Cooking ahead

[Tink]

With summer officially here, I know there are going to be hot days when I simply do not want to cook. I like to do my cooking for the week on a single day as much as I can and freeze or refrigerate meals to be microwaved as I need them.

What recipes do you have that might work well for doing this?

[Lindsey]

I have a lot of sweet'n'sour beef in my freezer! I don't have the recipe right now because I'm at work but if you're interested I could get it for you when I get home. It's basically just little chunks of beef (I buy stir-fry strips and then just cut them into little peices) and then make the sauce and cook it all together in the oven. Then I just make some instant rice and put the sweet'n'sour beef on top!

[DianaB]

I have a recipe for a hamburger casserole that's been in my family for a long time and is one of our favorites. It's called Marchetti.

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger
1 whole onion (chopped)
1/3 pkg. Krinkle noodles (or any kind of wavy noodle), cooked
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can of mushroom pieces, drained (optional)
1 1/2 c. grated American cheese (or Velveeta)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Brown hamburger and onion. Drain grease off (rinse if desired). Add cooked noodles and remaining ingredients, except 1/2 c. cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Put into a large casserole dish (that's been sprayed with non-stick spray) and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 30-45 minutes at 350*. Serves 6-8.

[Janet]

I should really try doing this since I don't like cooking. Sure would be nice to have good meals already prepared.

[Taurus Babe]

Good idea! I sure didn't feel like cooking tonight! Ugh. I ate leftovers and I didn't have to cook! I hope you find some great recipies!

[Marilyn]

One thing that we have done is browned ground meat in advance and frozen it. It thaws quickly in the microwave. That really speeds up meal making, not having to worry about thawing & cooking raw meat.

We've been eating lots of vegetables. Slicing yellow and zuchinni squash, mushrooms & onions and warming them with a little bit (less than 1 tsp) of olive oil then adding 1/2 cup of water, covering and simmering for 20 minutes and they are done. You can season to taste with seasoned salt, hot sauce, tomatoes, cayenne, or whatever you want. We make extra and refrigerate for another day. (This veggie mix is zero points on Weight Watchers so you can eat all that you want.) We steam broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage together also, it's quick, filling, healthy and again, no points to worry about.

We also chop lots of salad ingredients, enough for 3 days or so and refrigerate, keeping each ingredient in a separate container and mixing them in your bowl makes the salad fixin's stay fresher longer. Putting a paper towel around freshly cut & washed lettuce before refrigerating makes the lettuce last longer, too. Don't know why this works, but it does.

If you have enough easy veggies and a quick to heat, precooked meat, you have a pretty good meal.

[Tink]

Thanks ladies!

Marilyn, I love veggies, so those would be a good choice. I already do the browned ground beef. I got sick of it going bad in the refrig waiting to be cooked.

Diana, the Marchetti sounds yummy... I'll have to give that one a try.

Lindsey, I'd love to get your recipe. Thanks!

[2tiredmom]

Have you tried cooking in a crock pot. I do that alot in the summer.
Roasts then any left overs i make either vegetable soup or bar b q.

[Lindsey]

Oops I went camping for the weekend and forgot all about my recipe promise! Here it is...

1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix together to make sauce, and then cook in roaster with little chunks of beef. I have so much of this in my freezer! I just make some minute rice, warm up the meat and sauce and pour it on top. Oh I forgot I also sometimes cut up some green pepper into little peices and throw that in the roaster as well!

[jrsygal37]

Originally Posted by Tink

With summer officially here, I know there are going to be hot days when I simply do not want to cook. I like to do my cooking for the week on a single day as much as I can and freeze or refrigerate meals to be microwaved as I need them.

What recipes do you have that might work well for doing this?

Tink, Really anything will work. What I do is buy the freezer to microwave compartment plates. Whenever, I cook dinners such as Prime Rib, Roast Beef etc. I always get a big roast. I usually will make sides like double baked potatoes and string bean cassarole. Whatever is left I'll put a potatoe in one compartment, string bean in another and the beef and gravy in the last. It works out great because my two boys play baseball and we are always doing games and tired of eating the crap so when we get home we just heat in the microwave and we have a beautiful dinner. E.

[Janet]

I've done that before Elaine. I have several of those compartment plates. When I do fix supper (instead of doing it all in one day) I make enough for another meal and put some in the freezer. Not always....lol...but I try.

[jrsygal37]

Hey Tink you are good cooking a lot of meals all in one day. I don't know if I could manage that. I can't walk and chew gum at the same time so I can't imagine myself watching all those different things cooking at once. LOL. Actually, though I do something similiar with my parrot. I take one day out of the month to make enough food for breakfast for a month. It's pretty simple though, just Goya 16 Beans, several different vegetables, brown rice, organic tri pasta and cooked egg. I make it all up and freeze it in individual freezer bags then I just take one out each morning and warm it up. E.

[HALEY]

We cook on the grill mon-thurs. and fridays are pizza days.. saturday and sundays i go over my mom's for homecooked meals

[Janet]

This is so funny, my husband just asked if I would start using the divider plates again when I cook a meal. That way he can take it to work for his lunch.

[HALEY]

Originally Posted by Janet

This is so funny, my husband just asked if I would start using the divider plates again when I cook a meal. That way he can take it to work for his lunch.

Janet i just went to Wal marts yesterday and got a bunch of frozen lunches/dinners for 1.00 each....