Does anyone else like to make a bunch of food on Sunday and to have for dinner/lunch/snacks throughout the week? If so, what do you like to make?

lilfunky1 · 4 months

Breakfast - Banana bread. I follow my mom's recipie, and there's always a million over-ripe bananas in our fridge.

While that's baking...

Dinner - Fried rice. I use the rice cooker the night before to make my "leftover" rice, then into a giant wok with eggs, green onions, and I normally put pre-cooked chicken or honey-bbq pork. But whatever you want.

While that's heating up... (and the banana bread is still baking)

Lunch - I do an assembly line for 5 sandwiches in 5 sandwich boxes. Meat and cheese are my normal fillers. I just switch up what meats and what cheeses. (And I buy random fruits or veggies to bring with me along with the sandwich)

Breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week all done up within about 2 hours.

wickedpissa · 4 months

meat slop

LennyPenny · 4 months

Soups. Mostly soups. Various and use up all the ingredients leftover. Anyone who can saute up two onions can make a good soup.

Quebecoise · 4 months

I like to get a whole lot of seasonal veggies, toss 'em in some olive oil and balsamic, then roast them. Zucchini, potato, peppers, tomato, squash, onion, eggplant.... you name it! Whatever is cheap at the time.

Veggie pot pie is a good one. If you can get your hands on a good simulated chicken go for it, but it'll be no worse for it if you just use some tasty veggies and encase it in a beautiful crust. It keeps well in the fridge, too.

I make Chana Masala pretty frequently. There's a great recipe on manjula's kitchen that is so cheap and tastes great.

My absolute favourite veggie burger is at sweetbeetandgreenbean.net, the quinoa and kidney bean burger. I generally make a big batch and then just fry up burgers as needed. Once I'm done frying the burgers to a golden brown I put a little bbq sauce on each side and warm it. It gives the burger that moist and succulent meat feel.

TeacherManCT · 4 months

Vegan here. I find that any meatless dish I cook can sit in the fridge for the week and not suffer any issues. That said, chili and soups are great simple ways to make a lot of food. When I make enchiladas, I usually double the recipe so we have lunches. We also make a Mac and "cheese" that is easily 10 servings for not much more than $4 total. Tonight I made a chickpea curry which had four or so extra servings left over. I thing the most important things are to plan recipes that will reheat easily/well and just plan on making bigger versions of those recipes

z_action · 4 months

I have a monthly pay period & a flexible schedule, so I cook for a month at a time. I make curries, dal, and little potato/sweet potato cakes called tikkis. I just tried a brisket, we'll see how well it freezes, but I've had great results with other slow simmered meats in sauce. It takes me a couple days to cook all this, but then my cooking time for the rest of the month is minimal.

drake42pi · 4 months

The only thing that I really make in bulk is a sort of generic mexican pile of stuff that I then use for days in a variety of ways.

I start out with chicken (you can substitute for whatever base).

then once that is all cooked up add 1 packet of prepared rice (Rice-Sides brand cost 1 dollar).

1 can of Black Beans

1 can of diced green peppers

1 small can of corn

mushrooms

seasoning

This pile of stuff with cheese then makes into great burritos, by itself, stuffed into rolls and baked. Very cheap per serving.

stop___grammar_time · 4 months

Samosas/Egg Rolls. Fry them up, throw them in the freezer. Nuke them to thaw them out, ~1 min/2, depending on your microwave, then toss them in the oven/toaster oven for ~10 min @ 300F to crisp them up.

Curry's good, stays good for a couple days, depending on the kind of curry. A dry curry will keep for a bit longer.

Cook some burrito/fajita fixings, throw them in a tortilla and microwave them.

A pot of your favorite rice goes with anything and stays for a few days in the fridge.

Cook up a big pot of pho soup, and some noodles on the side. Refrigerate them when they cool down. Then, when you want some, heat up a bowlful to a boil, toss the noodles in + whatever you like in it, and you're good to go.

Muffins are good on the go breakfast.

Blanch some seasonal vegetables like zucchini, carrots, peas, whatever, coat them with some olive oil and season them however you like, (I like salt and lemon pepper, or maybe some Ms. Dash) and freeze them. Microwave them for ~3-4 minutes for an quick side dish.

