Once a month cooking

WhitmoreReans

I am a school teacher and I must admit that during term time I really don't get much of a chance to cook anything that isn't quick and easy. With a home to run I prefer to put something in the oven to reheat whilst I get on with other things. But I hate ready meals - they are expensive, most of the time unhealthy and of questionable quality. If faced with one I spend most of my time picking through it trying to work out what they have put into it. So I do love my cooking days during the school hols. My freezer is stashed full of stuff I pull out in the morning and reheat in the evening. I plan my meals so that then when I know I will have a bit more time I can actually cook from scrtach - like Friday night.

I normally get a big batch of meat (minced beef, chicken breasts, stewing beef or lamb) and get cooking - chicken puttanesca, bolognese (easily split in half and made into lasagne for the freezer as well), cottage pie, chilli con carne, a variety of stews and curries,...
Discount veg gets preped and stored up in individual portions - ratatouille, parsnips and carrots for roasting, swede for boiling and mashing.

If I don't have time for a cooking day, then I simply plan in a few evenings on the weekends or on less busy nights to cook double portions of these types of meals and freeze up the spares.

I find that it's so much cheaper and gratifying. Plus, if you cook with fry light and portion up properly (I always try to imagine it with a heap of veg on the side and so make the portions a little smaller than i think necessary) you will lose weight as well! Bonus! Freezing up portions is an instant way to give portion control - If I cook a pot of bolognese I always find I ladel up a much larger portion on the plate than if I put it into a portion container. It makes food go further as well.

Batch cooking is great!