Thanks to everyone who entered the CSN giveaway. I used Random.org to randomly generate a number between 1 and 125. And the winner is…
Teresa from Teresa Cooks!
Congratulations Teresa. Please email me and I will pass along your $40 promo code from CSN.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. (more)
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I make my breakfast for the week ahead of time every sunday. I usually bake eggwhite in muffin tins with veggies and cheese. it’s GREAT!
I think my favorite “meal” to make ahead of time is chicken salad. Fresh chicken, some celery, salt, pepper, mayonaise and maybe a pinch of curry powder. Wow!
http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com
Thanks for the chance to win!
Since my husband and I don’t have kids yet, I use any meal that can fit into a casserole dish as a make ahead meal. Instead of using a 13×9″ pan, though, I use two 8×8’s. We’ll start in on one for supper right away and freeze the other one. Then, next time we don’t feel like cooking, we’ll throw it in the oven and have an instant home made meal. The only problem is that we’re running out of freezer space!
I would just love to learn how to do make ahead meals in general. I am always flying by the seat of my pants in the meal preparation department and that can be stressful! 🙂
Spaghetti sauce is a favorite of mine to make ahead. It can be used in so many different ways.
I love to make cheesy chicken and rice. It’s a crockpot meal that you don’t habe to worry about at all.
Any meal I can make ahead is generally my favorite. I have three little ones, and meal preperations can be interesting some times. I would love to learn to make other make ahead meals to help expand our menu. It seems very limited sometimes.
Crock pot meals are probably my favorite make ahead. I admit though, I haven’t ventured into many make-ahead recipes to truly have a favorite yet.
I like assembling lasagna or baked ziti ahead of time and popping it in the freezer. We take it out the day we want to eat it and just heat it up in the oven!
The burritos are a great idea! My favorite make ahead meals are definitely crockpot meals!
I think my favorite make-ahead meal is my black bean tortilla casserole – but really, my repertoire of make-ahead meals is pretty limited so I’d love to learn to get more creative.
My husband and I both work full-time and have 2 little kids, so make-ahead meals are a staple! I love doing a huge batch of pulled pork in the crockpot and then freezing it in smaller portions to take out whenever. We use it for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, tacos/burritos, stir fries etc.
I have a few make-ahead meals that are always in the freezer for my kids – pancakes, pizza and crockpot chili are great for batch cooking and freezing in individual portions.
My favorite make ahead meal plan is to make a bunch of chicken breasts on Sunday afternoon and then I can add them to salads, make paninis, chop them up for tacos, etc. throughout the week.
My favorite make ahead meal is a big old crockpot of turkey chili with lots of beans! Once the chili is made we can eat it lots of ways — “straight up” the first night, then maybe turkey chili wraps with shredded jack cheese the next night. If we’ve still got leftovers they will go on a baked potato or even a mexican pizza. Hubby and I both love the stuff and could eat it every night!
Since my husband and I aren’t married, most everything I make is a make ahead meal. We typically eat some tonight and some are kept for tomorrows lunch, then some are frozen and kept for later.
Having a daughter who chose a vegetarian lifestyle in 5th grade, I’m always looking for healthy and delicious recipes for her. Since she’s now away at college, I’ve been making bean burritos that we freeze and she can reheat at her leisure. If we have leftover “tofurkey” or “quorn”, I add that to the burritos for extra protein. They can be popped into the microwave and ready in less than 10 minutes!
I really need to get better about putting together some make ahead meals – SUCH a time saver. Lately I’ve been making my Steel Cut Oatmeal in advance on Sunday nights for the week, but I LOVE having either Lasagna or Cannelloni ready to pop out of the freezer.
I have a great make-ahead recipe for chicken and roasted veggies with rosemary.
My favorite make-ahead meal is a grown up Mac and Cheese recipe that I found. It has cheddar, gruyere and bleu cheese. The best part is it seems the more days it sits in the fridge before I bake it, the better it is! It’s good to make on the weekend and have on hand for the week ahead!
My favorite make-ahead meal is probably chili. I make it in a huge pot and since it’s just my hubby and me, I freeze the rest in portions and reheat it on the stovetop on chilly evenings. That way, all I have to do is whip up some cornbread real quick (usually I just do that with a mix – just add water!). I love to snuggle down with a bowl and watch a movie to relax.
I’m not a mom either, but fast meals are great for anyone, especially if they taste awesome. 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!
