Share your healthy make-ahead meals!

4eyes

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 5:56 pm

Due to a new schedule, I will be working late on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
This means that I have to have meals for my family prepared ahead and frozen, for DH to reheat, or prepared in the crockpot.

Please share any and all ideas of things that are easy and tasty, yet healthy. I have limited time to cook in general, aside from my late nights so I would really love to make ahead and freeze or to put up in the crockpot in the AM before work.

to clarify -- by healthy, I mean emphasis on "real food", or the following:
- use of veggies and fruits
- whole grains as opposed to refined (whole grain pasta, brown rice, etc)
- healthy fats
- limited (or no) use of prepared and/or sugary ingredients (eg duck sauce etc)
- no MSG/soup mix

I am off dairy, but I will make a meal once in a while for my family that is dairy.
Also, my husband doesn't love pasta...

Ideas for make-ahead shabbos meals (I now work late weds and thurs so cooking mostly on Wednesday morning or Tuesday night)

Thank you all so much!

justcallmeima

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 6:38 pm

Soup soup soup. I make a big pot of soup that is a meal in itself. Veggies, beans and a grain. Dh can easily warm it up and the kids can have it with or without whole grain bread. Fresh fruit for dessert.

Whole grain pizza with veggies blended into the sauce.

Stir fried veggies with tofu and a grain onthe side.

Lasagna using tofu instead of cheese.

4eyes

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 6:59 pm

Thanks for the suggestions!

What do you mean by "lite" meatballs?

And my DH doesn't like to eat soup when its warm out...so basically, from Pesach to Sukkos we don't eat soup. My toddler will eat pretty much any chunky soup...so maybe now I will make it anyways and DH can take it or leave it. Its my favourite way to get toddler to eat veggies! (He doesn't like most veggies raw)

Any more ideas for make ahead or crock pot meals?

amother

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 7:11 pm

Chicken with potato chunks/barley/carrot/rice in crochpot. Season with garlic salt and paprica. Fill with water.
Delicious to come home to.

Saute onions/ mushrooms/pepper wtvr veggie you like. Add ground meat and a can of tomato sauce.
This can be served mixed into ww pasta or on tacos with some shredded lettuce and/or israeli salad.
Very kid friendly.

Chicken dogs and buns, cut veggies, baked beans.

Meat lasagna

Breaded shnitzel (you bread in morning have dh bake it for 20 min) with a side of baked veggies(same idea you spice veggies have dh bake) potato salad or any other favorite salad.

Good luck!

4eyes

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 7:42 pm

amother wrote:

Do you use cutlets? a whole chicken? pieces of bone-in chicken?
And do you brown the ground beef before adding it to the crock?

ra_mom

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 8:24 pm

There are some great healthy recipes posted in the thread called ' full supper recipes in the crockpot'. Saucy meatballs with side of (whole wheat) spaghetti, balsamic chicken with bag of (brown) rice (modify the rice bag recipe to cook longer for brown rice), succulent garlic chicken, beef and barley stew, herb roasted chicken, etc. Take a look Smile

allthingsblue

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 8:26 pm

Chili. (I have an awesome, healthy recipe, let me know if you want it) it freezes well.

Chicken with baby red potatoes; you can make it in the AM or the night before, and DH can put it in the oven. I actually got the recipe from imamother (I added halved baby potatoes to the bottom of the pan)
the recipe is ra_moms. I used bone in chicken breast (healthier) as well as bottoms. I put the recipe on the bottom of this post.

Salmon- mccormick has a good recipe: 2 T olive oil, 1 T lemon juice, 2 tsp mccormick garlic and herb seasoning; mix; spread over salmon; bake uncovered at 350 for at least 20 min- you can prepare the salmon in the AM or the night before, and DH can put in the oven. You can serve it with romaine lettuce and grape tomatoes.

Grilled chicken cutlets- marinate ( I use a marinade from Leah Schapira and Victoria Dweck's kids cookbook, lmk if you want it) in the AM or the night before, and DH can grill it on grill/grill pan/ George Foreman

ra_mom's chicken recipe:
6 chicken bottoms with skin, (I used 4)
1 large or 2 small onions, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper (I used less)
20 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact
use bone-in chicken bottoms. leave the skin intact.
bake tightly covered at 325 for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
this recipe, made in the crockpot, or in the oven as described above, makes melt in your mouth chicken.
you can use 4 garlic cloves cut in half instead of 20 whole ones if you are short on time.

studying_torah

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 8:35 pm

What can I make in advance w/o a crock pot since dh hates food cooked in one. (Except for cholent oddly enough, but only mine or his mother's).
He also hates veggie kugels, quiches, any tofu like foods, and beans don't agree with his tummy so he asked me not to make them.
Eta: I'm not cooking much now so it's gotta be very simple

allthingsblue

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 8:59 pm

[quote="emunahmother"]

allthingsblue wrote:

Chili. (I have an awesome, healthy recipe, let me know if you want it) it freezes well.

Not to take over the thread but can u post the recipe and what u serve it with...

Thank u!

I serve it with whole grain tacos, lettuce and tomatoes. It can also go with rice. But it is a really filling meal on its own, too.

Recipe below, from my mil.

1 T vegetable oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 tsp hot chili powder (or regular chili powder)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz can whole or diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef, stirring until it crumbles. Drain fat.
Add rest of ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

(I usually cook it for 3 hours, as DH likes it better that way.) (The recipe my mil sent me suggests serving it with corn chips, rice, lettuce, olives)

Shopmiami49

Tue, Mar 25 2014, 3:01 am

I prepare crockpot bags with chicken pieces, beans, and barley and I spice it well. Whenever I need, I pull one out, fill it with water and put it in the crockpot. Sometimes I will add potatoes or sweet potatoes, but it doesn't really need.

I also have prespiced and prepared salmon fillets in the freezer that dh often just sticks in the oven and makes some instant whole wheat couscous to go with it. Same with egged and breaded shnitzel.

And that's besides for the soups and meatballs, lasagnas, etc.