Author Topic: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday  (Read 14805 times)

littleone

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Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« on: April 06, 2014, 12:37:05 PM »
What recipes do you make that will hold you over for the entire week?
Share your recipes!

Today ~
Roasted a turkey breast for making sandwiches.
Smother turkey breast with whatever spices mixed with olive oil you like under the skin. Place on rack over a pan with water under it. Roast at 450 for 30 mins then turn it down to 325 and check it after 15-20 mins more with thermometer. Let cool, then carve.

Made broth from leftover carcass of turkey breast and leftover vegetables that I throw in the freezer.
Place 10 cups water in stockpot with the leftover turkey carcass, add salt and whatever vegetable scraps you saved. Boil, cover, reduce to simmer for an hour. Stain and set aside.

Use the tasty broth for chicken and dumplings.
Salt & pepper both sides of chicken thighs, dredge in flour. Place a little oil in a stockpot, cook both sides for 4-5 mins to get some fond(brown bits) in the bottom of pan, remove the chicken and set aside. Add celery, onion, carrot and garlic to pan and saute with whatever spices you like. Add the broth that was made earlier and a little milk(1/4 cup). Add a few diced potatoes and chicken back in pot. Bring to boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 10-20 mins more until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, let cool, shred and put back in pot. Add whatever dumplings you want into the pot and simmer until they are done (I use a bisquick mix since I had it) simmer for another 15 mins or until dumplings are done. Add some parsley if you have it.

Made a coconut curry lentil dish with rice as a side.
Saute a diced onion, 6 garlic cloves minced and 1 T of minced ginger. Add 2 T of curry, 2 T of tomato paste and some hot pepper flakes for some heat saute for another min or two. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, can of coconut milk, a diced tomato, and 1 1/2 cups of red lentils. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add some Kale at the end if you have it.

Now I have plenty of meals for the week. Probably will freeze half of the chicken and dumplings and the lentil dish.
All of the dishes can be made with what you have and to taste. Nothing like one pot meals for the most part.

What do you make to hold you over for the week?

lexie2000

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2014, 12:52:04 PM »
I batch cook quite frequently.  Lasagna, chili, chicken spaghetti, soups, chile verde, home-made refried beans, etc.  As long as I am using my personal energy to prepare it and the energy from the stove/over to cook it, I might as well prepare a bunch and stick the extra in the freezer.

On a single day I might make two or three dishes like potato salad, a bean casserole, and/or home-made mac & cheese.  Then we'll use them as side dishes or eat a portion for lunch over the next week.  I just finished the last of a huge batch of potato salad that I made.  I need to pick up some more potatoes so I can make another big batch.  I make a mean potato salad if I do say so myself.  LOL

ketchup

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2014, 12:54:09 PM »
Ground Beef Curry  (I usually at least double this, and freeze portions for good "fast food" microwave lunches at work during the week)  Based on a Betty Crocker recipe of all things.

1 1/2 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1   lb ground beef
4   tbsp butter
1   small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1   clove garlic, finely chopped
2   tablespoons grated gingerroot (about 3 inches)
4   oz tomato paste
dash of allspice, dash of onion powder
2   tbsp white vinegar
1   teaspoon salt
2   teaspoons ground cumin
2   teaspoons chili powder
1   teaspoon garam masala
2   cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained
3   tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Cook rice in rice cooker.  Meanwhile, in a 4-quart stock pot, cook butter, beef, onion, garlic and gingerroot over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked.  Blend diced tomatoes very slightly in a food processor (just pulse once or twice).  Add to pot. Stir remaining ingredients except cilantro into beef mixture. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Serve beef mixture over rice. Garnish with cilantro.   Mix leftovers together and separate into freezer portions.  Makes about 4 servings per iteration of the recipe.

littleone

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2014, 01:01:48 PM »
That sounds great!
I have been looking for a dish to make with some ground meat I have in the freezer along with some rice. I guess I found the next meal I will make after I go through everything I already have made!
Thanks

dcheesi

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2014, 01:23:25 PM »
I make a batch of bean & cheese burritos to eat at work all week. Healthier than the store-bought ones, and I can play around with the ingredients to keep it interesting. And I find that between the beans and the high-fiber tortillas, they're actually more filling for longer than many of the meat-based foods I used to eat.

swick

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2014, 02:33:08 PM »
Good thread!