Cook up some pasta, drain, shock in cold water to stop it cooking, then toss in some oil to keep it from sticking, and refrigerate. Prepare your favorite sauce/glaze, and then just microwave it when you want it.

grandwahs · 4 months

Someone has mentioned my fave already - soups - but I also love to make up a big batch of hummus to last through the week. Great as a snack with veggies and/or bread, or great as a spread on sandwiches.

respectwalk · 4 months

Breakfast smoothie. Every weekend I blend whatever fruits I can find and make it my breakfast for the workweek. It saves me a ton of time in the 'morning rush' and keeps me from skipping the most important meal.

I usually do a variation of the following: bananas, apples, pineapples, bitter melon, strawberries, spinach, kiwis and grapefruits.

researchnerd · 4 months

I like to take several frozen boneless chicken breasts, put them in the crock pot, pour a coupe of taco seasoning packets and a little water on them, then go to work. When I come home, I have Mexican flavored chicken (after you pull it apart a little with a fork.) Perfect for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, or whatever you want for the rest of the week.

UNHALLOWED360 · 4 months

Got a good vegetarian tamale recipe? I LOVED the ones a co worker made w/ cheese and jalepeno . Are they hard to make?

thebigbradwolf · 4 months

Home baked Mac & Cheese
Lemon Chicken
Sloppy Joe's

carsonmail · 4 months

Tons of veg Indian dishes. Will last 2-3 days in the fridge section and 3-5 days in the freezer section. You will get your greens and proteins.

You can always modify the dish a little on a weekday and you get a new dish instead!

Make falafel fritters and heat them up on a later day.

thecloudedmind · 4 months

For breakfast: Made delicious, amazing, cluster-full granola.

This past Sunday I also made:

soup
a sandwich assembly line,
cookies,
cut up veggies to dip into hummus (made a few days before) or throw into an omelet, and....
beer batter bread

Breakfast, lunch & snacks for a week!

raganthelion · 4 months

Olive noodle casserole!!! the tri-color swirli pasta, with diced tomatoes, tomato pasted, chopped olives and cooked hamburger meat. Season as you please. Top with a cheese sauce and bake for a little while. IT TASTES SO GOOD!!!!! And you can obviously just leave out the hamburger.

grande_hohner · 4 months

Ham and beans baby, ham and beans.

tgeliot · 4 months

Simple as can be: a big pot of brown Basmati rice (buy it at Vitamin Cottage / Natural Grocers)

buildmonkey · 4 months

This won't get you the whole week but should get you at least till Wednesday. Roast a shed load of veg: parsnips, onions, carrots, celeriac, peppers, courgettes, whatever. Before you roast them stir in a bit of honey or balsamic with oil and herbs then chuck in whole unpeeled garlic cloves. Boil a huge pan of spuds. Then use the hot spud water to boil your cabbage or other greens whilst you make mash with the spuds. Use the cabbage/potato water to deglaze the trays you roasted the veg in and boom you have the base for a stonking veggie gravy (stock cube, peanut butter, soy sauce and black pepper to finish, maybe a dash of horseradish).

Add a protein and this gets you a huge Sunday plateful. Mash plus leftover cabbage equals bubble and squeak for Monday. The rest of the roast veg, gravy and mash will do a couple of weekday meals with a fresh green, or spin them out with other options.

j_s_lebach · 4 months

If you have a slow cooker, here's a nice recipe.
Ingredients:
1 Full Young Chicken
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Dill
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Optional: Chicken stock

Destructions:
Chop up celery/carrots
Salt/Pepper/Dill that bird like never before
Stuff veggies into bird hole
(Add stock to cooker)
Put a little butter on top of the bird breast
Put potatoes on side
Add a little water
Cook on high for exactly 5 hours
Remove bird and pull off it's flesh. Then add back to cooker slop.
You my friend have just made a delicious stew.

argyle-socks · 4 months

Sweet buttermilk cornbread. I am in love with this recipe and most of the friends I've made it for have specifically requested it many, many times. This cornbread keeps for awhile (especially if you freeze it), and while it might not be the healthiest snack, I'd estimate an entire batch costing just about $1.

bung_musk · 4 months

A good lentil curry will keep forever and has a ton of flavour. The trick is to grind (and toast if you have the ambition) the spices freshly. This will destroy any store bought curry/masala powder. I use onions, lots of garlic and ginger, tomato paste, chicken (veggie) bouillon cubes dissolved in hot water, spice mixture (lots of recipes online), coconut milk, lentils, ground cashews, garnish with fresh cilantro. About as cheap as it gets and tastes great! Not to mention healthy.