Any time I’m entertaining I like to make ahead the meal so all I have to do is pop it into the oven and enjoy the company! My favorite make ahead meal is lasagna.
I’d love to learn any kind of make-ahead breakfast. Typically during the week I’m just eating a protein bar, as I don’t have the time to really make anything.
We make a lot of things ahead, spaghetti sauce, casseroles, chili, burritos. Instead of going into details about what we cook, I’ll give the technique we use to freeze and thaw.
Don’t put anything in real dishes. They take up too much freezer space and you are without your dish until you eat that meal. Freeze everything in ziplock bags. Put the ziplock bag in the freezer in the dish that you would have used to cook it. That way, you have a nice square block that you can stack in your freezer, and when it is time to defrost in your fridge, you can put the ziplock back in the pan so that you don’t have any leakage issues.
We freeze all of our sauces or soups in quart size freezer bags and stack them in a 8×8 until frozen.
The burritos look great…I get stuck in a breakfast rut myself. I don’t know if it counts as a make ahead meal, but I love putting a whole chicken in the crockpot with some onions and seasonings, and having it ready for me at dinner time.
sporadiccook@gmail.com
My favorite make ahead meal is turkey meatballs. I cook up an entire batch of them, portion them out in ziploc baggies and stick them in the freezer. Whenever I want a quick lunch or throw some on some pasta, I either heat them up with some spaghetti sauce or on their own and toss them with the pasta.
Not sure if this counts, exactly. I mix some whole wheat pancake batter, add ground flax and nuts, oat bran, stir and put in fridge the night before. In the morning, I toss in some frozen blueberries, stir again and make two hefty pancakes in an electric fry pan (is that even a term anymore) on the counter. Keeps the mess to a minimum, gives my two girls a ton of fiber and going strong until lunch.
I really like to make casseroles ahead of time and freeze them. It’s always a complete meal with all the major food groups, and feels substantial without the immediate work. Our favorite is an Undone Stuffed Pepper Casserole. I’d like to start learning make-ahead breakfast recipes, especially the great WW muffins you have posted on your site. Those burritos also look great, and a much better alternative to the regular old bowl of cereal!
Leftovers. 🙂
My favorite make ahead meal is Honey Glazed Chicken thighs. You combine the honey sauce and add to the chicken and then freeze it. SOooo good!
My favorite make ahead “meal” is mexican chicken in the crock pot – I use it for a variety of meals throughout the week.
The burrito recipe looks easy, I like the idea of freezing them for sure.
Love the burritos, great idea! I make ahead a chicken and stuffing casserole among other things. Easy to pull out and bake when dinner time is approaching!
I am always on the hunt for make-ahead meals! Breakfast would be great, as our house is always in a rush to get everyone out to school in the morning! Anything I could pop out of the freezer and into the oven for dinner would be a huge help to avoid multi-tasking with dinner prep and the kids’ homework!
I am going to test the burritos tomorrow! They sound great!
I am always looking for make-ahead meals! It’s so nice just to pull something out and have it be ready, with the work already done! Especially great to give to new mom’s or sick friends to help them. Thanks for the chance to win!
Make ahead meals are the best!
Rachael Ray had one on 30MM one time where it was pasta, with a tomato sauce, lots of cheese and veggies, kinda like a lasagna with small bite size noodles, and we loved it, in fact this post makes me think I need to make it again.
Being a teacher it is important for me to plan my meals so that on those days that I am “extra” tired I can just pull out that meal and chill while it cooks! My favorite make ahead meal is anything pasta-related. I just double my sauce and then put it with pasta and cheese then pop it into the freezer!I think these flavors are better the 2nd day.
I would love this cookbook!
Awesome giveaway! My favorite make-ahead meal is lasagna. you just put it all together and then in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it!
I like to make lasagnas ahead of time and then freeze them for later during the week. Its easy for either me or my fiance to throw one in the oven when we dont have much time.
I have been trying to make meals ahead for nights that I have class late.
amandarwest at gmaildotcom
I make a double batch of baked ziti and freeze half of it in a disposable baking dish before baking. That is really my only “make ahead meal.” I would love to learn more!
Any kind of pasta. Usually chicken with marinara and pasta or shrimp with pasta.
I wouldn’t eat lasagna if it wasn’t ‘make ahead’….I think it sitting in the fridge or freezer before baking is ESSENTIAL for all the flavors to mingle.
