Prepping meals for the week? Ideas for make ahead meals

strivingfor130
strivingfor130 Posts: 221 Member
in Recipes
I am thinking of prepping meals throughout the week for dinner. Does anyone have any tips on doing this or meals that are easy to freeze/reheat?
«13

Replies

  • rnhoppe
    rnhoppe Posts: 111 Member
    Check out www.onceamonthmom.com. It's what I use often. I usually double everything and freeze half.
  • ckish
    ckish Posts: 341 Member
    Chicken Pot Pies - We cut up chicken and veggies, open up a can of cream of chicken soup, and some pilsbury pie crust and spread it out on the island in our kitchen. Every one assembles their own pot pie in individual ramekins. To reduce the calories in mine I roll the crust a little thinner, use only a top crust, and fill with lots of veggies. We make additional ones to store in the freezer for a quick meal later on. We bake ours in an Advatium oven (a combo of halogen lights and a microwave). A traditional oven set at 375 will take about 35-40 minutes from fresh or 45-50 if frozen. My family even adds shrimp to theirs. It can easily be made with turkey or beef, (fresh or left over) or even vegetarian. Always a family favorite in our house.
  • fififox
    fififox Posts: 360 Member
    I saw a good trick once on a tv programme and have used it a few times. You cook up a large batch as a 'base' e.g a Lamb Base, a Beef base, a Chicken base - enough for 3 or 4 meals (or more). You keep it pretty plain - really cooking the meat with onions/whatever basics. By leaving it plain it leaves it open to then make up very different meals when you defrost it - e.g. With a lamb base turn into a Lamb stew, an Indian Lamb and Spinach Curry, Lamb with Carrots and Pineapple, Lamb Tagine, etc. Minced beef is great as you could make Bolognese, Shepherds Pie, Savoury/Curried, Lasagne, etc. I know that it leaves a little work to be done on the day you eat it, but it allows you to cook in greater portions and not end up with 6 portions of bolognese in your freezer after a cooking session. I guess you could start all off as the same base and then divide into different pots and finish all on the day of cooking? I don't know if this approach would suit your plan but a few nights when I really fancied a specific type of meal (e.g. Indian)it was fantastic to go to the freezer, grab a bag of Lamb base, and just have to add spices and a tin of spinach to have Lamb Saag. Do you have a slowcooker (I think you call it a crockpot) - That is another fantastic idea. If you get a big one you can cook a few portions together. I find that by investing 15-20 minutes in the morning you get your dinner on - it takes no supervision and cooks itself while you are out at work or getting on with your day. I find that most of the recipes are low enoug on ingredients which saves time - the flavour is amazing though as the slow cooker really blends the flavours beautifully. HTH.
  • ckish
    ckish Posts: 341 Member
    Another great idea by fififox! :D
  • Lobster1987
    Lobster1987 Posts: 492 Member
    I do this every week. I used to make hamburger helper and put it into individual servings for the week. Now I've been baking chicken breasts and seasoning them and packaging them up for work. I'll package veggies as sides.
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
    I make four meals, each makes 4 portions, so I'm good for frozen meals for around a month. I make:

    Spaghetti Bolognaise (but with pasta tubes rather than spaghetti, as it's easier to freeze and reheat). I mix them together, sprinkles a little cheese on top and they microwave very well.

    Shepherd's Pie - with the mash it's a complete meal, so good for taking to work.

    Beef Hash (a beef stew with potatoes in).

    Chilli con Carne - put it in the pots with rice, it's another complete meal.