Soup is great too, as mentioned. Very versatile.

I make big batches of pico de gallo because I love it and it works on all sorts of things..eggs, sandwiches, salads, with chips...whatever. Great snack food!

Or0ku_Saki · 4 months

Lunch. My favorite everyday frugal meal -> 1 cup of cooked rice, mixed with 1/2 cup of red kidney beans. Mexene Chili Powerd on top, with a few dashes of Tapatio. Just under 300 calories.

Girlinnjtraffic · 4 months

I used to work the second shift, from 2-10pm. As a mom with a non cooking husband, i had to make sure they ate more than pizza every night! On Sunday's, I'd make a weeks worth of meals and put them in food saver bags for the week. Later on, I did the same thing for my sister when she was breast feeding and had no time to cook. Skipping the beef, pork and chicken portions I would make: french toast; make about 20 and freeze between pieces of waxed paper. Cheap and filling and quick in microwave. Quiche: freezes and reheats well, throw all your extras in there like broccoli and mushroom, cheese and onion. Cinnamon buns, freeze supriseingly well, always cheap if you make them yourself. Soups, cream based do not keep well, make the base and add cream as you reheat. Mashed potato does freeze and keep in the fridge, as well as potato pancakes and hash browns. Pizza can be done as well, I always found that putting the mozz down first then adding tomato sauce cut down on sogginess when reheated. My mom always made her "sauce" which she always had on hand and was quite versatile. It was, peppers, onion, celery browned in butter, 1 can of tomato paste, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 jar of ragu, then 1 ragu jar of stock - whatever you have on hand, chicken, beef, sometimes fish. Boil, then simmer 45 min. Stash in fridge and use thru week. You want Mexican? Add cilantro. You want Indian? Add curry. You want Italian? Add oregano and basil. You want Spanish? Add fennel seed. Many a meal was saved when she came home late from work on account of that stuff.

Braunchitis87 · 4 months

Beans and cornbread, super cheap! Also, chili. And I made about 20 breakfast burritos the other night and froze them, so they're ready to go whenever!

IrritableGourmet · 4 months

Vegetarian/vegan chili - not because i'm vegetarian, but because my wife can't have beef. We use meatless crumbles instead.

French Onion Soup - properly made, it turns into liquid gold around day 3 in the fridge. Tomato Soup - same as french onion

Sunflower and flax seed wheat bread - Go on craigslist, find a decent bread machine, and buy it. The small amount of money you spend on it is made up by the savings on ingredients for some pretty righteous bread.

Roast chicken - buy a roaster chicken (about $5), cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake until done. Let cool, then remove all the meat. The breasts are easily reheatable for a dinner one night, and the rest (including bones) goes in a pot with water, carrots, celery, etc for chicken soup.

Pan bagnat - Bake a large round loaf of bread. Slice in half like a bagel. Cover bottom half with lettuce, onions, anchovies and/or tuna, olives, and pretty much anything else you want (canned beans, roasted red peppers, etc). Drizzle with a mustard vinaigrette, put the top on, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Put it in the fridge with something heavy on top for a day or two. Slice into large squares and enjoy.

Chana Masala(ish) - sautee onion, garlic, and any other veggies in oil. Season with curry powder and garam masala (if available). Add a can of chickpeas, dash of lemon juice, and a pack of frozen spinach and simmer until cooked. Stores well. Serve over rice.

dirkwork · 4 months

Right now I have Cranberry Chicken, Teriyaki Orange Chicken, Chili Con Carne, and Honey Pork Chops in my freezer. I got all these recipes from the book "Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer"

permaculture · 4 months

Every weekend I make a loaf of bread and a litre of plain yoghurt.

To the yoghurt I add orange blossom honey and grapes or strawberries, or blueberries and blueberry jam, or sliced peaches. That takes care of breakfast for the next 7 days.

