Prep-Ahead Meals From Scratch: Quick & Easy Batch Cooking Techniques and Recipes That Save You Time and Money

by Alea Milham

A Better Way to Cook Ahead

Families are busier now more than ever, and nobody understands that better than busy mom and food blogger Alea Milham. With Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch, she brings a unique batch cooking concept that will streamline weeknight family meals like never before. She shows you how to use simple prep-ahead techniques to stock your refrigerator with precooked ingredients that can be combined with fresh produce to easily create wholesome meals. Leave prepackaged foods and take-out behind as you learn the many easy ways to cook ahead from scratch to save time and money during the busy week.

Alea breaks down the classics into convenient weeknight dinners using fewer ingredients and smarter techniques. Batch-cooked chicken and homemade spaghetti sauce are combined to create a hearty Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake that comes together quickly. Batch-cooked beef strips and precooked peppers and onions are used to make Philly Cheesesteak Quesadillas. Batch-cooked meatballs are coated in a Mongolian Beef sauce and served over precooked rice for a delicious dinner in minutes.

Learn multiple methods for batch cooking your favorite meats, beans and rice to use in simple-to-assemble recipes your whole family will enjoy. By prepping ahead, dinner was never so easy!

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Reference

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2016

Reviews

[Trace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at my library's used book store for $1.00 and I'm SO thrilled that I did!

It is very uniquely and wisely organized. The author has organized the recipes by the main ingredient (ie chicken, pork, beef, beans, etc). THEN she has you batch cook this main ingredient in advance and gives you several different techniques for doing so and for how to store it. NEXT she has a whole slew of delicious recipes on how to use all of that pork, beef or chicken that you've just cooked up.
So wise!

By cooking in this way, you can save a tremendous amount of money because you can buy larger quantities of a particular meat when it is on sale. You have also saved yourself a tremendous amount of time by cooking once and then assembling a variety of healthy and quick meals.

I also noticed that this author has a blog/website called Premeditated Leftovers. Clever name - I'll have to check it out!

All in all I am thrilled at my 1.00 purchase. This book is a keeper and I already have about 12 recipes to try out on my family in the coming weeks.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alea Milham's cookbook Prep Ahead Meals from Scratch, has been a great help in my kitchen these last few weeks. When I first received the book everything in my life was going along pretty smoothly. Without a problem I got right to work batch cooking chicken and rice. How to batch cook using different techniques was explained so well in her book that it was easy. I made up enough chicken for four meals including one for that day. The first recipe I tried was her casserole, Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake. It was delicious and the next day we had leftovers!

The next thing I knew everything went kind of downhill at my house with sickness... you know how that goes. I actually was excited to be able to go to the freezer and not go out to eat. I wasn't able to dive into anymore of the recipes but I was able to use the chicken in my own recipes. Dinner was then made fast and easy. Lately I've gotten back to flipping through more of her recipes and I have decided that next up is Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken. I will be using both the chicken and rice that I have left from my previous time spent in the kitchen.


In this cookbook how to batch cook chicken, pork, rice, beans, and beef are all included. Alea then gives you great recipes using ingredients that are usually found in your pantry. Her techniques are so easy that you can batch cook and not feel like you are spending all the extra time you have. It was so fun going through Prep Ahead Meals from Scratch and imagining the possibilities of having dinner ready in no time at all!

A wonderful wonderful cookbook that will always be on my shelf!

I was given this book by the author in exchange for a honest review.

[Miranda Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the first time ever, I borrowed a cookbook from the library and then loved it so much that I immediately went on Amazon and purchased my own copy.

Normally, I consider cookbooks to be a huge waste of money. There's a gazillion recipes online, and you can always borrow them from the library and photocopy the recipes you definitely want to make.

But this cookbook was so different, with so many must-make recipes, and a ton of helpful "prep-ahead" tips, that I needed my own copy to keep in my kitchen. After pouring through it once, I can tell that this is going to be an often-referenced tome in my house, whether it's to grab a quick salad dressing recipe or remember how to prepare cubed chicken in the oven.

Tons of awesome tips and recipe staples in this book! If you're a stay-at-home mom (or any time of mom), or simply want to get better at saving time when it comes to preparing meals, this cookbook is a MUST-BUY.

[Laurla2]

-an interesting book, i liked its suggestions for different ways to cook all the meat in advance.
-has sections on how to batch cook chicken, pork, beef, rice, or beans in a slow cooker, broiling, roasting, stovetop, baking, and pressure cooking.

