Prep 5 Dinners in 90 Minutes or Less!

Join me for a free virtual dinner prep party live on Facebook on Sunday, January 10 at 2pm est. These recipes are from my 52 Weeks of Make-Ahead Dinner Plans!

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Prep 5 Slow Cooker Soup & Chili Freezer Meals in 30 Minutes!

Here are 5 soup/chili recipes (no pre-cooking needed) that you can prep for your freezer in about 30 minutes (recipes and complete grocery list below)!

It’s as easy as shop, prep, and freeze.

I recommend labeling the freezer bags before you add the ingredients to them. I normally use a Sharpie marker (easy and cheap) and write the recipe name, date, cooking instructions, and additional cook day ingredients (if applicable).

1) Steak & Black Bean Chili

Serves 4-6; Supplies needed: 2 gallon size freezer bags

Prep Day Ingredients:

 Approx. 2 lbs beef stew meat
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar (optional)
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
15 oz can beef broth
28 oz can tomato sauce 

Cook Day Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cornstarch (or desired thickener)...

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Big Batch Oven Scrambled Eggs & Breakfast Burritos

batch cook recipes Sep 14, 2020

I want to share an easy recipe for big batch oven scrambled eggs. These are perfect if you want to make a bunch of breakfast freezer burritos (and it's also a great way to make scrambled eggs when you have company over). 

Recipe: Big Batch Oven Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
24 eggs
2 cups whole milk or half n' half
1/2 cup salsa (mild, medium, or hot)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour the melted butter in a 9x13 dish and make sure all sides of the pan are coated to avoid sticking.
3. Whisk together the eggs and seasonings. Then slowly whisk in the milk and salsa. Pour into baking dish.
4. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes (the time can vary depending on on what size pan you use - a smaller dish will require a longer cook time). Make sure to stir the eggs around 15 minutes and then again at 30 minutes. Continue cooking until the...

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Low Carb Breakfast Biscuits (Freezer-Friendly)

batch cook recipes Sep 14, 2020

These low carb breakfast biscuits are freezer-friendly and perfect for a quick breakfast on the go. They can go straight from the freezer to microwave. 

Recipe: Low Carb Breakfast Biscuits
Yields: 20-24 biscuits


Ingredients:
8 ounces breakfast sausage

3/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1-1/2 cups almond flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

A couple dashes of hot pepper sauce (ex. Tabasco)

6 eggs

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded swiss cheese


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Saute the sausage, onions, and peppers together until the sausage is cooked. Let cool. 

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking powder, and seasonings.

4. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Then stir in the swiss cheese, hot sauce, and sausage/veggies. Then add the egg/sausage mixture to the bowl with the dry mixture and mix together well.

5. Spoon "cookie size" dollops onto a...

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Sheet Pan Pancakes

batch cook recipes Sep 14, 2020

This a great way to make a batch of pancakes with zero flipping needed. They are freezer-friendly for busy mornings, too!

RECIPE: SHEET PAN PANCAKES

Yields: 12 big pancake squares (in a half sheet pan/18x13)

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar (or granulated Monk Fruit or Swerve sweetener)
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half “white” whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
+additional desired toppings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (may still be a few lumps).

Brush melted butter on an 18x13 sheet pan and pour in the batter. Tap pan gently on counter a few times to even out batter.

At this point you can top with your desired toppings: chocolate chips,...

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Prep 5 Chicken Freezer Meals in 30 Minutes!

Here are 5 easy chicken recipes that you can prep for your freezer in only 30 minutes (recipes and complete grocery list below)!

I recommend labeling the freezer bags before you add the ingredients to them. I normally use a Sharpie marker (easy and cheap) and write the recipe name, date, cooking instructions, and additional cook day ingredients (if applicable).

