As Greg and I venture into power-building, we noticed that it is not an easy feat to do proper meal prep! We both have a job and need easy-to-cook meals that are also edible and do not make us gag. It is important to note that we are not sponsored by any of the merchants or service providers linked in this article. We are just here to give honest reviews and suggestions!
1. Cooking it yourself
The cost of meal prepping can get high as supermarkets sell chicken breasts for $40 for 2 pieces. Greg eats 2-3 breasts a meal with kimchi, which makes him spend over $80 for the two home-cooked meals he consumes a day. Minced beef is $30 for a tiny amount in typical supermarkets so you may want to source your minced in local markets.
Greg’s usual recipe is to rub the chicken with chicken spice he can find in Uny (usually from South Africa) and bake a batch of them! This way he doesn’t need to cook every day and just needs to microwave his chicken with rice when it is feeding hour. (With Kimchi)
I am Asian and I love marinating meat. My usual go-to is marinating beef (stripes or minced) with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar (2 tablespoons), salt and pepper for over 15 minutes and stir fry it. Serve with kimchi or other vegetables to get that fibre in!
How to keep meal prep cost low in HK?
We suggest checking out frozen meat options. In ParkNshop and Welcome, you can find frozen meat which are typically cheaper than fresh ones. I recommend exploring shops that sell frozen foods as they tend to sell meat in bulk. Kai Bo and other local frozen meat shops sell very cheap cuts (poor quality) and I suggest really soaking the meat to make sure they are clean as customers are free to use their hands to touch when shopping.
Butcher shops like Feather and Bone may provide discounts as you buy a bigger amount and their quality is usually good with a lot of cuts to choose from.
2. Shops that sell food with good macros:
I. Rankingdak.com.hk
Website: www.rankingdak.com.hk
This online store targets people that work out as they sold instant chicken breast shipped straight from Korea. Scouring their website, I can say their food has amazing macros and they are not exactly expensive. They have spam made of chicken, protein xiaolongbao and dumplings, chicken breast tortilla wrap and a lot more! If you want quick, easy meals, you can order from Rankingdak’s website directly!
II. PCF market
Official website: www.pcfmarket.com
Instagram: @pcf.market
Physical store: Unit 01, 13/F, Waga Commercial Centre, 99 Wellington Street, Central
This shop is founded by nutritionists and their store is actually doubled as their own offices as well! Personally, I follow their @greenutss account as I do find a lot of their information very useful. Their grocery store basically allows you to pre-order meals that have carefully designed macros, with each microwave lunch box having around 400 kcal (around $80). Their food tends to sell out rather quickly so I’d suggest following their social media to get your hands on their tasty lunch boxes as soon as possible!
3. Our protein snacks list:
We are sharing our protein grocery list so you can hit your macros goals with us! Most of these foods can be found in supermarkets like UNY and Yata!
- The Yogurt Shop – 20g of protein in their Vanilla yogurt!
- Doux French Turkey Cordon Bleu – 13g of protein in each patty!
- Fish balls – 8.7g in 100g
- Quest Peanut Butter Cups – 11g of protein per serving ($27 in Decathlon)
- Barebells protein bars – their cookies and cream is the best flavour
If you want to grab other protein snacks, you can find them in Decathlon or your local supplements shop! MyProtein also has a good selection, but their brownies/cookies tend to be on the drier side.
4. Nutrition Kitchen
Website: https://nutritionkitchenhk.com/
Instagram: @nutritionkitchen_hk
When you crave home cooked meals and do not have the time to do it, Nutrition Kitchen may provide the right service for you! Greg has tried Nutrition Kitchen before and he has raving good reviews (not sponsored). Their meals are tasty and they do deliver to your doorsteps (daily), so there is no hassle involved. Besides, you can choose what to eat and tell them your dietary restrictions so they can arrange a meal plan for you! Many working professionals who care about their diet do order from them. From time to time, they have special offers for new customers so check out their instagram for updated news!
For vegans:
We understand that most of these suggestions point to cheaper places to get real meat! We have another article for vegans to find their protein sources in Hong Kong, this very carnivorous city!