Ideas for Making Meals Ahead of Time

You know those ideas you wish you'd had a few years earlier because then you'd be rich (and also brilliant, forward thinking, etc.)? Yeah, I have a lot of those.

One has to do with making food ahead of time so you have something to eat on those cramped nights that pop up in this thing called life.

A quick google shows plenty of blogs about make-ahead meals. I do wish one was mine because a meal in hand--in the freezer or refrigerator--is a great way to save money in that it keeps you from eating out or taking in or (horror) running to the store to buy those pesky things you don't have (and, if you were unwise and sent your husband or took your kids, also buying 17 other things that you didn't need until you got into the store and saw them and realized you needed them desperately). When I read books and blogs about how to eat cheaper, they often sing about making your meals ahead.

It also keeps you from the puddle of tears a night with a stressed/late/rushed/messed up dinner can bring. Not that I speak from experience or anything. We would never eat a starved, haggard, haphazard meal at 7:00 o'clock, especially not tonight, nope not us.

Do-ahead meal preparation also saves you time in that you can combine your prep times (i.e. chop all the vegetables you'll need in one session) and that you don't have to make dinner every night of the week. As the start of school approaches with soccer and homework and piano students at my house a couple nights a week, this sounds even more appealing. Did I mention a puddle of tears earlier? Good.

Since I am not exactly brilliant at this myself, I offer you Some options for those who want to start planning ahead. My sister (always a step ahead of me in these things) has tried several. Here are a few she recommends:

The Fresh 20. You have to pay for this one, but it is fairly cheap and it saves you money in that it's built not to waste any food (i.e. you'll buy a head of cabbage and use half for one meal and then half for another, but in completely different and delicious ways). This is the idea I wish I'd most thought of. It's not so much making your meals ahead as perfect meal/shopping planning put out in front of you so you don't have to think. My sister really liked this--she said the recipes were delicious (and whole foody) and they didn't waste stuff.
Once a Month Mom. Freezer meals for a month. The idea is appealing, but I found the site a little daunting, but then I find the idea of making 20 meals at once a little daunting too. A little time on the page and I'm sure I would have been soaring along.
Five Dinners in One Hour. According to my sister it was more like 1 1/2 hours, but still. Also, they tend to use some processed ingredients (canned soups and the like), but it's still more wholesome than Denny's. By a long shot. Can I get an Amen?

As for me, I'm not quite ready to jump on the wagon just yet (at least not completely). Whah? After all that build-up? Well, I can't entirely pretend that laziness isn't a factor. Preparing your meals ahead takes some thought and planning. But it's not the only factor. My kids, have I mentioned it?--they're picky. As is my husband. That makes a lot of these websites tough for me to use because I'm the only one who would eat the food. Which means I'd have to plan my stuff my self.

Furthermore, I have no problem with a casserole here and there, but a casserole every night is not my thing. I realize that that not everyone is doing casseroles for their plan-ahead meals, but casseroles (and their canned chicken soup components) still often play a significant role.

Yet perhaps my biggest reason for dodging the do-ahead meal is that I kind of enjoy the ritual of preparing my meals every day (except, of course, for those puddle-of-tear nights). You can call me crazy if you want, but the process of whipping out the skillet and chopping some stuff to put in it relaxes and centers me in a way that whipping something out of the freezer and plopping it in the oven does not (and in a way that spending 2 hours to 1 day preparing all the week/month's food also does not). I notice that many of the people who advocate freezer meals or plan-ahead cooking don't always really like to cook. They just want it done so that they can save money and eat healthier. I have no problem with that, but it's not me. That said, there are days when it's 4:45 and we need to eat at 5:00 and I'm not ready. A few eggs and a salad can save the day, but not, you know, every day. And not when you're out of eggs and salad. And school and soccer and dance and 2 nights with piano students--it's coming. Sometimes, when I don't take deep breaths, it's enough to make Burger King start to look appealing.

