MAKE AHEAD MEALS
Cooking ahead should not be burdensome. After all, you don’t want to spend your entire weekend in the kitchen!
The goal is to spend just a little extra time while preparing your normal weekend meals.
To make this work you must think ahead and develop strategies to produce food that can be served again in a different way.
For example, if you were to prepare two dinners that both feature chicken, which method would be most efficient? Would it be quicker to shop twice, and then prepare and cook chicken on two separate occasions, or to buy twice the amount of chicken on one trip to the store, and to cook it all at once, putting half away for later use? The time spent dealing with a few additional pieces of chicken won’t come close to the time spent doing the entire task twice. The second method saves time which you can gift to yourself on your busiest nights.
You will need to plan out your week’s menu and buy all your groceries in advance. While you are thinking about what you might enjoy preparing over the weekend, consider which of those dishes could be served again, in a slightly different way, later in the week. Develop the habit of cooking larger portions. Double, or even triple your recipes.
Here are some questions to consider when choosing which dishes to prepare.
• What does your family like to eat, especially on weekends?
• What kinds of special dishes do you enjoy cooking when you have time?
• Which of these dishes store easily and can be reheated days later?
• Which dishes contain components that could be set aside to use in another recipe?
• What foods freeze well?
Remember, cooking ahead is meant to make life easier, so don’t get overwhelmed. Instead, start very simply. For example, this weekend, when preparing Sunday morning blueberry pancakes, why not make double the batter, refrigerating the rest in a tightly sealed container? One
morning later this week your kids will get an unaccustomed treat. It’s as easy as that.
Next, try cooking twice as much of whatever you’re making for Sunday
dinner, refrigerate the rest until midweek and prepare a completely
different meal. Gradually, it will become a habit to prepare larger portions of food and set half aside for later use.
This doesn’t mean that your family has to eat identical dinners twice per week.
With careful planning, you can create two very different meals from the same main ingredient.
Take Sunday's Beef Roast for example. If you cook a roast in the
crockpot all day to serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, and gingered carrots on
Sunday night, then you can create an entirely different meal with the remaining
beef to be served mid-week.
The key is to think differently about food when planning your weekly menu. Instead of thinking about individual meals, each unrelated to the next, think about meals that are connected by ingredients.
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MEAL #1 - CROCKPOT BEEF ROAST WITH HORSEY SAUCE
1 boneless beef chuck, about 4 pounds
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can Campbell's Beef Consommé
1 can beef broth
1 Tbsp
Worcestershire
sauce
3-4 large garlic cloves, cut in half
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 large potatoes - peeled and cut in half lengthwise (each potato
should be in two pieces.)
Rub roast with oil and sprinkle roast with salt &
pepper and place on the bottom of crockpot along with the onions. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low 8-9
hours or medium 4-5 hours. Remove potato halves and mash
with milk and butter.
Easy Gravy: Mix 3
tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup water and stir until
smooth. Pour 2 cups of the broth from the roast into a
small saucepan. Bring broth to a light boil and stir in the
flour mixture. Let simmer until gravy thickens.
HORSEY SAUCE
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup prepared horseradish
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all of the above in a small bowl. Chill until ready to use. Serve over roast
beef.
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*THE BURRITO RECIPE BELOW CAN BE
MADE WITH THE LEFTOVER BEEF ROAST
* How to store leftover roast
for burritos:
Shred 3-1/2 cups of leftover beef and put in a
medium-sized bowl. Blend the beef seasonings in a small cup
and sprinkle over beef. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of reserved leftover
broth from the roast and stir well until combined. Place in
an airtight container and refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can
also make a double batch of shredded beef and freeze one
batch.
MEAL #2 - SIMPLE
SHREDDED BEEF BURRITOS
3-1/2 cups
of leftover shredded beef
1 package 8" flour tortillas
1 (8 oz.) package shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
Beef Seasoning:
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Wrap (8) 8" flour tortillas in a damp paper towel and
microwave for 30 seconds. Heat leftover beef in microwave
for about 2 minutes. (*See above note on how to store leftover
beef.) Spray a 13 x 9" casserole dish with
nonstick spray. Pour 1/2 the can of enchilada sauce on the bottom
of the dish and spread in an even layer.
Roll the burritos: Place a line of beef topped with cheese in the center of
each flour tortilla, leaving a little room at the top and bottom.
Roll each burrito tightly and place seam side down in casserole
dish until all eight are finished.
Pour remaining sauce evenly over
top of burritos and sprinkle with leftover cheese. Bake
covered for 30 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10
minutes. Serve with sour cream.
** This recipe is delicious and
easy. If you don't want to make both meals simply simmer a
1-1/2 lb. roast with a can of Campbell's French Onion soup in
the crockpot all day and then shred using 2 forks.
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Make a Double
Batch and Freeze One for Later Use
Certain foods are well suited to serve two or more times. Casseroles are a good example, perfect for making in large batches. No matter which casseroles are your favorites, nearly all of them do well with refrigeration and reheating. Whether baked macaroni and cheese; shepherd’s pie; tuna casserole, stuffed peppers, or a baked lasagna, almost any casserole you enjoy can easily be refrigerated for another meal. Many casseroles also freeze well, saving you even more time.
*EAT ONE AND FREEZE ONE FOR LATER
RECIPES
SUGAR SUGAR MEATLOAF
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 medium onion, diced fine
3 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. canola oil
1/2 cup ketchup, plus extra
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, plus extra
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper |
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using a small saucepan, sauté onion in oil until translucent. Add garlic to the onion and sauté for an additional minute. Add ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir well and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Place ground beef, bread crumbs, and eggs in that order into a large mixing bowl. Add sauce from the pan to the mixing bowl. (see below)
Using your hands, mix ingredients quickly. Don't over mix or you'll get a compact loaf.