    The ingredients are all in my meals in my diary if you want any recipes.
  • nanchuck
    nanchuck Posts: 4 Member
    I make taco meat & freeze in ziplock baggies (one serving per bag). I put it on lettuce & tomatoes to make a taco salad, put it on a baked potato, or make a taco out of it. My husband travels so I don't want to cook meals when he's gone. This makes it so easy. also do this with chili.
  • BelindaDuvessa
    BelindaDuvessa Posts: 1,014 Member
    Create your own frozen dinners (Sparkpeople.com)
    http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=762

    Fantastic Frozen Dinners (Sparkpeople.com)
    http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=585

    Make Ahead Meals (A Blog)
    http://makeaheadmeals.blogspot.com/

    Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
    http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/

    These are some of the things I managed to find. The first two just give you some tips, the other two some good recipes.
  • MFPBrandy
    MFPBrandy Posts: 564 Member
    Pyrex 2-cup bowls. A little expensive at the start, but so worth it (and if you don't care about plastic chemicals, you can go a lot cheaper with plastic freezer storage containers, too). I have about 30 of them, and continually make big-batch meals so I have a constant rotation of soups & other dishes ready to go -- GREAT for eating healthy at work (assuming you have access to a microwave), and pretty nice for those nights when I just don't want to cook.
  • BNance509
    BNance509 Posts: 79 Member
    bump
  • areufnkiddingme
    areufnkiddingme Posts: 99 Member
    pepperplate.com. Let's you add recipes, organize them into a meal planner, pulls ingredients and puts them into a shopping list, then works as an automatic timer for cooking multiple recipes.

    I know, there is a god, right?
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
    i almost always cook up 3-5lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts at the beginning of the week. i throw it in a pot with just about an inch of water, sprinkle freeze dried onion ,italian seasoning and pepper on it. cover and steam cook it . after it cools you can dice it and slice it and put it in containers .. this way you have it accessible for salads,sandwiches, dinner with veggies ect ...even throw it over pasta or rice. its so easy and less time consuming that way..i also cook up a few servings of rice and pasta ahead of time if its in my meal plan for the week
  • lululucky1
    lululucky1 Posts: 39 Member
    I pre cook my protein in crock pots, chicken breast, pork loin, beef. I shred, bag, and freeze them...we can make tacos, pannini's, rice bowls, sandwiches or whatever with the meat throughout the week...saves tons of time.
  • Island_Style20
    Island_Style20 Posts: 98 Member
    I made some really awesome black bean & quinoa burgers, if you're into veggie stuff. Super good for you and delicious! I made 5 patties, and froze the ones I didn't eat for the next few days! :)
  • hemlock2010
    hemlock2010 Posts: 422 Member
    bump
  • 0MissErin0
    0MissErin0 Posts: 92 Member
    I cook a lot of lentil, vege, bean and brown rice dishes.
    They freeze well (not the rice though)
  • Princess_Sameen
    Princess_Sameen Posts: 284 Member
    bump.... some interesting ideas :-)
  • TaraMKL
    TaraMKL Posts: 124 Member
    I wash/cut all of my veggies and store them in freezer bags with a paper towel to absorb the moisture when I get home from the grocery store. That helps A LOT.
    Tonight I'm going to grill a TON of chicken along with tonight's pork chops and it will be waiting for two meals during the week.

    I also have recently gone to a few Wildtree freezer meal parties -- it's awesome. You come home with 12 meals prepped and ready for easy cooking. Just plunk them in the freezer, pull them out 1-2 days and thaw in the fridge -- all you have to do is grill or bake them, make a quick veggie side dish/salad (plus a carb - rice/pasta, whatever you want) and it's done. LOVE. IT.

    Their website has a TON of recipes on it -- the stuff is SO yummy and really healthy. :)
  • BerylX
    BerylX Posts: 108 Member
    bump!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Extremely easy to do...
    One day of bulk cooking: prep your fruits & vegetables first. Sauces, marinades, spice rubs next.
    Cook up some whole roaster chickens, some whole roast beef, some pork center-cut steaks, pork ribs, fish - whatever protein your heart desires!

