Make ahead (of time) dishes

[OceanAnnie]

My biggest budget buster is not being prepared, especially the entree for dinner. So I've been planning dinner in advance, waking up a little earlier than usual and preparing the entrees for the evening (then storing in the fridge). That alone saves a lot of money -- no last minute eating out! I love using the crockpot!

What are your favorite make ahead of time dishes? Please share your recipes! Thanks!

 

[mrsltg]

My favorite make ahead dishes are things that reheat well. I make meatloaf the night before I intend to eat it. When I get home all I need to do is nuke it and throw together a salad. I also use my corck pot a couple of nights a week. Things like sausage and peppers and pot roast are easy and generally make two meals or at least the first dinner and a lunch or two. I am trying to get more creative with my corckpot and even have a slowcooker cookbook now. I am thinking chili might be a really easy way to go.

The bottom line for me is if I can't get it on the table within 20-30 minutes of getting home it's not going to happen. Those are the nights when we end up with pizza or chinese or some other take out. If I take the time to plan ahead it works out really well.

 

[suew3456]

I do my "make ahead" dinners a little differently. For many things I make, I make multiple batches and freeze in dinner size portions for future dinners. In the morning before work, I just pull something from the freezer and stick in the fridge to defrost. I do this with many things, like spaghetti sauce, meatballs, taco meat, lasagna, chicken casserole. Works great for me.

Sue

 

[C.Ann]

Keeping my eye on this thread.. I think make ahead meals are an excellent way to avoid hitting the drive-thru on the way home or ordering in..

 

[darty]

I buy 3 pounds of ground beef when it's on sale. I cook it all, drain, let cool, and put about 1/2 pound amounts into Food Saver bags, and freeze. You can also just use Ziplock freezer bags. Since they are not large amounts of meat, they defrost really quickly in the Microwave. I use it in spaghetti sauce, Hamburger Helper, or use two and make Manwiches.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thanks for the tips, ladies. I do some make ahead meals and freeze them. I have a spaghetti bake in the freezer now. I like doing it day to day as well.

There are some great marinades out, great for the crockpot! I tried a Caribbean Jerk marinade (I added some lime juice) over a small whole chicken in the crockpot. It was great! I used the leftover chicken added some salsa and a little tomato sauce for tacos the next night.

C.Ann, nice to "see" you! I've been keeping up with you on your thread on the CC. I'm so glad the worst case scenario has been ruled out! I'm still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers! Hope you are feeling better.

 

[mommiepoppins]

my mother always made a lasagna and froze it in the freezer. If she made one for the family one went into the freezer ready to be cooked(she did not cook the cheese). She also di that with her Mexican mac and cheese

 

[It's A Happy Day]

My key to making ahead dishes is instead of serving up leftovers (depends on the meal) I remake into something else and freeze it for down the road - sometimes you just don't want chicken, sauce, etc. 2 days in a row. Or if making a freezable type dish for supper, I make 2 or 3 and freeze some. It really doesn't take much longer when you are already doing the work.

Roasted Chicken/turkey - cut up remaining meat - add gravy, add vegetables of choice (can of mixed veggies, bag of frozen) - pour into crust - add top crust and freeze your pot pie. Many of the ingredients can be store bought or homemade your choice. You also do not need the bottom crust so you could just pour into a casserole dish and top with a Pillsbury ready made crust.

Sauce - I make a crockpot full every couple weeks and plenty of leftovers. Then I take the leftovers and make lasagna, lazy lasagna, baked ziti, manicotti, stuffed shells to freeze or just freeze the sauce in tupperware for another meal down the road. Also double/triple a batch of meatballs and use for meatball subs/grinders for lunch or dinner later in the week or freeze for later usage.

Ham - Chop up remaining meat into bite size pieces. Throw together an omelet for dinner.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Do you have a menu for the week? I know on weeks that my husband and I are both really busy I make sure to have a menu on the wall so whomever gets home first can start dinner. The night before going to bed, I pull down all the stuff necessary for the next night's dinner and usually if it's something my husband isn't sure about leave the directions for him.

I use my crockpot alot. Throw in any kind of chicken with some soy sauce or any kind of sauce then heat up some veggies/noodles.

I make italian beef sandwhiches in the crock pot, cheesy chicken spaghetti topping, mexican anything in the crockpot and lots of soups/stews.

Someone else mentioned making extras for leftovers and I do this alot.

Leftover homemade chili can be turned into chili mac, chili cheese burritos, frito chili pie.

Leftover chicken can be used in chicken pot pie, chicken philly subs, chicken pasta, chicken salad or chicken salad sandwhiches.

 

[TnTWalter]

ok this is just a general tip so your fruits & veggies don't go to waste and they're as easy to grab as the chips or candy or whatever....

Trish

 

[bclydia]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=275509

Check out this thread from the cooking board. (Did you know there is one? It's easily missed!)
A huge thread on crock pot cooking. I highly recommend the creamy italian chicken! Mmmm!
May need to make that this week!

 

[Plantlady]

I'm getting ready to start working 32 hours a week. I plan on doubling up on my meals, and freezing part of them, so that if I have a trying day, I can just pull down a frozen meal.

I don't have a deep freeze though, so I will have to use our freezer over the fridge.. limited room, but, I'm good at packing things in.

I'm hesitant to get started though. Is there anything that I CAN'T freeze?

do you just use a foil pan? How to you wrap it, so it doesn't get freezer burn, i.e., how's it stored in the freezer. so many questions. I think I need a trip to the library.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

do you just use a foil pan? How to you wrap it, so it doesn't get freezer burn, i.e., how's it stored in the freezer. so many questions. I think I need a trip to the library.

