Whether you want to cook in a way that’s better for your health or better for your budget, a big part of it is learning how to do meal planning and meal prep in advance. Cooking meals so that you can quickly heat and eat later can stop you from having to cook from scratch every day, and help you resist the urge to call for a quick and easy takeout. Here, we’re going to look at a few ways to cook meals so good and easy that you can set aside portions for later so you have dinner or lunch for later in the week, too.
The classic
There is one meal that many families already think of when they want to prepare something that they can easily freeze and reheat. Casseroles are extremely simple dishes. If you want to add a bit of variety, you don’t need to follow a specific recipe, you just need to learn all the fundamentals of casseroles, and then you can start being a lot freer with what ingredients you use in each step. They’re super easy to make in large batches and they both freeze and reheat very well, meaning you can have them, not just the next day, but much later in the week without concern.
Get that crockpot ready
One of the best things about crockpots and slow cookers is that they are so incredibly easy to just throw in the right mix of ingredients, let them heat, and end up with some healthy servings of delicious food. This slow cooker cabbage recipe is just the perfect example, it has some easily prepared meat, centers around a nutritious and tasty vegetable, and all you really have to do is offer it the right seasoning. You and your family can chill and reheat easily after the fact.
Get a pie in the oven
It might take a little more effort than putting a few ingredients in the oven, but baking a tasty and delicious chicken pot pie means you have a meal that is incredibly easy to reheat for the days ahead. Baked goods hold well in the fridge and are super filling, so you will have plenty of slices leftover, all you need to do is make a few sides for them the next day, if you even have to do that.
The difference a good stew makes
Not all the foods that you can chill and reheat are super bulky or stodgy foods, either. You can also go with a lighter but still filling meal like this Persian lamb stew recipe. In fact, there are many kinds of soups, stews, and curries that you can make in advance, then chill, then make them with a different side food the next day. You can take fries one day and rice the next, for example, allowing you some way to keep variety between meals.
Start putting aside portions for later and you’re going to start saving so much time cooking and so much money buying ingredients and takeout.
