johnnysmom
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Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 31, 2014 14:27:33 GMT
I don't really know what else to call it, but I've read about people who chop all their fruits/veggies for the week and keep them in the fridge so dinner prep, lunches, snacks, etc are all ready at a moments notice. Seeing as I have a hate-hate relationship with the kitchen, cooking, meal planning and basically anything else house-wife related I thought maybe this would help. Sounds good in theory, but then I go to my fridge thinking "wouldn't it be nice to have a melon cut and ready to eat"......open the fridge and realize there is no room for an apple in there, nevermind a whole melon ![:o](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/shocked.png) What, with the gazillion half-used condiments falling all over. Anyhow, if you do this, does it work as well as it does in my head? What's your process? How do you store it all and still have room for all the other crap the fridge needs to store like milk, eggs, butter, leftovers, etc.
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quiltz
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Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
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Post by quiltz on Jul 31, 2014 14:42:33 GMT
If ground beef is on sale, I will make meatballs, about 5 lbs worth and them bake them, cool them and freeze them in Ziploc bag.
Fry up 1-lb portions of ground beef and freeze them so that this part is ready for tacos and other meals.
Make extra pasta sauce and freeze in serving size portion.
Chop up lots of onions and then freeze them. Take frozen and use as needed. Same thing for celery as these are two items that I don't seem t use very often.
I will bbq chicken breasts and will either shred or cut for salad or shredded chicken dish.
I have the "special" Tupperware veggie keeper and will keep carrots & other veggies in there.
Mushrooms can be slightly sauted with a little chicken broth, cooled and then frozen. I freeze them in Ziploc baggies (8 oz) with their juices. Perfect to add to roast beef gravy, stew, other meals.
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quiltz
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Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
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Post by quiltz on Jul 31, 2014 14:42:53 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 31, 2014 14:51:17 GMT
I prep as much as I can for the week on Sundays during the school year. Otherwise I tend not to cook as much and we also end up eating Lean Cuisines for lunch every day. We bought a cheap fridge for the garage to store what doesn't fit in the kitchen fridge.
My goal each week is to plan two meals, usually Sunday and Wednesday, that will make leftovers for lunches, and I package individual portions right after the meal and put them in the fridge. I also usually grill some chicken and make four to six salads, packed and ready to go. Additionally, I cut any vegetables and fruit that will keep, and make any sauces or marinades I'm planning to use later in the week. I usually either hard boil a dozen eggs or make a crustless quiche. Sometimes DH makes bread or granola.
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sharlag
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Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Jul 31, 2014 15:26:16 GMT
Does reheating frozen, cooked ground beef take much less time than frying it up from its uncooked state?
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Post by anonrefugee on Jul 31, 2014 15:32:54 GMT
Lostinspace, thank you! I didn't know mushrooms could be frozen! I prep the usual suspects: bel pepper, celery, onions but it's always the mushrooms I'm missing for my favorites.
ETA Sharla, reheating takes less prep and mess for me. I like to pop in pan with whatever seasoning and not have to deal with as many splatters, etc. I sometimes thin slice and freeze cooked chicken breast meat to add to pasta sauces, tacos, sandwiches.
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Post by keknj on Jul 31, 2014 15:35:49 GMT
I always intend to do my prep work ahead of time, but never actually get it done. By the time I shop, get it home, lugged in and put away, I'm just done with it. It seems like such a time saver for busy weeknights I really should do it.
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Post by Aheartfeltcard on Jul 31, 2014 15:40:01 GMT
I have cooked a weeks worth of food in advance. I would have the room and have always felt prepping would be a great idea.
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Post by Ellie on Jul 31, 2014 15:45:37 GMT
I always intend to do my prep work ahead of time, but never actually get it done. By the time I shop, get it home, lugged in and put away, I'm just done with it. It seems like such a time saver for busy weeknights I really should do it. Yes, this is me. Great intentions and all... I used to do lots of advance prep when it was just my DH, DS (now 11) and me. Adding on my DD (2.5) has really thrown me and I haven't adjusted yet.
