Short on time during the week to cook healthy meals? Batch cooking can eliminate the stress of deciding what to eat, keep your transformation on track, and save you time and money.
Batch cooking is prepping and cooking large portions of ingredients and storing them to prepare and eat later in the week.
Depending on the size of your family, you may be doubling or tripling the ingredients for the meals. And you can always freeze excess food.
By cooking in one batch, you’ll save time and money since buying in bulk is less expensive than buying smaller amounts more often.
To get started:
Pick a day when you have some time.
Plan out meals/ingredients.
Go shopping for groceries or have them delivered.
Prep food and start cooking.
Batch cooking can seem daunting, but with a plan, making the time, and a little work, it will pay off big time during the week.
You’ll stress less, have more time to get in your workouts, spend time with family, and do whatever you enjoy!
Ingredients good for batch cooking
Vegetables: The best way to cook vegetables in bulk is on a sheet pan and bake them in the oven. Some veggies store better than others. Carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, and beets can easily be frozen. Frozen vegetables like peas and corn are easy additions to any batch cooked meal. And salads are a quick addition to any meal.
Carbohydrates: Rice, quinoa, oatmeal, and potatoes are good options for batch cooking. You can portion out the ingredients in separate containers for faster prep during the week, or place in one big container to use as needed (best with refrigerated foods).
Proteins: Chicken breasts & thighs, fish, and beef are great to bake or grill. Make a batch of hard boiled eggs for breakfasts and/or snacking during the week works well too. Lightly season (salt and pepper) if you plan on using them for different meals. If freezing, divide in portions to defrost only what you need to avoid wasting food. Canned beans make for an easy addition to your healthy meals too.
Flavor Enhancers: To save even more time, you can prepare sauces and dressings to pour on your food/meals. Most sauces can be kept in the fridge for a week or two.
Pro Tips:
Slightly undercook vegetables (this prevents them from becoming soggy when reheated).
Portion out your food/meals before freezing.
Make sure food is cooled to room temperature before refrigerating. Cooked food needs to be completely cool for at least 30 minutes before freezing but not left out for more than 2 hours (put in the fridge to cool then transfer).
Get rid of excess air when freezing (a vacuum sealer works well).
Don’t forget to label and date your food/meals.
Don’t freeze salad greens, eggs, or cooked pasta.
Most foods are good in the refrigerator for about 5 days and 3-6 months in the freezer.
To organize your fridge and freezer, put the newest cooked food in the back.
Here are a some examples of what you can use for your batch cooked meals. Give yourself about an hour to cook everything at the same time using your stove, oven, or whatever gadgets you like to use at home:
Breakfast
oatmeal with berries
hard boiled eggs with berries
chia pudding
overnight oats
Lunch
Ground meat with taco seasoning, sauteed peppers and onions, and corn tortillas
Salad topped with seasoned chicken breast
Black beans, corn, avaocado, and salsa on top of brown rice
Dinner
Seasoned chicken thighs, roasted potatoes and broccoli
