Make-Ahead Meals
Often I receive questions about crock pot cooking, meal planning, and cooking in bulk. Most of these questions come from friends and readers who love to cook but can’t find the time most evenings to pull off a big dinner.
Although I don’t dust off my crock pot nearly as often as I should, I do have plenty of ideas on planning and making meals in advance.
The key to great “make head meals” is to find family favorites that freeze well. Cooking in bulk and freezing can create a very efficient kitchen!
Think about it, if you’re taking the time to make homemade marinara and meatballs, why not make a GIANT pot of marinara and a quadruple batch of meatballs? It would only take you a few more minutes of prep time and save hours of cook time on other nights.
I do this frequently with my kids’ favorite meals: lasagna, pasta sauces, chili, hearty soups, even baked goods. On nights I’m preparing these things, I’ll cook up a double or triple batch. That way, if I’m out on the town one night, Daddy needs only to pull a hearty home-cooked meal out of the freezer and reheat it.
Try spending one full day of cooking to prepare all your meals for the next several weeks.
- Plan out a menu of 7 favorite dishes.
- Make an extensive grocery list of all the items you’ll need X3.
- Plan one full day of chopping, simmering, and baking.
- Then packages each batch in thirds, for 21 family meals.
- Make sure to wrap and label carefully.
When freezing wet items like soup, homemade stock, chili, and sauces, allow them to cool, pour them in GOOD-QUALITY freezer bags, zip tightly, and label. I try to place them in the freezer flat so they freeze in a nice, stackable shape. Sometimes I use airtight plastic containers, but have found the thick freezer bags work just fine.
When freezing individual items like muffins, mini-meatloaves, stuffed chicken breasts, unbaked cookies, etc. I use a technique called flash freezing.
First, lay the individual items out a baking sheet that will fit flat in your freezer.
Next place the sheet in the freezer uncovered for at least 30 minutes, so that the exterior of each item is frozen hard, then place all the items in a freezer bag together. The frozen exterior will protect the items so they don’t get ugly!
Flash freezing also works well with garlic bread loaves and whole cakes. The key with items to large for a freezer bag is to wrap them well in plastic after they’ve been flash-frozen, then wrap them again in foil. The extra lining guards against freezer burn.
Cooking large quantities and freezing the excess saves money, time, and sanity, and insures that your family eats well when you are too busy to cook.
Other dishes that freeze well…
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Thai Fried Rice Malabar Chicken Curry
This post is part of BlogHer’s Make Ahead Meals editorial series, made possible by Bank of America.
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24 Responses to “Make-Ahead Meals”
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I love all of these ideas. They definitely make those busy weeknights easier.
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great round up!!! With this year as crazy as it has been, this is definitely necessary!
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What a great post and so helpful during this crazy time of year!! Will definitely be spreading this around.
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I just did a ton of freezer meals last week. They take a little work but are so convenient!
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Awesome post! I didn’t know about all the wrapping for bread!!
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Thanks for all the suggestions!!
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I LOVE this post! I don’t have a choice, I have to do this kind of cooking. Otherwise it would be PB&J all of the time! TY!
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Wonderful Ideas, Sommer. Great round up!
Hugs <3
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Great tips, thanks Sommer!
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Awesome ideas! Love it all!
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I definitely like making a big batch on Sundays and having meals rest of week – great list!!
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Great post! I have to say, if you hadn’t said those were mini meatloaf muffins I’d have dove head first into them thinking they were stuffing because I looove stuffing lol. I agree, a few more minutes to prep a larger batch and thus save time in the future!
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Great post! With the kids back to school now I am trying harder to be better about planning ahead
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Always looking for make ahead meal ideas – thanks for the inspiration!
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I’m trying to do more make-ahead meals too–I love your ideas! And that homemade marinara looks amazing.
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Nothing like a make-ahead meals. My husband loves these kinds of meals too. Great post!
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I need to do this so badly. Thanks for all of the inspiration!
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Good tips. One of the things Chris Lilly preached at Kingsford U last year was “cook once, eat twice”. using coal to roast one chicken? Takes the same amount of coal to roast 3 so cook three! Then use up the extras for chicken enchiladas, chicken alfredo, etc
Great post, Sommer!
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I make a big old batch of meatballs, too. We even make meatball quesadillas
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Some great tips on freezing! I will have to try them. Thanks!
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Is there a make ahead for the make ahead? Because I can get awfully lazy sometimes ; ). I am loving how simple and easy all these tricks and tips are!
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What a great roundup Sommer! I love being able to pull out make ahead meals for lazy weeknights!
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