I also cook four times as much dinner as I need, and put the extra servings into tupperware boxes in the fridge. And those meals are usually spaghetti bolognaise, chicken risotto (sometimes with mushrooms), a vegetable medley, or woodtatoes. I used to make chicken and cashew nuts with yellow bean sauce, and lemon sole, but I've gone off those recently.

wailing_jere · 4 months

I will hardboil about 8 eggs, and then eat them throughout the week. Usually the eggs can last a full 7 days, but by then are getting a little black on the inside. I also will boil a batch of steel cut oats, and eat that throughout the week. Then I usually make a large meal monday night (tacos or crock pot roast beef) then I have meat for whatever I want to eat later on.

isisis · 4 months

For others reading who eat meatier meats - go to your local butcher and ask if the have any chicken carcasses at the end of the day. Most shops are glad to get rid of them. Put those chickens in a stock pot with some water, various herbs, onions, celery, etc., and cook on low heat for about a day. Strain the whole thing when you're finished (you might even be able to get some meat off the bones of the chicken), and move it into the fridge. Once you spoon off the fatty oils that settle on the top of the broth, you have an awesome winter-y treat. Just reheat a little stock and enjoy in a coffee cup. Warms me up body and soul. Plus it's basically free!

whycantianswer · 4 months

I cook up a base for the week's meals, so a big pot of quinoa, rice, beans, maybe some sort of stock, or big pile of roasted veggies. Then it's really easy for me to cook something quickly throughout the week and I don't get too bored by eating one meal over and over.

enginerdkevin · 4 months

TIL people eat a lot healthier than I do.

AllTheWorldAndTime · 4 months

Hardboiled eggs and big roasts. I see people here prepaing a weeks worth of meals and it makes no sense to me at all. Come Friday that meals going to be a mushy mess at best and inviting food poisoning at worst

CommissarDerp · 4 months

Usually egg salad and tuna salad. :D

bannana · 4 months

Chicken, 2 whole, baked then pull the meat. I now have chicken for salad, curry, sandwiches, pasta, whatever. I couldn't imagine making chicken every single time I ate it.

PiHeNeenBomb · 4 months

I make the same you do! I also make spinach, bean and cheese enchiladas. Great for the week :)

HyzerFlip · 4 months

I'm on a ketogenic diet so my food items are not frugal. But the savings in volume quantity of meals, and health benefits more than pay off.

I keep cooked chicken breast and thighs on hand, I get veggies as cheaply and as freshly as possible and cook big batches.

I keep cooked burgers in the fridge, and I always have eggs on hand.

I sometimes make oopsie rolls in batches and keep on hand.

I like to bake radishes as a side dish.

KarmaSprite · 4 months

I make a ton of sushi rice then sit in front of a good TV show and portion out rice balls into sandwich baggies. They freeze well and only take minute to heat back up. This means I can make quick onigiri or stir fry or any number of fast Asian based stuff. I also try and make pizza dough and freeze it in small personal portions. Good for any kind of hot pocket style lunch options with that stuff, like felafel or

samosas or mini veggie calizones. Honestly the freezer is my best friend when it comes to time managed meals.

pbyrne · 4 months

That's exactly how we do it. We make lots of different things, usually doubling the recipes we find. Burritos, tacos, pasta, stir-fry, casseroles. Stews and soups are particularly easy to stretch over the week.

FranAnn · 4 months

I currently only have one shelf in a fridge and one drawer in a freezer available to me (student accommodations) so I can't do this as much as I used to, however I still do some things in bulk. For example, if I want a tuna salad sandwich, I go on a kick and just make four cans worth of tuna salad and then put it all in tupperware containers and voila, instant sandwiches whenever I'm hungry.

aggman · 4 months

http://www.food.com/recipe/ww-0-point-weight-watchers-cabbage-soup-128956

It is a weight watchers vegetarian soup recipe, but don't let that stop you from trying it. we make it all the time and love it.

weks · 4 months

Pasta-tuna-vegetable salad, though that doesn't quite hold a whole week. So it's more a twice a week thing.

sleepydaimyo · 4 months

I've made this but subbed in red kidney beans for borlotti beans (couldn't find them where I was), and frozen sole for red mullet, and minused the parsley and pesto (but that's personal taste I guess). It lasted my husband and I a week of dinners and 1 person's lunches (he took a sandwich to work).

Also made this and it seems to be lasting for a week for both dinners and lunches, but I am discovering I'm not quite as fond as lentils as I thought I might be, haha. (Again, left out the parsley, and subbed in the namebrand frozen veggies for brocolli, carrots and mushrooms -- but you can use whatever you like/have around the house. Oh and I doubled the soup stock and diced tomatoes which may be why it's lasting so long, because I like lots of liquid in my soups, and the lentils seemed to soak up a lot [or some of it evaporated] from having to cook them for an hour (I used dried)).

redcolumbine · 4 months

Today it's cauliflower-potato soup with cheddar and garlic chives.

