Five Friday Faves
Make Ahead Meals
I made four dinners in two nights. Not my usual approach, but here’s why.
I had a last minute business trip come up and my husband was supposed to be gone at the same time. We lined up care for our kids (which is stressful) and I wanted to prep as much dinner as possible so that our caregivers wouldn’t have to worry about feeding the kids.
Turns out my husband’s plans changed, but I still made the two extra dinners. I 100% did not have to do to this for him. He’s more than capable of cooking for the kids and keeping them alive and healthy while I’m gone with no instruction. Did it help him out, and was he really grateful? 100%.
Below are some recipes to either make ahead or double easily that I often use when trying to optimize my cooking for more meals. Some of these are great for bringing to friends who need a meal train, and some are just plain staples in our house. It’s also worth noting that we have a standup freezer in our basement. This makes prepping meals a bit easier because we have the space for them.
“REALLY easy to make meals while you’re cooking something else” - All of these can be stored in these until ready to heat and eat.
I’m obsessed with my pressure cooker. I held out for a long time, and now it’s one of my most used kitchen devices. This thing is amazing!
Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos - Using the pressure cooker method, it takes ~25min total, and will keep in the fridge for a while either as taco meat, burritos, bowl protein etc. This is also really easy to double
Madison’s Beef Tacos - Also using the pressure cooker method, the most energy is “browning” the meat, but if you use the sear function, it’s super easy.
Shredded Chicken - I didn’t understand what the rack was for in the pressure cooker until recently, but put any marinated chicken (We love this from Whole Foods) on the rack in the pressure cooker with liquid underneath the rack. Shred chicken with fork. Great for burrito bowls, salads, tacos etc. You can really put anything you want on the chicken to augment the flavor and use in a variety of ways.
Bob’s Red Mill Vegi Soup - This soup could not be easier. If cutting veggies etc is something that takes you a while, you can make this even easier by buying the mirepoix from Trader Joes or Whole Foods.
Cook/Prep Once, Eat Twice - these can either be stored in a full serving container, or portioned out.
Meatballs - Whenever I endeavor to make meatballs (these are our favorite), I try to make the most of my efforts. It adds barely any time to double the recipe and mix it up, and if I get two pans going for searing on the stove, it’s super fast. I freeze my meatballs in a single layer in a plastic bag after searing, they may not be completely cooked but when I take them out and put them in the sauce, they will continue cooking through. It’s nice to just grab a few meatballs based on who’s having them.
Just Double It - There are some meals in our rotation that double really well to save the second portion for later in the week or freeze, and others don’t double as well because the size gets unwieldy. These are some favorites for doubling, Peanutty Pork, Molly Baz Chicken and Peanuts, Chicken and Pineapple Stirfry.
Grilling Extra Meat - If we’re grilling chicken or something, I will usually add in a few extra pieces to use for lunch or meals throughout the week. There’s nothing better than actually having food in the fridge for lunch (especially when you work from home)
Making Tuna Salad - I’ve been on a tuna salad kick at lunch time, and making tuna once is so much easier than making it daily. I make mine with celery, onions, chopped pickles and brine, mustard, and mayo. I’ll also portion it out daily so I can just grab it out of the fridge and eat.
Salad Dressing - Just always double it. If you’re going to the trouble of making salad dressing, making double will keep in the fridge for a bit and give you more reasons to eat a healthy salad. My favorite recipe is equal parts Soy Sauce, Tahini, Olive Oil, and Apple Cider Vinegar from the Cookbook Simply Julia!
Stealth Health - Devan and I chatted about this cookbook on our episode, but I have made a lot of these meals, I store them in these containers, and they keep really well in the freezer. I’m not the best meal prepper unless it’s super easy, but once a month I try to make something so we can have a full freezer of lunches.
What’s for Dinner
Monday - Sausage Pasta with Onions - I made up the recipe
Tuesday - Made Taco Meat for Fam
Wednesday - Made Honey Chipotle Chicken for Fam
Thursday - Out
More A Day In Her Life:
ICYMI - This week’s episode with Alex Reed was a great one! Alex is a tech mom and creator behind @rosesandradicchio and we talked all things from hobbies to friendships. I love chatting with Alex about what she’s optimizing for these days, and how she’s showing up as a friend. Such a great chat!
One Year Ago - A Day In Her Life with Patrice Poltzer! Patrice is a storytelling expert living with her husband and three boys in Portugal! She shares about their recent move, how it impacted her in ways she didn’t expect, and how she’s adapting to the new normal! Since our recording Patrice created mystorypro.ai, and if you haven’t checked it out, you 100% should!
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Ok freezing the meatballs after searing to reheat in the sauce is GENIUS!!