Winter

16 No-Fuss Batch Dinners To Freeze For Your Future Self

October 17, 2017

Conversations regarding our future selves tend to revolve around personal finances or physical and mental health. The concept is pretty simple: What is the most realistic future you can imagine for yourself? No winning the lottery, no magically "getting fit.” Just what you’ll be if you continue everything as you are now. If you don’t like the image, change it.

It’s a wonderfully helpful mindset when it comes to investment habits or workout routines, and, as I recently discovered, dinner planning. On slow, easy Sundays, I think of the tired, hungry Wednesday Katie. Or Tuesday coworker-drinks-but-no-food-plans Katie. Or, if I’m thinking about my way, way ahead future self, I realize how much she’ll want to eat chicken soup when sick. Making big batch dinners and freezing pre- or post-cooking isn’t just good planning. It’s an act of self-compassion. It’s doing a kind deed for the person you’ll be in two weeks or two months or a few days. So, take a moment plan ahead. Your future self will thank you.

How do you plan for your future self? Think they're hungry?

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A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).

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See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Linda
    Linda
  • greglum
    greglum
  • Richard
    Richard
  • Antonietta Nette Scrofani
    Antonietta Nette Scrofani
Katie is a food writer and editor who loves cheesy puns and cheesy cheese.

5 Comments

Linda May 3, 2019
Thank you for the recipes and tips on freezing. Now, how about some guidelines for thawing and/or re-heating?
 
greglum October 31, 2017
Hiya! A quick comment based on Richard's comment - it'd be nice if the article itself gave some pointers on when to freeze which kind of dish, just like what you replied to him. :)
 
Richard October 17, 2017
At what point do I freeze? Before or after cooking? How to reward?
 
Richard October 17, 2017
A few
Chicken tikka masala,
Chicken tamale pie,
Pastisis,
Shepherd pie w/sweet potatoes,
Mustardy Mac& cheese
Thanking you in advance for your assistance
 
Antonietta N. May 3, 2019
You would freeze after cooking. Make sure the food has completely cooled. You can also par-cook the food, cool and then freeze.