What's your favorite dish to make en masse page

[CaveBug]

Calling the chef in all of us!

I'm basically going solo on paleo in a house of 5 other people. So I'm thinking about doing batch cooking but other than soup and and egg bake what else do you make and freeze for consumption through the week. Also I'm trying to lose weight so I'm preferably looking for low(er) carb dishes. Thank you!

[heatherp]

Hey CBug,

There are a ton of batch cooking blogs that will have sources of info- like
'http://robbwolf.com/2011/01/16/pre-cooking-paleo-diet-food/'
'http://www.antihousewife.com/tag/batch-cooking/'
'Once a Month Mom' ( Freezer Cooking Paleo Menu | Once A Month Cooking tips from Once A Month Mom) - though I think you have to pay for that last one ...

I tend to have a low boredom threshold, so normally cook enough for 2 or 3 meals and freeze a couple- also, most frozen meals will need to be eaten within a few months (YMMV) so to avoid wastage I don't go nuts.

Good luck!

[CiKi90]

Things that I make ahead and sometimes freeze:

Meatloaf (cut into portions and frozen. Can be made with any ground meat that you love.)
Breakfast muffins -- I've made these with egg and pumpkin puree for a sweet muffin, or egg and breakfast meats for a savory version. Both freeze well, and since you cook them in cupcake tins, they're already portioned out!

This isn't really freezing, buuuut I also like to wash and cut up all the veggies I buy, and put them away for easy snacking access. If there isn't much work to be done before you munch away at them, there's more of a chance you'll choose that over something less optimal. Can also make Big Ass Salads a breeze!

[Sandra in BC]

Meatloaf, chicken thighs & drumsticks, meat balls, burger patties, sausages. The only meat I cant batch prep is bacon. I eat it like candy.

I should add....I don't make alot of 'dishes'. Most of the time we eat straightforward meat, veggies, salad, & starch (for those who want it).

[Wulf]

maybe weird suggestion here but, I make jalapeno "poppers" to take to parties but they also make excellent snacks and I imagine they would freeze ok also (nice to come home to them) - jalapenos halved, seeds and insides removed, fill with cream cheese (not too much, add seasonings if you like, garlic or perhaps ground meat); wrap each in 1/2 a bacon slice (I secure with two toothpicks because the bacon will shrink while cooking), cook on rack 400 F 30 minutes or till bacon is done to your liking. VERY simple and relatively cheap ingredients, tastes so good they are basically impossible to screw up, they just take some time in labor to cut/core/fill/wrap so allow yourself an hour to do a rack-full. Also very low-carb and very tasty and you can make a meal of a few of them; but be warned, non-paleos will eat these without pause too...

[AngryKiwi47]

Ground organ meats (heart and liver, mainly) with veggies to make a chilli that can be served on it's own, or (if you're like me) as nachos on sweet potato fries or on white rice. Nom.

[Drumroll]

I make a casserole/frittata-esque thing when I am feeling lazy. You can make a much a you want and freeze in individual portions.

You need:

Eggs
Your favorite ground meat
Your choice of leafy green veggie (I use about three cups per lb of meat)
Almost any spice blend you can think of

Beat about seven eggs per lb of meat ( so 1 lb = 7 eggs, 2 = 14, etc.)
Brown meat in a big pot. If cooking a leaner meat such as bison or even beef, add a few tablespoons of coconut oil or butter once almost cooked. For fattier meats like ground pork or lamb, this is not necessary.

Add eggs and stir constantly until eggs are nice and fluffy and have cooked around the meat, add greens for a few minutes, still stirring to prevent sticking and burning to the pan.

And that is it! Done! Freezes VERY well and serves as sort of a full meal in one dish. And goes well with a side of real, fermented sauerkraut.

[Kochin]

Whilst not my "favourites" per se, I usually make 1-5kg roasts and bake my potatoes in bulk as well. Just saves so much time!

[CavemanJoe]

Anything mince related! Chili, meatballs, burgers, hash,whole chicken, big lump of pork neck/shoulder, bolognese...I will portion out the chili and bolognese into freezer bags and freeze, the rest i just put into containers in the fridge.

[Sabine]

Not to freeze, but something I like to make a big pot of, and then eat a scoop every day:

Sweat a thinly sliced onion in 2T of butter or bacon grease in a large pot. (Melt fat, and onions, cover, cook over very low heat until onions are sweaty-about 10-15 min). Cram sliced greens- chard, turnip, cabbage, kale into the pot. About 3-4 bunches. Add some broth and sliced bacon or ham hock, and cook for about two hours on low, add broth as necessary to keep moist.

So good! Just gets better as it sits in the fridge, up to about a week.