DW MeanLaureen has been looking into the Once a Month Cooking because it would be so much easier on us to have a bunch of prepared food that just needs to be reheated for the times that she is too sick to actually cook. (Which unfortunately is the majority of the time )

She did see one hint about freezing food.. say you want to freeze a lasanga. Take some aluminum foil larger than the pan and cover the inside of the pan (pyrex, metal, whatever you use) getting it as close and tight to the pan as possible. Put your food in the pan and bake as usual. Let it cool, wrap the top and put the pan of food in the freezer. Once the food is frozen solid, just pop the foil lined "food brick" out of the pan, make sure the wrap covers everything and store just the food in the foil in the freezer. Frees up your pan for more cooking and saves room. When it's time to reheat the dish, plop it right back into the dish you froze it in.

 

[Crazoo]

Things you can just stick in the oven and bake work great for me. Lasgna.. or some sliced chicken breasts with Campbell's mushroom soup and wild rice are my fav's

 

[Mic]

I LOVE my slow cooker! The easiest slow cooker recipe in the world is this:

1 whole chicken, washed, and "rubbed down" with seasoning(like Mrs.
Dash. My favorite is a Canadian steak seasoning mix I bought at Sam's,
but I have also just mixed my own together using spices in my cabinet.)

Put the whole chicken in the slow cooker...DO NOT ADD WATER

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 6 hours

Transfer the chicken to a serving dish for dinner. Steam some veg-
etables, make a salad, make a pasta salad, etc....whatever is quick,
and you have a meal.

My favorite chicken dish is this one, and it takes about 30 minutes.

1 thin-cut chicken breast for everyone in your family(6 for us), salt
and peppered on each side, and sprinkled with a little garlic powder.

Cook chicken in a skillet on medim heat with a little olive oil and butter
for 5 minutes on each side, then add 1/4 cup of white wine to the skillet.
Cook chicken for 3-5 minutes longer in the wine, then remove from skillet
and place in a baking dish.

Add a small can of mushrooms(pieces and stems), drained and rinsed to
the skillet, adding a little more butter, and saute for 2-3 minutes.( I have
also used onion and green pepper instead of the mushrooms before, if your
family does not like mushrooms).

Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast(or any other
cheese you prefer), and top with a slice of fresh tomato(optional). Then
pour the mushroom and wine mixture over the chicken, and bake in the
oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. I am a real fan of the new steamers
frozen vegetables as a side dish(takes 5 minutes in the microwave), and a
pasta or rice side of some kind(out of the box works if you are pressed for
time!).

The single best way to avoid eating out is planning ahead for dinner, and making sure you have all the things you need before you start cooking. I have been doing better this summer, and will REALLY have to plan well starting next week when the kids go back to school. I will be at ball games 3 days a week, and will need to have dinner ready early for the kids. I usually do well until Friday night; by then, I am just tired of cooking!

 

[hydster]

When I worked I used to do this every Sat or Sun each week. DH and I would sit down and plan meals that we wanted to eat for the week and then shop and make them then freeze them. Here are some I can remember off the top of my head

Meatloaf with Red Potatoes *oven*
Lemon chicken with steak fries*oven*
Tons of different pastas...lazagna, ziti etc *oven*
Chicken Cordon Bleu with carrots and potatoes *oven*
Sweet and Sour Meatballs with rice *crockpot*
Beef Stew *crockpot*
Chicken Pot Pies *oven*
Jambalaya
Parmesan Chicken Breasts *oven*
Chicken or Steak Fajitas *stovetop*
BBQ chicken Skewers *grill*

Now I usually go to places like My Girlfriends Kitchen and do meals for the month. It saves my family of 5 between $200-$300 a month due to no waste of products and how many meals I can split for us.

ETA I forgot my easiest one........chicken/beef/cheese enchiladas with spanish rice and beans!

 

[DebMcDonald]

We have a cooking place near us called www.easy-dinners.com and I felt that it saved me alot of money. Some of the spices alone I would be buying more than I needed and that's money saved here and sometimes you get tired of the same all meals and this shook things up.

I do chili in the crockpot and it's great and then will get two more meals out of it, like chili stuffed potatoes and taco salads.

 

[Plantlady]

DW MeanLaureen has been looking into the Once a Month Cooking because it would be so much easier on us to have a bunch of prepared food that just needs to be reheated for the times that she is too sick to actually cook. (Which unfortunately is the majority of the time )

She did see one hint about freezing food.. say you want to freeze a lasanga. Take some aluminum foil larger than the pan and cover the inside of the pan (pyrex, metal, whatever you use) getting it as close and tight to the pan as possible. Put your food in the pan and bake as usual. Let it cool, wrap the top and put the pan of food in the freezer. Once the food is frozen solid, just pop the foil lined "food brick" out of the pan, make sure the wrap covers everything and store just the food in the foil in the freezer. Frees up your pan for more cooking and saves room. When it's time to reheat the dish, plop it right back into the dish you froze it in.

Thank you, that's exactly the information I was looking for.

I read somewhere, if you don't have a big freezer, to store your meals on their side.. like a filing cabinet, in ziplock bags. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how they got them in the bags! This explains it!

BTW, I hope your DW is doing ok.. I got to "know" her via WPASADI. Well, I got to know Tim Gunn anyway.

 

[DMRick]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=275509

Check out this thread from the cooking board. (Did you know there is one? It's easily missed!)

Thank you so much. I never noticed it. I've got a lot of recipes cut and pasted and ready to print!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thank you everyone! I have enough to keep me busy now! I haven't been doing weekly menus. I do think about what would be good and on hand. I need to start the weekly menus.

I'm going to check out the cooking board! Thanks, bclydia!