That’s me testing a Sunday batch recipe. The ferrets were napping during this photo, small miracle.
About Marcus Santos
Milwaukee Dad Who Learned Food Safety the Hard Way
I’m Marcus Santos. I work at Milwaukee Public Museum & Aquarium teaching kids about marine life Tuesday through Saturday. On Sundays, I batch cook meals for my family while two ferrets try to steal food off the counter.
Three years ago, that wasn’t my life.
The Night That Changed Everything: March 2022
We’d been using a meal prep delivery service based in Milwaukee. They claimed “restaurant quality” food. They were wrong.
Emma (then 4) and Jake (then 2) were sick for three days. I spent one night in the ER with Jake who couldn’t keep anything down.
Watching Jake’s little face while he was that sick, I never want to feel that helpless again.
I cancelled the service the next morning and called my dad.
Two hours into Sunday prep, this is where it all comes together. That towel on my shoulder? Because I inevitably spill something.
Always. Rachel’s managing labels at the other counter, Emma’s moved from taste testing to actually helping, and Jake’s negotiating whether grilled chicken counts as “not green stuff.”
Muscle memory kicks in at this point and containers basically fill themselves. Almost.
What My Dad Taught Me About Food Safety
My dad ran Santos Catering in Daly City, California from 1998 to 2003. I was 12 when his day job transferred us to Wisconsin and he closed the business.
Growing up, I watched him batch cook fifty portions of adobo and lumpia for Sunday events. Everything timed perfectly. Nothing sitting at unsafe temperatures. Food safety wasn’t optional, it was survival for a small catering operation.
“Good food keeps people alive. Bad food storage kills them.”
That phone call in March 2022, he walked me through everything again. Cooling protocols. Temperature minimums. Storage times.
Labeling systems. How to tell when something’s still good versus when you toss it, no questions asked.
I realized I already knew how to do this safely. I just needed to apply it.
That First Sunday
I made my first meal prep batch that Sunday. Emma loved it immediately. Jake picked out everything green until Rachel covered his portion with shredded cheese.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was safe. And that’s what mattered.
Three years later, we haven’t ordered from a meal service since. The kids prefer my prepped lunches over cafeteria food. Rachel says our Wednesday evenings are so much calmer now, she just grabs a container, reheats it, and dinner’s done.
Why I Got ServSafe Certified
Six months after the food poisoning incident, I took the ServSafe Food Handler course.
Partly to make sure I wasn’t missing anything my dad taught me.
Partly because the incident scared me enough that I wanted official confirmation I was doing things right.
Turns out, my dad had covered most of it. But I learned a few things about proper cooling protocols I’d been doing wrong, like not putting hot food straight into the fridge because it can raise the internal temperature and affect other food.
My Credentials (Such As They Are)
- Education: B.S. in Biology, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (2013)
- Food Safety Certification: ServSafe Food Handler (2022, renewed annually)
- Current Work: Aquarium Educator, Milwaukee Public Museum & Aquarium (2017–present). I teach K-12 groups about marine ecosystems. Same scientific approach applies to food safety.
- Cooking Training: Learned batch cooking and food safety from Santos Catering (1998-2003), my father’s licensed catering operation in California
- Important: I’m not a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or chef. This blog shares meal prep techniques and food safety practices based on USDA/FDA guidelines, not medical nutrition advice. If you have specific dietary restrictions or health conditions, please consult a registered dietitian.
The Food Safety Rules I Follow Every Sunday
Real talk: This is what I do every Sunday.
Safe Cooking Temperatures (I use an instant read thermometer):
- Chicken/turkey: 165°F minimum
- Pork/beef: 145°F minimum
- Ground meat: 160°F minimum
Proper Cooling (this is where my dad was obsessive):
- Hot food goes into shallow containers, no more than 2 inches deep
- I don’t put hot food straight in the fridge anymore (learned that in ServSafe)
- Rule: Cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 40°F within 4 more hours
- This is where most home meal prep goes wrong
Storage Times (refrigerated at 40°F or below):
- Everything gets eaten within 3-4 days maximum
- Every container gets labeled: dish name, date prepped, toss by date
- I use masking tape and Sharpie. Fancy label makers not required.
- When in doubt, I toss it. Not worth the risk.
Sources I check regularly:
USDA Safe Cooking Temperatures | FDA Food Code | FoodSafety.gov Storage Times
What You’ll Find on This Blog
Practical meal prep recipes for working parents with picky eaters and tight schedules.
High protein bowls, sheet pan dinners, slow cooker proteins, breakfast meal prep, pasta salads, stir fries and yes, Filipino-American favorites when I’m making my dad’s Santos Catering recipes.
No fancy culinary terms. No equipment you don’t own. No six hour Sunday projects. Just meal prep that makes Monday through Friday easier.
Every recipe includes:
- Exact storage times and temperatures
- Cooling instructions
- Reheating guidance
- Picky eater adaptations (because Jake refuses green things and Emma goes through phases)
About My Family (The Real Recipe Testers)
Rachel (my wife): Accountant who works crazy hours during tax season (January-April). Appreciates grab and go lunches when she’s pulling 60-hour weeks. Stress eats spicy food and texts me photos of her lunch containers with fire emojis.
Emma (7): Curious eater who loves helping in the kitchen. Currently in a phase where she wants the same meal every single day. Last month it was one thing for two weeks straight. This month it’s something completely different. She drags her step stool to the counter every Sunday asking “what are we making today, Dad?”
Jake (5): Inspects every meal for “green stuff” before agreeing to eat it. Has accepted that vegetables exist if they’re roasted enough and covered in shredded cheese. Everything he eats includes a side container of cheese. Always.
Noodle & Pepper (ferrets): Noodle has learned which glass containers hold food and tries to drag them off the counter during meal prep. The snap lids are officially ferret proof now. Pepper sleeps through entire prep sessions in a kitchen cabinet I leave open for her.
Let’s Stay Connected
I post meal prep updates on Pinterest @nextweekmeals, usually Sunday afternoons when Emma’s taste testing and Jake’s negotiating about vegetables.
Sometimes I remember to post on Instagram @nextweekmeals_milwaukee, but less consistently. I’m not great at social media, most of my energy goes into the actual cooking and making sure everything’s safe.
Have questions about recipes or food storage? Contact me here
I read everything, though I’m slow to respond during tax season when Rachel gets priority access to all the meal prep containers.
If You Spot an Error in Food Safety Information
This is important: If you see something wrong with temperatures, storage times, or safety guidelines anywhere on this blog, please let me know immediately through the contact form.
I check USDA/FDA updates quarterly and fix errors when I find them. All pages show a “Last Updated” date at the bottom. If you’re reading something more than a year old, double check current guidelines at FoodSafety.gov.
