There has been so much cooking going on this past month. With us, all being home, making three meals a day has become grueling and starting to get boring. To ease up some of the daily cooking, we have been making food in batches to recipes that last for days. This has helped to make the day-to-day cooking easier where all we have to do is heat up the recipes. Many of these recipes can be modified to your families’ dietary preferences, and family size and (hopefully) inspire you to try something new.
Soup: Soup is one of the original batch cooking ideas. It can be simple or as complicated as you want. I love minestrone with noodles for the kids and lentil soup that can be whipped together pretty quickly. Another favorite is lentil soup that can be a simple mix of lentils, broth, bay leaves carrots, celery garlic, and onion or an additional boost with some veggies like spinach or kale. Check out a few more of my favorite comforting soup recipes and my go-to recipe for chicken noodle soup.
Chili: Another soup-like favorite is chili. You can opt to make it vegetarian or with ground beef for a hearty dish that is comforting and lasts for days. The five-ingredient chili from Gimme Some Oven is a crowd-pleaser that is also super easy to make.
Grain Bowls: These are great because you can pretty much make your own creations based on what you have at home. I like to start with quinoa (sometimes rice for the kids) and then add in a protein of your choice (beans, chicken, tofu, beef, etc.) and veggies. If you don’t have fresh produce, add in some frozen vegetables for a quick and healthy meal.
Pasta Dishes: It’s been all about pasta in our house. They could eat a simple bowl (but still delicious) of spaghetti and meatballs for days, but I also try to mix it up with other pasta dishes. Another one of our favorites is to saute vegetables (usually it’s spinach, carrots, zucchini with some basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a pesto sauce). Other favorites are the lasagna from Taste of Home and the creamy beef shells from Damn Delicious.
Mac and Cheese: A classic for the ages, this one is great to make in bulk that can easily be warmed up the next day and enjoyed for days on end. One of our favorite recipes is the homemade mac and cheese from Joy Food Sunshine.
Overnight Oats: Even though we don’t have to run out the door early, the days still start early with everyone hungry the second they wake up. Most days, we opt for a simple bowl of cereal, but we also like to make overnight oats to mix it up. To freshen up the oatmeal, you can add some fresh fruit, nuts, and chia seeds for an added nutritional boost.
Energy Balls: For something sweet, I love to make a batch of No-Bake Energy Bites. This is also an easy recipe to make with the kids that can be modified with fixings like raisins, coconut shavings, and more.
Cookies: Cookies are the ultimate batch cooking treat that we have enjoyed making this month. Some of our favorite recipes are the chocolate chip cookies from Love to be in the Kitchen and the simple sugar cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
