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On batch cooking, plus a make-ahead & freeze cookbook giveaway

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It’s a cozy Sunday afternoon and I’m sitting here watching the cold rain fall, thinking of all the times batch cooking has saved our family dinner time. Today, Danny is laid up with a nasty cold, and I’m juggling the busy household on my own, attempting to get ahead just a little bit for the upcoming week.

I’ve brought Danny a mug of hot ginger tea with honey, and am the afternoon has filled up with washing school uniforms, baking cookies for lunches, wrapping up homework, and making a M-F menu plan. Still, the boys want me to play a game of Sorry with them, the baby’s getting into everything, and oh!wouldyoulookatthetime? the Twitter chat I’m co-hosting is starting in 30 minutes.

I’m flying, and although I’m unsure if I’ll get half the things done I need to, I’m comforted with the fact that at least dinner is taken care of. Once again, batch cooking comes to the rescue.

We’re going to have a hot, balanced home cooked dinner, thanks to a hearty chicken & red lentil coconut curry I’m reheating. All that is required is for me to steam some broccoli and dinner is served. Maybe we’ll even taste-test the cookies for dessert.

No matter how busy the day gets, it’s really important to have us sit down as a family together for dinner; batch cooking is my time-saving tip to make that happen.

Today our Eat Well, Spend Less team of bloggers are talking about time-saving tricks in the kitchen – and highlighting Jessica Fisher’s new cookbook: Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook, too! Read on for more batch cooking tips and a chance to win a copy of Jess’s book.

On Batch Cooking

The apple pie in the photo at the top of the post? That was the reward of a little batch cooking. After an outing to the apple orchard, it’s easy to throw together a pie when there’s a a couple of pre-made pie crusts in the freezer.

Contrary to popular belief, batch cooking doesn’t mean merely simmering a vat of spaghetti sauce or a quadrupling a recipe of chocolate-chip cookies, but expands to much, much more. Jessica’s book highlights meats and seafood, meatless mains, soups, and breads, and even desserts. Getting back to the apple pie, she makes up four of Nanna’s Apple Pies at a time and freezes a couple raw for a comforting impromptu dessert at a later date. So smart.

Jessica guest posted not too long ago about the benefits of freezer cooking, so I won’t reiterate everything, but here’s a quick summary. Freezer cooking can help you:

  • Buy yourself some time on busy nights.
  • Make good use of your produce box.
  • Feed your baby homemade purees.
  • Take a vacation — from cooking.
  • and much more.

Batch cooking also helps you spread some love. Case in point. On Saturday I attended a baby shower for a friend who is going to welcome a sweet baby girl any day now. While we heaped presents on this first-time mother, we also gave the shower a delicious spin by each contributing a frozen, home cooked meal for her freezer.

I’ve long been an advocate of preparing heat & serve meals for others, dishes that are nourishing, travel well and freeze well. I’ve got a list of suitable recipes that fit the bill, but I can’t wait to change up my repertoire with new inspiration from Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook.

If you’re looking for suggestions for recipes that are suitable for freezing, adapt well to big batches, and provide a fresh take on family favorites, start with these 7 Favorite Do-Ahead Dinners for Winter. As is usually the case with young children, my boys palates haven’t changed that much and they stay in the regular rotation for dinner meals.

Here are several more recipe that adapt well to freezing and are perfect for this time of year.

This month, the Eat Well, Spend Less girls are talking about saving time in the kitchen. Don’t miss their posts:

Giveaway!

** This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to our winner, Maryann!**

Jessica’s thorough and well-written cookbook boasts 200 solid recipes, as well as a host of tips on subjects like creating a freezer cooking plan, buying a deep freeze, and Christmas cookie production. This cookbook is perfect for any busy household trying to eat a real food diet without spending hours in the kitchen each day.

Thanks to the publishers at Harvard Common Press, I have a copy of Jessica’s Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook (NYM Series) to giveaway!

To enter: Leave a comment on this post and tell me something delicious you’ve made ahead and frozen.

That’s it!

Giveaway ends on Tuesday, October 16, at 11:59PM.  Good luck to all!

Cooking has always been Aimée's preferred recreational activity, creative outlet, and source of relaxation. After nearly ten years in the professional cooking industry, she went from restaurant to RSS by trading her tongs and clogs for cookie cutters and a laptop, serving as editor here at Simple Bites. Her first book, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars - Family Recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites, was published in February 2015.

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546 Comments

  1. Any type of casserole is usually doubled along with meatloaf. I really want to start freezing soups and find some new dishes to try and this new cookbook looks like the perfect source!

  2. I haven’t done much freezer cooking in quite a while but I almost always have browned ground beef in the freezer…makes so many meals so much faster!

  3. I make a double crock pot of chicken noodle soup with lots of veggies in it. It freezes really well. My family loves it!

  4. I have made a Mac & beef casserole in a loaf pan. Recipe makes two. I gave one away and kept one to put in the freezer.

  5. I love having soups of all kinds in my freezer. Right now, I have some fantastic sweet potato and black bean burritos in my freezer. They are great heated up for lunch at work!

  7. I make a Beef Stew that I throw all of the indgredients in 2 ziploc bags and freeze. Then just throw one in the crockpot when I want it! Super easy and super yummy!

  8. I always make extra lasagna to freeze for later. I would love to do more and fill the freezer, so we are not grabbing food out when our schedules are overwhelmed.

  9. I’ve made a buttermilk ranch chicken casserole ahead of time to freeze and then cook at a later date. I love batch cooking and am always looking for new recipes. It’s a real time saver with my family of 7!

