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Cooking for the week

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  • 25-10-2014 9:13pm
    #1
    sharkey 25
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭


    Hi all, I'm wondering if I could get some sugestions on meals i could cook and keep for during the week?. I get in late from work and often don't feel like cooking. I suppose I like a lot of different types of food, not very picky. Like to cook with spices also. Any suggestions would be welcome.


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    #2
    The Hill Billy
    Registered Users Posts: 22,749 ✭✭✭✭The Hill Billy


    Check out the 'cooking in bulk' link from the sticky on the front page of the forum.


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    #3
    StripedBoxers
    Registered Users Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭StripedBoxers


    What is your budget?

    Personally I make mince mixtures and make enough to get about 8+ portions so I can freeze some and defrost as needs be.

    Lamb/beef stew freezes well, as do soups. I often make chicken and vegetable, plain vegetable, mushroom etc and freeze them.

    If you want any of my recipes, let me know, and I'll put them up for you.

    There are more ideas here http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/freezable


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    #4
    sharkey 25
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭sharkey 25


    StripedBoxers wrote: »
    What is your budget?

    Personally I make mince mixtures and make enough to get about 8+ portions so I can freeze some and defrost as needs be.

    Lamb/beef stew freezes well, as do soups. I often make chicken and vegetable, plain vegetable, mushroom etc and freeze them.

    If you want any of my recipes, let me know, and I'll put them up for you.
    I suppose it's average, I'm not going to be eating fillet of beef too often.
    Yeah I would like to see your recipies. Like fish too, also some chicken recipies


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    #5
    fussyonion
    Registered Users Posts: 7,818 ✭✭✭fussyonion


    A really quick one is what I call ""Italian Chicken""

    INGREDIENTS

    2 chicken breasts
    1 red onion, sliced
    1 carrot, cut into lengths
    Handful of halved cherry tomatoes
    1 sliced red pepper
    1 sliced green pepper
    1 peeled garlic clove
    Tin of tomatoes
    Salt/Pepper/Oregano/Basil

    1) Throw everything into a roasting dish and bake for 40 minutes until cooked.
    Serve with salad or pasta or rice or on its' own!


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    #6
    Loire
    Registered Users Posts: 2,034 ✭✭✭Loire


    I do a lot of batch cooking / preparing and would highly recommend getting a slow cooker.

    Here's what I regularly do:

    When making something like a stew or bolognese I make at least double so we can eat one meal and freeze the remainder in portions

    Roast a large chicken at the weekend and use the leftover chicken for a thai chicken curry the night or two after

    I usually make soup at the weekend - it freezes well and if you don't have anything substantial for dinner it can be great as a starter to bulk up the meal

    I prepare chicken nuggets for the kids - diced chicken dipped in beaten egg & rolled in bread crumbs - I freeze these individually wrapped and they're great. Ditto for home made fish fingers - usually wait until local fish monger has a sale on Cod and I make a ton of them as per chicken nuggets method

    Burgers - made 12 of these at the weekend - all frozen now

    Hope this helps,
    Loire.


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    #7
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    Here's some of my usuals for after work quick dinners:

    Roast a chicken or other meat on sunday. Hvae enough for sandwiches for work/school on Monday, and a big meaty salad on Monday evening. That's not even cooking on Monday, it's an assembly job.

    Pick the small bits of meat left over from that roast to assemble a curry for tuesday evening. Either Indian or thai... add split lentils if low on meaty leftovers. Meat is already cooked (that's the longest bit of any dinner), so it's just chucking stuff in a pan and stirring til everything else is cooked.. maybe 15 mins. My indian curries are a green saffron spice mix, with tomatos, onoin & ginger added. Thai ones are coconut milk with a good thai paste.
    I chuck on a stock here too with leftover meat bones, but I've a family of 4 to feed, you might be solo, so skip that.

    Wednesday is egg day. Takes about 8 minutes including any chopping to make a quick omelette. Cheese, peas, spring onion, avocado, leftover spud, whatever is around. If there is leftover rice from day before, this becomes Special Fried Rice instead. Same idea, chuck anything but the kitchen sink into the pan with the rice and eggs, stir and it's done.

    Thursday is pasta of some kind. I use fresh pasta, cooks in about 4 minutes. Add pesto, or sundried tomatos w splash of cream, or a bit of parma and an egg. I'd include noodles in 'pasta', so a stir fry goes here too if we feel like that instead.

    Friday I finish work earlier so I try to pick up something fresh, like a fresh fish, or quick meat from butcher (chops, sausages, nothing that takes ages to cook).


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    #8
    dmc17
    Registered Users Posts: 3,728 ✭✭✭dmc17


    pwurple wrote: »
    Here's some of my usuals for after work quick dinners:

    Roast a chicken or other meat on sunday. Hvae enough for sandwiches for work/school on Monday, and a big meaty salad on Monday evening. That's not even cooking on Monday, it's an assembly job.

