Batch Cooking

I have tried several "styles" of batch cooking.

1. Making multiple meals on a Saturday and freezing them for later use
2. Going to a business and making meals to freeze
3. Making double of one meal when I do make it, then freezing one for later

So far, none of them have been FANTASTIC for us. Lots of reasons why it didn't work for us...

1. Forgot to thaw the meal
2. Meal didn't freeze well
3. I don't want to spend the money going to a business (I'm cheap)
4. I don't like spending a whole Saturday cooking-I don't enjoy cooking, I enjoy eating!

I have finally found a batch cooking method that works really well for my family and for me. I make some "staples" that I can use in a pinch. If our schedule or plan falls apart I can pick one of these options and not have to run through fast food. Don't get me wrong, we eat fast food, take-out, pizza, etc. However, there are some nights that things go sideways and we still need to eat at home.

Last time I batch cooked all of this it took me a few hours of prep (making a list, shopping, gathering stuff) and 4 hours on a Saturday morning. The girls helped with some of it and then Ian took them on an adventure!

My Staples:

1. Wholesome Oat Muffins (4 batches)
2. Pizza Puffs (3 batches)
3. Spaghetti sauce (2 batches, froze 3 large jars and 3 medium jars)
4. Ground beef taco meat (4 lbs)
5. And next time around I'm adding Sloppy Joe meat (3 lbs)

This actually got us through 4 months of going "sideways" but could last us longer or shorter depending on what's going on.

The Recipes:

Wholesome Oat Muffins (modified from a South Beach cookbook)



Recipe is one batch- makes 12 regular sized muffins
3/4 cup oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Decide how many batches you want to make and multiply! I make 4 batches because I buy a 4 cup container of buttermilk.
Combine oats and buttermilk and soak for 30 min. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. In a BIG bowl stir together oil, egg, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in oat mixture. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Don't overmix! Divide into "greased" muffin pans and bake at 425 for 11 to 15 minutes.

I let them cool on wire racks and then put 4 muffins (one for each of us!) in labeled zipper quart bags for freezing. Thaw in fridge before warming if possible. We toss these in the toaster oven and put a little butter on them so you can do that from frozen if needed.

Pizza Puffs (modified from a Rachael Ray recipe)


Recipe is for 24 puffs

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup milk
1 egg lightly beaten
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz diced Canadian bacon (about 1 cup)

Decide how many batches you want to make and multiply! Grease mini-muffin pans. In large bowl whisk together all but cheese and Canadian bacon. Stir in cheese and Canadian bacon and let stand for 10 min. Stir batter and divide into cups. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 min.

I let them cool on wire racks and then put 8 puffs (the amount the girls eat for dinner) in labeled zipper quart bags for freezing. I toss these in the toaster oven (350) frozen for about 10 minutes before I serve them. Serve with pizza/spaghetti sauce for dipping if desired. Be careful these little guys are yummy and dangerous- you can eat 5 without blinking!!

Spaghetti Sauce



Recipe usually makes 2 large applesauce jars and one large canning jar- not very helpful huh...

3.5 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
7.5 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 can (106 oz) crushed tomatoes (I buy at Costco)
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (I've been told this cuts down on the heartburn factor...)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in LARGE saucepan. Stir in Italian Seasoning and stir constantly until it soaks up all oil and looks "cooked." Add rest of ingredients and simmer until your heart's content! I added fresh Basil last time because I had it growing out back. You can change the flavors as you like, garlic, other fresh herbs, etc.

Let sauce cool and put into jars. I like to re-use glass applesauce jars and whatever else is available. I have a handy funnel to get the sauce into the jar and then let the sauce cool even more before freezing- be careful with glass! I'm sure you could "can" this but I find freezing is easier for me- I'm going for speed here and have the freezer space to give.

Ground Beef Taco Meat

No recipe :) Just make it like the Taco Seasoning packet/jar says. I brown all 4 lbs of meat at once, season, simmer and then let cool. I divide evenly between 4 quart freezer bags (so 1lb in each). It seems silly to have something so easy in the freezer, but it's saved me! Speed thawing frozen raw ground beef is so hard- I mess it up every time. But I can thaw cooked and seasoned beef fast. Plus we almost always have some taco fixings in the fridge. And don't rule out beef nachos or taco salad if you don't have tortillas!

Rachael Ray's Super Sloppy Joes

These are yummy!! Check out her original recipe here. I, of course, modify it- good grief. I don't add onion (yuck) and I use Lawry's instead of Montreal's Steak Seasoning, just using what I have! I have frozen this mix in the past and love it. Freeze it similarly to the taco meat (one dinner worth in a bag) and enjoy!

I hope this helps you think about staples you can make and freeze. I find this reduces the number of crazy nights we have (not down to zero of course- come on) and we still eat sort of according to our diet plan. And of course this wouldn't be complete without the girls enjoying some of the spoils! They love the pizza puffs and always help me make them- very easy one for the kids to help with.






Love the snarl... and she has long hair in this pic!! Ahhhhh

PS- Go out for dinner the night you make this stuff :)