Thus, there are a few planning ahead things I've determined to begin doing. (Especially after tonight; did I mention that it was a bit rough?) They're lazy things. They're just the type of thing I think I can actually pull off because they don't require too much thought. Things that will actually make it so that eating at home really does seem more appealing, delicious, and easy that going out.

1. Doubling stuff. Wow, that's pretty brilliant. I mean, why don't I have my own blog about prepare-ahead meals? And yet. This is kind of hard for me. I tend to undercook. In a way this is a method of controlling my portions and not overeating. In a way, it's a form of denial (do we really eat that much butter in one week?) that can't be avoided if making 5-7 breakfasts or dinners at a time. Nevertheless, with a little teeny forethought, doubling a meal should be pretty easy. You don't have to plan and coordinate meal components and be really brilliant with your food planning. You just have to do twice as much. And so, undercooking be darned, I've determined that if I make something that can be kept in the freezer, I'm going to make twice as much. This goes for breakfast cookies, casseroles, soups, breads, etc. I gave it a whirl tonight with the cornbread I made. It felt kind of nice.
-To make this work, I need to stick the to-be-frozen parts somewhere besides the countertop, lest it be eaten by me or the minions before it can be frozen in order to avoid the overeating-of-the-food-that-is-to-be-saved-for-later issue.

2. A salad or some vegetables for the week. I can easily prepare my own "bagged" salad mix (kale and romaine anyone? yum) so that we can have a quick one when we need one. Even better if I also cook a little bacon and hard-boil some eggs. A friend of mine sometimes preps dippable veggies for her kids for the week--carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. (which could also be plopped into grown-up salads as well). And Tamar Adler roasts and sautees vegetables enough for a week. I can do it too.

3. Make extra parts of meals: browned meat, sauces, bacon bits, or whatever. To me, this is the riskiest type of pre-prep since parts of meals are the easiest forgotten. Nevertheless I think it's worth a try. These bits can be thrown onto pasta, bread, tortillas, or stuffed into vegetables to make a meal so much quicker.

So while I don't know that you should expect to see a meal plan for an entire week from me anytime soon, I'll be working to be more efficient and prepared. Take that tear-puddle nights.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I love Indian food. Kip doesn't. Every year for my birthday, I ask to go to an Indian restaurant because, you know, it's a day when I've got some leverage. And then this year, Kip ordered chicken tikka masala. He liked it a lot. So did I.

I'm not a dummy. I know when a gift horse looks me in the mouth. I know when it's time to learn to make something at home and stop enjoying some of my favorite food only once a year.

Chicken Tikka Masala
adapted from Happy. Mormon. Housewife
Serves 2-4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cost: $6.20
chicken: 4.00, onion: .15, tomato paste: .50, cream: 1.25, all those other seasonings that I really have trouble estimating costs for, um, let's say: .30

Note: The original recipe called for a marinade. I don't fully believe in marinades (I can rarely taste that they make a difference in the final product). Instead I coat the chicken with the marinade ingredients (the stuff in step 1). Usually I let it sit for a bit while I mess with other stuff, but I think it could be cooked right off to good effect too. However, if you want to do a marinade, don't let my cynicism stop you. Marinade away with the ingredients in step one.

Another note: I found my garam masala at the Asian market for cheap. You probably can too.

Step 1:

4 smallish chicken breasts, cut into cubes and all the grody bits removed (You can also use dark meat, but Kip prefers white, so we ran with that)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced (or 1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger)
2 tsp lime juice
dash (or two) cayenne pepper
2 tsp cilantro
1 Tbsp olive oil

Step 2:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion (or a couple dashes onion powder)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp paprika
3 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 C cream
1 can tomato paste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Step one:

Mince the garlic and ginger. Chop the cilantro. Add lime juice and cayenne pepper. Rub this onto your chicken cubes.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the chicken cubes and cook until browned on the outside (it's okay if they're a wee bit raw still in the middle; they'll get more cooking in a minute).

Remove from pan and keep warm.

