Mara Michaels - Even More Make and Freeze Recipes

EVEN MORE MAKE
AND FREEZE RECIPES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

: HOW TO STORE FROZEN FOOD PROPERLY
: MAINTAINING A PROPER FREEZER TEMPERATURE
: FREEZER TECHNIQUES FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FOOD
: CHOOSING AND USING FREEZER CONTAINERS AND FREEZER BAGS
: MEALS THAT WORK WELL WHEN YOU MAKE AND FREEZE THEM IN ADVANCE
: SOUP AND STEW RECIPES
: MAIN MEAL RECIPES
: SIDE DISH RECIPES
: DESSERT RECIPES

WHATS IN THIS GUIDE
**You asked for even more, you've got it! **
Continuing on from their previous two guides on Make and Freeze recipes, the authors help you continue to save time and money by making the most of your freezer to feed you and your family healthily and cheaply.
In this guide, you will find even more advice, hints, tips and recipes for the beginner cook, to help you create great make and freeze meals that you can store and have ready any time you need a good meal. Save big on your grocery bill as you wean your family off takeout, delivery and convenience foods by packing your freezer with even more mouth-watering main meals, side dishes and desserts that can be cooked ahead, frozen, and then simply thawed, or heated in the microwave or oven.
In this guide, you will earn how to get the best out of your freezer in terms of temperature and usage. Also discover how to store your frozen foods properly for optimum freshness and flavor. Dreaded freezer burn and waste will become a thing of the past as you learn more secrets to make and freeze meal success.
You will also discover even more recipes for delicious dinners, desserts and more than can all be made and frozen ahead of time, then packed in a lunch box or reheated quickly in the oven or microwave. If you are concerned about cash and what your family is eating when you are not at home, this guide will help you continue building on the foundation you laid with the help of the first two make and freeze recipe guides.
Healthier meal planning and cooking ahead and freezing gives you peace of mind and even more time to soend with your family every day. Cooking once or twice a month also frees up your time to enjoy the better things in life without skimping on nutrition. The downloadable list of recipes that comes with your guide will also help you save time and stay organized so that you do not need to dig down to the bottom of the freezer to find out exactly what family favorites are packed in it. It will also help you plan your next supermarket trip and make ahead and freeze cooking session.
Continue creating even more great make ahead and freeze meals today. Your family never have to know how cheap and healthy these recipes are. They will just be happy with how great they taste.
Audience:
Beginner cooks
Readers wanting more instructions on make and freeze recipes
People interested in getting the most out of their freezer to save time and money.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mara Michaels is a frequent contributor to the Healthful-Goddess and Nutrition-Goddess.com sites. Erin serves as one of the main editors for both sites. They are the authors of over two dozen cooking and health-related titles.

EVEN MORE MAKE
AND FREEZE RECIPES
Mara Michaels
Erin Kennedy
Eternal Spiral Books

COPYRIGHT 2011, 2012 by the authors.
Third edition with all new material 2013.
All rights reserved.
Published by Eternal Spiral Books
New York, New York
http://EternalSpiralBooks.com
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INTRODUCTION
As the recession drags on in the United States, everyone is still looking for the best ways to save money and still live well. With gas prices so high in the past few years compared to what many households were accustomed to, feeling the pinch at the pump can often mean more penny-pinching in other areas.
But what if you think you have pared your living expenses down to the bone already? What if you believe you honestly cant save any more money than you already are? The truth is that you CAN save more. You are actually wasting money, food and precious resources by not making your meals ahead and freezing them.
The statistics are staggering. Americans throw away over $26 BILLION in food every year. Assuming a population of 340 million, that means almost $750 per person in the U.S. That is $3,000 right there for a family of four.
You may think you are not throwing away THAT much, but every week, we are willing to bet that there is probably a head of lettuce, a piece of fruit, some old cheese, a fair few of the children's lunch box items, and so on, all ending up in the bin. What a waste. The price of every single one of those items may not seem like much, but starting adding them up. Then see how much money you could be saving by making meals and then freezing them.
You probably think you are living frugally, and feeding your family well. Even if you cook for your family from scratch, we are willing to bet that you really do not make the most of what you have. We are sure that you do the 'leftover shuffle'.
All busy parents know this dance, especially moms. You make a good meal and put the leftovers in the refrigerator with the best of intentions. But however tasty they are, the leftovers soon get shoved to the back or side or plunked on the bottom shelf. Someone suggests take away pizza the next night. You all head out in different directions the following night, to the gym, an Avon party and so on. Those poor leftovers sit there languishing. They go from tasty to trash in only a day or two. More money wasted.
You might decide to eat out. It might be fun once in a while, but if you have leftovers languishing in your fridge at home, it just means more money wasted, plus you are paying top dollar for food, drinks and tips. Even with the takeout pizza, how much are you spending on what is basically flour, water, yeast, tomatoes and cheese? Plus you have to tip the delivery person as well.
You might try to cook ahead for the week, but your spouse and children balk at eating the same thing two nights in a row. You think you will personally eat it up, but even you start to get sick of it, and tired of packing on the pounds as well because you are trying to be a diligent member of the 'clean plate club'. So the food either goes to waste, or goes to your waist. It's a no-win situation for a lot of Americans, clearly, since over 68 percent of them are now overweight or obese.
But it doesnt have to be this way. Not if you start to make the most of your meal planning, and the secret weapon of every smart chef: their freezer. Plus, contrary to popular belief, cooking more does not have to mean eating more. In fact, quite the opposite. You can eat well without gaining weight through portion control. Make and freeze cooking is ideal for this because you are not sitting down to eat a meal served in large quantities in most cases. Instead, you are cooking in advance and then packaging things up to put them in the freezer.
You can of course eat one portion and freeze one, but for the most part, the goal is to cook in advance to have a range of options on hand to eat at home or take on the go for breakfast or in a brown bag lunch. (See our Healthy Make Ahead and Freeze Muffins guide for the ultimate 'fast food' in the mornings, or any time you need something tasty, healthy and portable.) You can plan to cook your make and freeze meals to coincide with lunch and/or dinner one weekend morning and afternoon when you have come back from the supermarket, eat it fresh, and parcel up and freeze the rest. No going back for seconds, and NO leftover shuffle!