DyingBreed · 4 months

Chicken Chili Ham and beans. Beef Stew Beef and Noodles

oldsillybear · 4 months

I make some baked ziti recipe I found, it fills a large pyrex dish and will feed my son and I on the first night (hot out of the oven) and I can divide the rest into six leftover rubbermaid tubs, I take one a day for lunch the first week and freeze three for a future week.

Probably $10 for all of it and less than an hour to prepare.

EmpathyJelly · 4 months

Every Sunday night I make a huge pot of Whatever Soup. It is different every week depending on what mood takes me that night. I do a huge produce shopping trip on Sunday morning at Ranch 99 (Asian grocery store for those that don't know) so I use whatever is left from the last weeks trip, supplement with a bit of what I got that morning and go to town on the spices. This soup becomes my lunch for the week (and often a dinner a night or two as well).

This weeks soup turned into a hot and sour cabbage vegetable soup with a tomato base. Last week I had a curried squash and tofu soup. Week before was a Thai red curry pumpkin with chicken.

billtron · 4 months

I can't believe nobody has mentioned electric_sandwich's pernil with rice, beans, and plantains.

podcastaddict · 4 months

rice and lentils, and lots of washing/chopping/steaming of produce and greens, twice a week or so.

bobisagirl · 4 months

The most delicious vegan lentil stew. A staple for me through autumn and winter, and can be frozen and reheated while remaining tasty:

Ingredients:
Lentils (black/green)
Onions
A bunch of autumnal roots/gourds eg pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato, potato, carrot
Some green, quick-cooking winter veg such as beans, frozen peas or kale
Herbs (thyme and/or rosemary are good, or a french herb mix such as herbes de provence)
Garlic
Vegetable stock or bouillon

Sweat the onions and garlic until fragrant in olive oil or non-fat cooking spray. Season, add herbs. Turn up the heat and fling in the non-green veg, cook until the edges begin to brown or the vegetables start to soften very slightly. Add the lentils, stir around in the veg mix, then add the stock so that everything is just covered. Let simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally so that nothing sticks and adding water/stock if necessary. Towards the end, add the green veggies. If you want to freeze the stew, add the green veggies when reheating.

I promise, this recipe is super easy and much better than the sum of its parts :)

brozark · 4 months

I like to do a good braise of any cheap cut of meat. My favorite is a pork grean chili. All you need is pork shoulder (I buy the cheapest I can find at Aldi), tomatillos (cheaper at your local mexican grocer), jalapenos, red onion and some stock. Brown the pork in a dutch oven. Meanwhile roast the chilis, tomatillos and jalapenos in the oven. When the pork is done add the roasted veggies cover with stock and put in a 200 degree oven for three or four hours. Its tangy and incredibly comforting.

exdiggtwit · 4 months

Not on topic but if you'd be curious to explain... why do you eat fish but not fowl?

muddymarge · 4 months

now that the weather has gotten bad i just make a huge batch oh tomato, pea, lentil, barley soup and freeze it. it's really good, and you can keep adding tomato soup to it to make it last longer

dmtri07 · 4 months

Lentil soup in a pressure cooker. Cheap and quick. Throw in some carrots and celery and I have dinner for a whole week.

This and Avgolemono soup (mum's Greek recipe) are usually the staples of my dinners while at college.

guenchy · 4 months

Taco meat. I make a shit load of a taco meat every week.

No, tacos never get old.

LeonieB · 4 months

What about salads in mason jars? It actually works out really well and if you buy vegetables that are in season it ends up being pretty cheap too. The only trick is to put the dressing at the bottom and the lettuce at the top. Shake them up when you're ready to eat them. This week I used carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers and red leaf lettuce. I also added 1 hard boiled egg to each jar for some protein.

johnsix · 4 months

Roast a 7-9 lb chicken (with a good deal of skin and fat removed) with carrots, potatoes, celery, onions,and mushrooms (all of which were purchased with leftovers). Meals 1 and 2 - legs and wings with veggies. Meals 3,4, and 5 - 2/3 of a breast with veggies. Take the carcass and extra veggies along with the roasted-meat-and-veggie juice (awesome stock) and the meat from the thighs. Throw that stuff in a big pot and add water (strip carcass of meat and use a strainer to boil the carcass in there for a little while - the gelatin you get from the bones/cartilage/etc. adds flavor and color). Now cook on low until your potatoes and carrots (new ones) are soft. You should get meals 6-12.

