Batch cooking has many names, such as Make ahead cooking, freezer cooking, Once a month cooking... you get the idea. The basic idea is you stock up on the most expensive part of most meals - the meat - when it is on sale or clearance, and then prepare a whole bunch of meals at once and put in the freezer for later use.
I have always thought that it would be kinda neat to do that. Because, how many times have I been asked the question, "What's for dinner", and that feeling of panic sets in as I cheerfully say, "It's a surprise!" (to all of us, really, because I have NO idea!). I start searching through the pantry and the freezer to see what I can whip up in a fairly short amount of time. And I have my list of stand by meals, but really, everyone gets tired of the same old thing.
Well, I think I am going to attempt it. I found ground beef on sale at the grocery store yesterday, so I bought about 12 pounds of it. I had a list of recipes sitting around here for a couple years for such an occasion as this, it was all ground beef recipes that you make up and put in the freezer. However, I cannot find it. SO frustrating! But I will continue searching for it, because I can no longer find where I got it online (again, frustrating!).
I have read up on Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) and of course, I didn't follow many of their suggestions. And I guess if you are truly serious about the OAMC then I would recommend you follow their suggestions. But me, I just wanted to try and make up a bunch of meals with what I have on hand. Or at least having to purchase very little extra. So perhaps I should just stick with the Batch cooking concept, which is just what I have said, making up a bunch of meals (or at least prep the ingredients needed for said meals) ahead of time so that I am not scrambling to figure out what I am going to cook. I will already have some planned meals and the only figuring out will be which of those meals is it gonna be.
So I have about 12 pounds of ground beef and I think 5 pounds of ground turkey. Some of the meals I plan on making are:
- Meatloaf - kids love it, hubby will eat it, just hates the name of it!
- Meatballs - can be used alone with bbq sauce, on spaghetti, or in subs
- Lasagna - hubby says insert angels singing here, this is one of his favorite meals
- Mexican Casserole - everyone loves
- Chili - mine is award winning, recipe coming soon!
- Some basic pasta/meat/sauce/cheese casseroles
- Prep for sloppy joes
6 comments:
I sorta do this i never set aside a day to make ahead meals but when i make a meal that can be frozen i always make extra's and freeze enough for another meal one day i will set aside a whole day devoted to cooking and freezing! Let me know if you get any other good "frozen meal" ideas!
I just started a Once A Month cooking site and stumbled across your site when I was looking for others doing the same. Hope it goes well for you! I love doing my cooking this way!
I do the same thing Kristen does when I remember. If I am making something that takes a lot of prep work like lasagna or something I try to make two. If you guys like peppers, Stuffed peppers is a good thing to make with hamburger. I like to use wild rice instead of white it makes it more tasteful and healthier, complex carbs for your swimming! Great Blog
One of the best ideas I learned from OAMC is to boil the ground beef that will be used in spaghetti, tacos, lasagna, chili, etc. If you put it in a pot and boil it with the basic seasonings, it washes most of the fat away and you can bag it for the freezer in 1 or 2 lb bags. Many times browning the beef is what takes so long in a recipe.
What a good idea! Thanks Martie
Very good idea! My husband always has a batch of seasoned taco meat ready to go
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