I’ve been in the kitchen most of the day, cooking up a storm during a storm (7 inches of snow, so far)! Using my list as a guide, I made most of the dishes I’d planned with a few last minute swaps. Here are the results of my Bulk Cooking Day:
1. Chicken and potatoes
I baked 2 trays of split breasts and potato wedges after sprinkling with salt/pepper. After cooking, I put the potatoes in a bowl and waited for the chicken to cool, then shredded it. I had enough meat to fill a big ziplock. We’ll eat the potatoes tonight for dinner, along with some of the shredded chicken mixed with BBQ sauce, and broccoli.
2. Meatballs and string beans
This wasn’t on the list and I hadn’t planned to make it, but I found a small bag of meatballs in the freezer and needed to use them up. I baked them along with string beans on the same pan. All you need is some salt/pepper. This will be tomorrow’s dinner, served with brown rice.
3. Baked brown rice
My first time baking it and the finished product is much better than the stovetop! I used Alton Brown’s recipe and baked this on the bottom shelf while the meatballs baked one shelf above. (The rice obviously requires a much longer cooking time, so set a timer.) While I still prefer white rice, brown is healthier and not bad for a change of pace.
4. Chocolate pumpkin muffins
I combined a handful of chocolate chips, a box of cake mix, a can of pumpkin and an egg to make muffins. No oil is used, so the texture is slightly different. I like pumpkin bread, but I’m not crazy about pumpkin combined with chocolate. The recipe was super easy, but I don’t think I’ll make it again; they look better than they taste.
Always good for a snack craving instead of chips or crackers. Every time I make these, I wonder why I do so infrequently.
After all the cooking, washing, chopping, and dishes, I’m exhausted. I won’t however, have to worry about dinner for a while. Bulk cooking does take planning and effort, but it saves time in the long run.
My meal plan should look like this, provided nothing comes up last minute:
Monday – Chicken, potatoes, broccoli.
Tuesday – Meatballs, string beans, brown rice.
Wednesday – Pasta, salad, garlic bread.
Thursday – Chicken, brown rice, mixed veggies in a lemon/garlic sauce.
Friday – If any chicken remains, I’ll make chicken salad sandwiches. If not, tilapia. Sides will be green salad and fresh fruit.
Did you do any cooking today? Please share or link up in the comments.
those muffins look heavenly!
Your muffins look so good! We had a lot of snow too so it was perfect to get in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. Here is the link to what I’ve accomplished today
http://vickieskitchenandgarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-snowy-monday-projects.html
Wow, you cooked a lot of awesome desserts! I love those cookies. Very impressed by you. Keep up the great work. 🙂
I am loving the chocolate pumpkin muffins. Thank you for sharing.
That’s a lot accomplished during the day. I would love to try those chocolate pumpkin muffins.
I was tired, but I did feel like I’d accomplished a lot.
This is a great idea, I love cooking plenty so I have enough for leftover for lunch the next day. Or I cook plenty friday around lunch, that way I have for Shabbos on Friday evening and Saturday!! The rosted chick peas are great and a big hit at my house as is Moroccan Talapia!!
Moroccan tilapia sounds amazing! Would you be willing to share the recipe? Cooking extra for Shabbos is the best idea.
Anything with pumpkin sounds good to me!
I been looking into trying this. I would love to free up time for the rest of the week.
Thanks so much for sharing this with the Frugal Family Linky! I chose this as one of my feature posts! Evelyne @www.nemcsokfarms.com
You are so sweet to feature it! *Hugs*
I use to cook in bulk when I was working