There are some meals that do reasonably well frozen. Maybe you could make a schedule to during the first few days eat some fridge-stored meals (the ones that don't taste as well after being frozen) and then eat a few frozen ones by the end of the week.
I would suggest to just experiment and see how it goes.
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jennypenny
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@Henders, I don't cook a lot of asian dishes (we eat a traditional western diet) but maybe seeing my methods will help.
I've tried many different methods, and I've found batch cooking every 3 days works best for me. One of my chicken recipes is on the wiki under Batch Cooking. I'll do the same with a piece of beef on sale--cook in a crock pot, use half the first night sliced, use the rest in pulled beef on the second night, and make a noodle soup on the third night using the broth so it tastes like beef soup.
I also think freezing pieces of a meal can help. When I can get a good deal on ground beef, I'll buy at least 50 lbs. I'll make meatloaf mix with a third of it and freeze it in dinner-sized amounts. I'll cook a third with italian seasonings and freeze in small packages to add to sauce, and cook the rest in mexican seasonings and freeze in small batches to add to mexican dishes. Maybe this would work for you? You could cook everything but the rice/noodle part ahead and freeze it?
If I make something labor intensive (like lasagna) I make at least 3-4 so I have some to throw into the freezer. I also do this if I have to make cookies for a function at my kids' school. I'll make several batches of cookie dough and put it in the freezer to bake later. I do the same with pizza dough.
Sorry this got long. HTH
I've tried many different methods, and I've found batch cooking every 3 days works best for me. One of my chicken recipes is on the wiki under Batch Cooking. I'll do the same with a piece of beef on sale--cook in a crock pot, use half the first night sliced, use the rest in pulled beef on the second night, and make a noodle soup on the third night using the broth so it tastes like beef soup.
I also think freezing pieces of a meal can help. When I can get a good deal on ground beef, I'll buy at least 50 lbs. I'll make meatloaf mix with a third of it and freeze it in dinner-sized amounts. I'll cook a third with italian seasonings and freeze in small packages to add to sauce, and cook the rest in mexican seasonings and freeze in small batches to add to mexican dishes. Maybe this would work for you? You could cook everything but the rice/noodle part ahead and freeze it?
If I make something labor intensive (like lasagna) I make at least 3-4 so I have some to throw into the freezer. I also do this if I have to make cookies for a function at my kids' school. I'll make several batches of cookie dough and put it in the freezer to bake later. I do the same with pizza dough.
Sorry this got long. HTH
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George the original one
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jennypenny
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RealPerson
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@jennypenny - I had to post this fantastic recipe. Always a hit, even with people who HATE eggplant. We make a large batch and freeze one or 2 portions. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baingan-bh ... ant-curry/ Come to think of it, please only make if you like Indian food. I am not Indian, and it worked great from my first try.
Lately I've been cooking a lot of dry beans, then make a lot of rice. Combine them into beans in rice into large tupperware containers. I store them in fridge and eat for a whole week.
I heat up the rice and beans, add salt, pepper, and Chalula hot sauce. It's really good and cheap.
Granted this isn't my meal every meal of the day, but it makes a filling one or two meals per day and it is super cheap.
You can also always add a vegetable like broccoli or something to your beans and rice.
I heat up the rice and beans, add salt, pepper, and Chalula hot sauce. It's really good and cheap.
Granted this isn't my meal every meal of the day, but it makes a filling one or two meals per day and it is super cheap.
You can also always add a vegetable like broccoli or something to your beans and rice.
We get a CSA vegetable delivery every 2 weeks, and make a 2 week meal plan based on what arrives and what is on sale that week at stores. We keep our pantry stocked with staples (rice, beans, flour, onions, potatoes, spices, etc.) and pick recipes based on the main ingredients that are available cheaply and our whim. Every Sunday we cook batch recipes for breakfast and lunch for the next week. We cook entrees for dinner which usually last 2-3 nights.
Our batch breakfasts are usually two of: hardboiled eggs, yogurt, wheat bread, quick bread (zucchini, raisin, corn, etc.), muffins, drop biscuits, or oatmeal.
Our lunches are usually: crackers or seasoned popcorn, piece of cheese, stone fruit, and a rice and bean or slow-cooked main dish. Ex: megadarra (lentil and onion pilaf), curried potato/cauliflower/chickpeas/chicken, Puerto Rican rice and beans, sardine fried rice, BRC burritos, cholent, or any kind of stew.
All that stuff seems to keep 7 days or longer in the fridge or on the counter.
Our batch breakfasts are usually two of: hardboiled eggs, yogurt, wheat bread, quick bread (zucchini, raisin, corn, etc.), muffins, drop biscuits, or oatmeal.
Our lunches are usually: crackers or seasoned popcorn, piece of cheese, stone fruit, and a rice and bean or slow-cooked main dish. Ex: megadarra (lentil and onion pilaf), curried potato/cauliflower/chickpeas/chicken, Puerto Rican rice and beans, sardine fried rice, BRC burritos, cholent, or any kind of stew.
All that stuff seems to keep 7 days or longer in the fridge or on the counter.