My favorite meal to make ahead is meatballs! They are so easy to pull from the freezer and serve.
My go to make ahead meals always involves the crock pot. I get it ready the night before so its done in the morning to take for lunch and reheat for dinner
I love to make overnight french toast and would some make ahead dinner ideas for nights when we both work late!
ljparent@gmail.com
Great giveaway!
I would love to learn some make ahead pasta recipes!
I love to have make-ahead chicken nugggets all ready to go in my freezer. Making them at home from ingredients I can pronounce is important to me. So, it’s nice to have them ready to eat quickly. Thanks for offering the exciting cookbook!
My fave make ahead is also breakfast burritos..I make mine a little diffrent. I use ground turkey seasoned with lemon peppr and red pepper flakes. I then take steamed rice and combine the two and store in a tupperware n the fridge. In the morning I just heat the amount for me and put in a tortilla shell and Voila…Breakfast!!! My kids like theirs with eggs so I just scramble some eggs an combine with the mixture and serve with a tortilla. Yum-alicious!!!
My favorite “make-ahead” is when I make lasagna and double or triple the recipe and freeze a lasagna or two for later. Nothing better than on a lazy night to pull a homemade lasagna out and pop it in the oven!
I love breakfast make-ahead recipes. I am so lazy and late in the mornings that I never have time to eat in the mornings.
Lasagna or baked ziti
What is your favorite make ahead meal? I guess I would say chili.
These burritos look fantastic. I’m going to bookmark this recipe. Thanks for the giveaway!
I could definitely use this cookbook to save my sanity. My weekends are generally relaxed but my weekdays can get crazy. I work 9 to 12 hours per day. I haven’t mastered make ahead meals at all. I would love to try casseroles, pizza, and crockpot make ahead meals.
My favorite make ahead meal is probably green chili chicken enchiladas. I make the filling in the crockpot and make a ton of enchiladas and freeze the extras. 🙂
I need to get better at make ahead meals. I currently have mac n cheese in the freezer. But I love the idea of make ahead breakfasts!
My favorite make ahead meal is bbq pulled chicken sandwiches..it literally takes 5 minutes to throw it all in the crockpot….I love coming home to a hot meal all ready for me! I am definitly going to try the breakfast burritos out, as breakfast is a meal that I could use some serious “make ahead” help with! We are always running out the door, and I want some healthy options that we can grab on the way out!
My favorite make ahead meals are anything I can put in the crockpot. I also love making a cheesy chicken spaghetti. It is super easy to do ahead of time and freeze until you want it. 🙂
the only make ahead meals i make are when i’m usign the crockpot. i REALLY need to do more freezer meals. would make life so much easier.
Favorite freezer meal is Teriyaki Chicken- but I use a handful of recipes to keep it stocked so that we can have home cooked meals with out prep every day.
I have been wanting this book- thanks for the chance to get a copy!
Do leftovers count as a make-ahead meal??? 🙂 This is an area of cooking and prep that I need to master, for sure. I’ve never frozen meals for long-term make-ahead meals, but I will make a vat of tuna salad and dip into it throughout the week. I’m still learning how to love food that has been frozen, b/c I grew up HATING things that came out of the freezer. If there is a proper way to freeze things, I’m all ears, b/c that could save me a lot of time and worry with menu planning 🙂
These look great! I’m really looking forward to making them. Probably tonight….Yum. My favorite make ahead meal is casserole. It is so easy and doesn’t always need to be cooked right away. Stick it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook!
So I totally went home and made those last night, using leftover Easter ham and whole wheat tortillas. My kids helped me and boy, do I ever feel virtuous! Those little darlings are just nestled in the freezer now, awaiting the morning we really need them. At our house, that happens by Thursday, Friday at the latest.
I love my crockpot – it’s great for the days when I work. I love Chicken Tortilla Soup – yum!
Such a great idea! I’m definitely going to need some of those recipes when I start school part time in the fall. A crock pot would be a great thing too!
I love waking up on a Sunday morning and finding an overnight breakfast casserole in my fridge – we can stay in our jammies and be lazy while having a great breakfast!!
My new favorite make ahead meal is overnight oats with any combination of toppings!
I am not a mom, but I totally need make ahead meals!
