My mom and I share a love of cooking healthy, delicious food. We are
constantly concocting new recipes and sharing “free samples”. Many of The
Dinner Spin recipes are inspired by her culinary genius, so it is no surprise
that some of our best bonding moments occur in her kitchen.
As women and
mothers, I think it is in our nature to multitask, so we get the gossip out
while we make enough food for a small army. Planning these food prep days does
take some coordination, but we divide the work and multiply the success by using
a little teamwork.
Step one is to pick a date which can be hard, but it’s
the most important step. Once we have the date, we each pick one or two recipes
and make a list of what we need. My mom usually does the shopping for all
ingredients because taking my two toddlers to the store is a recipe for disaster
(pardon the pun). With the ingredients on hand, I join forces with my mother,
formulating our best plan of attack. We take a good look at prep times and cook
time and determine who will do what. For example, I will combine ingredients
for Mini-Cheddar Meat Loaves as she preps the chicken for Zippy Honey-Dijon Chicken .
With work underway, the
conversation flows freely and in what seems like no time, we have efficiently
prepared several meals and caught up on all the stories that bear repeating.
It’s beautiful, really!
Choose a friend, relative, neighbor or ask your
kids to join in and plan your own big-batch cooking day, follow these simple
tips to ensure success.
Find easy-to-freeze recipes . Don’t get stuck with a big batch of something
your family doesn’t like or a meal that doesn’t freeze or reheat well. Consult
The Dinner Spin Freezer section for delicious, tried and true
recipes.
Don’t get caught with out all the ingredients you need.
A well planned grocery list and a double check of pantry staples can help avoid
additional trips to the store.
Think ahead for meal storage.
Where are you going to put all your goods? Try using gallon sized freezer bags,
Glad Ovenware or aluminum pans for convenient and efficient storage. Also,
confirm that there is enough room in your freezer.
Mark your
meals. Have a sharpie and/or labels ready to mark the contents of each
container and date, most meals last up to 3 months in the
freezer.
Take Inventory. Make a list of all the meals with names
and quantity, that way you know at a glance what is available. It saves you
from rummaging through the freezer and also helps indicate when you might want
to plan another cooking date!
With pre-made meals ready in your freezer
you can bank on a few stress-free weeknights!
To learn more about The Dinner Spin, go to: thedinnerspin.com
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