I spent part of the day cooking and freezing meals. This is a venture I have attempted somewhat both successfully and unsuccessfully in anticipation of the arrival of a new baby. Even though I would have a meal in the freezer, I would never plan out in time to have it thawed if necessary and have the side dishes available, hence the “OK”-ness of the method.
This week I bought the book The Freeze Cooking Manual from The 30 Day Gourmet. I did not think to buy the book before because I figured it was simply like the site in print. While the site has some good advice, it is mostly recipes, some that are not quite my style. The book however is more of a “how-to” with these incredible worksheets that help out with organized shopping, meal planning and menus. So I substituted many of my own recipes and used the method.
Today I shopped for a number of meals at 6 AM, and started preparing some. I intended for tomorrow or Friday to be my “cooking day”, but with a nursling who hates everyone but me, I am not sure how feasible that is.
So as of today, I have in the freezer:
-4 nights worth of pork chops in marinade (they were buy one/get one)
-2 pans of baked rigatoni (rigatoni in bechamel sauce with mozarella or fontina cheese and proscuitto)
-2 nights worth of homeade chicken nuggets (I suppose I could save myself the effort and buy ready made/frozen nuggets, but I hate how salty ready-made food is-it gives me a stomach ache)
-3 quiche broccoli, cheese and bacon quiche fillings
I also bought some Italian bread and to accompany the meals and wrapped it up tight in foil and freezer bags.
I plan to make a couple of lasagnas, meatballs for three nights, a couple of Chicago pizzas, some chimichanga-ey things for a couple of nights, some type of chicken-alfredo stuff, and 16 pie crusts for quiches, or pies or whatever.
So what is the benefit? A planned menu. A full freezer. Better budget-ing. I spend a lot of time lately heading out to the supermarket at 2 PM trying to figure out what to make for dinner that night. I end up spending more money shopping like this and I am not sure how I got into this habit lately, but I need to get out.
Also, thank you for filling up the comments box below with some favorite recipes. I love the pretzel idea. Keep ’em coming!
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Hi,
I’m a mom as well, and I know what you mean about cooking at night. There’s another problem too, busy schedules tend to sneak into any organization I set up. One of my answers is meal planning, and Costco. We do a monthly trip to Costco, and I try to buy meat that can be turned into several things, such as ground beef, or roasts.
The roasts can be put into a slow-cooker and they save time in the long run. A beef roast can be put on even the night before and slowcooked to make string beef for tacos the next night.
It’s best not to put too much thought into a menu after you have it laid out too. Kids are funny, some will eat anything you put in front of them, and others are so finicky that nothing pleases them. The best you can do is to make a well rounded meal that meets their needs nutritionally and hope for the best. With my four, I know that if I ask them what they want for dinner, either their are no answers, or four different requests. So if I just make a list such as, Monday Italian: Lasagna (this I can make and freeze what’s left over for lunches or another meal) or spaghetti, Tuesday, Mexican: Tacos, Tostadas, Enchiladas, Wednesday: Quick meals (as this is our busy night out) usually means sandwiches like BLT’s, Thursday is slowcooker day, and Friday is kind of a catch all. Weekends are a little less organized.
Some of my favorite recipes are the most simple, Tacos: Beef cooked in the slowcooker seasoned with taco seasoning and a can of stewed tomatoes. Grated Cheese(your choice, we usually use the Mexican Cheese blend from Costco) freshly shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes. If you want to add a little something special add some guacamole: avocados blended with your choice of salsa and for a creamier (but more fattening recipe) you can add some sour cream(to your taste).
thanks,
Lori@faithunltd.com
I’ve also got the same problem- a 10 week old nursling and a 4 year old & 2 year old who are all cranky during dinner prep time.
My radical solution is to make the same thing every weeknight-vegetable & beef cube stew. I shop once a week and get all the veggies the family likes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, etc. I chop up all the vegetables on Saturday while Dad is home to jiggle the baby. I put all the ingredients in four freezer bags. Then at 3:30 PM each day I empty the bag in a pot with some “better than bullion (spelling?) sauce” There has been enough variety in the veggies, that so far no one has gotten tired of the one pot meal. My one concession is that I like things roasted in the oven better than in the crock pot. Because we try to avoid eating meat on Fridays as Catholics, I make something special that is seafood based yet still easy. Right now shrimp is on sale in our area, so today I’m making shrimp & pasta. Saturdays and Sundays, I leave open for more regular meals.
Regardless, trying to have a hot, budget-savvy, meal for dinner means that you’re doing a great job as a mother. My mom keeps reminding me that it’s okay to fall back on serving fish sticks for dinner a few nights since the newborn thing is such a tough time for everyone!