Weekend batch cooking - what's your standbys?

Sued0nim
Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
edited April 2015 in Recipes
I found that the best thing that worked for me was cooking in batches at the weekend...big pots of yummy foods that I can build once in the recipe builder, keep in my fridge and portion out for work lunches / no think suppers. Tupperware is my friend

My Sunday batch cooking is underway with a huge pot of a Mediterranean veggie stew, I also pre-boil rice, grate cheddar and that's a good few lunches sorted for 300 calories...and they're huge...I take 100g rice, 500g veggie stew and 10g cheddar to sprinkle on the top ...I thought I'd be bored of this but no, I've been making it almost every week since October and still love it

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Onion, celery, carrots, butternut squash, aubergine (eggplant), courgettes (zucchini), mushrooms, red pepper, 2 cans chopped tomatoes,.garlic, bay leaf, salt, black pepper,thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary...simmer for about an hour.

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,190 Member
    I have a thing for Turkey, Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chilli - can't seem to get sick of it!
  • Carol_
    Carol_ Posts: 469 Member
    I am going to make that soup. Looks so good!
  • iumu
    iumu Posts: 2 Member
    I don't really have any "stand-bys", I go shopping every fortnight and I'm always looking forward to planning new foods! I love the budgetbytes website, loads of healthy things for when you're on a budget (although some things can be a bit carb-heavy, such as pairing chickpeas with rice and then bread on the side), and I plan during the week when I'm on the bus to work.

    Lately I've made bread (I freeze the dough, defrost then cook it individually in a skillet - makes storebought stuff taste like cardboard), a lentil curry, some apple-pie oatmeal, baked fish... I'm lucky to have a nice big freezer so whenever I'm hungry, if I don't feel like cooking I just dig through there like I'm a little kid at a treasure hunt :)
  • dntworribhappi
    dntworribhappi Posts: 131 Member
    My go to choices: yummy life pork carnitas, nom nom paleo slow cooker chicken & gravy, paleomg meat sauce. I make a big batch of one of these on Sunday and use them for meals all week. Just add to veggies and for a great meal anytime. Add a carb too if you like.
  • mmonaghan99
    mmonaghan99 Posts: 45 Member
    edited April 2015
    Often the bf and I will bake seasoned chicken breasts and baked potatoes/sweet potatoes for lunches, and get some of those steam-in-bag veggies from the produce section, and steam the veggies in the morning before work. We haven't been doing it lately because we got a little burned out on it so I've been doing sandwiches and light progresso soups (I know they are sodium hell, but they are filling and super low cal, and I need something easy for lunch). We cook dinner every night instead of doing batches.
  • Funship
    Funship Posts: 86 Member
    The soup above looks delicious! I'll have to try it. We also batch cook on the weekends, Black bean soup, Vegi soup, roasted chicken, enough fresh garden salad for a couple of days.... keeps us honest with our eating!! Always good to be prepared.
  • seaykelli
    seaykelli Posts: 2 Member
    Wow, def gonna do this
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    It's not a soup...it's a stew...really chunky although I suppose you could blend it down if you wanted soup :)

    ...weirdly it evolved from a chilli con carne via a veggie chilli dish
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    This weekend I made a roasted vegetable/chicken soup, marinara, turkey/zucchini chili, zucchini/turkey meatballs, zucchini/chicken nuggets, vegetable rice burritos, enchilada stuffed peppers, and a bacon/cabbage frittata. Everything is portioned and labeled in the freezer for quick meals. I also made 2lbs of chicken breast in the fridge.
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    I like making tomato rice. I usually cook my rice with tomato sauce, 2 whole tomatoes or one can of chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, chicken stock, chili powder, pepper, salt and some water. This can be eaten by itself but I usually eat it with a side of simple cooked greens (steamed/stir fry kale, swiss chard, broccoli, carrots or cauliflower) and some type of protein heavy dish like bean curry, ground turkey meat loaf or cream chicken. If it's not rice, I would eat potatoes or pasta as a starch. That is usually meals for lunch. Breakfast, I usually have oatmeal or boiled eggs/veggies. I'm doing an externship right now in the evening so I don't have time to sit down and eat so I've been bringing chopped apples and peanut butter or egg sandwich. Been developing this system and eating this way for about a month now and it's really easy to do and requires only a little effort during the weekends. And people say eating healthy takes too much time. *yeah right*
  • Fitdiva83
    Fitdiva83 Posts: 51 Member
    The stew looks amazing ! Yesterday I did bag of 10 min instant brown rice, steamed family size Birdseye California mixed veggies, grilled porkchops and turkey burger patties on the Foreman grill,baked chicken breast boiled some eggs, and stocked up on protein shakes.
  • nik_nak_83
    nik_nak_83 Posts: 37 Member
    Great thread! Loving having a peek at other people's recipes! I have just prepped for the week Spanish chicken (loads of root veg, chicken thighs, tomatoes, garlic, paprika and oregano) and (a new one for me) fish cakes! All bagged up and in the freezer for the week ahead!
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
    I sometimes make falafel or veggie balls (wells vegetarian thanksgiving from the New York Times online has good ones). They make a ton and I never get sick of eating them all week! I also really love making soup (crock pot is amazing). For a while I was making "taco rice" which was a rice a beans dish with tomato and taco seasoning. I got tired of that after a few months...
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Your stew looks lovely !! I like to make a big batch of rice and veggies and have that on stand by . it works for me because I can season it differently and add in extra things to change it up. So rice mixed with veggies is my stand by meal :)
  • Sweets1954
    Sweets1954 Posts: 507 Member
    My go to's for making ahead and freezing are various soups, chili, stew, meatloaf, and casseroles. I also make overnight oatmeal head of time for breakfasts. I have made Greek yogurt and fruit parfaits that I can grab out of the refrigerator and add a bit of granola before eating. I'll have that for breakfast or a snack. I have made up pans of enchiladas, lasagna, or manicotti for the freezer as well. I don't do that as much any more since these are pretty high in calories. I will also make up big batches of spaghetti sauce that can be frozen in small batches. Check out the internet, there are many make ahead recipes for all meals. I haven't tried salad in a jar yet but I've heard that is a good go to as well.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Queenmunchy wrote: »
    This weekend I made a roasted vegetable/chicken soup, marinara, turkey/zucchini chili, zucchini/turkey meatballs, zucchini/chicken nuggets, vegetable rice burritos, enchilada stuffed peppers, and a bacon/cabbage frittata. Everything is portioned and labeled in the freezer for quick meals. I also made 2lbs of chicken breast in the fridge.