Step 2:

Heat oil. Add onion or onion powder. Cook onion until tender.

Add tumeric, cumin, cardamom, paprika, and garam masala. Heat until fragrant (30 seconds or so).

Add cream, tomato paste, and lemon juice. Whisk.

Add chicken and juices back into pan. Simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper (we're usually fairly generous here). If you like your sauce saucier, add more cream or milk. We served ours fairly thick and it was a hit.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Chocolate Orange Mascarpone Cheesecake Pie

I am the type of person who sometimes apologizes too much. Generally speaking, I don't actually believe this is a bad thing. I'd rather over-apologize than under-apologize. However, I almost began this post with an apology--an apology about posting another creamy chocolate-y pie-y thing when I just posted one last week. Well, that would be silly. Because posting multiple creamy chocolate-y pie-y things is definitely not reason for apology. Especially when they are both incredibly, fantastically delicious. Especially when they use a very different ingredient set so that if you're really pining for chocolate pie, you can make the one for which you have the stuff. Especially when they are both fast and easy to make. Especially when they can be made in teeny ramekins or dishes so that you don't have to eat too much. And especially when the ingredients are sweet, yes, but made with mostly whole foods.

So instead of "I'm sorry" let me give you a big "You're welcome."

Chocolate Orange Mascarpone Cheesecake Pie
adapted from Chocolate Treats
Makes 1 8-inch spring form pan, or 4-8 ramekins, depending on size
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 3-4 hours of chill time
Cost: Oh, heck, it's more than I'd like, but it's still just so incredible for a special occasion or for any occasion when you find mascarpone on sale. Also, I usually halve it and that cuts cost. Also, let me state for the record that it's still so much cheaper than going out for a treat. The whole thing costs about $6.75
butter: .25, mascarpone: $4-5, sugar: .40, chocolate: 1.00, other stuff: .10

Note: You can probably make this with cream cheese instead of mascarpone. I realize that it is way cheaper. And it would probably be fine. But it will not be the incredible, amazing, awesome dessert that this is unless you use mascarpone. It just won't.

Another note: This crust is really great, but sometimes I just skip it and it's completely great anyway.

Another note: This is supposed to be made in an 8-inch spring form pan. I only have a 10-inch, so I always make this in ramekins.

Still another note: You can omit the orange if you don't have it or don't like it. However, if you do you might want to add 1/4 tsp almond extract to give it just that little something special.

And one more: You can omit the zest if you'd like, but I recommend adding at least a pinch (at least if you like orange) because it really ups the flavor.

Crust:
4 Tbsp butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
1 C (about 15 squares) finely crushed graham crackers
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cocoa

Creamy part:
1 lb - 1 lb 12 oz mascarpone cheese (Does that range sound odd to you? The original recipe called for 1 lb 12 oz. I made it that way. Then the next time I made this, I somehow skipped the 12 oz. part and only used 1 lb. It still turned out great when I skipped part of the mascarpone. It was a bit thicker, yes, but not too thick. Don't you just love it when a recipe can be screwed up and still turn out tasting gourmet? To me, that's the definition of a perfect recipe.)
1 1/2 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
juice of 1/2 orange
finely grated zest (Note: The original recipe said to add that from your orange. I think this is toooo much. I added a tsp or two. I'd say to go by taste, but know this: The strength of the orange taste will increase as this chills, so go a little less than you think you'd like.)
6 oz dark chocolate, melted
2 Tbsp vanilla

To make the crust:

Put crushed graham crackers, sugar, cocoa, and butter into a bowl (or your pan if you're lazy like me). Mix it together and press evenly into pan or your ramekins.

To make creamy part:

Beat together mascarpone and sugar. Beat in juice and zest. Beat in melted chocolate (I melt mine in the microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between). Add vanilla and beat.

Spread this over your crust.

Chill for 4 hours.

Garnish with curls of orange rind if you're fancy. I'm not.

PRINTABLE RECIPE