Favourite recipes quadruple batch cooking or making multiple meals with one protein?

[RiverRock]

The thread on menu planning sites got me thinking...

I once did a two-week plan of OAMC, and it was a lot of dishes! The book I used recommended buying all the groceries the day before and planning to order in dinner the day of food prep (it sounded counter-productive at the time, but by dinner time on the cooking day I didn't want to stop my process of prepping, cooking and storing to figure out a meal from the options available and I wish I would have ordered pizza). Although, reading that now I think that having buns on hand to serve with whatever soup is cooking would be a good plan for cook day.

OAMC used all of my pots, pans, and other electric cooking appliances and the clean-up was overwhelming. I didn't think it was worth the effort to try again, so I instead narrowed down the meals to 3-4, and invited 2-3 ladies to come over. We divided the ingredient list, everyone brought over any dishes needed for storage, and then we shared in the clean-up. This worked well, but others weren't willing to host so I just wondered if they actually enjoyed it or were being polite. It seems like every family is a bit fussy so accommodating was easy, but also a bit of a stress.

What I have opted to do instead is to double/triple/quadruple batch favourite recipes, or make a variety of recipes from one protein source.

Recently I roasted two turkeys and was able to make 28 burritos, three meals of turkey-pot-no-pie, frozen meat for two meals, two layered potato-turkey-gravy casseroles, a pot of soup, and enough meat loaded stock for three more pots of soup. That's was close to two weeks of meals for less time and dishes than the OAMC plan.

I've done something similar where I've used ground beef to make meatballs, taco seasoned meat, meat lightly seasoned with chopped onion for spaghetti sauce, chilli, and meatloaf.

I know I've also done chicken themes with making Bourbon Chicken, some packages of cooked meat, and a variety of marinades (teriyaki or souvlaki being favourites).

What other things could I consider for double/triple/quadruple batching or theme cooking freezer meals?

[charla]

I've only done this on a very limited basis and not all of it turned out well , so I'm following along.

[ShangriLewis]

I make breakfast burritos and sandwhiches all at once. I cook up eggs and put them all in a large bowl with whatever for the burritos. Then fill.

The sandwhiches are English muffins. I scramble eggs and then pour them on the griddle a little at a time. Then I flip it and make a little square/circle for the muffins. I can do quite a few. I lay out the muffins all down the counter and just get doing the eggs and putting them on the muffins.

I make lasagna without cooking the noodles. I do some meat, some veggie, some cheese. You can do some mexican with salsa, meat, veggies and salsa and enchilada sauce. I usually just use foil tossable dishes because I figure it's better and cheaper than if I get tired and buy something anyway.

I make a kabob in meatball shapes. Freeze uncooked on the trays. Then put in freezer bags. My husband loves those.

If you are making pizza for dinner already, just get lots of extra stuff. Make extra pizzas and calzones for the freezer. You can make lasagna the same day too if you want. I don't clean much if the food all taste the same.

If you like ground beef or turkey then you can make a bunch of meatloafs, meatballs, kabob, taco meat, burger patties etc on one day.

I sometimes do a chicken day. I have several recipes that are just sauce on meat. My husband likes thighs, so I do half thighs and half breasts because breasts are cheaper here. I have a honey curry and Thai recipe that I always make. Plus, I make extra sauce for Tofu or Veggie strips. I freeze the sauce in baggies. The chicken just gets tossed in the bag with the sauce. Then you can just thaw a little or toss right in a baking dish or even the crockpot.



Most of my house doesn't eat a lot if any meat. So, having meat in the freezer to add as a side to our main meal is nice. I can tell you it saves me a lot of time and money. I don't go to the store thinking about dinner. I just go to the store to buy produce or pantry items.

[charla]

Anybody else have any ideas?

[bananacake]

I do a freezer meal system based on what meats are on sale. The only dishes are a knife, a cutting board, something to squeeze limes, measuring spoons, and a measuring cup. It goes into the bags raw.

ETA: I make mostly prepped meats with a few whole meals. Almost all are crockpot friendly and can be dumped in the crockpot frozen. Then at dinnertime, a carb and/or veggie will need to be prepped. But this to me is highly preferable to OAMC. Plus, we are GFDFSFCF, and the grains/carbs mush easily.

[RiverRock]

Bananacake, do you have favourite crockpot dump recipes that can be frozen? I've seen recipes but tried and true would be preferable.

ShangriLewis, do you have any specific recipes or pointers for the kebabs? I think this is something my family would like. Can they be pre-cooked for quick reheating, or do you always cook them from raw? I can see potential in these being good for my kids to heat and serve...but thawing and then cooking would be too much for them.

[bananacake]

Yes I have tried and true. I even have a spreadsheet that auto fills amounts of ingredients based on how many meals you want I did a freezer meal day with friends and all the meals were well-received. If you PM your email, I can send it.


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[mamacat]

You can buy a quantity chicken breast at a good price and pan sautee in small tender size pieces and then freeze in small pckgs to have on hand all week or month to throw in various dishes. Could also do that with beef or ground turkey. some patties,some just cooked loose. makes meal prep much faster,

[RiverRock]

Originally Posted by bananacake

If you PM your email, I can send it.

I'll send you my email on FB, because my message box here is full. I need to take care of that one day.

[Soliloquy]

This doesn't answer your question but this is my doable version of OAMC.

I always make enough for two nights. (Unless we're hanging a quickie night like scrambled eggs and pancakes.)

Example:

Monday I make two pans of lasagna. One goes in the fringe.

Tuesday I make a huge pot of soup. Half goes in the fridge.

Wednesday we have lasagna again.

Thursday we have soup again.

Friday I make enough for two nights, same with Saturday.

So I cook two nights in a row, have two nights off. I don't freeze anything.

The days I don't have to cook I focus on cleaning and laundry. I try to work it so busy days, like coop and ski school, are no cook nights.

[ShangriLewis]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/f...zatziki-recipe

I freeze them raw. I usually use turkey. They cook up fast from frozen. I would not thaw them.