I got a book a few years ago called "Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month". And I followed the rules and it was great...... and then I forgot about it.
I was cleaning ( I know - you can gasp now!!) and found it again, and thought - wow - we really liked having meals prepared and ready for us... it freed me to work with the horses, help WM do some roping, and.... sadly... meant that I could say - Yes, I can help you do chores..... We didn't remind anyone of that part...just sayin'
We went on a quick spring break , and came home Friday. Little Bit and I hit the market ( okay Sam's Club) to get the rest of what we needed - and started cooking.
I had 2 hours Friday night, 2 hours Saturday Morning, and 5 hours Sunday - I think that combined made a day..... and at the end.... I have 32 Freezer meals! ( and had Sunday Dinner all finished)
Do I look like a chef? Ha ha - I know... I still get the giggles over it - but that is Spaghetti, Ziti, Lasagna, Mexi Chicken, Broccoli Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes with ham, Meatballs, Tater Tot Casserole, Broccoli Ham Casserole, and Chicken Soup...
Which frees me for this:
and to torture this child
10 comments:
I think I would enjoy the "no need to grocery shop" part of this even more than the "no need to prepare meals" part. Can these meals be reheated in a slow coker? Enjoy your "extra" time!!
Your freezer is really impressive! There are times when meal planning and cooking can be a pain, but think of how much free time you have later!!!
We do this with our beef, pork, and chicken (from Sam's and/or Costco) -- cook and freeze so it is ready to be used in whatever we choose at a "few minutes to thaw in the microwave" notice. I also make several "eat one/freeze one" casseroles (which reminds me - I used the last one last week).
It's always a challenge isn't it, meal planning. Since it's still a bit chilly there, how about a big pot of veggie soup. I use my mom's recipe, peel, chop, dice. Open 2 quarts of home-canned tomatoes then throw everything in the pot and simmer for a few hours. Works every time.
Ha, ha! I also hate cooking. It's exactly what you said--the hubs wants dinner every.single.day. What's up with that? love your solution. Hope it works!
There was a business up the street called 'Dream Dinners' that I did a few times..you go in, they have ALL the ingredients, you pick what meals you want to put together and do it yourself, pay for it and take it home to your freezer. I then RARELY took the stuff outta the freezer and used them so it was a total waste for me. We had just gotten into such a habit of eating out all the time (where everyone got what they wanted) that it didn't work for us. But it's good for those who can do that.
We are two peas in a pod! I had a couple of cookbooks similar to yours. However, my efforts didn't last too long and I eventually gave them away! XO
Tater Tot Casserole...YUM!!! My friend and I used to do the Once a Month Cooking thing together. It was WONDERFUL!! We would plan and shop together beforehand. On THE day, I would prep and she would cook. We would each package our own shares. It was AWESOME!!!
I love cooking ahead. I probably have half a dozen in the freezer right now. It leaves so much time to quilt! I also like to reheat some of them in the crockpot. If you use a crockpot liner to line empty ice cream containers (used to be half gallon) you can freeze nearly any casserole..including lasagna, then just remove them from the freezer and put the liner directly into the crockpot. When dinner is done, just remove the liner and clean up is done. No mess no fuss.
Soup is also an excellent make ahead meal. Minestrone is my favorite. I cook the pasta fresh and pour the reheated soup over the pasta a in a bowl so the pasta doesn't get pasty.
Sounds like a great plan. Drama Teen had to have a self improvement project for her psychology class and she decided that she needed to learn to cook so she wouldn't starve when she went off to college. She's been planning Sunday dinner, which has been fun for all of us.
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