So often, dear friends of mine have claimed that cooking is just not in their wheelhouse. Among these women are some of the fiercest, strongest, most incredible women I know.
It makes me sad to know that these talented and accomplished women see themselves as “less than” in any way – especially feeling inferior as a wife and/or mom simply because they’ve put their energy into learning and practicing other skills more than they have into the skill of cooking.
So… in their honor, today let me impart to you three SIMPLE tips that even the most basically skilled chefs can accomplish with confidence and will allow you to “go forth and conquer” in your own kitchen in the coming weeks, months, and years.
- Brown several pounds of ground beef at one time, allow to cool, then separate into freezer bags (approx. 1lb in each bag).Toss these bags into the freezer, and you’ve got SO many SUPER fast meals ready at the snap of your fingers. Need some ideas?Here are just a handful of meals you could make with those ground beef baggies:
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- Tacos/Nachos/Tostadas
- Spaghetti
- Taco soup
- Sloppy Joes
- Quick chili
- Cheeseburger pie
- Cheeseburger pizza
- Shepherd’s pie
- Lasagna
- Ziti pasta bake
- Cabbage rolls (or cabbage roll soup)
- Slow cooker beef queso
- Zucchini boats
- Stuffed peppers
- Beef Enchiladas
- Beef Stroganoff
- Chili Mac and Cheese
- Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe’s
- Taco Pizza
- Frito Chili Pie
- Beef Lettuce Wraps
- Cheeseburger Nachos
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Taco-Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Korean Beef Bowls
- Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
- Tamale Pie
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- Toss some chicken breasts (frozen or unfrozen. Doesn’t matter) into a gallon sized ziploc bag or a large bowl that you have a lid for (depending on how much space you have in your fridge) along with a bottled dressing of your choice (I prefer Caesar, Italian or a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette).Allow the chicken to marinade in the dressing until the frozen breasts are thawed or if unfrozen, allow to stay in the baggie for at least an hour – up to a day. Pound the chicken into evenly thick pieces using a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin if you don’t have a tenderizer.Toss your chicken breasts on a greased grill (grease it BEFORE you turn on the flame… I like to use coconut oil or ghee) at about 400 degrees for about 4 minutes each side (check to be sure the thickest part of the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit before you take them off the grill.Try not to overcook. That’s how your chicken ends up dry.
Allow chicken to sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it. This keeps all the juices from spilling out of the chicken and (again) causing your chicken to be dry.
Chop your rested chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and store them in quart sized freezer bags to use in so many recipes including any of the following:
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- Lettuce Wraps
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Lemon Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Asian Chicken Salad
- Chicken Caesar Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pitas
- Chicken Nachos
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Grilled Chicken Tacos
- Quesadillas
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Chicken Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches/Pitas
- Copycat Chipotle Bowls
- Chicken, Pesto, Sun-dried Tomato Paninis
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- Place a chunk of meat of your choice (pork butt, chicken, beef chuck, etc.) in your slow cooker along with a cup of water or broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.Remove meat from slow cooker, shred using forks or using an electric mixer (handheld or kitchen aid. Whatever you’ve got will work).Once the shredded meat cools, separate into quart sized freezer bags and store in freezer for future use.Use in any sort of shredded meat meal of your choice including any of the following:
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- Tacos
- Salads
- Quesadillas
- Nachos
- Soups
- BBQ Sandwiches
- Burrito Bowls
- Fried Rice
- Omelets
- Pizzas
- Stroganoff
- Enchiladas
- Tamales
- Pasta (your choice of sauce)
- Open Faced (or not) Sandwich Melts
- Tostadas
- Loaded/Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Taquitos
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Alright, now I know you know that these lists are NOT exhaustive, so what would you add to these lists of meals you could make with just 3 simple prep-aheads?? Drop your additions in the comments. I’d love to be inspired by you!
