How to be well prepared? Ready meals?

[positively_purple]

I find that I am so busy during the week that I've very little time for the prep needed for sw friendly meals. I don't really freeze food cos I've no idea what I'm doing. Can anyone give me ideas for batch cooking to make my meals almost like ready meals? I'm useless at planning lol its for a family of 4. All ideas and tips how to do it are much appreciated.

 

[Rochelle1]

Mac n cheese from the last mag freezes very well, as do curries and stews. Just make a pot up and either put in small takeaway size tubs or if you have some large containers could freeze family size portion in them.

ive just planned my meals for the week and did an online shop, and hopefully that'll save me time as I know what I'm cooking and what I've got in

 

[Maria2206]

I spend some time each Sunday preparing meals for the next 2 - 3 nights and it is even easier if you are cooking for a family.

I often make Shepherds Pies, Cottage Pies and Lasagnes. I make the dishes up in their oven dish (make sure it is freezer proof) and at the point where you finish the dish ready to go into the oven (eg when I have put the potato on the top of the pies or have made the white sauce for the lasagne), I let them totally cool down and then put them in a freezer bag (to protect the food and to prevent the top from drying out) straight into the freezer.

On the night I am having these dishes, I take them out of the freezer so that they are defrosted when I get home (to shorten the cooking time) and it is at this point, just before you put the dish in the oven, that you will add any extra toppings (like cheese, breadcrumbs etc).

It is exactly the same principal for stews, curries and soups - cook everything up, add to the oven dish, allow to cool, put in a freezer bag and leave until needed. I hate cooking and I hate washing up even more but as everything has been prepared on the same day and is ready for the oven with minimal preparation, it saves an awful lot of time and effort.

 

[positively_purple]

Thanks guys for these great ideas x

 

[ZoeW]

I often batch cook Chilli, and when I serve up I have spare containers ready just to pop it into. Once it has cooled, I shove it straight in the freezer - it's always handy to have something you can just pull out the day that you need it. No worrying about preparing, stress free dinner!

 

[PatchworkPuss]

A slow cooker would be another good option - prep and veg and meat the night before, throw it into the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a ready cooked meal! Next best thing to having someone cook it for you

 

[lizs84]

I batch cook all the time as I'm a childminder so cooking during the week is tricky. I do stews, chillis, lasagnes, curries, cottage pies, shepherd's pies, cowboy pies, pork in a BBQ sauce, spaghetti bolognese (minus the spaghetti obviously), other tomatoey pasta sauces, mac and cheese, fish pies, beef tagine. I make them, cool a bit and the put anything that will be reheated on the hob like chilli in plastic takeaway containers (i get them from the pound shop) or things that need further oven cooking in those foil tubs. For the babies I put them in ramekins and cling film. I just make sure i label the tubs with whats in them, number of portions, the date and how many syns. I also get the reduced veg and prep them (parboil if they are starchy like potatoes or parsnips, just peel and cut if not) and portion them up and freeze. after christmas I had half a drawer full of root veg and sprouts all ready to cook for about £1!! I can share recipes if any of those take your fancy.
Liz
X

 

[positively_purple]

Can you give me your curry and chilli recipes please?

 

[lizs84]

Chilli

Serves 6, free on EE

[For the chilli]
400 g extra lean mince
2 tins tomatoes
1 carton passata
2 red peppers
2 onions
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper - to taste - check as you go!
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tin kidney beans

[Rice]
390 g basmati rice
1 tsp turmeric

[To serve]
12 tbsp sour cream, low fat (1 syn per tbsp)
OR
9 tbsp quark
3 tbsp low fat fromage frais mixed
Salad

Fry diced onion, carrots, celery and peppers until softened.
Add mince and cook until browned.
Add tomato purée, spices and garlic and fry out.
Add tomatoes, passata, kidney beans and Worcestershire sauce and simmer.
Put in slow cooker on high for at least three hours (or put in a covered casserole dish in a low oven - just check it doesn't boil dry every now and then). You don't have to slow cook it but I prefer the texture of the mince that way.
(I freeze in portions at this point)
Serve with rice boiled with a little turmeric, salad and sour cream or Fromage frais mixed with quark (free and tastes pretty similar)!

 

[lizs84]

Keema Curry

Serves 4, free on EE

400 g extra lean mince
1 tin green lentils
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
150 g fat free natural yoghurt
150 to 300 ml beef stock
Frylight

Fry mince and add spices, onion, garlic and tomato puree. Cook out.
Add tomatoes, yoghurt and stock.
Cook in the slow cooker for at least 3 hours (as above with the cooking instructions).
Incidentally, this makes a nice pasty or pie filling, just leave out stock and slow cook, adding liquid if necessary to stop it burning.

Serve with rice and salad as super free.

Liz
X

 

[lizs84]

Oh yeah, I also make a raita to go with the curry our of yogurt, that colman's mint concentrate (the one with no sugar), a pinch of garam masala, salt and turmeric. If you get the uncooked poppadoms and microwave them then they're only a syn each I believe.
Liz
X

 

[positively_purple]

Fantastic, thanks so much x

 

[asmallertasha]

Def gonna try that chilli Liz. Mine always turn out so bland!!

 

[lizs84]

Well this one doesn't turn out bland to my taste but my advice would be taste it and just keep adding spices!! Careful on the cayenne though - it's stronger than you'd think!! Sometimes, if I want to really bulk it out on the cheap I add a couple tins of mixed beans and you can get a couple more portions out of it!

Good luck!
Liz
X