Make-Ahead

 This post is dedicated to make-ahead meal ideas!  Incidentally, the bulk of the recipes I'm providing here can be frozen, which makes them wonderfully versatile.  You can have on hand for later in the week...or better yet, double the batch and keep the extra one in the freezer for a brainless option down the road. 

As an (inappropriately long) aside, there are a number of other strategies in the mode of convenience that don't necessarily mean making an entire dish in advance.  They simply require planning.  A friend informed me that Rachael Ray is starting a new show about this concept.  While I generally don't really feel her vibe, I'm certain she'll put me to shame in her execution.  I'll still offer my ameateur tips, sans production company:

• Prep ingredients ahead to make your life easier (and your kitchen less messy!) when it's cooking time. Some examples would be pre-roasting chicken breasts for quesadillas or pre-chopping your veggies so you can just open up a baggy instead of pulling out a cutting board and knife when it's time to saute chopped onions. 
• Plan your menus to accommodate the same ingredients.  Though it can require some creativity to make each dish feel unique, this strategy supports the efforts of convenience, frugality, and minimizing shopping chaos.  Several forms of this:
•  Reinvent something you've already prepared.  Example: use leftover pulled pork from the weekend, and turn it into pulled pork soft tacos.  The flavor profile is vastly different with the addition of some traditional, fresh Mexican toppings.  While this is a main dish example, I do this more often with less significant components. For instance, if we're having rice over the weekend, I'll make a cup more to save that step for stuffed peppers. (I'll get to that recipe!)
• Buy one ingredient for multiple dishes. Example: big bag of baby spinach.  Saute half of it with garlic to make a quick (like 3 minutes), light side dish, and use the leftovers in an easy stromboli.  Tangent within a tangent (like Inception, huh?): I can't resist providing the instructions for this, because it's awesome, kid-friendly, and fast.  Roll out store-bought pizza dough and pile it with salami, a generous heap of whatever cheese you like and, and about 10 shakes of italian seasoning.  Close it up, bake it seam-side down on an oiled sheet pan for 20ish minutes at 375, and serve with marinara for dipping. 
• Use the slow cooker!  Taking just 10 minutes in the morning to throw everything in can mean zero work at dinnertime; the beckoning aroma in the house is just a delightfully free benefit.  I must admit that I don't take advantage of this handy tool as often as I could.  Perhaps we can all become inspired together.   That's another post.

The point of this (already endless) note is to provide a sampling of make/freeze ahead meals, and here they are! 

• Steak fajitas - http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/steak-fajitas-10000001736759/index.html  - comment: SO flavorful and easy...a nice change from Casserole Land.
• Chili - I'm sure you have your favorite recipe for this, but here's an easy one just in case:  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/easy-chili-i/Detail.aspx
• Vegetable Chowder - http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/vegetable-chowder  comment: This is delicious and ACTUALLY LOW FAT.  I recommend serving it with a crusty baguette.
• The standard Italian dishes...I'm sure you already have recipes for these as well.  I'll paste in some easy go-to's.
• Lasagna - http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/italian-sausage-lasagna/2601a67c-438d-407a-b163-2f57ede06cb9 comment:  I usually make this with ground beef instead, and I always add more seasonings.
• Stuffed Shells - Guess what?  I use the recipe on the side of the pasta box.
• Baked Ziti - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/baked-ziti-recipe/index.html
• Stuffed peppers - Cut off the tops of the bell peppers (any color! I've been doing red lately!), and trim the bottoms if necessary to make sure they don't topple over.  Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and roast for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  While they're cooking, saute a chopped onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes until soft.  Stir in a clove or two of chopped garlic.  Add a pound of ground turkey or beef, about a teaspoon of salt and a few cracks of pepper.  Cook until browned. Add a jar of your favorite pasta sauce, about 10 chopped fresh basil leaves (or a handful of fresh parsley), and a cup-ish of cooked brown or white rice, and stir until heated through.  Season to taste.  Fill your peppers, top with a blanket of fresh grated Parm, and bake for another 20-30 minutes.  If you want to freeze this, just assemble the peppers, cool them, wrap properly and freeze.  Thaw a day before you want to eat them.  They'll need to bake for about 30-40 minutes since they're chilled.  This is great toddler food, by the way! 
• Turkey Meatloaf - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/turkey-meatloaf-recipe/index.html  comment: this will feed a small army.  I make the whole recipe though, and then just cut into manageable pieces and freeze.
• Chicken Enchiladas - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-enchiladas-recipe/index.html
• Chicken Tetrazzini - see the last post, as well as a fun note in the comments section!

Before I conclude, I must seize an anecdotal opportunity, because it totally makes me smile.  It's not about prepping in advance, but about using unexpected leftovers after the fact.  My dad is the king of this.  It is simply not in his DNA to throw away even a scrap of food.  I'll never forget the night - I was a teenager, I think - when he took the remaining bits of everything we had for dinner that week, threw it on top of some lettuce along with the last crumbs from a Dorito bag and called it "Fiesta Salad".  Dad, please know I am not judging here; you have really inspired me to reduce waste (and thus, cost) in my life.   In fact, Ryan frequently catches me employing a similar practice.  If When he teases me, I affectionately remind him that the Fiesta Salad probably helped fund my college education.