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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

  2. I usually freeze the Thai Inspired Pork Stew from Cooking Light and Stuffed Manicotti Noodles. Yummy!! Would love to have some more solid recipes for batch freezer cooking!!

  5. Adding this book to my Christmas list! Love being able to pull something out of the freezer and not have to think about what to make for supper!

  6. A friend and I got together after work last fall and made 2 dozen lentil pasties (we’re from Michigan). We each got a dozen to freeze. We hope to have a frozen burrito party soon!

  7. I love to make pizzas ahead of time and freeze them ready to go. Either whole made pizza’s or just the bases

  9. I freeze bean burritos, chicken pot pie, chili, soups, lasagna, twice baked potatoes, apple pie filling…almost anything.

  10. When I make a mexican layered casserole, I always make an extra to throw in the freezer. I also freeze muffins and pancakes all the time. Would love this book!

  13. I freeze lots of my family’s favorite casseroles and soups. Lasagna, Santa Fe Chili, and even left over french toast!

  15. Burritos! They’re a lot of work to assemble so doing them in a big batch and freezing works great.

  16. I LOVE having meals in the freezer for those crazy days! With baby number 7 on the way I am really hoping to have a very stocked freezer and I could use that cookbook for some fresh ideas : ) The most recent thing we’ve eaten from our freezer cooking was sausage for our Saturday night homemade pizzza. I usually brown a couple of pounds at a time, divide it up into freezer bags and have enough for weeks. Doing the prep ahead makes the actual pizza making very simple.

  17. I like to make a big batch of vegetable curry and stash some in the freezer for busy nights. Just make some rice and dinner is served.

  18. Well, not exactly a healthy meal, but … cookies! In a pinch, I’ll eat them right out of the freezer, too. 🙂

  19. we made some awesome roasted red pepper and tomato soup and I can’t wait to have it on a rainy day!

  21. I made a beef and barley soup tonight and stashed the leftovers in the freezer for another simple, delicious meal on a busy night.

  25. I love to make a big batch of soup and then freeze the left-overs. Our current favorite is Curried Lentil Soup, but we also love minestrone, chili, black bean soup . . . I would love a copy of this book to get some new ideas!

  27. I often make shepherd’s pie in batches of three and freeze two. For the top, I use a 60/40 split of butternut squash and potato and a sprinkle of parmesan instead of shredded cheddar. So yummy!

  30. One of my favorites is Shredded Chipotle Chicken for tacos. I make a huge batch in the slow cooker, freeze individual portions using muffin tins, and pull out for last minute meals. Delicious and super quick!

  31. I recently made some spicy shredded chicken with chicken thighs. It didn’t last long in the freezer though!

  33. My husband so loved the Baked Lasagna Casserole and so do I! And to give it a twist, instead of putting turkey (hail from Philippines so this ingredient is so expensive) i tried beef:-) This recipe is perfect for our movie time together and cooking it per batch and freeze it help us not to worry out of stock:-) Thank you so much for all the tips and recipes!

  35. I’ve made pumpkin and bananaa muffins and froze them so that we could take one out as needed for breakfast or snack. Even made and froze homemade applesauce and pumpkin butter.

  36. Tonight I made a chicken, white beam and kale soup/stew and froze half. I also like to have oatmeal ‘cupcakes’ in the freezer for healthy grab and run breakfasts.

  37. I love freezer cooking. We need a new cook book, the kids are getting tired of the same recipes every third week. So am i to be honest. The book I have is excellent!

  40. I always make an extra baked ziti or lasagna when I am cooking one. They freeze and reheat well and with all the work that goes into it you might as well get two meals out of it!

  42. Some friends and I have had several sessions of freezer cooking. So many favorites, but probably marinated chicken thighs are my favorite. I need this cookbook!

  45. Now and then I make a big batch of ground beef, sauté it with some onions, celery peppers and garlic. lay it flat on a cookie sheet to freeze for an hour, and then throw it in a ziplock freezer bag.
    It’s ready to use when I’m in a rush, great for quick tacos or a super fast meat-sauce to go with spaghetti.

  46. i’m in love with making burritos and then freezing to have for an easy dinner ! eenjoyable every single time !

  47. I love freezing lunch-sized portions of chili. For us, it’s not so much dinner as “What can I take for lunch?” The purchased options (cafeteria, Subway or Starbucks) aren’t really healthy at all. The chili defrosts, perhaps with a bit of help with the microwave, and lunch is solved. 🙂

  48. I use my freezer a lot! Especially when I make casserole-ish things like pasta, mac and cheese, enchiladas, or chiles rellenos. I always make two pans, and freeze one. And I freeze chocolate chip cookies… which was working out nicely till I discovered they still taste delicious unthawed. 😉

  49. Whenever I make soup we get tired of eating it before the pot is finished so half always gets frozen. Such a convenient dinner a month later!

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