  10. Recently I found in my freezer pie crusts, lentil-carrot soup, shepherd’s pie, and Mexican meatloaf “cupcakes”… I love leftovers too!

  11. i used to make a lot of freezer meals because i had a hard time chopping recipes down to fit one or two people. (still have problems with some). would love to have new ideas and recipes

  13. I had my first baby July 3, 2012, and decided it would be smart to be make Sheppard’s Pie and Lasagna and freeze them when I went on mat leave. Best decision ever!!!
    As new (neurotic) parents cooking dinner didn’t even cross our mind, so to be able to pull out a lasagna and just cook it was a lifesaver!!
    Now with a 3 month old baby I need to refill the freezer!!

  15. I try to always have chicken stock in the freezer. Lasagna is so easy to double up and freeze! Would love to have more ideas from the book!!

  16. I have a delicious turkey enchilada recipe that freezes wonderfully! I love freezing meals! It is so convenient after a long day at work.

  17. Enchiladas are great frozen as is lasagna. I would LOVE this book. Wish a baby on the way I am in need of freezer options so I can have plenty of things in the freezer once the baby is born!

  18. I always double or triple up when making meatballs, individually flash-freeze – ready to bake from frozen, wonderful for adding to a quick tomato sauce on a busy weeknight!

  19. My gosh! I’ve only ever made lasagna or stuffed shells to freeze, but with baby #3 on the way I need help in this dept!

  20. Turkey meat shepards pie. Iactusllyhad enough to make 2. They were delicious and a life saver. My life is a little busy with sports and and can’t reccomend making meals ahead and freezing them

  21. I have a recipe for veggie pot pies that is perfect to make ahead and freeze! I just wish they’d cook faster!!

  22. Just tonight I whipped up bean & cheese burritos and stuck into my freezer. 🙂 I would love to win this! Thank you!

  23. i made tons of stuffed peppers last year and it was great to have them through the winter. this year the freezer is too full of fruit. this book looks awesome!

  24. I love to have frozen cookie dough in the freezer. It’s such a time saver, plus it’s so much better to bake a few cookies at a time and not have dozens sitting around to munch on! I also buy ground beef in bulk when it’s on sale. It’s nice to have browned ground beef and pre-seasoned taco meat ready on those nights that we’re running short of time.

  25. Making meals ahead saves SO much time and angst at the end of the day. My latest favorite is cashew chicken: chunks of chicken breast, green peppers, water chestnuts, and a savory sauce then reheated to top fresh rice and sprinkled with toasted cashews.

  26. I made breakfast polenta in the shape of gingerbread people with cinnamon sugar that I froze before I gave birth to my son. It was one of my daughter’s favorite meals, and thank goodness because I batch made A LOT!

  27. I recently got a pasta machine – it’s been so fun to roll out pasta and make ravioli to freeze!

  30. Lately I’ve made sprouted spelt apple and pumpkin muffins and frozen them to have a healthy breakfast for my kindergartener when we have to get up so early!! I also love freezing shepherds pie, tortilla chicken soup, and enchiladas. Would love some fresh ideas from this book and your site! Keep the great stuff coming. Love it!!

  31. I like making chilli in huge batches, freezing part of it and bringing it out for those cold winder days!

  32. I just got done making several dishes to fill my freezer with! …..black lentil soup, chicken noodle soup, coffee rubbed flank steak and roasted carrots and parsnips, potato tacos, taco meat, marinated chicken breasts, marinated pork chops, pasta sauce, homemade breaded chicken tenders……and I want more ideas!

  33. When my sister in law had her first baby, I stocked their fridge with 10 meals while they were at the hospital. The one that they still talk about is simply twice baked potatoes – you know, with cheese, butter, bacon….the works. Who knew?

  35. I make all sorts of breads and freeze them- yeast breads and quick breads. I would really love to learn to stock my freezer with homemade dinners though!

  36. I make all sorts of meals for the freezer and coordinate frequent once-a-month cooking meal swaps. My favorite meals are chicken pot pie filling (to pour into pie shells or to top with biscuits) , mini-meatloaves that are frozen uncooked (I can pull out just the number needed for that meal), and marinated meat to grill! All super simple to make and so nice to have ready to go!

  37. I stock my freezer with Three Seed Biscuits – they have saved dinner many times and even made me shine in my mother in laws eyes.

  38. Sadly, I can’t think of anything to share. I’ve never really done the whole make-ahead meal thing — hence the need for this cookbook! 🙂

  39. During CSA season this year, I am making double batches of rice and sausage filling for stuffed vegetables (peppers, eggplant, etc.). Half goes into fresh veggies for eating now. Half goes in the freezer for stuffing fresh veggies later this winter. But I would love new ideas! This book looks awesome!

  41. I always make a lot of chocolate chip cookie dough and freeze it for an easy dessert.

  42. I need this book. I don’t cook much because I don’t have much time. I never cook anything to freeze and use for later. Thanks.

  43. I have some roasted tomato sauce in my freezer right now, as well as some cheese-less pesto. I also like to make a big batch of beans and then freeze some for an easy meal starter. But I’d love to have more complete meals in the freezer too.

  47. Soup is the staple to freeze here…I tried pizza pockets once and they were ok. This looks like a great book!!!!

  48. Love this!!! In the past I have only frozen a few meals like big batches of spag bog, lasagne and soups but now I’m super inspired and keen to try lots more 🙂

  49. Italian Wedding Soup! Need to make more things; with a small baby, need more time & less complicated recipes

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