Comments on: Out With The Old, In With The New: Bank Some Meals http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/ Financial talk for the rest of us Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Mary http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932935 Mary Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:10:27 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932935 I just made a ginormous batch of chicken tortellini soup, and thanks to my mom sending me home with lots of food over Thanksgiving, I saved the containers and used those to put the soup in. Half my freezer has this stuff, and it’s healthy with tons of veggies. After a long day, it’s great to just pop it in the microwave to defrost and you’ve got a warm hearty meal in the dead of winter. =)

]]> By: Aerin http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932559 Aerin Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:24:56 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932559 Google “once a month cooking” and you’ll find lots of resources online. There’s also a line of cookbooks called “Frozen Assets” that really break the process down – including sample menu plans with a shopping list for a day of cooking and freezing.

I do this often myself, and it’s really a great way to eat healthy, home-made food. It doesn’t have to be all pasta and cheese. My freezer currently has the following:

- chicken with rice and veggies
- baked ziti
- marinated steak cubes
- sloppy joes
- breakfast burritos

The chicken, sloppy joes & the ziti just need a nice salad to go with them. The steak cubes are great for stir fries. The breakfast burritos are rarely eaten for breakfast – they make a good, quick heavy snack / light meal when we are rushing around.

We don’t eat freezer meals every day, but they are a real help when life gets busy. And they are made from scratch, with organic veggies and meat.

]]> By: J.O. http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932538 J.O. Sat, 11 Dec 2010 02:14:25 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932538 @ graytham #15
Yes, you cook the pasta before incorporating it into the casserole, whether you plan to eat it right away or freeze it for the future.

There are two ways to prepare a meal for freezing. The first is to prepare it right up to the point at which you are supposed to put it in the oven – and then freeze it instead. The second is to prepare and cook the meal as if you were going to eat it right then, but cool it and then freeze it instead.

In the first case, to use the meal, thaw overnight and then use the cooking instructions from the recipe to cook the meal. If cooking from frozen, add 1/4 to 1/2 again as much time.

If the second case, you are basically just reheating the finished meal. A microwave does an excellent job of this, whether the frozen meal is thawed or not.

]]> By: done that http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932533 done that Sat, 11 Dec 2010 00:07:09 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932533 I occasionally double a recipe to freeze extra but I agree with ValleyCat. It’s usually easier to have fresh ingredients on hand and just do a fresh stir fry or quick soup. I have a list we look at on “those days” and we just pick one of our quickie meals. Once you start cooking with fresh ingredients it’s often quicker than, well, just about everything else. And tastier and healthier.

]]> By: Sonja http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932527 Sonja Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:35:20 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932527 About once every other month I roast a turkey during the day while my husband is at work. I carve it and take all the meat off the bone. We have turkey for dinner that night and I freeze some slices. The rest I cut into little pieces and freeze separately. I use that in salads, enchiladas, casseroles, etc. I make broth with the carcass and freeze that, too. Easy and cheap. November, December and pre-Easter are great times to buy turkey for less than $1 a pound.

]]> By: Jamie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932523 Jamie Fri, 10 Dec 2010 21:39:31 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932523 I love cooking, but I was cooking meals at home from scratch every morning (for lunch) and every evening (for dinner). I was inspired by a previous post on “once a month cooking,” which is way too intense for me but got me motivated to do “once a WEEK” cooking. Every week, I make one casserole that is veggie-based and one crockpot recipe that is protein based (the carbs and fat find their way in there, I promise!).

This has been an amazing way to save money! I used to spend over $600/month on food, and now it’s closer to $200. Wow! Plus, there’s always something healthy and yummy in the house.

]]> By: Amy http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932503 Amy Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:44:47 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932503 This is a great idea!

I would mention that consuming casseroles and lasagna on a regular basis may not be in your health’s best interest… as many times they are full of creams, cheeses, and unneeded fats.

Try loading up on fresh veggies. Washing, slicing and freezing these on Saturday for the week to come is a big time saver. Consider Turkey burgers which freeze well. Also homemade chili with lots of tomatoes, celery, onions, beans, and even ground turkey is delicious in chili…chili freezes great. The burritos I make consist of one can of black beans, 2 garlic cloves, 1 dollop of all natural sour cream. Heat in saucepan on med-low. Once heated through puree with immersion mixer. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of beans into a heated tortilla shell. Roll and freeze. In addition, I will sometimes add a can of rotel to the bean mixture before puree or sliced cooked onions. These freeze well and are healthy and nutritious. My families daily diet always includes beans preferably black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, or kidney beans (without high fructose corn syrup added).

