Batch cooking ideas please

cantstopshopping

Hello,

I am planning on starting the grocery challenge this month and want to do lots of batch cooking & freezing at the weekend.

Can anyone give me some suggestions of things to freeze that are reasonably healthy! everything i can think of seems to be bad for you!

Also, can you freeze fairy cakes? I love making them and like the idea of having lots of ready prepared little cakes!

thanks xxx:o

specsappeal

i like to batch cook pancakes (great for sweet and savoury fillings), pasties, cookies, lasagne, soup, bolognaise sauce and homemade pies.

Gingernutmeg

I found this website a while back ... it's got an interesting batch cooking suggestion for doing a number of meat based dishes at once. It's not *that* unhealthy - it certainly looks better than buying the equivalents at the supermarkets!

You can freeze uniced and unfilled fairly cakes - the only problem there might be is that the paper cases might get a little damp when they thaw and come off. They would need wrapping fairly tightly though, as I can imagine that they'd pick up other smells/tastes quite easily!

newlywed

I do lasagna but only put the white sauce on the top and grate a small amount of low fat cheese over it and freeze. I always like it better after it's frozen as it seems a bit more "solid"

I also freeze shepherds pie with lots of veg and sometimes turkey mince as it's lower fat.

Chilli and curry freeze well (though I know curry isn't such a low fat meal).

I have also baked potatoes in the oven and then wrapped in foil and frozen them. Just zap them in the microwave to heat up and add topping of choice.

I have made low fat banana cake from the recipe index and successfully frozen that as well as the wheatabix loaf cake.

cantstopshopping

hi,

thanks for your replies. where is the recipe index? low fat banana cake sounds great i love banana cake!

thanks x

r.mac_2

Mega index is a 'sticky thread' at the top of the forum. here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=235198

the recipe index is within that.

I ahve successfully frozen milk, cheese, shepherds pie, lasagne, chilli, spag bol and pasta sauces. Fresh pasta also freezes well too as to victoria sponges and banana loaves!

HTH

bank_of_slate

Hi,
One pot meals are great for this!
Check out my recipe for chicken broth.
Do you have a slow cooker? These are fantastic for very healthy delicious meals! As they cook slowly you can but cheaper cuts of meat that still melt in the mouth and taste fantastic!
...Linda xx

janeawej

Hi i make a large amount of bolognese type sauce with mince and tomatoes, leave it quite bland without too much garlic ect then i can take out a tub from the freezer and turn it into nwhat i fancy! eg for chilli I add chilli and kidney beans, cottage pie maybe mushrooms and carrots, bolognese/lasagna needs a bit more garlic and herbs, its very versatile and cheap, healthier if you add some grated carrot or some lentils to the mince, I dont buy the very lean mince but always pour off any fat that comes out when cooking it

celyn90

I batch cook mince, turn half into pasta sauce then split this half into four, freezing two as they are and chucking chilli and beans in the one and green lentils in the other. I use the rest of the mince to make cottage pie, which freezes fine or freeze plain to add dumplings to later on. That way I get different stuff for little effort, it takes an afternoon, but I enjoy cooking much more when I have time. Pulse dishes freeze well and I also freeze meat in marinades too, or simply spiced, which works brilliantly.

I also buy onions in bulk, chop them in the food processer and freeze them in bags because I hate chopping them! I used to do the same with garlic and freeze it in ice cube trays, but I've discovered that an Asian supermarket near me sells jars of ready pulped stuff cheaper then I can buy it fresh!

Never tried freezing cake (OH eats it too fast!) but little fruit pies are fine - I make them in a bun tray. I've also frozen cookie dough with success.

LJM

i always like to keep lasagne/bolognaise in the freezer i bought febs good food mag this eve and it has a good insert recipe book on one pot meals so will try some of these and freeze some down too