weekly kitchen prep

[DandeCobb]

i'm trying to get more orgainized as far as our meals and our snacks go. i was wondering what sort of things you all do every week (or few days) to prep food to make it easy to grab?

[texmati]

I chop a bunch of veggies at the beginning of the week and put them in teeny containers and stick them in the fridge.

[AlpineMama]

:

[CandyApple]

I'll chop veggies, too. I try to make a double batch of mini muffins on Sunday morning to snack on the beginning of the week. And granola too, for yougurt or just snacking plain. Sometimes I'll divide up raisens, crackers or nuts into small ziplocks to just grab and go, but usually I'm lazy and just fill them up when we are heading out. Thats about it. Mostly, I just try to meal plan and always be looking for ways to use the same ingredients and leftovers for new meals (that don't taste like leftovers! ).

I'd love to see some other ideas.

[DandeCobb]

okay i've started on my own! thanks for your replies so far;

it took me about 45 minutes from start to clean up to;

bake 2 doz choc chip cookies
hard boil a dozen eggs
cut up strawberries
pineapple
and carrot sticks
make 2 gallons of tea

so i feel like i am off to a good start

[Best Feeling]

I always aim to do better at pre-prep stuff. I'm doing good just to get in the weekly grocery trip.

[fek&fuzz]

I pick a Grain of The Week and make a big pot of it on Sunday. This week is farro, last week was whole wheat couscous, the week before was brown rice. It is the base for all my meals.

[texmati]

Fek&fuzz, the grain of the week idea sounds really cool! I wanted to add that if it's difficult to find time to pre chop everything, then just just do extra while you are working on dinner for a meal on monday. I use yogurt and sourcream containers to hold the veggies.

[Aubergine68]

Great ideas!

Once a week, usually on Sunday or Monday after grocery shopping, I do the following prep:

I make homemade vanilla yogurt,
bake something for breakfasts (muffins, baked oatmeal, soda bread, etc.)
blanch and freeze any veggies from last week that we aren't finishing quickly enough
wash fruit and veggies just bought, chop as appropriate
make pizza shells, or a casserole (lasagne etc.)
grate cheddar or mozzarella
make homemade ice cream for family movie night

sometimes boil spaghetti or noodles
sometimes 2 litres of almond milk for smoothies
sometimes a pot of brown or wild rice (I am totally stealing that 'grain of the week' idea!)
sometimes bake bread or prep dough for flour tortillas (but lately I've been lazy and I've found some good deals)
In the summer, I make herbal teas for ice tea. (I should do that more!)

[b&c'smama]

OK I am totally inspired! :
Aubergine68, what is baked oatmeal?

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by b&c'smama

Aubergine68, what is baked oatmeal?

Baked oatmeal is the best breakfast food ever. We eat it for breakfast, my dd eats it after school cold with milk, etc. It is sort of like a crumbly cake.I found this recipe on MDC, but do you think I can find the original thread?

Here it is, copied from my recipe file, with apologies to the OP, as I didn't copy her username.

You can do lots of variations on this theme, different fruit purees and dried fruit, different kinds of milks, adding nuts, using ground nuts for part of the oatmeal, etc.

I always cut the sweetener WAY down, esp. if using applesauce. I find the original recipe too sweet:

*******************

Baked Oatmeal

Not crockpot, but have you tried baked oatmeal? It is freakin GOOD!! It is not mushy at all, more like a cake texture.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup applesauce (or veggie oil)
3/4 cup sweetner of your choice (sugar, Splenda, whatever)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups regular oats
1/2 cup raisins
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (I personally use the brown sugar splenda)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIRECTIONS:
Beat together applesauce and sweetner of choice. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, oatmeal. Beat well then stir in raisins. Pour into a lightly grease pie pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven until firm, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

I like mine served with milk and a drizzle of honey over the top!!

[columbusmomma]

:
I need to try that!

[texmati]

I started drooling while reading that baked oatmeal recipe.

I was going to add that making pizza dough at the beginning of the week is really convienent. With the veggies already chopped and speggetti sauce out of a jar and DH loving to put the toppings on the pizza, its a super easy meal that makes everyone feel special.

But now I'm really wondering about Aubergine68's pizza shells.

[linguistmama]

I boil a dozen eggs at a time and I am going to start making big batches of crockpot oatmeal again.

[b&c'smama]

Baked Oatmeal looks wonderful! I am going to try it next week... : thanks for the recipe!

[vm9799]

: i SERIOUSLY need to start doing this more!

does anyone happen to have a quick/easy/healthy pizza dough recipe handy that they'd be willing to share? right now frozen pizzas are our "go to" meal, but i'd prefer to make it myself. thanks!

[Maddy123]

I usually make a couple soups every week. I try to make one a bean soup and one something else (like potato or vegetable). We use them for lunches or to fill out a dinner. (Other than potato soup, my kids don't eat much of the soup, so it's just for DH and me.)

[texmati]

Originally Posted by vm9799

: i SERIOUSLY need to start doing this more!

does anyone happen to have a quick/easy/healthy pizza dough recipe handy that they'd be willing to share? right now frozen pizzas are our "go to" meal, but i'd prefer to make it myself. thanks!

I have one using yogurt and bread flour. I'll try to post it when I get home.

[MamaPam]

: I used to do some prep the night before but have fallen out of the habit. I'd love ideas for what can be done at the beginning of the week to make things easier.

[stayinghome]

I will make a big batch of either french toast or pancakes over the weekend and then freeze them. I was buying the frozen ones for convienience and then realised how much cheaper it is to make it on my own and freeze.

I also do a daily planner for the week and stick it on the fridge. Then i will plan our dinners out accordingly. For example something fast if there is an evening activity, something home cooked and longer to make on a night we're all home. Then, i know ahead of time what that night's meal will be.