Cooking in batches is one of the best kept secrets for saving time and money, while promoting good health at the same time. With three school age kids, time is a rare commodity. Instead of turning to processed and packaged foods, I take advantage of the days I can cook and select healthy recipes that I can easily double or triple the batch. We enjoy these meals the next night as leftovers or we take them to work or school the next day in a thermos or Tupperware. Here are my favorite batch cooking recipes and resources.
What recipes do you prepare to enjoy throughout the week?
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When I make soup, it is always a big pot. We have it for that meal that I'm cooking it for, save enough for another meal then freeze the rest in containers that would make another meal or two.
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AZURE-SKY
I've been batch cooking since we first got married over 35 years ago. We both worked 50-60 hours a week, so getting a good cooked dinner after work was a challenge. We would do a lot of cooking on the weekends and freeze foods in meal-sized packages.
Now, we're retired, and I still batch-cook. I make marinara sauce, soups, chili, stew, in the slow cooker and freeze them. I cook ground beef and freeze for tacos, spaghetti sauce, etc. I do the same with good Italian sausage - crumble it up and cook it. It's a great way to add spice but not too many calories.
I always have the prepared ingredients ready to throw into a quick meal, and batch cooking saves cleanup time, too.
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I use to cook like this when my five children were small. I had a SUNSET BOOK called "Once A Month Cookery" and they had recipes for making enough food for a month. I didn't make that much, but it had a lot of helpful ideas. Report
While there are only two of us at home, "big batch" may refer to just a normal size recipe now. We love pasta dishes and have found that if we mix a sauce (such as bolognese or light fettacine) with pasta and then vacuum seal in plastic bags, we can have dinner on the table in 15 to 20 minutes. While the vacuum-sealed bag is heating up in boiling water, we prep and nuke prewashed veggies and throw a frozen whole-wheat or grain roll in the toaster oven. By combining the pasta and sauce we save a step and a dish (clean up is something else we keep in mind when planning weeknight dishes). If you cut the plastic bags a couple of inches long you can reuse them a couple of times (after washing of course!).
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I go to my favourite farm shop (which is some way away) and get enough high quality meat to last for 3 months. I then have a marathon session of cooking and freezing in individual meal sized, portion controlled tubs. Then my OH and I can have different things for dinner - he likes spicy, I like herby. It also saves money in the end because nothing is wasted because I forgot to use it up - it's all in the freezer!
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I am from a big family and learned to cook for a lot of hungry growing bodies. I am pushing 60 now but never got out of the habit of cooking a lot of food. Thank goodness for canning jars and pots and a good vacuum sealer - I've gone through several of all over the past 30 years. ;-) These are good tips for people who can't devote a lot of time to cooking every day - like single mom's or families with both parents working.
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This is my weekly cooking strategy. On Saturday or Sunday I make an entree that I can eat for dinner during the upcoming week.
That way during the week, I can get home from work, grab a quick dinner, do my workout and still have a little time to relax before bed. It's much less stressful this way and I have no excuse not to eat a healthy dinner. (night time is where I struggle if I'm not prepared)
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HELENA8664
I like doing the big meals...that's not really new to me, but some of the recipes featured here are, and I can't WAIT to try them! :)
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Black Bean chili is one of my favorite meals to batch cook. I also like preparing whole wheat pasta dishes that last the entire week or a healthy remake of tuna casserolle. I too like to batch cook my Salmon Croquettes. Thanks for sharing.
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This is a smart idea. With four childrend, homeschool, work and my college as well, I tend to run out of time! I will have to try this a least a couple of days a week.
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JULIA1154
I've been doing this for years - having a small household with very erratic schedules it's the easiest way to manage.
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Now, we're retired, and I still batch-cook. I make marinara sauce, soups, chili, stew, in the slow cooker and freeze them. I cook ground beef and freeze for tacos, spaghetti sauce, etc. I do the same with good Italian sausage - crumble it up and cook it. It's a great way to add spice but not too many calories.
I always have the prepared ingredients ready to throw into a quick meal, and batch cooking saves cleanup time, too. Report
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That way during the week, I can get home from work, grab a quick dinner, do my workout and still have a little time to relax before bed. It's much less stressful this way and I have no excuse not to eat a healthy dinner. (night time is where I struggle if I'm not prepared) Report