something else that evening. I can see why people rave about the method – it certainly did save me money – about £63 over the five days, which would work out at £4,599 over a year. But I won't be doing it again.