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josie
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Jul 29, 2014 20:47:33 GMT
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Post by josie on Jul 31, 2014 15:51:30 GMT
I try to prep as much as I can to have for a quick snack or when packing lunches. I hardboil a dozen eggs & cut up raw veggies (celery, cucumber, peppers). I roast some onions and peppers with olive oil. They only fruit I really prep ahead of time or cut is cantalope, watermelon or pineapple. I try to have a plan as to what is for dinner so if I know I am serving a roasted cauliflower or broccoli, I always try to chop that on the weekend because I hate coming home at 6pm and trying to spend extra time chopping stuff.
For actual meals, I do the same as others. I make like 3-5lbs of meatballs at a time,bake, cool and freeze. Very handy for a pasta dish, meatball subs or I can heat up 1 or 2 for my toddler for a quick lunch/dinner. I make a couple pounds of taco meat - seperate and freeze for a ton of last minute meals. I also make black beans and refried beans in the crockpot overnight. In the morning, I let them cool and seperate for the freezer.
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SweetieBsMom
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Jun 25, 2014 19:55:12 GMT
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Jul 31, 2014 15:57:14 GMT
I do this every Sunday. I don't eat grains, legumes, dairy, gluten or sugar. There are really no convenience foods when you don't eat processed food. To keep myself on track and resist temptation I have weekly "cook-ups". I will figure out that I want....I usually brine and cook chicken breasts. Then I'll figure out another protein. I'll cut/roast veggies. Wash/cut everything I need for salads. Make mayo, make salad dressing. This way, when I get home at night, I just need to figure out what DH/DS are having for dinner. My dinner is easy to throw together....a little of this, a little of that. That being said, my fridge is CRAMMED on Sundays and dwindles as the week goes on.
I hate that I have to spend a couple of hours doing this on Sundays. HATE.IT. But the trade-off is that it really makes my week smoother.
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Post by meowgal on Jul 31, 2014 15:59:21 GMT
LostinSpace...you are my culinary hero!
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Post by peano on Jul 31, 2014 16:08:58 GMT
I prep salad ingredients about twice a week for daily use. DH grills protein for several days of lunch and dinner.
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knotlazy
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Jun 26, 2014 18:00:51 GMT
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Post by knotlazy on Jul 31, 2014 16:20:44 GMT
Chop up lots of onions and then freeze them. Take frozen and use as needed. Same thing for celery as these are two items that I don't seem t use very often.
Thanks for your list, lostinspace! I have been wondering if I can freeze celery. I don't care for it much but it goes into some recipes. I would love to know if green onions & cilantro will freeze well....seems like I toss that often. And carrots, do they freeze well? I am going to buy a bag of onions next time I see a good price and chop and freeze...I really like that idea.
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Post by krc11 on Jul 31, 2014 18:20:28 GMT
Not for prep, but I cut up and freeze any vegetable that hasn't been used and is in danger of spoiling if I let it go much longer. I have a large ziploc for most veggies and a few times a month, I make vegetable soup. Sometime I add leftover protein. I also chop celery, onion, green onions, mushrooms and package in portion sized ziplocs for adding to recipes. If I have extra hamburger thawed that didn't get used, I will fry it up and freeze. I'm not going to re-freeze it raw. Most of my chopping/freezing seems to avoid waste from spoilage rather than prep.
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fastmommie
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Jun 28, 2014 18:20:18 GMT
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Post by fastmommie on Jul 31, 2014 22:05:32 GMT
My husband bulk cooks all our hamburger and chicken. He buys 40lbs of raw hamburger when its on sale, cooks it in a huge stock pot, drains it and packages it in Ziploc containers (just under 2lbs per). Chicken breasts are also bought in bulk on sale. 2 packages per crockpot, 4 crockpots, cooked all day until shred-able. These are also packaged like the hamburger, in the same type Ziploc plastic containers.
When either is needed for dinner, take the lid off, 5 minutes in the microwave, and you have about 2lbs of meat ready to proceed with your dinner.
Now I need to learn to do more with veggies!
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