Help Wanted: Ricotta Bake, Freezing, and Make Ahead Lunches

Thank you so much!  I am honestly super excited.  I think I GOT THIS!! Going to try for the shop for the whole week...plan for the whole week...cook and prep all lunches.  OMG...it would make evenings so much easier!

I will totally keep you posted!

~E

I forgot to mention what I do for breakfast. take one of the cartons of eggbeaters whip it with some fairlife milk (almost like scrambled eggs) and then pour into 13x9 baking dish and bake about 35 mins at 375 degrees. Pull it out, let it cool and then cut it into 9 portions and place in sandwich bags toss in the freezer. Pull one out the night before and leave in fridge. right now I top with hot sauce at micro 1 1/2 mins but have put shredded cheddah on the top too!

I freeze chili all the time.  I use a bag sealer to get a good seal on it.  It will last up to a year, barring the freezer doesn't quit. 

I also like to make a whole chicken on Sunday's in the crockpot, then measure out the ounces I need for each meal. I'll also cook up a bag of brown rice and different types of veggies. 

One day this week, I took the cooked chicken, rice and veggies and made a stir-fry.  Another day, I took the chicken rice and veggies and added chicken broth to make 'soup.'  I also chopped up the chicken and veggies added shredded cheese and put that over the rice. 

Same three ingredients, 3 different lunches. 

Best wishes to you!

was thinking about something involving chicken or pork that you could take the night before, plop it in fridge, then reheat at work?

maybe IP pork loin, chicken and steam some veg to go with it?

what about tuna and portion out lettuce/plain coleslaw to go under it?

something with shrimp/caulirice?

This left-overs-from-the-night-before I do pretty often.  Since my goal is to make everything and pack it on Sunday for the week though I am trying to come up with a different process. This week my Guy is out of town so dinners might be small or weird. Would like to try to cook 'just enough' without leftovers and have the lunches be different from the dinners. Not forever but for this week at least and see how the make-ahead thing works for me.

Shrimp...like cold shrimp right?  I've never kept shrimp more than a few hours from when I bought it.  I always think it is going to spoil and kill off everyone in the family a la Monty Python "Meaning of Life" canned salmon.

I think I really do need a cooking lesson or twenty.

~E

I have froze the ricotta bake and noodle-less lasagna in individual sized portions. I usually pull it out the night before I will want it for lunch/dinner.  Usually 1 1/2 mins in the micro does the trick for me. I also do the same with spaghetti squash (I roast it, scrape it-layer the bottom of the 13x9 pyrex with the "noodles" top with Alfredo sauce, cooked cubed/shredded chicken breast and then top with mozzarella cheese and bake for about 30 mins at 350-ish.  

I will be reading through for other recipes too!

Ok...so roast...scrape...layer and the 'noodles' are good to go.  You do not boil them right? 

I haven't found an Alfredo sauce that doesn't hurt my pouch.  There seems to be too much butter fat in them.  Do you have a low fat type you use?

Nope no need to boil. Cut squash in half, scrape out seeds sprinkle with a bit of olive oil flip upside down on foil covered cookie sheet and then bake in oven for 45 mins at 400 degrees. Allow to cool for ten mins then use a fork to make the "noodles".  I don't seem to have an issue with fat - I actually usually need more to avoid dry skin issues. Could you make some?

If I could make low fat Alfredo sauce without a recipe...I would also have a pony and a million dollars. :)

Going to add the roasted squash to the list for trying though. Thank you!

Lol!!