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squashroll
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:16 pm
@all
we have been making batch dinners for a few weeks now, it is working out great. I'm having a hard time seeing the benefit of batch breakfasts. I perceive breakfast as a pretty easy meal to prepare. BUT I'm in this forum to learn from you all, so can anyone offer some insight as to how this is a good idea/helpful? thanks-
@KevinW
Wondering about your batch breakfasts. Are you just making your own oatmeal packets and yogurt?
Sardine fried rice sounds really good, do you reheat it in the oven? I don't recall enjoying a microwaved sardine.
Also, I've had bad luck storing chicken and beans in the fridge for more than 4 days. The beans especially seem to go bad quickly. We have been freezing the second-half-of-the-week food stuffs...
we have been making batch dinners for a few weeks now, it is working out great. I'm having a hard time seeing the benefit of batch breakfasts. I perceive breakfast as a pretty easy meal to prepare. BUT I'm in this forum to learn from you all, so can anyone offer some insight as to how this is a good idea/helpful? thanks-
@KevinW
Wondering about your batch breakfasts. Are you just making your own oatmeal packets and yogurt?
Sardine fried rice sounds really good, do you reheat it in the oven? I don't recall enjoying a microwaved sardine.
Also, I've had bad luck storing chicken and beans in the fridge for more than 4 days. The beans especially seem to go bad quickly. We have been freezing the second-half-of-the-week food stuffs...
@squashroll
I said what we make for breakfast in my previous post above. I agree that batch cooking breakfast has less of an impact than other meals. However I value using simple, inexpensive, IMO healthful ingredients for breakfast. And it's still a net savings of time/energy/dishes over separate preparations. Compare hard boiling 10 eggs in one batch in a pressure cooker (6 minutes) to frying eggs 2 at a time, starting from a cold skillet every morning.
We just zap the fried rice in the microwave. I know what you're saying but I guess I haven't noticed a problem. In the recipe I use, the sardines "melt" into a somewhat unrecognizable paste. Maybe that form holds up to microwaving better.
We usually work through a pot of food in 5-7 days and I haven't had any spoilage problems. I don't do anything fancy so I don't know why your stuff is spoiling sooner. Do you know about how you can't put a deep vessel of hot food directly in the fridge?
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/Ref ... ndex.asp#5
I said what we make for breakfast in my previous post above. I agree that batch cooking breakfast has less of an impact than other meals. However I value using simple, inexpensive, IMO healthful ingredients for breakfast. And it's still a net savings of time/energy/dishes over separate preparations. Compare hard boiling 10 eggs in one batch in a pressure cooker (6 minutes) to frying eggs 2 at a time, starting from a cold skillet every morning.
We just zap the fried rice in the microwave. I know what you're saying but I guess I haven't noticed a problem. In the recipe I use, the sardines "melt" into a somewhat unrecognizable paste. Maybe that form holds up to microwaving better.
We usually work through a pot of food in 5-7 days and I haven't had any spoilage problems. I don't do anything fancy so I don't know why your stuff is spoiling sooner. Do you know about how you can't put a deep vessel of hot food directly in the fridge?
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/Ref ... ndex.asp#5
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squashroll
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:16 pm
KevinW
Thanks for the informative link. Putting a HUGE pot of chili/stew/bean soup directly in the fridge is exactly what I have doing; oops!
I read your post, I was wondering if you were making your own yogurt, or just portioning out servings from a big container. Do you cook a bunch of oatmeal ahead of time or just make your own instant packets?
Can't wait to try some of that Sardine fried rice. Pretty sure my SO will not be excited about it,
Thanks for the informative link. Putting a HUGE pot of chili/stew/bean soup directly in the fridge is exactly what I have doing; oops!
I read your post, I was wondering if you were making your own yogurt, or just portioning out servings from a big container. Do you cook a bunch of oatmeal ahead of time or just make your own instant packets?
Can't wait to try some of that Sardine fried rice. Pretty sure my SO will not be excited about it,
Putting a HUGE pot of chili/stew/bean soup directly in the fridge is exactly what I have doing; oops!
Aha! The problem is that it takes many hours for the food in the center of a hot deep pot to cool down. In the mean time bacteria are incubating away. Sort of like how it takes many hours for the center of a big turkey to get cooked.
I was wondering if you were making your own yogurt, or just portioning out servings from a big container. Do you cook a bunch of oatmeal ahead of time or just make your own instant packets?
We make yogurt from milk. It took a lot of trial and error to find a method that works reliably. For oatmeal we make a big batch from steel cut oats, refrigerate it, then heat up individual portions each morning.
Aha! The problem is that it takes many hours for the food in the center of a hot deep pot to cool down. In the mean time bacteria are incubating away. Sort of like how it takes many hours for the center of a big turkey to get cooked.
I was wondering if you were making your own yogurt, or just portioning out servings from a big container. Do you cook a bunch of oatmeal ahead of time or just make your own instant packets?
We make yogurt from milk. It took a lot of trial and error to find a method that works reliably. For oatmeal we make a big batch from steel cut oats, refrigerate it, then heat up individual portions each morning.