    I also made mushroom/spinach turkey burgers!
  • ibamosaserreinas
    ibamosaserreinas Posts: 294 Member
    I slow cook a pound of black beans with hickory seasonings about every other week. I also like to mass roast sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts on Sunday to keep in the fridge throughout the week. Once in awhile I make a massive pan of mini-turkey meatloaves to take for lunches. Protein cheesecakes. Cooking ahead of time helps me keep things in control during the week.
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
    Your soup looks delicious! Some of my favorite things to batch cook are roasted veggies, salmon cakes, all different sorts of rice, soups, chilli, dried beans, falafel, black bean burgers, veggie meatballs, roasted or grilled chicken, kebabs, breads and doughs, muffins, scones, waffles, biscuits, bagels, quick breads, burritos, tortillas, lasagna, casseroles, pudding pops, yogurt&fruit pops, cookie doughs, etc. I love batch cooking!
  • SmellyHippy
    SmellyHippy Posts: 47 Member
    That stew looks phenomenal. Thank you! I will be making this soon.
  • Susan2BHealthier
    Susan2BHealthier Posts: 130 Member
    Chili Serves 6 (252 calories per serving)

    11.75 oz(s), Onions - Sweet, raw ( 1 large)
    16 oz, Lean, Sirloin - 90 / 10 lean
    5 Garlic Cloves
    1 container (3 cups ea.), Plum Shaped Peeled Tomatoes In Puree - 28 oz Can
    1 tsp Tumeric
    3 cups Water
    5 tbsp, Tomato Paste
    2-3 tbsp Chili powder
    1 container (1 4/5 cups ea.), Red Kidney Beans

    Spray oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon to break up the pieces. Cook, stirring, until the meat is brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes, drain grease. Add the onion, green bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes.

    Cut up and add the tomatoes and puree in can, the tomato paste,, and water to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil.

    Cook in covered pot or POUR INTO A SLOW COOKER COOK ON HIGH FOR 1 TO 1 ½ HOURS…TAKE COVER OFF AND COOK ON LOW UNTIL IT IS REDUCED TO YOUR DESIRED THICKNESS.

    ADD KIDNEY BEANS AT THE END SO THEY DON’T GET MUSHY.

    Toppings: Sour cream, chopped scallion, chopped tomato, shredded cheese, chopped avocado


    Nutrition Facts
    Servings 6.0
    Amount Per Serving
    calories 252
    % Daily Value *
    Total Fat 8 g 12 %
    Saturated Fat 3 g 14 %
    Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
    Trans Fat 0 g
    Cholesterol 47 mg 16 %
    Sodium 273 mg 11 %
    Potassium 133 mg 4 %
    Total Carbohydrate 23 g 8 %
    Dietary Fiber 7 g 29 %
    Sugars 10 g
    Protein 21 g 42 %
    Vitamin A 33 %
    Vitamin C 27 %
    Calcium 11 %
    Iron 24 %

  • usernameenvy
    usernameenvy Posts: 140 Member
    that looks so good i think ill give that a go!
  • UrianaZeta
    UrianaZeta Posts: 19 Member
    This looks awesome! I think making meals ahead and portioning out would really help me!
    A lot of recipes have eggplant and mushrooms in them. I aboslutely detest both of those items. What would be good to substitute for them in this recipe? Thanks so much!

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