Yesterday I crockpotted a chicken and removed all the meat, made a lentil side dish that will last all week and pizza. Put two balls of pizza dough into the freezer for later. Not 100% sure what the chicken will be used for - stirfries and soup in the upcoming week, sandwiches and maybe some chicken and corn bread dumplings if I have time. Today I am finishing off the stock and making cornbread for the next couple of days.

Daddy-Stache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #6 on: April 06, 2014, 05:02:44 PM »
CHeck this out.
http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

40 Meals in 4 hours using a crackpot cooking. I've always wanted to try it.

MissStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2014, 07:05:43 AM »
Oh man!  You are going to eat really well this week.  That all sounds delicious- especially the lentil curry.  Thanks for the recipe.

unix_kung_fu

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2014, 09:39:58 AM »
nice work.. i just bought a 5lb bag of green split peas and a 5lb bag of garbanzos (both dried of course) from Amazon. Price/lb. is cheaper than the dried beans at Whole Foods, and, it keeps me out of the Whole Foods and the urge to spend way too much. I expect between the misses and I that we will go through these both in 3-4 months (could be way sooner, but gotta have some variety!).

Sunday cooking for the weekend is becoming one of my more enjoyable weekend activities.

HAULIN3

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2014, 09:52:42 AM »
a huge amount of brown rice in the rice cooker, and then use that all week. I either put with it Black beans and salsa or frozen veggies/beans... Cheap, easy and healthy!! soysauce or salsa on the side.. I'll also make a HUGE lettuce salad with raw veggies, a couple cans of garbanzo beans, some wheat pasta, or some more brown rice and use a vinegar,brown mustard and maple syrup dressing with it...  This salad is filling because of the beans, the pasta or the rice.  I love to add some shredded salad on top too (preshredded and bagged)  I make tons of soups that last all week between lunch and dinner....  Homemade bean burgers cost about $1 for 4.  I eat a burger with a baked potato and salsa... Filling and CHEAP!!!!!

Fonzico

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #10 on: April 07, 2014, 10:14:44 AM »
I love it! I enjoy cooking, and find it to be a good way to unwind after work, so I normally just cook a big dinner that can be used for lunches for the next day or two.

However, this weekend, I cooked up a ~20lb turkey (Christmas gift from work, that had just been sitting in the freezer). From that, we ate turkey dinner (rutabaga and carrots and gravy) and sandwiches all weekend. I made a big batch of soup with the dark meat, half of which got frozen, the rest will be my lunch for most of the week. The remaining white meat will be made into turkey salad for more sandwiches, or just eaten on its own, and I think I'm going to shred some, and cook it up with tomato sauce and mozzarella for tonight :) Oh, and broth, of course, from the bones! I got a double-batch of broth out of them - the first went into the soup, then I added some onions, and topped up the water, and let it go again - the second batch should be nice and gelatinous; so good for you.

This will help put a big dent in my grocery bill this month! Of course, free poultry is not a regular occurrence, but I'll take it when I can get it.

Trede

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #11 on: April 07, 2014, 11:18:43 AM »
Love this thread and am stealing at least a couple of the ideas so far!  I tend to be a Sunday cooker as well, and this week I'm trying two new recipes.  The first is a "chiles rellenos casserole" from Cooking Light:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chiles-rellenos-casserole-10000000521408/

It's at least Monday's and Wednesday's dinner... going to throw salsa and sour cream on each portion and call it good.  I did make a batch of mexican rice to sub for the refried beans (not my husband's favorite), and added a generous topping of fresh chopped jalapenos before pouring the egg batter over the whole thing.  I will say it came out of the oven looking fantastic.

The other recipe I'm trying is a variation on this Senegalese Lemon Chicken:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/senegalese-lemon-chicken-10000000443461/

Again will have to make some adjustments for household tastes, but seemed like a nice way to do something new with chicken.

Daisy

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #12 on: April 07, 2014, 11:31:12 AM »
I love it! I enjoy cooking, and find it to be a good way to unwind after work, so I normally just cook a big dinner that can be used for lunches for the next day or two.

