Batch Cooking for Beginners: How to Meal Plan (Part 3)
In the final part of our Batching for Beginners series, let’s dive into meal planning—specifically, how to plan a month of meals using batch cooking. Because I for one think that since you’ve done all this work, it’s time to enjoy some of the rewards, am I right? With a solid plan in place, you can enjoy home-cooked meals all month long, without the stress of daily cooking.
This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through links on this post at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure.
Why Meal Planning Matters
If you wanna make batch cooking work for you, then having a plan for once you’ve got a nice lil stash of ready-to-go meals is what you need.
Meal planning has entered the chat.
When you plan ahead, yeah you reduce food waste, save money at the grocery store & eliminate the guesswork of “What’s for dinner?” (a strong motivator if you wanna avoid those 4:30pm texts). But here’s how you can use batch cooking with meal planning to get basically a month off! (Or more, go big or go home right?)
Want other meal planning strategies? Why not. 6 Simple Ways to Troubleshoot Your Common Meal Planning Challenges
Batch Cooking & Meal Planning – Combo
- Choose Your Base Recipes
The first step in meal planning with batch cooking is selecting your base recipes. These are the main dishes that you’ll cook in large batches & use throughout the month. I mentioned in part 2 that some great options for base recipes include:
- Chili: Make a large batch of chili & freeze portions for future meals.
- Roast Chicken: Roast several chickens at once & shred the meat for tacos, salads, or soups.
- Rice & Grains: Cook large batches of brown rice, wild rice, or quinoa to use in grain bowls, stir-fries & salads.
- Casseroles: Prepare casseroles in bulk & freeze them in portions for easy reheating.
But basically these are meal tickets to glory. Versatile yet still epically delicious & can be used as your plug and play. So one step in and we’re already winning with our batch cooking meal plan combo. Booyah!
- Plan for Variety
To avoid getting bored with your meals, it’s important to incorporate variety into your meal plan. Use your base recipes to create different meals by changing up the ingredients or presentation. For example:
Don’t just revert to tacos with your leftover roast chicken all the time. If you do & that’s what your fam loves, then ignore me. But add an extra layer called seasonality – and I don’t mean this in the way you’re prolly used to hearing. I mean, use some of the shredded leftover chicken on a salad the next day if it’s summer time & you want a cool break. Use it in some ultra-cozy, comforting soup later in the week if it’s winter. One dish, different meal for what fits the time & vibe of the season.
Another example – serve chili over rice one night & on baked sweet potatoes another. Same sorta meal, different presentation. You want it in all the colors right?
By mixing & matching ingredients, you can factor in variety without spending too much time in the kitchen. And definitely without having to blow the budget, hello.
- Prep & Freeze
Once you’ve selected your base recipes & planned your meals, it’s time to get cooking. Batch cook your recipes over a weekend, portion them out into freezer-safe containers & store them for future use. Make sure to label everything with the date & contents so you can easily grab meals later on.
Here’s why this adds up, yeah. When you make that chili (or make or buy that rotisserie chicken), you’re gonna up the ante by multiplying it as many times as you can. If you 4x that recipe, you can rely on chili being one meal for the next four months (whaaaaaaaa) OR you can comfortably pull out dinner once a week for this whole month.
However you like to spend it, the currency is yours to use. But since you’re already dirtyin’ up dishes & if you wanna make the best out of a batch cooking with meal planning situation, make the most of it is all I’m saying.
- Make a Weekly Meal Plan
Now, if you use the 4x recipe once a week, you might only have to make another 2-3 meals this way. And your menu for the month is set. If you choose to have extra variety & only wanna have chili once or even twice a month, you’ll need to batch more. Maybe like 4-6 more meals.
By rotating through your base recipes, you’ll have a new meal pretty much every night while keeping your cooking time to a minimum. It won’t feel monotonous. Batch cooking with meal planning wins again!
Repurposing Batch Cooked Leftovers
Alright, so there’s actually a fifth step to this lil process, but it’s not really part of this process…
It’s part of the forethought that needs to go into even starting batching in the first place.
- Stay Flexible
One of the best things about batch cooking is its flexibility. If something comes up & you don’t feel like eating what’s on your meal plan, you can easily swap it out for another freezer meal. This flexibility keeps meal planning from feeling rigid or restrictive. And as long as you keep building your stash, meaning batching for future weeks or months), you won’t ever have to actually cook a meal from start to finish as often anymore. But girl, if you wanna just rinse & repeat the same 4-6 meals throughout the month, as long as it’s a true fave – no one’s gonna be mad about that.
Regardless, after your meals are cooked & stored, create a weekly meal plan to stay organized. Here’s an example of how you can structure dinners in one week:
- SUNDAY: Roasted chicken with veg
- MONDAY: Chili with rice
- TUESDAY: Chicken tacos
- WEDNESDAY: Stir-fry with leftover & chicken rice
- THURSDAY: Chili mac with salad
- FRIDAY: Leftover night
- SATURDAY: Frozen lasagna or Pizza (both homemade of course!)
This menu & the majority of these foods are associated with dinners but batch cooking and meal planning can just as easily be a system used for breakfasts, lunches or snacks. Whatever food you need & don’t have time/energy to make continuously, batch it girl. Why not?
Batchable Breakfast? YES, PLEASE. The 50 Best and Easy Breakfast Ideas With Hawaiian Rolls
True to life: “But wait – there’s more!”
What if I told you that one batch-cooked meal can easily roll into another, turning your week of dinners into a seamless, stress-free experience? You then get like 2-3 more meals out of one.
Take that shredded chicken from Sunday night’s dinner & put it on top of Monday’s cozy casserole. Any leftovers then are right on time for Taco Tuesday. If you still have some by Wednesday (either it’s just you eating or girl…how big was that chicken??), stir it into a rich, soul-warming soup. Boom—three or 4 meals, one base ingredient!
But why stop there? Leftover chili from Thursday? Toss it over noodles for a comforting chili mac on Friday when you really don’t wanna cook anyway. It’ll make your taste buds dance, trust me. Saturday can be a “go for what you know” (meanin’ Mom ain’t cooking).
That’s how you get ahead of the game, feed your family and keep things fresh, fun, and full of flavor all week long. Batch cooking isn’t just about saving time—it’s about pairing your food in the best way possible so you’re not stuck with the same meal on repeat, ok?
Key Take-Aways
Batch cooking with meal planning in mind is an excellent way to ensure that your family enjoys home-cooked, nutritious meals all month long. And that you don’t feel like a slave to the stove. Choose versatile base recipes, prep large batches & stay flexible with your weekly plans. Shuffle in a new meal if you need to. Call on a frozen homemade pizza dough if you want. Either way, you’ll make meal planning a stress-free experience. Start batch cooking today so you can start enjoying the many benefits of a well-stocked freezer, girl!
🌱 Start Small. Start Now. Start where you are with what you have. The rest will follow. 🌱
I make batching food easy, girl. Even for you.
Join the Self-Sufficient Kitchen newsletter & snag your copy of my Ultimate Batch Cooking Checklist so you can start
TO-DAY. No lie.