Make Ahead Meal Ideas
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mommyrunning
Posts: 495 Member
Looking for make ahead meal ideas. I see lots of ideas online for making a couple week's worth of meals in one weekend then freezing them. I love the idea but all the recipes are meat based. I love cooking for my family but need to be able to make quick dinners during the week. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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You read my mind. I was thinking just about the same thing. Even I just throw the frozen pre-made meal in the crock pot that way its ready as soon as we get home.0
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I would love to do crockpot meals but I admit I am a little nervous from the time I leave to the time I get home is about 10-11 hrs and I don't want to burn my house down leaving a crockpot on that long :> I love the articles that list make ahead meals and even provide a grocery list. I just can't find meat free ones.0
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I have tried so many times to do the "weekly planning". It doesn't work for me! I like to be more flexible with my dinner and don't have all the time in one day for that much food prep. But I do have time to plan my options, meaning I make sure I always have good food choices in the house. I will plan out 2-3 days at a time, but I use a lot of convenience foods or make quick and easy stuff (tofu scramble for breakfast, sandwich with raw veggies for lunch, gardien or seitan and veggies for dinner, etc). If I can make it in one pan in 10 minutes or less, it works for me! And I have a protein shake at some point in the day because it's really easy. Basically, I forgo the 1-week idea and did something that I can actually stick with: stir fries, sandwiches, raw veg, etc.0
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Lasagna freezes really well though. I freeze it uncooked and bake it after it thaws. I don't freeze much else except making seitan in a big batch, fruits, or veggies.0
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Thanks for the feedback. I am actually pretty simple and could eat salads and sandwiches all the time. However I am also feeding a husband and 2 kids so I have to be more creative. I was just thinking this morning I am getting bored with my dinners and need to think of something else. I am glad you mentioned stir fry because that is easy and sounds good. I may have to venture out to whole foods or some new stores because where I shop currently doesn't have a lot of vegetarian options.0
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www.veganinthefreezer.com. She's not focused on low-fat or anything like that, but she does have a plethora of make-ahead meals. There are some pretty good recipes that, if needed, I make a bit more weight-loss friendly. And because she gives instructions on how to freeze and then prepare her dishes, I've learned to translate that to other dishes from other cooks, occasionally.0
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I like to cook dried beans and then freeze them in 1-2 Cup batches. I will also make mexican rice in my rice cooker and freeze that in quart baggies. Lastly I make veggie burgers and then freeze them for a quick microwave lunch or dinner when I need them!0
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Learn to convert the recipes you like into meatless meals. I'm not a big fan the commercial meat substitutes, but I have used the veggie meat crumbles (I like Quorn if you can find it) and TVP in place of ground beef with much success. I also love to use my crock pot for soups and stews. Prep/chop all your ingredients the night before & keep them in the fridge, then in the morning put it all in the crock pot and set it on low. DInner is ready when you get home from work. Crock pots are cheap at discount stores like Wal-mart - get a cheap one with minimal settings and it should be under $20. You can also find them at thrift stores for $5 or $10. But honestly, you can throw together a hearty soup with fresh or frozen vegs and beans, and change it up with spices (asian, southwest, Italian?) or chili in about 30 minutes, just keep it simple. There are so many recipes online - don't be afraid to experiment!0
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Ema Datschi food.com/recipe/vegetarian-ema-datshi-bhutan-chili-cheese-stew-500802
I LOVE this dish and make it once a week. It is amazingly flavorful. I prefer it w/ jalapenos, but a mix with red bell peppers is also good. A hidden gem of a recipe!0 -
I make this a lot, its really tasty and the recipe does several portions. The receipe here isn't vegan but can easily be adapted by using soy milk to cream the mash and I just leave off the cheese. It makes about 4 foil containers (and we share each between three of us) with some veggies.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10035/golden-veggie-shepherds-pie
We aldo do the same (make agead) with chilli or bolgneses (using soya mince).
Soups are good too. I make a big batch in the soup maker and then put a serving size into a feezer bag0 -
I'm no fancy cook but I buy frozen veggies for a fast side dish or soy free burgers or bean burritos when I'm low on food.
I also like soups for making ahead and freezing or keeping in the fridge.0 -
www.veganinthefreezer.com. She's not focused on low-fat or anything like that, but she does have a plethora of make-ahead meals. There are some pretty good recipes that, if needed, I make a bit more weight-loss friendly. And because she gives instructions on how to freeze and then prepare her dishes, I've learned to translate that to other dishes from other cooks, occasionally.
Thanks for the link!0
