A Big Meal Prep

We recently completed a five day offshore sailing adventure up the East Coast and other than safety, our biggest priority for the trip was good food!

This was my first offshore sailing experience, and it won’t be the last : ) As we provisioned for a week at sea and put the meal plan together, I realized it’s really not all that different than doing a big week-long meal prep for a group or family. So if meal prepping is part of your routine, you’re looking for some inspiration for new ideas, or you’re a fellow sailor about to provision for a trip, here’s what worked for us:

FROZEN MEALS MADE AHEAD OF TIME

Luckily we have a small freezer on the boat, so we have the ability to pre-make some meals and store them away for later. This makes the meal planning and prep process (say that three times fast) way easier since it opens up options that otherwise wouldn’t be available. These are the meals and food items we had on the menu:

Playing the game of freezer-tetris.

• Frozen coconut chicken veggie curry - we pre-cooked a big batch with potatoes, onions, green pepper, carrots, broccoli, garlic, chicken, coconut milk & cream, green curry paste, and other spices. Transferred it into big, freezer worthy Ziplocs. This made for an excellent warm, nutrient dense meals with good quality fat from the coconut milk, protein from the chicken, carbs from the potatoes and carrots, and lots of vitamins and nutrients from all the veggies.

• Frozen chickpea masala - we bought a big container from the local farmer’s market which contains chickpeas, spinach, onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, olive oil, garam masala, mango powder, pomegranate seed powder, tumeric and salt. This made for another nutritious, warm meal on a potentially cold, wet night!

• Frozen grass-fed & finished ground beef - we had this on hand for the option to make burgers or a meat sauce with pasta.

• Frozen single-serving-size fish - we bought 3 pounds of fish from the local fish market and asked if they would cut it into single serving sizes (about 1/4 pound) and vacuum freeze them for us. This way the fish stays as fresh as possible and our small freezer won’t have to work overtime to freeze it.

• Frozen bacon - enough said.

REFRIGERATED MEALS MADE AHEAD OF TIME

The frozen meals came into play towards the second half of the trip, and meals that were pre-made ahead of time and stored in the fridge were eaten during the first half. Here’s what we had in the fridge for easy access:

Quinoa veggie salad. Full recipe here.

• Grilled chicken - we grilled up a few chicken thighs the night before we left and cut them into strips. Similarly to the pork, these were a great, light, simple ingredient that we used in sandwiches, on top of a bowl of grains and veggies, or just on their own. This was a good option for anyone experiencing sea sickness.

• Quinoa veggie salad - this is a go-to batch meal for us. It’s super light, satiating, and has a great amount of protein from the quinoa with tons of nutrients from all the veggies. Check out the recipe here. This was the perfect meal to have on hand since it was simple and nourishing. Again, for anyone experiencing sea sickness this is a great option.

• Pulled pork - we bought 4 cuts of pork tenderloin and cooked it in the pressure cooker with sugar free BBQ sauce and spices to make a big batch of pulled pork. This was great for easy sandwiches, as a side with veggies and a grain, or as a breakfast option with eggs.

• Bacon - we cooked up a pack ahead of time and had it for breakfast with eggs, as a sandwich ingredient, and sometimes a quick snack : )

FRESH FOODS

Even with all the pre-made meals, we did do some cooking while underway when the conditions permitted. We stocked up on as much fresh produce as we could, and stored some of it in the fridge and some out. Here’s what that looks like:

• Leafy greens like kale and dandelion greens - these stay in the fridge and are good options because they last a while (unlike spinach and arugula which spoil more quickly)

• Tomatoes - in the fridge, will last about a week

• Green beans - in the fridge, will last about a week and make for an easy snack and fresh topping on salads

• Broccoli - in the fridge, will stay good about two weeks

• Purple cabbage - in the fridge and will stay good for a few weeks (this is one of the most durable veggies, especially if kept in the fridge)

• Potatoes - out of the fridge in a cool, dark place, lasts for a few weeks

• Onions - out of the fridge in a cool dark place and separate from the potatoes (or the potatoes will sprout). Lasts for a few weeks

• Purple daikon radishes - in the fridge, stay good for a few weeks

• Carrots - in the fridge, stay good for a few weeks

• Garlic - out of the fridge in a cool, dark place

• Lemons - out of the fridge in the fruit hammock so they don’t get bruised

• Limes - out of the fridge in the fruit hammock so they don’t get bruised

• Oranges & clementines - out of the fridge in the fruit hammock so they don’t get bruised

• Avocados - we buy these before they’re ripe and will store them out of the fridge in the fruit hammock so they don’t get bruised. Once they get ripe and if we’re not ready to eat them, they’ll go in the fridge to extend their life and will stay fresh for a few days

• Eggs - out of the fridge in their carton, in a cool dark place. See my full post on how to store eggs for more details.

• Sourdough bread - we’ll freeze one loaf, and keep two others out for eatin’!

Have questions or other recommendations about meal prep for a group or for an upcoming outdoor adventure? Leave a comment below!

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