--recipes that looked interesting:
-chicken cordon bleu rice bake
-white bean chicken ranch tacos
-honey mustard chicken salad wraps
-pineapple teriyaki chicken
-skillet mac and cheese with ham and broccoli
-honey lemon pork and broccoli
-asian pork and vegetable frittata
-crustless ham and asparagus quiche
-sweet and sour pork pizza on a rice pizza crust
-barbecue beef pasta skillet
-dutch oven borscht pasta bake
-pasta e fagioli with tortellini and kale
-vegetable fried rice lettuce wraps
-garlic ginger green beans
-roasted lemon dijon broccoli
-seasoned salt
-taco seasoning mix
-italian seasoning mix
-italian salad dressing
-ranch salad dressing
-barbecue sauce (without ketchup as an ingredient)

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too basic, and not what I was expecting. I was looking for something along the lines of "cook for a day, eat for a month" but got the helpful advice of "cook a bunch of protein and freeze until you need to use it later," which is ok, but a little beneath my skill level.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I like the concept - teaching you how to meal plan and prep efficiently - but I didn’t find it enticingly laid out somehow. I also found the recipes sounded fairly bland and uninspiring. To be fair this IS how I tend to actually cook at home, but I sort of want a recipe to be something I leave things out of instead of feel like I should be adding into? The photography was solid and I appreciated that the recipes are approachable. However there’s only a couple I think I’ll be using - the meatball recipe looks simply and good, and the boeuf borguignon knockoff as well as the butter tossed Brussels sprouts look good.

I also was unimpressed by the heavy starch and cheese focus of a lot of these recipes. I was hoping for something a bit healthier and more balanced for my family.

I also felt like they didn’t really address the whole batch cook/prep-ahead aspect well. Yes, she shows how to make a big batch of protein ahead, and that is mildly helpful. But otherwise the tips are like “chop a veggie ahead of time”, which is vaguely helpful to point out but hardly effective in switching up my cooking routine.

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected or wanted. I focused on the 'quick & easy batch cooking techniques' portion of the title.

The 'prep-ahead' tips for the most part are obvious and not useful. For example, the prep-ahead tips for the Ham and Spinach Waffle Quesadillas is to shred the cheese and dice the pepper ahead of time.

I'm not impressed by the batch cooking tips either. They seem to be regular cooking instructions just sized up for larger amounts. In other words, not anything unique or especially helpful.

Overall, I'm glad I borrowed this book from the library rather than paying for it.

[Hannah Brayer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is written like a how-to book for new or inexperienced cooks, but isn’t written by someone who actually knows what they are doing. Between forgetting to include important steps and not using the proper ingredients for a certain outcome, these recipes are templates at best for an seasoned cook to experiment with to find the best combination. The ideas are good, but the execution is atrocious.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for leftover ideas and casseroles (it's written for bulk cooking), if you are into bulk cooking, there are some good ideas for doing that. While the recipes are well written and most have photos, the intro to each chapter is written in a font that's almost impossible to read.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a new concept. I was thinking it was going to be more. Some of the recipes looked good however not healthy by a long shot. Her suggestions for making it gluten free were appreciated however not my dietary preference.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is great if you are into preparing meals, mostly meat and storing in freezer until you need. I personally don't prefer to cook that way. I did like some of her meal ideas and recipes. I think it is something more geared to large families.

[Adell Lukes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very practical ideas and recipes. I appreciated the best batch- cooking methods and prep ahead tips. Pictures are always great in a cookbook. I gained some new recipes to use. My only criticism is the print was SO small, it was difficult to read.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

DPL 641.555 MILHAM ALEA

Lots of meat.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful tips on meal planning.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of yummy and easy recipes.

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The recipes are wonderful. The thing is, it doesn't matter when you prep, you're still going to have to finish the job of cooking the meal. The benefit of cooking ahead seems limited to holidays and other highly populated gatherings where nobody else is helping Mom cook. The bottom line is, you don't need to be a mother martyr to enjoy this book and use it often. It is just as wonderful as a prep now, cook now book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

there were some good ideas the book was divided into sections according to the meat that was involved in the recipe. each section had cooking tips and how to store to best results. the recipe ideas seemed easy and to the point. moreover, they sounded delicious. can't wait to try some of these out.

[Marcy Graybill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed. This is not for the average middle class person.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found a few dishes in here that the kid will eat. Yay! :)
Nice simple easy to follow recipes with ingredients that are easy to find.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures of recipes? Mostly.
Commentary on recipes? Yes, peppered with tips on making ahead.
Nutrition facts? No.
Recipe Style? Classic American fare.
Any keepers? A couple.

I don't feel like any of the make ahead tips were that groundbreaking.

[Linsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be fair to the book I am not the target demographic and it was not what I was looking for.
this book is great if you have several kids and everyone is crazy busy with a million things. that's just not me.

[Ruth]

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