    Pick the small bits of meat left over from that roast to assemble a curry for tuesday evening. Either Indian or thai... add split lentils if low on meaty leftovers. Meat is already cooked (that's the longest bit of any dinner), so it's just chucking stuff in a pan and stirring til everything else is cooked.. maybe 15 mins. My indian curries are a green saffron spice mix, with tomatos, onoin & ginger added. Thai ones are coconut milk with a good thai paste.
    I chuck on a stock here too with leftover meat bones, but I've a family of 4 to feed, you might be solo, so skip that.

    Wednesday is egg day. Takes about 8 minutes including any chopping to make a quick omelette. Cheese, peas, spring onion, avocado, leftover spud, whatever is around. If there is leftover rice from day before, this becomes Special Fried Rice instead. Same idea, chuck anything but the kitchen sink into the pan with the rice and eggs, stir and it's done.

    Thursday is pasta of some kind. I use fresh pasta, cooks in about 4 minutes. Add pesto, or sundried tomatos w splash of cream, or a bit of parma and an egg. I'd include noodles in 'pasta', so a stir fry goes here too if we feel like that instead.

    Friday I finish work earlier so I try to pick up something fresh, like a fresh fish, or quick meat from butcher (chops, sausages, nothing that takes ages to cook).

    Very organised. Is Saturday is a day of fasting!


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    #9
    StripedBoxers
    Registered Users Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭StripedBoxers


    sharkey 25 wrote: »
    I suppose it's average, I'm not going to be eating fillet of beef too often.
    Yeah I would like to see your recipies. Like fish too, also some chicken recipies
    Similar budget to myself so, I will put up my recipes over the next few days for you :)


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    #10
    sharkey 25
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭sharkey 25


    Getting great ideas, one person in particular seems very organised. Goin to get some stewing beef or lamb. So if any has stew recipies that would be great. I've a lot of spices, so I was thinking if anyone has a nice curry recipe that would be cool. I'm going to try make one from scratch.

    Edit: I find coconut milk a bit rich sometimes. So if anyone has tomato based ones that would be great.


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    #11
    Lovely Bloke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,748 ✭✭✭✭Lovely Bloke


    sharkey 25 wrote: »
    Getting great ideas, one person in particular seems very organised. Goin to get some stewing beef or lamb. So if any has stew recipies that would be great. I've a lot of spices, so I was thinking if anyone has a nice curry recipe that would be cool. I'm going to try make one from scratch.

    Edit: I find coconut milk a bit rich sometimes. So if anyone has tomato based ones that would be great.

    Bolognaise.

    Fry off a pound of mince until brown, do it in batches to make sure you are frying it and not boiling or steaming it.

    In the same pot then, stick in some olive oil and warm it up, add some chopped onion and a few cloves of crushed garlic.

    Five minutes later add in some oregano and basil if you like it, dried is grand.

    Tin of tomatoes, couple of squirts of of puree and about 300ml of beer stock, bring to the boil then down to a simmer.

    You can also add some mushrooms if you want here, sliced or quartered depending on the texture you like from cooked mushers.

    when it's good and thick put the mince back in to heat through.

    Serve with Spagetti or Tagliatelle, and you can freeze it in batches.

    It's easy to scale up too, just double everything.


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    #12
    0lddog
    Registered Users Posts: 3,292 ✭✭✭0lddog


    OP, this is an old thread which is not exactly on topic.
    Hope it gives you a few ideas :)

    http://boards.fool.co.uk/eight-week-menu-planner-10814327.aspx


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    #13
    StripedBoxers
    Registered Users Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭StripedBoxers


    This is my stew recipe, can be used for lamb or beef, you could put both in if you wish.

    2lb Lamb/beef
    2-3 onions
    2-3 carrots
    1 entire bulb of garlic (so about 8 cloves, but adjust the amount to your own liking)
    Celery - I normally use a full packet, but you can use as much/little as you want
    Mushrooms - either a full packet of button mushrooms, or some closed cup mushrooms cut into halves or quarters.
    Potatoes - again, as much/little as you want, I use maybe 3 medium/big or 6 small
    1-2 Handfuls pearl barely
    Tin of chopped tomatoes or a bottle of passata
    Cherry tomatoes on the vine (optional)
    Red wine or port (optional) - if using, use as much or as little as you like. For port, I normally use this one, its perfect for cooking, http://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=255247156
    A pinch of each of the following herbs: thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil. I use dried, but you can obviously use fresh, though I have never noticed a difference in flavour between dried/fresh
    Salt, Pepper
    Oxtail soup
    Beef stock, if its needed. If it is, I prefer the stock pots rather than the stock cubes, the flavour is nicer in my opinion.

    1) Brown the meat in olive oil, when that is done, set aside, pour in the red wine/port and deglaze the pan, then add back in the meat, onions and garlic and let simmer in the red wine/port for a few minutes.

    2) Then add in the carrots, celery and mushrooms and let them sweat for a few minutes.

    3) Add in the oxtail soup, tomatoes, pearl barely and herbs now and the cherry tomatoes if using, let it boil for a few minutes.

    4) Turn down to a low heat, take the lid of the pot and let everything simmer for 2-3 hours.

    You don't need to include salt if you don't want to, I don't usually as the oxtail soup has salt in it (I use the knorr packet soup) and if you are using stock that's additional salt too.

    Make sure and taste it for seasoning too and adjust anything to your liking.


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