This book is dedicated to mymother Alexandra, who taught me a lot about eating healthy.
Chapter 1- What Is a Freezer Meal?
Theworld is a hectic place, its even more hectic for those juggling work,personal time, families, and the desire to stay fit and trim. For some, thiswould be enough to start running to every fast food joint in town in hopes offilling the bellies of their family in mere minutes.
Sure, thats doable, butits not advisable. Lets be honest, cooking on a nightly basis can be a drag,for some people it is practically impossible. Whatif cooking didnt have to take place every day, and the family could still havehome cooked meals, just minus the hassle. It is possible, and the solutiondoesnt even reside in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. Freezermeals, or freezer cooking, is a form of cooking that allows for several weeksworth of meals to be made so they can just be removed from the freezer andpopped in the oven, for a hassle-free home cooked meal. FreezerMeal Preparation Freezermeals do require some preparation, but most practitioners of freezer cooking,or freezer meals, agree that once they get rolling, preparation is even, and,in some cases, can even be fun.
In order to get started, one has to plan mealsahead of time. Take a couple hours out of one evening, sit down and plan outwhat you and your family will be eating for the next week, or even month,depending on how overzealous you plan on being. Once youve outlines the mealsyour family will be enjoying for the aforementioned time frame, its time tomake a shopping list. Figure out what youll need from the store, and write everythingdown. Onceyou are armed with your list, and your planned meals, it is time to head to thegrocery store and get your supplies. You can do this whenever is convenient foryou, but most seem to find hitting the grocery store on a Friday night to bethe least crowded and the easiest time to get a big shopping done.
Families,generally, are at home, and those who spend their weekends partying mostassuredly arent spending time at the grocery store. Seta day aside and get cooking. A marathon cooking session might not seem likegreat fun, but it is the best way to get freezer meals done and packed away.Cooking on a Sunday is what most people find preferable, after all, it is theday when most people have completely free to get their cooking done, anyway.Instead of hitting the shops or going to brunch with friends, simply set aSunday aside to cook. The amount of time youll save during the week, and themoney youll save as well will be completely and utterly worth it, in the longrun. Duringthe marathon cooking session, freezer meal pros suggest using the same pot forseveral meals. For example, if you are planning on chili, as well as spaghettisauce you can brown beef and onions for both in the same pot.
If you areplanning potatoes for two meals prepared in two separate ways, you can cook thepotatoes together, and simply separate and prepare them two different ways at alater stage. Freezer meals actually take less time, overall, than cooking eachnight, the time is just condensed into one day, and the free time is spreadacross all those cooking-free evenings. Onceeverything is cooked package and label it. You can use any-type of freezer safepackaging you like, but be sure to label it. Most agree that a bit of maskingtape and a sharpie is the perfect way to label containers that will be used andreused for several marathon cooking sessions. If you are using freezer bags tostore your meals, you can simply write your meal names right on them.
Most findadding the date you plan to eat the meal to be especially useful. FreezerMeal Benefits Freezermeals and the entire process have a ton of benefits for busy singles andfamilies as well. It is tough finding recipes for one, but with freezer meals alarge batch can be made, split into several portions, and frozen individuallyfor quick, single-serve meals. It works the same way a frozen dinner from thesupermarket works, but its more nutritious and fiscally responsible in thelong run. For families, freezer meals ensure a busy family has a hot,nutritious and home cooked meal on the table every night, no matter how manysoccer practices, dance recitals and afternoon business meetings are packedinto a weekday. Freezermeals are huge time savers.
Anyone who has ever tried to cook a meal during abusy weekday knows how long it takes. A meal can take over an hour to make, insome cases. While celebrity chefs would have the population believes it ispossible to throw together a gourmet meal in just 30 minutes flat that simplyisnt the case most of the time. But, a freezer meal allows for a perfectly nutritiousmeal to be prepared during a busy week in mere minutes, with almost no effort.All one has to do is pull the meal out of the freezer, allow it to thaw and popit in the oven. Nothing could be a bigger time saver. Freezermeals are also economical.
You can buy food in bulk and make huge batches offood that can be frozen for later. Switching to freezer meals can save youthousands each year in grocery bills. Many people find that their bulk clubmemberships can finally be put to good use by adopting this way of cooking.Freezer cooking can also ensure good health and help people lose weight. If youknow you have food waiting for you at home, in the freezer, you are less likelyto stop for a burger or taco at a local haunt. Eating in is directly related tohealthy weights, so eating at home can help you shed extra pounds and gethealthier.
Chapter 2- What Are Some Tips and Tricks to Preparing Freezer Meals?
Ifyoure like most people, you probably have a pretty busy lifestyle.
Whether youwork outside the home, from home, or are a full-time parent, preparing freezermeals is a great way to save time and money. Oneof the first things to consider is how much space you have to store theprepared meals. If you have access to a chest freezer you can prepare a lotmore at once, but even with a standard upright refrigerator/ freezer combo, youcan use preparation and packaging tips to maximize the space that you do haveavailable. Makesure you dont make the mistake of using every nook and cranny for storing yourprepared freezer meals, as that can cause a problem when you need to pick upsomething extra, such as a bag of veggies, and find you have nowhere to put it.Another tip is to keep any ice trays toward the front for easy access. It canbe a daunting task to have to pull out multiple items in order to reachsomething, and then to find out you have trouble getting everything back inplace properly. Agreat way to get started is to sit down and make a meal plan for, say, a week.Some meal prep veterans will cook as much as a months worth of meals at atime, but a week is sufficient to get started.