    I make bulk marinara
    meatballs
    individualized meatloaves (I have a cup-cake pan specifically for this)
    halved roaster chickens

    I dont eat pasta so I prep up probably a good 25# worth of zucchini and summer squash as my pasta replacement using a spiral slicer. Each container gets about 8oz total of that, four one-oz meatballs, a cup of homemade marinara - and VOILA! A Meal is ready to be frozen individually!

    Ill take one of the halved roaster chickens - I do different flavor combinations, marinades or season rubs that Ive made ahead of time - roast in the oven. Each container gets one-half roaster chicken, Ill put in fresh (will explain) green beans, wax beans and a pat-of butter... freeze.

    I will not cook the green/wax beans because they get all mushy when they get thawed/reheated. If I reheat in the microwave, the natural steaming will self-cook them in there (keep the lid on), and the pat of butter helps to create a light sauce from the chicken and the steam of the vegetables...thus creating a meal that is just like coming out of the oven.


    Any of the red-meat family is usually grilled on my grill or smoked on the smoker. Each serving is 6oz cooked. It will be paired with a squash of some sort, sauteed mushrooms/onions/peppers in a white wine-garlic-seasalt-butter sauce. And again, frozen for future meals.

    I use this same concept when I bulk cook. I have freezer-1qt containers from which will be filled with marinara. Another for meatballs. Another for fresh made stocks, and so on. My meats are all prepped at home into 16oz bags. Each bag will yield a different flavor combination: I make a Tequila-Lime marinade for chicken that my husband RAVES about. Great for making quesadillas one night with a side salad. For my beef, I have a variety of season rubs that I combine on my own as well as BBQ-marinades and sauces. I make a Tangy Creole Mustard sauce for both Beef and Pork... they are my favorites when I get the smoker going.. DELISH!

    Have fun with this!!!!
  • Cillygirl
    Cillygirl Posts: 13
    bump - great post! I've been thinking about doing the same :) Thanks!
  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
    I brown off a large package of ground turkey and add onions, celery, green pepper and seasonings. After it cools, I put one pound portions in freezer zip lock bags, marked with the date and contents. On my busy days, I can take one out, defrost for a couple of minutes in the microwave and pour Ragu over it to make spaghetti sauce, or salsa to make tacos, or Mamwich to become sloppy joe sandwiches in just a few minutes.
  • januadiaboli
    januadiaboli Posts: 117 Member
    Anything my family likes that freezes well gets made at least double so I can freeze a batch, or do smaller containers for lunches. I need to get better at labelling, though, as I took a container of what I thought was beef stew for lunch one day last week only to discover it was beef barley soup! Good thing I had an extra spoon stashed in my desk.

    We eat a lot of soup, so I tend to make stock of some kind or another once a week. I tend to freeze half my beef stock just plain, and the other half I add cooked, diced stewing beef for days I have a bit less time. I tend to do the same with chicken stock, as well.

    I usually make a monstrous batch of marinara at least twice a year, then freeze for later use. I also make lasagnas ahead, baked ravlioli with meat sauce, shepherd's pie, chili, and several casseroles (including a chile rellenos one that my family just loves). I also make big batches of chicken nuggets to freeze, as this saves me tonnes of prep time on busy school nights.

    I even cut up all the veggies for afternoon snacks on the weekends ... otherwise, when I get home from work and the kids get home from school/daycare, I end up giving them granola bars instead, which I don't like doing on a regular basis. Oh, and I usually make a big batch or two of muffins on the weekend for easy breakfasts and lunches. These usually freeze quite well, too, so I can make a mixed box of three kinds of muffins so that we're not eating blueberry muffins all week.

    I'd suggest taking a look at what your family likes to eat, then figuring out which things freeze well, and seeing if there are even parts of things that you can freeze or prep ahead that'll save you lots of time.
  • beccyleigh
    beccyleigh Posts: 846 Member
    I am doing it on a weekly basis. I bought a load of veg to steam, boil, chuck in a stir fry or stew & pre chopped them all & stored in fridge in containers. Did the same with some pork & chicken to add to said meals, have just made a sweet & sour marinade to pour over some pork & veg to slow cook tomorrow & have bought & agreed with oh what is for dinner & lunch every day this week. Combo of slow cooker meat receipts & fish with spicy fruity salads & stir fries.