1) Easy Italian Baked Chicken

Serves 4-6; Supplies needed: 2 gallon size freezer bags, 1 quart size freezer bag

Prep Day Ingredients:
1-1/2 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (approx. 4-6 chicken breasts)
3/4 cup of your favorite Italian dressing
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
Prep Instructions:
1. Place the chicken and Italian dressing in a gallon size freezer bag. Seal (making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible).
2. Place the parmesan cheese in a quart size freezer bag and seal.
3. Place the bag of chicken/dressing and bag of parmesan cheese into another gallon size freezer bag (double bag). Lay...
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Four Easy Freezer-to-Oven Chicken Tender Recipes

batch cook recipes Aug 12, 2020

Stock your freezer with some of these easy and kid-friendly BAKED CHICKEN TENDERS. No pre-cooking needed. All you have to do is prep & freeze. These go straight from the freezer-to-oven for a quick lunch or dinner.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

When ready to eat, these go straight from the freezer to oven (no need to thaw). Bake at 400 degrees on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. I sometimes broil the breaded tenders for a minute if needed to brown the top further.

Note: When prepping, you can also cut the tenders into nugget-size pieces if preferred.


Baked Breaded Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh chicken tenders/tenderloin
2 eggs, beaten 
2 tablespoons of water
2 cups seasoned Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt

Prep Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and water.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

3. Dip the...

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Pasta Sauce Three Ways

batch cook recipes May 19, 2019

Pasta sauce falls into the “things I like to batch cook” category (right up there with ground beef, shredded chicken, homemade chicken stock). Why? 1) It’s a staple ingredient that I use often, and 2) it takes just a teeny bit more time to double or triple the recipe.


Work smarter, not harder, right?

Jarred sauce is great for convenience (trust me, I’ve used about every convenience item in the store at some point, so this is a non-judging zone) but many of them contain quite a bit of added sugar. Homemade sauce is silly easy to make, so why not avoid the added sugar and just make your own?

These three sauces are all built on one basic sauce; you're just adding a couple of ingredients each time that transforms the final product. All of these sauces can be frozen (make sure to cool completely first).

The basic sauce is equal to about one 28-ounce jar of pasta sauce.
 

RECIPE: PASTA SAUCE THREE WAYS

Sauce #1: Easy Basic Pasta Sauce

INGREDIENTS

  • 28 ounce can...

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Big Batch Sloppy Joes (Three Meals in One Hour)

batch cook recipes Mar 15, 2019

One of my freezer filling strategies is to simply double or triple my family favorite recipes. It’s an easy way to get meals in your freezer without a lot of additional work. 

I especially like when I can make a batch of a main ingredient and then whip up a couple of freezer meals with that one main ingredient (I find this not only saves time, but money as well). 

Here's one such idea…I call it Big Batch Sloppy Joes, Three Ways.

With ONE big batch of sloppy joes, you can make THREE different freezer meals: 

  1. Original Sloppy Joes (on buns)
  2. Sloppy Joes Tator Tot Casserole
  3. Sloppy Joes Cornbread Bake

If you are low carbin' it, I have some additional serving suggestions at the bottom of this post.

Here are the recipes & instructions......(feel free to use your favorite tried & true sloppy joe recipe as a substitution).

BIG BATCH SLOPPY JOES (THREE WAYS)

Sloppy Joe Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs, lean ground beef
  • 2 green (or red) bell peppers, diced
  • 2 small...
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Start a Freezer Meal Swap Club!

A FREEZER MEAL SWAP CLUB? TELL ME MORE!

A freezer meal swap club is a great way to share your dinner workload with friends. You will all save time, save money, and get a chance to socialize. Sounds like a no-brainer, eh? So, gather up some kitchen besties (who may include your neighbors, co-workers, bible study group, book club, mom's club, exercise class, etc.)....and start your own club! 

The way a meal “SWAP” works is that each group member picks one recipe and makes enough of that recipe for everyone in the group on their own time and then you all get together once a month (or however often you decide) and swap meals. It’s easier to duplicate one recipe multiple times (and cheaper) than making a bunch of different recipes yourself.

You can also host a freezer meal PREP PARTY, instead of a swap/exchange, where you all get together and prep/cook in one kitchen. However, I personally find the swaps more efficient! Don’t get me wrong though, prepping...

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