My favorite make-ahead meal is my Baked Sausage Ziti. While it does take prepwork, it makes a ton of food (so much that I end up giving half of it away to friends) and I can freeze leftovers, or have some for dinner for a few nights.
Pizza Burgers! You can just wrap in foil ond freeze and pop one or two in the oven when youneed a quick lunch:)
colesammom at gmail dot com
One of my favorite make ahead meals isn’t a meal, its a type of food. When I have time on the weekends, I make pasta dishes: stuffed shells, lasagna, etc. then freeze it. During the week, grab a pan from the freezer, pop it in the oven, and a fresh, home cooked meal in less than an hour with no prep time! Its a huge time saver!!
I would love to learn some make ahead meals!! I don’t get home from work until after 8, and would love to have a meal ready to eat.
I have several casseroles that I make ahead of time, and freeze until I’m ready to cook them. My favorite is a chicken spaghetti casserole…easy to assemble, easy to freeze, then just pop it in the oven when you’re ready! Yum yum.
I like to make enchiladas ahead!
Yum! I don’t really know any make-ahead meals, but lately I’ve been wanting to make up a bunch of black beans and rice to microwave for lunch – I’m a college student so I don’t get a lot of chances to cook 🙂
What a fun giveaway! I have to go with the classic make ahead meal – lasagna!
I just found your blog because i’m moving to Boston in August and I LOOOOVE it!! Lucky I stumbled upon a giveaway!
My favorite make ahead meal of ALL time is vegetarian chili with sweet potato or yam in it! So delicious with toasted bread or if you hvae the time, baked cornbread!!
The most tasty make ahead I’ve done is a breakfast quiche. Yumm.
one of my favorites is lasagna, or i like to do home made pot pies, and soups and stews soo ncie to do.
jauna
jauna at juno dot com
My favorite make ahead meal is beef brisket! I usually will make it on a Sunday. It’s my grandmothers recipe and it’s ridiculously good. The leftovers include brisket the first night w/ all the veggies that roast in the stew, and then you can make beef brisket sandwiches!
My DH and I work full time jobs, and we have a 2 year old, so make ahead meals are key!! I would love this cookbook, right now I am kind of boring, and use the crockpot for most make ahead meals, but I am definitly going to try the burritos. Thanks!!
Having things made ahead can be a real life saver sometimes!
MY favorite meal to make ahead of time is crock pot pulled pork. TO come home and smell a finished pork but simmering away in a the crock pot and knowing that dinner is ready, makes a great night.
We like to make homemade spaghetti sauce in our house and then freeze some of it for further use. One thing we do a lot is cook chicken breasts for a meal and then continue to use the leftovers in recipes like chicken pasta or a salad or whatever we can do. Planning ahead of time has never been one of my strengths when it comes to cooking and I often end up running to the store an hour before dinner to grab ingredients for a recipe I just found.
My favorite make-ahead meal would be crock pot chili. As a soon to be newlywed, I would love to find more make-ahead meals so I don’t have to cook when I get home from work!
Gosh – this is a perfect book for me! My husband and I are both huge foodies and both work (more than) full time and we have a very active and hungry 19 month old little boy. And he fancies himself a bit of a foodie, too! So thank you for the chance to win!
My ultimate make ahead meal is to roast a chicken on Saturday night and then on Sunday, turn the leftovers into chicken, cheese and bean enchiladas. I make enough to serve an 8 X 8 dish during the week for a quick meal and then store another one in the freezer for later! Yum!
My fav make ahead is spanakopita, spinach cheese pies. We roll them or make triangles then freeze them and b/c they take a while to make, having them homemade and frozen on heand at all times rocks!
I don’t really do any make ahead meals now-besides using the crockpot. I’d love to start learning more that would help make dinnertime easier! Thanks!
My favorite make ahead meal would have to be chili. I make it in the crockpot (which lends itself to many make ahead meals!), so I cook the ground beef and assemble everything the night before. The next morning before I leave the house, all I have to do is turn the crockpot on and dinner is ready when I get home!
We don’t make ahead very many meals, but I am trying to start doing that because it makes life so much easier!
We will do 8×8 tater tot casserole or manicotti and sometimes chili, but those are the only meals we’ve managed to freeze ahead at this point.
I would love some more ideas!!
My favorite make ahead meal is Salad, I do it every day!
My favorite Make-Ahead meal is usually leftover pasta. I am very interested in finding out how to make-ahead breakfast dishes that aren’t carb-heavy.