I like to season the original roast with thyme, tarragon, and sage, a little black pepper and about 1/4 teaspoon (that little) salt. Some cumin, cayenne, rosemary, oregano, and basil all work. I like to throw a bay leaf into the soup. You can pack these out as lunches or dinners for one or two. If you buy the chicken on sale and are frugal with the other ingredients, you have a roughly $2/meal healthy feast for days. It all freezes and all thaws easily.

starvard11 · 4 months

One of my favorite things lately is to just cook enough things to fill the oven, and then turn it on 350 and take things out as they are done.

It doesn't seem to matter what I make, as almost any baked thing is good for leftovers for a week from the fridge.

The easiest is baked potatoes (poke with fork, wrap in foil (or not), throw in oven. Same with sweet potatoes. I always cook both of these when the oven is on, and then we have them on hand. Acorn squash is very easy too (cut in half, take out seeds, put in covered dish, put some brown sugar in the middle, cover, cook).

Roasting 2 chickens (1 with Indian spices, 1 with rosemary and lemon), a dozen potatoes, 4 sweet potatoes, 2 squash, and a HUGE dish of roasted vegetables (zucchini, tomato, peppers, onion, mushrooms) took realistically 25 minutes to put together and cost $14. Add cooking a pot of black beans at the same time for another $1. (Note: I sometimes do a whole baking dish of onions roasted with olive oil and garlic because they are really delicious to add to stuff later, easy to freeze, and easier than cutting them each time I want to cook. Add $2).

So now we can eat those things as they are, or make chicken tacos, fast chicken or potato curry, sweet potato mini lasagna, easy pasta stir-fries, burritos, chili (sort of), and even pizza if we have on hand something from each of these groups that is on sale:

some tomato bases (sauce, crushed)
some bread bases (pizza dough, wraps, naan)
some green vegetable (broccoli, peas, spinach)

Since this is r/frugal, my rule for tomato-based stuff is around $1 or less per can/jar, vegetables we try to keep around $1/pound, and bread things I buy because I have been lazy about learning to make bread-type-things. We live in Newton, MA, so those prices are going to be attainable pretty much anywhere (not some of the tri-state, maybe).

nefrina · 4 months

1 Box of Tortini Pasta

1lb of ground hamburger meat

Diced Peppers

Parmesan cheese

Random kind of Tomato sauce

Mix into huge bowl. Have food for the week.

FoghatIsAmazing · 4 months

I cook ~5-10 lbs of various meat products.

c___k · 4 months

Nothing as fancy as half of the things here.

Roll + peppered ham (or some other ham). 2 in fridge, 8 in freezer. Done.

medmanschultzy · 4 months

Dinner/Lunch/Snack: Hummus + Pita bread + Tabouleh. Bonus for making the pita bread yourself (fret not, its easy). Extra special frugal bonus for buying dried chickpeas in bulk. Tahini is the most expensive ingredient, but will last a while.

vibrantly_jaded · 4 months

I make quinoa egg muffiny things for my week's breakfasts.

Jimmysal · 4 months

Lentil soup with whatever bits of meat/bacon are leftover from the week or about to expire.

drchunk · 4 months

Brown rice and chicken breast with jerk seasoning. Then Broccoli daily to go with it.

scotty1987 · 4 months

When I was working split shifts and not be eating at home, I used to cook a big dish of something, normally lasagne, and take it with me, warm it up in the microwave at work and have it on my hour break. Used to get 4 days out of it before it went off.

Also, if you do cooked breakfasts in the mornings, cold bacon sammiches for lunch

karlgnarx · 4 months

I am a big proponent of mass bbq'ing. Take 3-4 lbs of either chicken or burgers and make it all at once. Usually enough for dinner and lunch for most of the week. For chicken I get the big packages of thighs at Costco and burger is burger.

Since you don't eat meat, you could just as easily do this with a bunch of veggie kabobs, squash, eggplant, etc. Mmm, this sounds so good right now and I am hours away from lunch.