However, this weekend, I cooked up a ~20lb turkey (Christmas gift from work, that had just been sitting in the freezer). From that, we ate turkey dinner (rutabaga and carrots and gravy) and sandwiches all weekend. I made a big batch of soup with the dark meat, half of which got frozen, the rest will be my lunch for most of the week. The remaining white meat will be made into turkey salad for more sandwiches, or just eaten on its own, and I think I'm going to shred some, and cook it up with tomato sauce and mozzarella for tonight :) Oh, and broth, of course, from the bones! I got a double-batch of broth out of them - the first went into the soup, then I added some onions, and topped up the water, and let it go again - the second batch should be nice and gelatinous; so good for you.

This will help put a big dent in my grocery bill this month! Of course, free poultry is not a regular occurrence, but I'll take it when I can get it.

What a coincidence...I pulled out some frozen turkey that I had made a few weeks ago and had turkey tacos last night. I had also frozen some homemade guacamole and added it to the tacos.

The frozen guacamole was an experiment that turned out well. Who woulda thunk it?

I had made 12lb turkey a few weeks ago and shredded the meat and put them in 3-serving size packets in the freezer. I can make all sorts of things with that! After making it I thought that the next time I might as well buy a bigger turkey. The work is essentially the same and then I will have more meat to pick from in my freezer.

I am a lazy cook...might as well do the same amount of work and get more food out of it!

griffin

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #13 on: April 07, 2014, 03:40:00 PM »
I've been doing this lately too! It makes life sooo much easier and also helps me avoid going out to eat. Win/win! I'm probably a bit weird in that I've eaten the same lunch every day since the start of 2014, but I kind of like the repitition. I do: 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 pound broccolli (frozen, usually), 1 can beans (should not really be buying canned beans), 1 lb chicken breast (olive oil, garlic powder, throw it in the oven for ~40 minutes). Probably only about 20 minutes of actually doing things - 3 minutes a meal! It's nice seeing other people's recipes though - maybe its time to branch out. I was thinking maybe some kind of turkey chili dish might be next on my agenda...

rescuedog

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #14 on: April 07, 2014, 04:09:41 PM »
I have not yet tried to make a whole week of meals in one day.  That is quite a feat!  I have made like 4 homemade pizzas on a Sunday and that gets us 4-5 different meals for the week.  Then we have all sorts of time after work to run, bike, hike, etc. 

Here are two vegan one pot dishes (I'm not even vegan, actually, they are just yummy and filling) that when doubled make enough lunches for the 2 of us for the work week:

Spicy Vegan Potato Curry
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-vegan-potato-curry/
(I use 4 potatoes for a double, not a single, that's a lot of potatoes)
(I recommend frozen bags of peas or frozen bags of spinach, not canned)


Thai Lentils with Sweet Potatoes

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/special-dietary-needs/creamy-thai-sweet-potatoes-and-lentils/
(I use a whole can of coconut per recipe)

I know some people cannot eat the same dish over and over, but I am really OK with it.  Having the same lunch for 5 days does not bother me.  I prefer to bring microwavable lunches to work.

« Last Edit: April 07, 2014, 04:11:36 PM by rescuedog »

sheepstache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #15 on: April 09, 2014, 09:24:40 AM »
Ground Beef Curry

Made this last night.  Tasty and easy.  Thanks!

ketchup

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #16 on: April 09, 2014, 10:12:17 AM »
Ground Beef Curry

Made this last night.  Tasty and easy.  Thanks!
You're welcome!  I made some myself Monday night and had it this morning for breakfast.

BuffaloStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #17 on: December 18, 2016, 08:39:24 PM »
CHeck this out.
http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

40 Meals in 4 hours using a crackpot cooking. I've always wanted to try it.

I know I'm late to this game, but has anyone actually tried this? I'm intrigued

oldtoyota

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #18 on: December 19, 2016, 01:23:29 PM »
Yum. I am making this now and then the coconut lentil curry for later.

