As I get ready for another school year I start mentally preparing for having less time to cook. So here are a few tips and tricks for getting meals on the table fast!
Meatloaf
Instead of a full size meatloaf – I mix up all the meat
ingredients and form indivial patties on a baking sheet. Cover with cling wrap, and put the entire pan
in the freezer. After a couple of hours
you can pop the meat loaves off the pan and into a freezer bag until we want
them. I cook them about 10 minutes less
than the recipe calls or until they are cooked through.
Soup
I love soup, but I usually have a lot of leftovers. Instead of eating the same soup for the
entire week I freeze a couple of servings.
I have used everything from ice cube trays, muffin pans and freezer bags
as storage. I like ice cube trays and
muffin tins for smoother soups and freezer bags for soups with more texture and
or noodles. I remove all the air from
the bags and lay them flat on a baking sheet in the freezer until solid. This is the same way I freeze homemade
spaghetti sauce.
Chicken
I buy a big package of chicken breasts (when it is on sale
or at Walmart or Winco because you can usually get it for 1.99/lb), and I can
prep it all at once for the week. I can
split the meat into different bags for marinades, grill it all and top salads
for lunches and pizza, bake it or throw
it in the crockpot casseroles.
Ground Meat
I brown all the ground meat we use for the week at
once. I split it into containers of
individual servings (for grab and go tacos) or meal servings (spaghetti,
manwhiches).
Meat balls
You can make up a ton of meat balls all at once, put them on
a baking sheet and freeze them a few hours, remove them and put them in a
freezer bag, then you can cook what you need as you need them. Spaghetti or meatball subs are both easy
crowd pleasers.
BLTs …. Yummmm ….
Bacon
I cook an entire package of bacon at once … in the
oven. I line a cookie sheet with foil,
arrange the bacon on the tray, put it in a cold oven and set it to 425. I start checking the bacon at 15 minutes, but
it usually takes 18-ish to get it crispy.
Bacon can be used for BLTs, breakfast burritos, etc.
Burritos
I make my own burritos for crunch time. I use flour tortillas, refried beans or
mashed black beans, taco meat or chicken, and a little shredded cheese. I roll them up and wrap them in cling wrap
then put them in a freezer bag. Xman
gets one of these a week at Miss Shelly’s and I have them if I don’t have
leftovers for lunch.
Casseroles
It takes about the same amount of time to make one pan of a
casserole as it takes to make 2 pans of the same thing. You can split it into smaller pans and freeze
it or trade with a friend. Chicken
Spaghetti, Chicken Enchiladas, Lasagna, all kinds of pasta bakes, etc Who’s up for a dinner exchange? Even grilled
chicken or crockpot meals ….
Crock pot
I don’t have time to prep in the mornings. I try to have things I can prep on Sunday or
the night before I throw it all in a freezer bag, and store it in the fridge until
the next morning. I add a little extra
water if I think I will be late getting home.
Pizza
If your meat is cooked and veggies are sliced and cheese is
grated, then making your own pizza is faster than delivery.
What are your tricks and tips?
