Smith - Make ahead meals : over 100 easy time-saving recipes

T his cookbook is dedicated to every flavor-loving cook looking for solid time-saving cook-ahead strategies today and to their families and friends who get to enjoy the results tomorrow!

ALSO BY

MICHAEL SMITH

Open Kitchen

The Inn Chef

Chef at Home

The Best of Chef at Home

Chef Michael Smiths Kitchen

Fast Flavours

Back to Basics

Family Meals

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

S pend time gathering and preparing food now to save time sharing it later. Life is busy. Sometimes weand our kitchenshave a hard time keeping up. We all intend to cook from scratch and eat healthily, but our schedules can really limit our options.

Cooking ahead is an easy and affordable way to push back schedule pressure and keep your familys diet on track. Plan ahead. Prep dishes ahead so you can finish them easily when the time comes. Or cook full meals in advance and chill them or freeze them. Life may be busy, but you can still impress yourself in your own kitchen!

Every chef knows how to super-charge their kitchen by getting organized. I helped build my career that way and bring that energy home. You can too by doing just a few basic things. A smart shopping-list system speeds up your shopping cart and guarantees you wont forget anything. A well laid out kitchen with a space for everything boosts productivity. This is especially important in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. You might have to invest some time to reorganize your kitchen, but youll be glad you did.

Make Ahead Meals includes many recipes, ideas and tips for strategically getting ahead of your cooking. There are many ways not just to save time but to bring wholesomeness to your table. Part of our job as cooks is to keep our families away from the nutritional emptiness of processed food. Cook ahead and process your own! Save timeand eat well!

As a very busy dad who still routinely cooks for my beautiful wife and family, I fully understand the challenges we all face as home cooks. Im thrilled to share with you hard-earned lessons from the front lines of my home kitchen and crazy schedule. You dont have to let your busy schedule get in the way of a healthy diet. Take a deep breath, get organized and cook ahead!

Spend Time to Save Time

1. GET ORGANIZED Be deliberate. Start small and ramp up. Begin by absorbing this list of the benefits and strategies of cooking ahead. A small amount of effort organizing yourself now will produce large and growing results downstream.

2. SUPERCHARGE YOUR KITCHEN Organize everything, from pots and pans to bowls, tools and utensils. Sharpen your knives and store them safely. Organize your pantry shelves, your fridge and your freezer. Plan ahead, be consistent and always maintain a shopping listand use it. And remember to enjoy yourself and take pride in being an organized pro!

3. MEAL PLANNING Think ahead. Set up a weekly meal plan that works for you and your family. Jot down the weeks menu on the back of your shopping list for easy reference when youre shopping. Before you head to the store, double-check that youve listed all the ingredients you need.

4. NEW FLAVORS Try new dishes. Be fresh. Its fun and will keep you motivated! Keep making your familys favorite dishes, of course, but be sure to regularly introduce new ones. Try not to get stuck in a rut. There are so many dishes out there just waiting to be discovered and become new family favorites.

You might enjoy recipes like Vietnamese Chicken Curry ().

5. PREPARE AND FINISH Many dishes can easily be prepared days in advance, then quickly finished with a last-minute flourish of fresh flavor. With practice youll be able to two-step just about any recipe.

You might enjoy recipes like Yesterdays Tomato Saffron Broth, Todays Fish ().

6. AFTER-SUPPER PREPARATION Many cooks are understandably focused on the critical window between their arrival home and their first bitethe faster the better. So always think ahead. Every day, as soon as dinner is over, prepare whatever you can for tomorrow. This strategy will perpetually speed up dinner.

You might enjoy recipes like Fall Flavors Salad ().

7. WEEKEND MAKE AHEAD RALLY Fire up your kitchen for a few hours and simultaneously cook supper plus one or two other meals for the freezer. Get organized and enjoy yourself. Youll be surprised how much you can pull off once youre up and running.

You might enjoy recipes like Honey-Spiced Roast Turkey Leftovers ().

8. DOUBLE BATCH Its usually just as easy to double a dishsaving one meal for next time as it is to make just one for now. Many dishes can be doubled or even tripled, and youll quickly discover how much efficiency you gain this way.

You might enjoy recipes like Prosciutto Lemon Wrapped Chicken ().

9. SAVE SMALL MEALS You can divide many dishes into multiple smaller frozen portions poised for a hot lunchbox meal or even another dinner. If you prepare two or three dishes simultaneously, you can rally lunch for a month.

You might enjoy recipes like Sweet Potato Soup and Pumpkin Seed Pesto ().

10. COOKING CLUB Pick your favorite dish and a fun theme. Fill your freezer with a portion for everyone. Gather your foodie friends and organize a monthly swap meet. Encourage them to interpret the theme and share their frozen favorites.

You might enjoy recipes like Vegetarian Minestrone ().

Your Shopping List

1. USE YOUR COMPUTER Create a template checklist of your own or download mine from chefmichaelsmith.com. (Look under Make Ahead Meals on the Cookbooks page.) Its easy to use, and you can change it to suit your needs. Within each category, include lots of example prompts and lots of blanks for new ideas too. If you buy a particular product consistently, include its name. Update the document frequently as your habits and tastes evolve. Youll find that it really helps you stay organized.