Thai Lentils with Sweet Potatoes
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/special-dietary-needs/creamy-thai-sweet-potatoes-and-lentils/
(I use a whole can of coconut per recipe)

BuffaloStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #19 on: December 20, 2016, 06:28:24 PM »
Thai Lentils with Sweet Potatoes

That sounds delicious! I'll have to try it in the new year

Melissa

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #20 on: December 21, 2016, 07:12:59 PM »
Commenting to keep getting updates....

My part time job has turned full time (for now at least). We have been relying on convenience foods too much. Bagged salad it soooo much easier on a busy night than shredding and spinning, but it is a budget buster since we go through 2 bags of salad every night

BuffaloStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2016, 02:21:18 PM »
My part time job has turned full time (for now at least). We have been relying on convenience foods too much. Bagged salad it soooo much easier on a busy night than shredding and spinning, but it is a budget buster since we go through 2 bags of salad every night

My wife and I make a HUGE bowl of salad almost every Sunday (so big it barely fits in our fridge). We cover it with a damp paper towel and saran wrap, and it usually stays fresh for most of the week (On Friday it has the beginnings of going bad, but it's typically still good). I've found that a key to this is making sure your fridge isn't turned down too low- ours is at 41 Degrees F and that seems to do the trick.

Livingthedream55

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #22 on: December 28, 2016, 08:03:58 AM »
My part time job has turned full time (for now at least). We have been relying on convenience foods too much. Bagged salad it soooo much easier on a busy night than shredding and spinning, but it is a budget buster since we go through 2 bags of salad every night

My wife and I make a HUGE bowl of salad almost every Sunday (so big it barely fits in our fridge). We cover it with a damp paper towel and saran wrap, and it usually stays fresh for most of the week (On Friday it has the beginnings of going bad, but it's typically still good). I've found that a key to this is making sure your fridge isn't turned down too low- ours is at 41 Degrees F and that seems to do the trick.

Actually I do this with several dry paper towels (a few on the bottom of the bowl and a few layered on top) plus the saran wrap to keep it airtight and the greens stay nice and crisp all week.

Urchina

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #23 on: January 03, 2017, 07:31:28 PM »
One of my favorite make-ahead lunches is to peel 2 sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Toss in a mix of 2T Korean gochujang paste, 2T olive oil, 1t toasted sesame oil and 2t low-sodium soy sauce. Dump it out on a rimmed, oiled baking sheet and roast 30 min or so at 400 degrees F until the sweet potatoes are cooked and caramelizing.

Mixed with black beans, these are terrific on a green salad or brown rice. I often include a quartered hard-boiled egg and some steamed broccoli and sprinkle chopped green onions on top.

ketchup

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #24 on: January 04, 2017, 08:08:10 AM »
One of my favorite make-ahead lunches is to peel 2 sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Toss in a mix of 2T Korean gochujang paste, 2T olive oil, 1t toasted sesame oil and 2t low-sodium soy sauce. Dump it out on a rimmed, oiled baking sheet and roast 30 min or so at 400 degrees F until the sweet potatoes are cooked and caramelizing.

Mixed with black beans, these are terrific on a green salad or brown rice. I often include a quartered hard-boiled egg and some steamed broccoli and sprinkle chopped green onions on top.
I know what my coworkers will be smelling coming out of the convection oven in the break room next week....

BuffaloStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #25 on: January 05, 2017, 05:47:58 PM »
I got a 15 lb turkey on special today for ~$0.40/lb. Going to cook that up this weekend for a week's worth of meals.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #26 on: January 08, 2017, 07:26:32 AM »
Dry legumes (lentils, split peas, sometimes beans)

+

fresh, in season vegetables from farmers market

+

flavorful plants (garlic, onion, jalapeno, habanero, ginger, sage)

+

nutritional yeast

+

water

Pressure cook for about ten minutes.

5 - 7 meals for maybe $10 of ingredients and about 20 minutes preparation time.

Never the same twice because vegetable seasonality. Always shockingly delicious.

Later today I'll do one with the kale I bought yesterday and some pumpkin I had from before with split peas onion and jalepeno.

Works every time.

