Cooking in bulk

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Hey there fellow cavepeople (gotta be PC)

I'm looking for some suggestions for some meals that I can make a lot of and keep in the fridge for the week. I'm currently living with a friend and I like to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible (I have my reasons). I also have a fairly busy life right now so I'm not able to cook daily, I only have one or two days where I have time to actually do any solid cooking - which sucks because I've spent over a decade cooking daily and I miss it! So cooking up a bunch of something, maybe 2 or 3 dishes, that I can portion up and keep so I just have to microwave it and go is the ticket!

Any suggestions (and/or recipes) very much appreciated! Thanks!

Replies

  • Lorrie_73
    Lorrie_73 Posts: 104 Member
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    This will be very uninspired, but I marinate and grill chicken breasts, or other meat, on Sunday and use it all week in lunches and dinners. I cook my veggies fresh for dinners. I also use a crock pot a lot on Sundays. You can do a whole roast, short ribs, etc, and portion them out for the week.
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    Nothing wrong with that chynnok! I usually do a bunch of chicken too. I might go buy a crockpot today.
  • bozmo
    bozmo Posts: 177 Member
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    I've been making breakfast cups. Cook your meat, possibly with onions or other veggies, put into muffin cups about 1/2 way full and fill with egg. Bake for about 20 minutes until the egg is done. I found they last in the fridge for a week and heat up fast. They make a good snack too. If you vary your meat, veggies, and spices you can get a lot of different flavors.
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    I've been making breakfast cups. Cook your meat, possibly with onions or other veggies, put into muffin cups about 1/2 way full and fill with egg. Bake for about 20 minutes until the egg is done. I found they last in the fridge for a week and heat up fast. They make a good snack too. If you vary your meat, veggies, and spices you can get a lot of different flavors.

    good one thanks!
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
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    I like to do a bunch of chicken up on the weekends too. I usually have a roast that I can throw in the slowcooker with just some broth and whatever veggies I have laying around. I roast a spaghetti squash every weekend and use that during the week to make various things. I'll saute 2 lbs of ground beef with onion and garlic and throw that in the fridge. During the week I'll just grab half the beef, half the squash and throw it in a pan with some fat (usually coconut oil) and veggies.

    If you have freezer space, do up a big batch of chili or some soups that you can put in individual serving size containers and freeze for later. Hard boiled eggs are good to have on hand for snacking and keep in the fridge for a week at a time. I make mayo every weekend so I can throw together quick tuna salads if I'm in a pinch for lunch (usually when there's no leftovers from the night before). Frozen veggies are a lifesaver for me during the work week for quick stir fries or lazy days when I just don't feel like chopping veggies.

    Hope that helps!
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    I like to do a bunch of chicken up on the weekends too. I usually have a roast that I can throw in the slowcooker with just some broth and whatever veggies I have laying around. I roast a spaghetti squash every weekend and use that during the week to make various things. I'll saute 2 lbs of ground beef with onion and garlic and throw that in the fridge. During the week I'll just grab half the beef, half the squash and throw it in a pan with some fat (usually coconut oil) and veggies.

    If you have freezer space, do up a big batch of chili or some soups that you can put in individual serving size containers and freeze for later. Hard boiled eggs are good to have on hand for snacking and keep in the fridge for a week at a time. I make mayo every weekend so I can throw together quick tuna salads if I'm in a pinch for lunch (usually when there's no leftovers from the night before). Frozen veggies are a lifesaver for me during the work week for quick stir fries or lazy days when I just don't feel like chopping veggies.

    Hope that helps!

    Lots of good stuff there. Thank you.
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
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    No problem!. I find it extremely difficult to get more than 20-30 minutes of kitchen time in after work so I try to get lots done on the weekend to minimize my cook time during the week.

    I also like to steam-saute 2-3 veggies on the weekend so I can just quickly heat them up during the week. It's an idea I picked up from the Well Fed cookbook that I wish I could practice more often (I share a house with 4 other people, so my fridge space is VERY limited).

    I make sure I always have things like carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes. They're easy to chop up and add to the slow cooker. If I have time on the weekend, I'll chop up a bunch, throw them in a baking pan with some italian seasoning herbs and olive oil and roast them. Then I have delicious roast veggies to add as a side all week long. Not to mention sweet potatoes on their own can be easily microwaved for some post workout carbs. I usually like mine with creamed coconut and cinnamon.
  • MikeFlyMike
    MikeFlyMike Posts: 639 Member
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    for me:
    Pot of chili
    Meatloaf
    Whole roasted chicken (super easy)

    All easy to make and store well. (and quite frankly can be eaten cold or warm on the road.
  • monkeydharma
    monkeydharma Posts: 599 Member
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    If you have a dutch oven, you can slow cook big pieces of meat in the oven (like pulled pork, braised short ribs, or pot roasts). The recipes I use call for about 5# of meat, have relatively short setup times, sit in the oven for hours (allowing you to focus on 'other things') and can be divvied up into several portions.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
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    MEAT MUFFINS - http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/02/14/vday-gift-for-you-meat-spinach-muffins/

    You can do up a quiche -

    12 eggs
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 cup of almond flour
    Whisk the above together

    assorted veggies - cook them up on the stove so they are sort of soft - I usually do - onions, mushrooms, red pepper, 1 jalapeno

    you can do 2 things...
    1. divide the egg mixture into 12 muffin tins and add in a bit of the veggie mix in each one

    2. dump veggies into egg mixture and put whole mixture in a 9x13 pan

    Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes...

    You can also add in various meat - sausage, bacon etc...

    For a side you can do Faux Tabouli

    1 head of cauli - riced
    1 cucumber - cubed
    1 large tomato cubed
    1 group of green onions diced (or red onion - I use a bit of both)
    10-15 kalamata olives - sliced into halves or thirds
    3/4 bunch of parsley - diced fine

    mix all the above together and make a mixture of 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 olive oil - I usually juice 2 lemons - that gives me about 1/4 cup of juice and then add 1/4 olive oil - mix together and dump over veggies - mix well...sprinkle a little bit of salt to taste - it is best if you give it a few hours in fridge so the flavors can meld..
  • luckygirl007
    luckygirl007 Posts: 68 Member
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    No problem!. I find it extremely difficult to get more than 20-30 minutes of kitchen time in after work so I try to get lots done on the weekend to minimize my cook time during the week.

    I also like to steam-saute 2-3 veggies on the weekend so I can just quickly heat them up during the week. It's an idea I picked up from the Well Fed cookbook that I wish I could practice more often (I share a house with 4 other people, so my fridge space is VERY limited).

    I make sure I always have things like carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes. They're easy to chop up and add to the slow cooker. If I have time on the weekend, I'll chop up a bunch, throw them in a baking pan with some italian seasoning herbs and olive oil and roast them. Then I have delicious roast veggies to add as a side all week long. Not to mention sweet potatoes on their own can be easily microwaved for some post workout carbs. I usually like mine with creamed coconut and cinnamon.
  • luckygirl007
    luckygirl007 Posts: 68 Member
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    I love that cookbook (Well Fed) very good suggestions for bulk cooking!