I get it. It’s hard to cook every single day without a break. Add in a job or college (or both!) and it just adds to the challenge.
When I first got married, I was working full time, often getting home between 5:30-6 pm. My husband would come home at 6:30 and I wanted to have dinner ready by the time he came home. During that period while I was working at that job, I did a lot of planning ahead for meals. I would do crockpot dinners, cook and freeze on Sundays or do meals that required very minimal time.
If you have a busy schedule or are nervous about cooking for yom tov, this post is for you. In this article, I will walk you through different ways to plan ahead for meals so you have them easily accessible when you need them.
Freezing prepared (raw) meals
Preparing meals and freezing them raw is my favorite way to prepare meals in advance. Most often, I do it when I am already cooking in the kitchen.
Method #1: As you go along
For example, if I am making schnitzel, I’ll bread a few extra cutlets and freeze them uncooked. If there is a day where I am short on time, I’ll just pull the prepared schnitzel out of the freezer and fry/bake and dinner is ready in just a few minutes.
This method can apply to most types of prepared foods. Some of my favorites include cookie dough, hamburgers and schnitzel.
Method #2: Knock it out
Another way to easily knock out the prep time is to do it on one shot. Set aside a few hours one day and prepare as many meals as you can. Fill up your freezer and you will be good to go.
TIP: Freeze the meals in small portion sizes. If it’s just you and your husband eating, one full sized recipe can easily get you 2-3 meals.
TIP: Put a piece of parchment paper between each layer of food (ex. Between each piece of schnitzel or burger)
Freezing cooked food
Cooking meals and then freezing them makes dinner time literally as simple as 1,2,3. Before dinner, all you have to do is defrost and warm it up!
How to know which foods freeze well
There’s no official rule, but here is a list of which foods typically do or don’t freeze well.
Do Freeze: Soups, kugels, cooked meat/chicken with a sauce, baked goods, prepared raw meat/chicken
Don’t freeze: Foods that easily dry out (cooked turkey, spiced chicken), raw fruits/vegetables, potatoes
TIP: Once raw meat or chicken is defrosted, it should not be frozen again raw.
Defrosting raw meat/chicken
Have you ever tried to defrost meat or chicken on the counter? If you have, you will know that it can take a long time. Here are a few tricks so you don’t have to wait it out.
- Put the raw meat/chicken in the fridge the night before you need it
- Place the package of meat/chicken face down in a bowl or pan of cold/warm water*
*Don’t use hot water since it can cook the food!
Defrosting frozen prepared meals
The night before eating a meal from the freezer, put the food into the fridge. This way the food will take a fraction of the time to heat up.
If you didn’t know the night before, you can pull the meal out of the freezer a few hours before and let it sit out on the counter to defrost before heating up.
If you don’t have any time, just throw the meal into the oven. Don’t worry, I won’t judge 😉
Crockpot dinners
Crockpot dinners are often the simplest to prepare and are full of delicious flavor.
In the morning, place the ingredients into the Crockpot and all you need to do is turn it on. When you come home, the house will smell delicious, and the food will be hot and ready to eat.
TIP: The night before the planned Crockpot dinner, prepare all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and store in the fridge. This will save you a lot of time in the morning!
Conclusion
Having prepared meals in the freezer is very convenient, and it does not need to take a long time to prepare! Stock up your freezer and enjoy the break from cooking when you need it.
