Make Ahead Meals

I bought a cookbook called Make it Now, Bake it Later when my big boys had lots of after school activities. I love it. It's all make ahead recipes.

Hi D.

Here are two great websites with make ahead recipes
http://www.kitchenlink.com/rcpmenus.html
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,make_ahead_meals,FF...

Happy cooking!

All the best
B.

I try to stock up and keep things on hand in our deep freeze for those nights I am not up for cooking..it has been a sanity and life saver!

Many soups freeze well. I often make up a chicken cheese corn chowder, chicken noodle and spinach sausage. I make up a batch of soup for dinner and serve half of it and freeze the other half for another night. If the recipe isn't large enough I just double it when I make it.I put them in ziplock bags. I placed the bags in 2 qt juice pitchers and when they were frozen solid, I removed the bags from the pitchers and store them in the freezer.

Baked ziti and lasagna, both do well in the freezer. The recipes I have make large batches, so I split them and got two meals out of each one.(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Ziti-I/Detail.aspx) (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Lasagna/Detail.a.... I store these in disposable pans, but I often reuse the pans. If you aren't up for freezing, these can be made ahead of time and stay good in the fridge for a few days.

I buy a variety of frozen veggies at Sam's or Costco to have on hand as side dishes. I also bought some frozen blackened Salmon from Sam's as well. It is surprisingly good for a packaged food.

I have my husband grill up a variety of meats on weekend afternoons when he has time. Then I vacuum seal them and freeze them. They are definitely better fresh, but with these chaotic nights, who notices the difference really? These are easy to microwave or reheat on the stove top. I have noticed that pouring a little broth over the meat helps them reheat better, they don't get overly dried out.

Lumpia and eggrolls can also be made ahead of time and frozen. It helps to wrap them in wax paper before putting them in baggies. Fried rice, which can be served as a side or main dish, does well too. Red beans and rice does well, but make sure to add a little water when you go to reheat it. All these recipes are ones that I double. I serve part for dinner that night and then freeze the extras for later.

Meatballs for spaghetti and sandwiches can be frozen too. We make our own spaghetti sauce and I have that in our freezer as well. Chili is another one I make up a big pot of and freeze for later.

I don't care for freezing enchiladas...the tortillas seem to get dried out and crumbly, but I do make it ahead of time. I have made it up to three days before I need it and it has been tasty.

I tried to freeze a spinach quiche, but it didn't do well in the freezer, it got a bit grainy.

I also make up dinner rolls, garlic bread and bread bowls and freeze them. You just want to bake them for about half the time, let them cool completely and then freeze. They store well in ziplock bags. When it comes time to heat them up, you can throw them in the oven frozen and cook for the remaining time.

I also try to have simple meals in the menu...sandwiches and salads. I like cooking on the grill too, there are fewer dishes. We often chop veggies add a little olive oil, salt and pepper and cook them on our grill (done in about three minutes). Fajitas are quick and easy. Most shrimp dishes are easy too. We do a lot of vegetarian pasta dishes. I can get most of the veggies chopped early in the day and then the dinner prep goes quick in the evening.

Hope this helps!

One easy tip I have found, is buy a large package of ground beef, fry it, drain and let cool. I then divide it into freezer bags and put in the freezer. To use, just pop it into the microwave for 1 min to defrost it and it's ready to heat up in chili, spag. sauce ,tacos, or sloppy joes. This saves so much time instead of thawing the meat from the freezer and then cooking it. Another thing is check out the website 30 day gourmet, she has a variety of recipes too.

We have an active week because our daughter has non stop activities.

I make my own marinara sauce (all the kids and adults love it) and I keep a jar in my fridge ready for use anytime.

We do eat out once or twice a week.

Chicken Broccoli casserole is a good one for preparing and serving later.

I have homemade chicken soup that is always better the 2nd or 3rd day!

In summer we utilize the grill.

Definitely enjoy your last summer before school starts. My daughter started kindergarten this past year and it really increases the night time rush. I try to cook twice per week and make food that does double duty. I make taco meat, then make a taco pizza for the girls, then add black beans, corn, tomatoes and onions (and maybe some salsa) to make southwestern taco mix for salads, wraps, etc. If I make spaghetti, I do the same thing - put half of the meat on a crescent roll or biscuit crust to make a pizza. Chicken becomes chicken pot pie, chicken salad, chicken spaghetti, etc. I mix all kinds of things into mac and cheese. You can make plain ground meat with a little seasoning and mix half of it with mac and cheese and veggies if your kids will eat them, then use the other half to layer with tortillas to make enchiladas. Make a roast, use half to serve with carrots and potatoes, then pull the rest apart and put it in the crock pot with BBQ sauce for sandwiches. Like you, I work full time and have a five year old and a one year old. I get take out at least once a week, and love the rotisserie chickens in the deli at the grocery store. Try to cook for at least two days at a time to lighten your load at least every other night. Also, you can make mini meat loaves in muffin tins and freeze them.