Pre-made weekday meals

>>8518360
anything breaded/fried is gone get soggy
maybe that's your thing tho

>>8518365
Thanks for the suggestion man

problem solved!

Meatloaf
Roast Chicken
Pork Loin
Shepherd's Pie (just the meat and corn bit. Make fresh mashed potatoes every night.)
Lasagna
Carbonara
Corned Beef & Cabbage
Pot Roast

source: it's what I do every week.

>>8518360
Think baked or grilled for meats. Anything breaded or fried like >>8518365 said is going to get soggy, and isn't going to reheat well in general. In my experience, rice generally reheats pretty well - might have to add a drop or two of water at most. Steamed veggies are up there as well.

One of my favorite hot lunches to pack for work is a steamed veggie and rice stir fry, with whatever protein I have on hand. Chicken works well, and will last a few days in the fridge, but things like fish and shrimp are decent too. Just remember to undercook everything just slightly if you plan to reheat and not eat it right away. Keeps your veggies from turning to mush, and your chicken/beef/etc. from drying out, or fish/etc. to rubber.

>>8518378
You have a great meatloaf recipe that comes to mind?
never had one that in thought was great, but then again I haven't had many

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>>8518397

2 1/2- 3lbs. 85% lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 sweet onion
1 red pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
almost 1 cup milk
salt & pepper, ofc

glaze:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbs. yellow mustard
2 tbs. brown sugar

I make the glaze first, in case the brown sugar has lumps. The lumps will soften with time.

I caramelize the onions, and roast the red pepper. Everything just gets tossed in a bowl and squshed around with your hands. I form a loaf with a loaf pan, but then unmold it onto a baking rack covered in parchment that I've sliced some hole into, to let the grease drain. The parchment makes sliding the loaf off the rack easier.

Then I put the glaze on. Top and sides.

350 for about 1 1/2 hours. I bring it to about 153 on my probe thermometer, and let it cruise in temp while it rests (about 10 minutes)

I serve it with toasted barley and carrots which also keep for 5 days or so.

Barley:
2 cups pearled barley
oil + butter
4 cups chicken stock

Coat the bottom of a pan with the oil and butter, and put the barley in when the butter's melted. High heat. Keep the barley moving, but not quite constantly. You're going for a nice brown color. When it looks and smells roasty and toasty, add your stock and bring it to a boil (I add about 1/4 cup more water at this point, cuz it's a little too al dente to me without.) Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes. Salt an pepper to taste.

Enjoy.

Pasta isn't really suitable for making in huge batches.

>>8518378
Shepherd's Pie--why would you not want to just make the mashed potatoes ahead of time too? It keeps well, right?

Carbonara? I feel like storage and reheating is going to fuck with the texture too much. Have you tried it?

>>8519290
I just don't like the taste of leftover/microwaved mashed potatoes.

Ya, the Carbonara suffers a bit, in that the sauce isn't as creamy when microwaved, but a bunch of freshly grated romano takes care of that for me. A compromise for convenience.

>>8518378
Forgot to add Chicken a la King. I make the biscuits fresh for each meal, but making a batch ahead of time wouldn't be a bad idea.

>>8518360
My go to quick lunches I prepare on weekends.

Beans and Rice with ham hock
Soups. (Mostly a corn sausage chowder or split pea)
Chili
shredded pork from the pressure cooker (BBQ for sandwiches, or done with Mexican spices for burritos)
homemade hummus and vegetables.

Most of these I make in batches large enough for 5 days of lunches, and with the exception of the hummus, all freeze well. This is important, because after awhile, you can end up with enough things in the freezer, that you can have something different each day of the week. Just pull the next day's meal from the freezer, and put it in the fridge to defrost, when you grab today's meal from the fridge. I freeze everything in the generic gladware containers, and write the date on them with a dry erase marker.

I suggest that if you want to live this easy as fuck lifestyle, you either get a cheap chest freezer, or learn to stack and organize your combo fridge/freezer.

>>8518360
Batch cook up meat and then freeze it. Thaws quickly and it's easy to add to things

Britbong here

Spaghetti Bolognese - store the sauce in a Tupperware container and cook the spaghetti fresh. Add parmesan.

Chicken fajitas - again cook the chicken in advance and store in a Tupperware. Assemble on the day of consumption. Guacamole makes an awesome side.

Coq au vin - stores perfectly - the flavour even enhances after a few days in the fridge.

Chilli con carne - another one that will works fine stored in a tub. Cook the rice fresh.

Fish escovitch - spicy vegetables. Cook frozen fish fillet in the microwave. Add the vegetables. Add rice if desired.

Swedish meatballs - keep in the fridge for days - eat with bread.

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>>8518360

I've been eating Swabian Lentils with Spaetzle all week. Very cheap, very healthy, very tasty. It goes great with sausages or boiled eggs on the side and honestly tastes better after a few days in the fridge to let all the flavors mix together.

- 5 slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 leek, finely chopped, thoroughly rinsed and drained
- 1 pound dried brown lentils, rinsed and drained (no need to soak)
- 7 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- Homemade German Spätzle or store-bought


1. Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until done. Transfer to a plate. Cook the onion until soft and translucent 5-7 minutes. Add the butter, carrots and leek and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add the lentils, bacon, broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the vinegar and parsley and simmer another 3-4 minutes. If too thick for your taste, add a little extra beef broth. Add more salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar to taste.

3. Serve over hot Homemade German Spätzle with a sausage (preferably German Saitenwurst if you can find it).

>>8518360
Making this tomorrow to bring to work for on bread:

>ricotta
>peas
>oregano herbs
>lemon juice

Mix it all together to get some nice spread that lasts for days

Easy to make dinners:
>peanut butter
>peanuts
>chicken filet
>soy sauce
tastes fine for days

Most curries too: just mix some coconut milk together with spices, limes, herbs, etc. and serve it over rice.

Chicken Enchiladas with rice and black beans with corn, Lasagna Rolls, Chili and Sweet Cornbread Muffins and Coconut Curry Chicken. Froze them because I'm looking to save some money for a car.

Might do Meatloaf in a large muffin pan and some other stuff.

>>8520635
>Cook frozen fish fillet in the microwave.
Yikes