Evenly divide the meat mixture into two loaves and place each loaf sideways in a 9" x 13" casserole dish. Using your hands again, form meat into two pretty loaves.
Sprinkle brown sugar on top of each loaf and gently press into the meat. Bake for 45 minutes and remove from oven. Spread a little extra ketchup on top of loaves. Bake again for 5-10 minutes.
Freeze the extra meatloaf!
EASY STUFFED SHELLS WITH SPINACH
1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground turkey
1 (10 oz.) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 (24 oz.) jars pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta shells according to package directions. While shells are cooking, in a large skillet,
sauté ground chicken, onions, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in olive oil over medium-high heat until chicken is well browned. Add the spinach and stir well to combine. Cool mixture in the
refrigerator.
In a large bowl combine the cooled chicken mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and the pepper. Stir well to combine.
Cover the bottom of (2) 9 X 13 casserole dishes with 1 cup of sauce. Stuff each shell with a large spoonful of chicken mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dishes. Continue filling the shells until the baking dishes are full. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella.
Cover one tightly with foil and then plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To eat immediately: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.
To bake the frozen shells: preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unwrap the casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour or until the shells are warmed through. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
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A pot of chili can be slow cooked on Saturday and served again
midweek over rice. Simmer stew in a crock pot on Sunday night. Let it slow cook overnight and during the day Monday. You’ll have a wonderful savory Monday night dinner, that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen!
Many soups freeze beautifully. This is particularly true of broth based soups. While cream soups and chowders can be frozen, there is a possibility that they will break. Even so, cream soups can be refrigerated for a few days. So if you take the time to prepare homemade soup, always prepare extra to put aside. The first time one of your kids comes down with a cold, and you have homemade chicken noodle soup in your freezer, you will feel like an absolute champion.
Plan to barbecue one night? It’s easy if you make your marinade in advance. While you’re at it, make double the marinade. The extra stores fine in an airtight container. The night before you want to grill, throw your spare ribs, London broil, or tuna steaks into the marinade, and enjoy grilling out on a weeknight!
Plenty of side dishes can be prepared on the weekend to serve up during the week. Potato salad, coleslaw, bean salad, rice, mashed potatoes, and boiled potatoes to use for roasting or frying, are just some of the foods that are fine to cook ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to use them.
Tired of plain old sandwiches at lunch during the week, but don’t have time to make anything else on a workday morning? Slice leftover steak, chicken, ham, or pork and refrigerate for sandwich fillings. Set aside marinades, sauces, or special dressings that are left from dinners. Whip up your family’s favorite toppings to have on hand. Make a quick pesto mayonnaise, a homemade tarter sauce, a roasted red pepper spread, or a honey BBQ dressing to top your weekday sandwiches and give lunches an unaccustomed pizzazz.
PESTO MAYONNAISE
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 prepared pesto
6 chopped sundried tomatoes in oil
Mix all together and refrigerate
until ready to use
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Note that there are foods that don’t lend themselves to advance preparation. If you think about your experience with leftovers, you’ll recognize many of these foods yourself. Lettuce begins to wilt once it has been removed from the head and grows soggy once dressed. It can be shredded or chopped, left undressed, and sealed tightly overnight, but don’t prepare it any further ahead than that. Breaded and fried foods are best served hot right from the skillet. Once cold, they lose appeal. The exception to this is cold fried chicken. Anything with dressing, especially mayonnaise, does better if eaten quickly. That said, it is easy to prepare tuna or chicken salad in advance, leaving only mayonnaise to add at the last minute.
Also, many vegetables and fruits do not fare well if prepared ahead of time, especially if they are to be used raw, or quickly cooked to retain crunch. If you want a fruit or vegetable to retain a crisp texture, peel and slice at peak ripeness, and use immediately. While there are exceptions, like potatoes and carrots, most veggies and fruit, such as apples, tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, should not be prepped ahead.
That said, many dishes not only store well, but noticeably improve their flavors after a day or so in the refrigerator. This is true for almost any soup or stew. The ingredients benefit from extra time to meld together, and you have a richer, more flavorful dish than the one you enjoyed on the weekend.
Keep a few things in mind when refrigerating and freezing foods.
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Plan carefully what you will use.
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If you put leftovers in the refrigerator, do use them when planned.
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If you have a change of plans to use a stored item, move it into the freezer so you don’t lose it.
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Throwing away food is to be
avoided at all cost. It wastes ingredients, money, and the time you spent preparing it, which defeats the purpose of cooking ahead.
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Don’t keep food in the refrigerator longer than is safe to do so. For cooked poultry or meat that means 3 to 4 days, and up to 4 months in the freezer. Any casserole, soup, red sauce, or chili containing meat can also be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. Broth based soups can be refrigerated up to 4 days, and cream based soups up to 2 days.
If you’re not sure when you will eat it, freeze it!
Storing food in your refrigerator and freezer requires organization. You should develop a system that works for you. Use air tight containers, preferably the stackable kind. Use tape and magic marker to label items so you can easily see what is there. For the freezer use containers or freezer quality bags. Always label and date everything. It takes seconds to label, versus minutes opening up individual mystery containers. Consider putting two dates on your label, the date it goes into the refrigerator, and a “freeze by” date.
Of course, it is not always possible to serve home cooked meals. However, if you begin to view your weekend cooking a little differently, and if you organize yourself to prepare and store larger amounts of food, you will find that you can streamline your meal preparation. With a little extra time and effort on weekends, you can serve your favorite home cooked dishes all week long.
