Part 1

I find that I’m happier and a much better cyclist when I have tons of yummy food available. Food that doesn’t come in a box or have multiple ingredients. If I ride my bike after work, I get home at 6:30. Not much time for chopping, prepping, cooking, etc. Just heat and eat.

Enter Batch Cooking.

This is a fantasy of mine. As if by magic, food appears out of the fridge and cabinets. Tasty, healthy food that is already edible and doesn’t require much clean-up. Hearty vegetarian food that doesn’t make anyone miss meat. Magic. And somehow prepping all this amazing food doesn’t preclude wine tasting on Sunday. All things in moderation.

It starts with a big shopping trip. Including a new cooking utensil.

Then I moved onto a triple batch of chili. This stuff is so tasty.  It goes into the freezer in three 1 quart ziplock bags. I always know the morning of if it’s going to be a busy night, so I get one of these out before I leave for work. Then when I get home, et voila, chili. Get extra fancy with some grilled cheese. I was intimidated by the quantities here, and so started this chili small, perfecting and tasting as I upped the quantity. It helped show me that cooking a large amount of something doesn’t usually take more time or effort than cooking a small amount. Which is the principle behind batch cooking. Just cook more and know how to preserve it.