My family tries to focus 90%+ of our diet on “from the groud” foods while minimizing processed meats, breads, pasta, rice, cereals, chips, store bought baked goods, sodas, juices and red meat.

]]> By: lu3 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932499 lu3 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:28:28 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932499 My daughter in the Peace Corps tells me that tortillas are incredibly easy to make. Peace Corps volunteers in South Africa make their own because they are ridiculously expensive in the stores. I never buy them here in Wisconsin except as taco dinner kits. Would you look into making tortillas from scratch and do a cost comparison for America?

]]> By: aj http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932490 aj Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:47:25 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932490 I think I will plan on doing some food “banking” this weekend. It is suppose to be COLD and then it is suppose to snow 2-5 inches…what better time to stay in and spend the day in the kitchen! Will probably bake some cookies & such too for Christmas tins. It warms up the house, and we can all pitch in! What a great family activity that will really help out during the season rush of activities. I can’t wait!

]]> By: graytham http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932488 graytham Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:15:03 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932488 When you freeze lasagne, or any pasta dish, do you cook the pasta first?

]]> By: valleycat1 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932475 valleycat1 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:44:02 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932475 Toni & Kathryn – Our household is currently just my spouse & I, so we also tend to cook at least a main dish 2-3 times a week & then make meals around the leftovers the rest of the time. We either just re-heat, or might reconfigure or add different side dishes. Our mainstay is a good-sized roasted chicken which evolves over the week from hot roasted chicken to cold, then possibly some chicken enchiladas or salad, then soup or stew.

However, I know a surprising # of people who refuse to eat leftovers, & apparently freezing meals & then reheating doesn’t count as leftovers. (I prefer leftovers myself.)

]]> By: rosa rugosa http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932474 rosa rugosa Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:38:21 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932474 We do this with soups, stews, chowders, and spaghetti sauce. My husband generally cooks enough to feed us at least four times and we put the extras in plastic containers. We eat a batch, refrigerate one, and freeze two.

]]> By: Sandy E. http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932473 Sandy E. Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:38:03 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932473 For freezer recipes, I go to eatingwell.com and in their search box, type ‘freezer recipes’ and then if you scroll down to the left of the page toward the bottom, and click on ‘make ahead casseroles’, you’ll find recipes for low calorie casseroles, vegetarian casserole recipes, crock pot recipes and healthy freezer recipes, etc. (any of which can be made ahead and frozen). It’s an excellent all around cook site.

]]> By: Gretchen http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932469 Gretchen Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:05:47 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932469 My freezer is not big enough for 8 pans of lasagna!

The trick with cooking ahead is to use the frozen items before they get freezer burned and gross.

]]> By: cynthia http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932468 cynthia Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:56:00 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932468 Hi Trent,
This sounds like a really great way to “bank” meals, but I am wondering a little bit about the nuts and bolts of it. What do you store the food in? Do you have 8 lasagna pans that you store in your freezer?
thanks,
Cynthia

]]> By: Kathryn http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932463 Kathryn Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:24:34 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932463 I do something similar to what Toni S does. I’m a married SAHM, but DH travels a lot. I plan our menus so that, in the few days before one of his trips, I cook dinners that generate lots of leftovers. Then I eat the LOs while he’s gone. This keeps me eating healthy but frees me of the need to cook much while he’s gone, which is really helpful because I’m usually worn out from parenting solo.

]]> By: Leah http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932456 Leah Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:01:07 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932456 What I’d really like to see are *exact* recipes and how you exactly freeze them. I’ve tried freezing stuff before. Some of it turns out alright (pasta sauce is great, ground beef is fine as long as I plan on mixing it into something, etc), but I don’t feel confident about freezing a lot of stuff.

]]> By: valleycat1 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932453 valleycat1 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:40:54 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932453 Freshly made meals that are quick & easy to prepare can be just as delicious or healthy as ones you spend a lot of time putting together.

]]> By: Toni S http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932450 Toni S Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:28:53 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932450 I’m single and I “bank” as I go. When I cook, I cook for four. I eat the same meal for two days then freeze the rest in individual servings. On the third day I cook another 4 serving meal eat it for a couple of days and freeze the rest. After a while I have individual servings of a variety of meals and when I don’t feel like cooking for a week I can easily retrieve something from the freezer to reheat.

]]> By: Cheryl http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/12/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-bank-some-meals/#comment-932446 Cheryl Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:57:37 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/?p=6360#comment-932446 You can use “non-casserole” type pans, too. Think bread pans, pie pans, muffin tins (individual meatloaves). If it an “all mixed up” type casserole, just use a ziplock bag. Pour in the casserole, flatten it out for easy stacking.

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