FatStupidAmerican · 4 months

I bake a bunch of chicken and freeze it then hard boil some eggs. Everything else is easily thrown together or cooked.

slcStephen · 4 months

One of my favorite multiple-meal meals is a giant rice stir-fry: I stir-fry broccoli, cauliflower, soybeans, and mixed veggies, then once they're almost done I mix in brown rice, spinach, and scrambled egg (each cooked separately) and tuna (though you can use any fish) and stir-fry it all together for a few minutes until the rice gets a bit crisp. This can usually last me for about 3-4 meals, give or take.

violetnightshade · 4 months

Vegetarian versions of: chili, vegetable soup, stiry fry, Spanish rice, black beans and black rice with portabellos.

Xerxesvi · 4 months

Bake several loaves of whole grain bread. Baked beans are unbelievably cheap, go with everything and last a week.. also delicious.

turkeypants · 4 months

Not of use to the OP, but for anyone more carnivorous out there looking for easy meals that cook once and feed many times, the two things that sustain me are crockpot chicken and vegetables and slow-cooked Boston Butt pork shoulder.

Crockpot chicken and veg:
Cut up a couple vegetables and a small onion and put them in the crock pot, maybe garlic, maybe parsley. Season a chicken with salt and pepper or a spice rub. Put it on top of the vegetables. Let it cook on low all day. You get several days of meals. Chicken and veg, chicken sandwiches, chicken soft tacos, chicken salad. The veggies will be swimming in chicken juices by the end of it. You can leave the veggies in there and go ahead and turn it into soup or you can fish them out and eat 'em and save the liquid as stock. Or add the bones and carcass back in and add some water to cover and let that go for a while and strain that and save that as stock.

Smoky Pulled Pork BBQ in your oven:
Buy a Boston Butt, which is the kind of pork shoulder most used to make pulled pork bbq. Optionally slather it liberally with Liquid Smoke and inject some if you have an injector. Rub it down with a spice rub (optionally wrap it up and put it in the fridge over night to let that all soak in). If you don't have a smoker or don't want to fuss with a smoker (hence adding the Liquid Smoke), put it in a roasting pan in a 250-275 degree oven all day depending on how much time you have, maybe with some sweet potatoes or something. It's done when a thermometer reading in the thickest part away from the bone is between 190 and 200. For me this has been about 6-7 hours. That's when the collagen melts and makes it so tender that the bone pulls out clean and you can shred the meat easily with a fork. The spice rub turns into a bark that flavors the rest of the shredded stuff. Freeze the bone for making soup later. Makes meals for a week. I freeze it in single portions in baggies and warm it up in the toaster oven as needed. Put your favorite bbq sauce on it sometimes and have it with the potatoes. Other times do a sandwich. Other times put it in a soft taco shell and add cilantro, salsa, and whatever for quick pork tacos.

digdog7 · 4 months

I do chili and lentil stew, keeps all week, as long as I don't eat it too fast

ThePowerOfGeek · 4 months

I buy a load of fresh veggies (cucumber, grape tomatos, radishes, bell peppers, brocolli), chop them up and then store them in a big ziplock bag. I then take in a portion each day to have with my lunch (roll, leftovers, or whatever). Healthy and tasty! :-)

The key thing is to use a ziplock bag, or some other container that you can force most of their air out of. This helps the veggies stay fresh much longer than if they were just in a regular tupperware container. By the end of the week they are still really fresh (and often stay that fresh well into the next week). And with the right care you can use the ziplock bag multiple times.

hardtoremember · 4 months

About once a week we buy a whole chicken and make chicken noodle soup and some extra stock to use for soups at work and everyday cooking. We use the extra chicken to make chicken salad sandwiches. We also make hard boiled eggs to take to work as well as egg salad sandwiches. We also do chili quite often and sometimes stew.

vinniethepooh · 4 months

A whole pot of vegetable cream soup. Cheap, fast, healthy and easy. It's gone in 2 days.

longshot · 4 months

Can I get your tamale recipe?

filthpunkdammit · 4 months

i do this all the time. there are so many delicious things already listed. i'll just add a few of my regulars.

chili & soup, of course, cause they are easy & freeze well for months. also, to keep things interesting, lately, i've been making pureed soups with roasted root vegetables. there's always a big container of salad in the fridge, as well as a pot of simple rice or some kind of neutral whole grain side dish. sometimes i crank up the steamer & just do a bunch of different veggies: carrots, corn, collard greens, red cabbage, sweet potatoes... these can last up to 5 days. hummus & baked falafel (or any kind of bean dip & patty) usually last a few days & are great for lunch in a wrap or pita. some bean patties freeze well, so you can do a ton at once & just pull out 1 or 2 when you're in a rush. i would also suggest things like stuffed cabbage rolls with barley & lentils, or some variation of vegetarian shepherd's pie, cassoulet, stuffed peppers or baked ziti. oh and for a quick & easy fish dish, prep individual parcels, in parchment or foil, with a few veggies or marinade. then pop them in the freezer & just take them out the day you cook them.