MsWillow

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #27 on: January 08, 2017, 07:29:16 PM »
CHeck this out.
http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

40 Meals in 4 hours using a crackpot cooking. I've always wanted to try it.

I know I'm late to this game, but has anyone actually tried this? I'm intrigued
I went to the website and compared what I had In the freezer & pantry with the recipes. I also looked up IP recipes, instead of crockpot. I made 11 meals today which should be a total of 22+ meals. We'll see how they taste. I'm trying to use up my food storage this month. I spent about 3 hours meal prepping.

Neo

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #28 on: January 09, 2017, 08:32:47 PM »
On sundays we always meal prep for the week. For lunches we do our version of a chiptole chicken bowl. Chicken, cilantro brown rice, peppers, onion, salsa and we buy little individual cups of guac to mix in. We put them in 10 tupperware containers and each take one every day. For breakfast we make burritos and freeze them. Sausage, eggs, cheese, and peppers. Sometimes we make 2 or 3 weeks worth of those since they get frozen. It has saved us a ton of cash.

iowagirl

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #29 on: January 15, 2017, 05:51:58 PM »
I used to do the once a month cooking and it does work out great for times when I'm really busy. Right now i spend one day every 5 weeks making lunches for me. I make 5 different things and package them individually so I have lunch for 5 or 6 weeks, depends on what i make.

I never have to worry about eating out. I dont only do this for cost savings. I work 15 minutes from the nearest town to get lunch. I already work 9 hr days so if I waste 30+ minutes going to get lunch I would be there that much longer. I chose to work the 9 hrs straight and eat as I work. I have a crockpot warmer on my desk so I always have a nice hot meal without having to use the filthy microwave in the break room.

Every Sunday I make my breakfast for the week and prep some of the stuff for the week to save time in the evenings.

BuffaloStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #30 on: January 17, 2017, 02:47:12 PM »
I went to the website and compared what I had In the freezer & pantry with the recipes. I also looked up IP recipes, instead of crockpot. I made 11 meals today which should be a total of 22+ meals. We'll see how they taste. I'm trying to use up my food storage this month. I spent about 3 hours meal prepping.

Keep us updated on how it goes!

BuffaloStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #31 on: January 17, 2017, 02:48:17 PM »
Not quite an entire week's worth, but has anyone tried this recipe: http://www.camelliabrand.com/slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice/

I've made similar, but this sounds delicious.

westtoeast

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #32 on: January 17, 2017, 04:03:37 PM »
Question... how long do you consider your food still good in the fridge? I love to cook everything on Sunday, but I start to worry about freshness by the time Thursday and Friday roll around. Do most people just eat the meals through the week? Or should I be throwing Thursday-Sunday into the freezer and then remembering to defrost? Thanks!

PS-- Do you let things go longer if there is no meat?

clarkfan1979

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #33 on: January 18, 2017, 06:45:28 PM »
For leftovers, I rarely go more than 4 days in the refrigerator. That is my personal preference. If I know that it's going to be more than 4 days before I can eat it, I will put it in the freezer.

I think I have made some homemade soups and one 1 week in the refrigerator.

I make meals for the week, twice a week. Once on Wednesdays and once on Sundays. I'm not working on Wednesdays this semester, so it's pretty easy.

BuffaloStache

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Re: Made entire weeks worth of meals on Sunday
« Reply #34 on: February 03, 2017, 11:32:24 PM »
Question... how long do you consider your food still good in the fridge? I love to cook everything on Sunday, but I start to worry about freshness by the time Thursday and Friday roll around. Do most people just eat the meals through the week? Or should I be throwing Thursday-Sunday into the freezer and then remembering to defrost? Thanks!

PS-- Do you let things go longer if there is no meat?

for me it depends on the meal. If there is no meat, then I'm definitely fine with eating something that has been in the fridge for up to 7 days. For meat dishes, it also depends on the method of cooking; for soups/stews/dishes where the meat is "swimming" in a sauce, I find it's typically fine for 4-7 days. For 'plain' or 'dry' hunks of meat, I typically try to freeze it or eat it within 4 days.

Another tip is that all of this depends on your containers. Good packaging can go a long way in saving your food. I'm a big fan of these glass snapware containers that they sell at Costco. I'm not a huge fan of microwaving leftovers in the plastic containers, but that's personal preference.