    It is an experiment for us as we usually do our own dinners/lunchs but this should hopefully cut our food bill, make us both a bit healthier & cut down on washing up.

    Neither of us though like the idea of cooking up a whole months food & besides we don't have space to freeze all that anyway. Doing it like this (pre-prepping ingredients but cooking on the day) will hopefully give us a bit of variety, takes a bit more work but we'll see how we go. I got most of the ideas off a diabetic website as both of us are type 2, the options had to be kid friendly too as we have a 5 year old added to that oh is thai so he is an awesome cook, likes alot of flavour in his food & spicy too, so our choices are probably different to other peoples. :glasses:
  • helenld1
    helenld1 Posts: 233 Member
    Wow - some good ideas here.

    I roast a whole skinless chicken on a Sunday (cheaper than buying breasts individually), then portion it out for lunches, salads, to add to sauces. I then usually boil the bones up for stock to make stock for soups (been far too warm today to do that!). Granted, if you're veggie then not for you.

    I also make "bases" as someone mentioned - tomato sauce is a big one for me that way my husband can add it to pasta and the aforementioned chicken for his tea when I'm not around. I can make pasta free lasagne, add to roasted veg (also usually made ahead), etc for quick veggie packed meals.

    Fruit compote - whatever fruit is on offer, or even reduced at the supermarket, I cook up with spices and then freeze in batches. I can add it to my overnight porridge (or oats) and leave it overnight to defost, greek yoghurt, muesli, etc.
  • HealthyMe46
    HealthyMe46 Posts: 226 Member
    All great ideas here! Thank you! I also like HowDoesSheDoIt.com for meal planning.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I only cook on weekends and we eat leftovers during the week. Pretty much anything can be made ahead and reheated. Most things taste better reheated if you put them in a saute pan and reheat them on the stove rather than in the microwave. This is especially true for meat and poultry.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    When I use my grill I normally cook a lot of food then freeze it in small portions so I can pull out some protien, shaw it and have the flavor of charcoal and hickory smoke.

    Yesterday I grilled 8 chicken breasts, 2 pork tenderloin, a large sweet potato, tomatos, and squash. The squash and tomatos were cut up and made into a ratatouille kind of thing.

    Here is a picture.

    https://www.box.com/s/7cbcm8mpja2144r3nn9d
  • Danam48
    Danam48 Posts: 129 Member
    I definitely do almost all my cooking for the week on the weekend. I grill a variety of proteins (chicken, shrimp, salmon, tilapia). Then I make grains, wild rice or brown rice, and quinoa. I also like to roast a whole butternut squash in the crockpot (about 10 hours on low and slice it open and scoop out the goodness) and I also like to roast beets in the crockpot. Sometimes I make a batch of pulled chicken in the crock pot, I think i found the recipe on skinnytaste.com. I also like to rotate in a recipe of Rotel chicken (chicken, can of rotel,can of black beans,corn and 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese-throw in some jalepenos and red/orange peppers for more flavor), so easy to throw into the crockpot. Then you can eat this over the rice you made, or like a soup or put it in tortillas when it thickens up. My favorite kitchen tool is a FoodSaver vacuum sealer. Keeps food tasting like you just cooked it fresh and you can portion and seal things in bags and throw them in the fridge. Grab and Go! Love it for packing our lunches for work. We love putting grilled salmon or shrimp on a salad for a quick evening meal. I can't wait for soup season! Big pots of veggies and other yummy stuff with lots of leftovers..
  • gjsmommy
    gjsmommy Posts: 90 Member
    BUMP

    Great ideas for future use!

Categories