Ek49ten · 4 months

I don't understand, who downvotes this kind of stuff?

Linden2k · 4 months

taco meat! Chili in the crock pot if I'm not being an entirely lazy sack of shit. Aardvark is by far the best hot sauce out there for a good colon-impacting chili.

amatmn · 4 months

We just did this this past weekend:

Home-made Chicken with lots of veggies soup
Chili
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Noodle bake (noodles, ground meat, & spaghetti sauce in a casserole dish)

On other occasions, we have done meatloaf, stuffed peppers, and other casseroles or rice dishes. For most of the meat above, you can take it out and leave it as is (veggie soup) or replace the meat (eggplant into the noodle bake). If you are looking for protein, you could try amaranth grain.

SgtFiddlestixx · 4 months

Christ this is a great idea. Why have I never thought about this? I hate cooking nightly but don't mind it some days. I mean. Words cannot describe. Thank you!

jupiter3888 · 4 months

I usually cook up like various meats (mince meat/pork/turkey/whatevers on special, chicken, pork) and add various herbs and spices to the mix.

While that's cooking I'll cook up a large amount of frozen veggies.

Combine them all together and I usually end up with 10+ meals and chuck them in the freezer.

Takes about an hour

Timmeh · 4 months

My freezer is usually full of either curries, patties for burgers, beef broth for pho, chilli and/or soup. Not really for a weeks worth of eating, but as I live alone, its nice to have something that I can heat up and eat in a short time.

needsmorecoffee · 4 months

This week I have some sausage soup, and some slow cooker roast with beans & carrots. Excellent lunch material---toss a bit in the microwave and done. Also great for dinners.

AddictivePotential · 4 months

I make a large casserole dish so I can just scoop some out for my lunch/dinner and heat it up. I'll also make a large batch of chicken salad, my personal favorite because of all the different things you can put into it. When I make pasta I make a lot more than what I can eat that night, so I'll store a lot of plain pasta in the fridge to mix with fried veggies, pesto, red/white sauce, cheese etc through the week. Quiche is great to make on the weekend too. The spinach quiche I make is great cold and doesn't get that "soggy leftover" feel when I zap it in the microwave, so that is a frequent dish too.

mangetoute · 4 months

I made red beans and rice properly for the first time on Sunday (with the ham bone that had been in the freezer since Thanksgiving, but although it added flavor and shreds of ham, not necessary at all). Just dried beans soaked in water overnight, cooked on a low simmer all day in vegetable stock with salt, one chopped onion, cayenne pepper, a few bay leaves, a couple of teaspoons of Mexican tomato bouillon then the rice added at the end to absorb most of the stock, leaving a thick-ish bean gravy. It is so delicious! Have been eating it for lunch at work every day this week and I'm not tired of it yet.

sea_cucumber · 4 months

sarma.

newlyvegetarian · 4 months

Soup stock Cut carrots (a few days worth of snacks at a time), cucumber, celery, peppers I will chop veggies for the next nights meal to save time (clean-up) Beans and rice (make a large batch then turn the leftovers into bean burritos, wrap in foil and freeze for emergency meals). I tend to double or triple recipes to make sure there is at least enough left over for lunch the next day.

Ahri · 4 months

Last week we made malaysian curried chicken, which we ate with boiled rice (cooked the night before). We also made a spiced sweet soup.

We made a minced-pork and lentil curry this week, and have roasted a chicken with an oriental marinade.

I always have good food for lunch :)

zackattack228 · 4 months

I buy a large package of chicken, marinate it in Italian dressing overnight, use breadcrumbs and lightly fry it in a pan, then cook it in the over on 350 for about 30 min, when it comes out its so tender you can cut it with a fork... I freeze it (1 piece per baggie) Take it out the night before and then eat for lunch at work along with some instant rice and veggies. yum!

xtreme571 · 4 months

Great info in this post. Thanks for posting.

Also can you link to the recipe you use for tamales and lasagna. I've tried a few and never came out right.

Thanks!

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