BATCH COOKING RECIPES– Because we are all tired of cooking every day! (And also a storm is coming)

I dropped this post today because, in true Florida fashion, a TROPICAL STORM THAT MIGHT BECOME A HURRICANE IS ON ITS WAY AND HOLY SHIT WE TOTALLY NEED THIS RIGHT NOW. These are great to make NOW on your weekend and hoard away for when the power finally comes back on and you need to eat RIGHT NOW. Hell, you can probably eat most of these cold if absolutely necessary. They won’t spoil if they have to sit in the fridge that hasn’t been powered in 2 days like the milk will.

Tip: Make sure anything with tomato sauce is COMPLETELY cooled before you put it in the fridge. Tomato sauce can get rancid otherwise and you don’t need that mess in your stomach when a storm is on the way. You can also reheat ALL Of these can be re-heated on a pot on the grill if the power is out and that’s how you’re cooking your food.

Okay.

Also…

Since we are all still sort of in a state of uncertainty, and a lot of us are still quarantining as much as possible, many of us are looking for ways to not have to cook EVERY DAY. Even if you really enjoy it, as I do, you might want a break sometimes but you really don’t want to spend money on more take-out, and cannot deal with another day of doing the goddam dishes, I see you. Because of that, I thought the most appropriate first recipe blog should be some batch cooking ones. There are 4 recipes here that you can make in really big batches and store in the fridge or freezer for future servings. The partner or kids can totally heat any of these up in the microwave or stove top and then expect so much praise for cooking dinner for you.

All of these recipes are adaptable for vegan diets, too.

They are also blissfully inexpensive. You can feed your family and have leftovers for very little money, which these days is a much-needed relief. I hope you find these useful and let me know what adjustments you made!

1. Spicy Turkey and Squash Chili – Chili is one of the ultimate comfort foods… hearty, filling, inexpensive and easy to do. You can make this on the stove, instapot, or slow cooker. Mine is packed with heat from spices and peppers (YAS, capsaicin!), loaded with extra veggies to bulk it up, and lots of flavor. You can double this recipe up and store it in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for about 6 months in airtight containers. Just heat it up slowly on the stove.

2. Roasted Butternut Squash & Carrot Ginger Soup – Soup is THE ultimate comfort food. There is nothing better on a cold day than soup. Since I live in Florida though, cold days are far and few between. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still enjoy it, especially on rainy summer days (aka: Hurricane season), or for an easy lunch. Packed with lots of good-for-you spices and veggies and totally vegan, this is a great soup to make a huge batch of and store away. For a bonus, you can totally add some roasted veggies on top as garnish for even more veggie goodness ( I like to use roasted broccolini and mushrooms) or you can add some lean protein if you’re not eating vegan like baked chicken or shrimp. This soup freezes great. Just pop it in the microwave or heat it slowly on the stove. Some separation is normal, just give it a good stir as you’re re-heating it.

3. Bolognese sauce – Bolognese is essentially a meat sauce, generally served over pasta. It’s another hearty, inexpensive dish that you can make in advance and store. I have a turkey meat version and a vegan version for all dietary lifestyles. I usually serve mine over Roasted Spaghetti Squash if I want a low carb option (which is this recipe), but its also great over pasta or rice. Make the Bolognese in advance and serve it however you like. It will store in the fridge for about 4 days and the freezer for about 6 months.

4. Minestrone Soup – YAY… MORE SOUP! Minestrone is an Italian veggie soup. It’s extremely easy to make, filled with a crap ton of veggies, and totally vegan. You don’t have to do a whole grocery shop either; You can use pretty much whatever you have as its traditionally made with leftover vegetables. This is a great time to clean out your produce drawer in the fridge and also use up some frozen veggies. Mine includes fennel, when it’s in season, but you can also totally skip the fennel if you don’t like it. Minestrone is one of those soups that has the same comforting feeling that your moms chicken noodle soup might have given you when you have a cold. It’s healing, filling, CHEAP so you can make SOOOOO much at once that you may never buy canned soup again.

All of these recipes are listed on the site under recipes and all are totally adaptable for your personal dietary preference. And, like I said, they store great and won’t spoil right away, and can be eaten at room temp or heated on a pot on a grill if you have access to one.

Hopefully, Tropical Storm Isaias passes quickly and without much effect and we can all get on with our regularly scheduled program of stress over COVID and an uncertain economy. But for now, best of luck friends. Be prepared, be safe, be smart. See you on the other side.