Batch Cooking

There has been a lot of talk lately about how to make a mother's life easier when you have small children. I have found a solution that works for me and my house. I love to cook but do not want to think about what I am going to eat a week in advance and then have to sit and plan that out each week.

Several months ago I thought that it would be cool to have a meal exchange where you cook 2-3 batches of your favorite meal and then exchange them with other people. Noel did not think that this was such a good idea because he liked my cooking and not everyone elses cooking. So I had to think of a different plan. So my friend Marti had a book that I borrowed and fell in love with.



I started looking through it and then I called my mother and asked if she wanted in on this and then I asked my sisters. Now we have tried this for four months and I do not think that I will go back to planning on a weekly basis anymore. This book gets you going in the right direction and the meals are fabulous. Now they are not meals that have Cream of chicken/mushroom in every single one of them. They have recipes like Monterey Jack Chicken, Hearty Corn Chowder.

So if you are thinking about starting something like this or just want to batch cook one day a week I advise you to get this book and the other other book they have out. If you go to amazon.com there are books for as low as 4.25 I saw the other day.



My group is cooking this weekend and we are doing 30 meals because we are not cooking in December. If you are thinking that this would be a good idea and just have some questions please ask me. I do the planning, shopping, labels, prepping, and my house is the location for the cooking. It is a blast and a time for conversing with other women. If you are wondering here is the list of meals for this month.

BBQ spareribs
Beef Bourguignon
Beef Kabobs Dijon
Bourbon-orange chicken
Buffalo Chicken Soup
Catalina Cranberry Chicken
Chicken Kiev
Chili Reno Casserole
Continental Beef
Creamy Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce
Crested Butte Chicken, Chili and Corn Soup
Dijon Pork Lion Roast
Easy bake cheese & vegetable twist
Garlic Roasted Chicken w/ rosemary & lemon
Hazelnut-crusted chicken w/ Gorgonzola sauce
Honey Mustard Chicken
Lemon-herb Pork Loin
Mac & cheddar cheese w/chicken & broccoli
Maple-glazed stuffed pork roast
Meatballs
Orange braised chicken thighs w/ green olives
Outside-In Bacon Cheeseburgers
Pecan Chicken
Pork Chops w/ golden applesauce
Potato Soup with the works
Pretzel-crusted chicken breasts
Quiche
Spinach & mustard stuffed Chicken breasts
Winter White Chicken stew
Zesty chicken tortilla bake