Frozen cooked meat -

I have a new strategy to take-on dinner.  I hate to use the word hate, but pretty much hate making dinner. For lots of boring reasons it just does not work for me, BUT obviously dinner is needed.

I had never heard of "batch" cooking ( I am not even positive that is the term), I just knew that often when I cook I double the recipe so I have extra - I wrote about it here.

I recently read a Facebook update from a friend, where she described cooking 10 pounds of ground beef at once and freezing it.  Lighbulb!  I had never contemplated freezing just cooked meat to be used later. You pull your cooked chicken breasts from the freezer, they thaw a few hours, and voila. Meat made, and the other stuff can get thrown together easily.



Not making dinner

I made my friend Della tell me every detail about her multi-pound hamburger cooking and freezing activity, but as you guessed and I didn't - it's pretty self explanatory. 

Hamburger works great as does ground turkey ofcourse, but lately I have embraced the bulk cooking of chicken breasts. I discuss my chicken breast grilling success here.

Playing cornhole not making dinner

 

In the meantime I just wanted to share a Tired Girl idea ripped from a friend's Facebook status that has really transformed dinner for me.

At an art museum not making dinner

When I cook chicken breasts, turkey or ground beef I cook double or triple and freeze. I don't let it hang out long in the freezer, just because I am so excited to know it's in there waiting for me - so I often use it all up fast and then make more - always trying to leave at least one frozen bag of meat in the there for true emergencies. 

ANYWAY - the point is I never thought of it, and someone did, and I took the idea, and my life is easier, and dinner is only hated a few times a week instead of every night.

If you would rather eat cereal for a night and get indoctrinated on "batch cooking" then google it and let your mind get blown. 

Or just do it in little bits like this.  Here are my ideas for using my frozen, cooked meat:

At Toomer's Corner not making dinner

Tacos (my all time favorite recipe)
Taco salad
Taco soup (I have a taco problem)

Enchiladas
Chicken on salad -- (this is the main thing I have done so far, since it's summer and the chicken doesn't need to be heated -just shredded or chunked up on to greens - no cooking at all.  Hooray!)
Chicken in veggie pasta
Spaghetti
Chili
LOTS of soup possibilities
Casseroles
Quesadillas
and a bunch more I am too tired to think about.

Any one else have batch cooking ideas or tips? I wanted to name this post "Batch Bitch," but saved it for further down in the post.