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Introduction
Domestic cooks have busy lifestyles. Single parents, work-at-home parents, stay-at-home moms, students, working professionals, retired grandparents - all are looking for scrumptious meals that are easy and inexpensive. They crave for delicious meals but because of lack of planning, knowledge and cooking mojo, they settle for less than the best. Deep down, lots of folks feel there must be a better and easier way to eat well. Many of our mothers practiced cook and freeze methods.
Whether they engaged in a once-a-month marathon kitchen session or spent a harvest season preserving the surplus vegetables and fruits on hand, the cooks who came before us were known to stash meals and meal components away in the deep freeze. Unfortunately, many of those dishes were forgotten in deep storage and developed a serious case of frostbite. Or, worse, they werent all that tasty to begin with. If you remember the heavy, starch-laden casseroles of yesteryears, then you might say No, thanks to homemade frozen entres. However, times, technology and tastes have all changed. And a freezer packed with ready-to-go breakfasts, lunches and dinners can be a boon to any home cook.
Taking a different approach to food preparation and storage could change your kitchen, your mealtimes and your life. Many of todays home cooks either are intimidated by the prospect of cooking many meals at once or simply dont know where to start in freezing foods for later enjoyment. Some have never even heard of freezer cooking. Others may enjoy cooking but lack the time and energy to spend hours in the kitchen, especially after a full day of work. Freezer cooking can provide a handy solution to dinner dilemmas. Imagine enjoying inexpensive, healthy, tasty meals any night of the week.
Imagine having a freezer stocked with several weeks worth of easy, versatile dinners that can please any palate, young or old. Imagine preparing a multitude of meals in just a few hours. While we may not have machines that we can command to produce foods, we can have tasty, healthy meals without an inordinate amount of work. Efficient freezer cooking is the wave of the futureand in this Make-Ahead Meals: Stock Up On These 44 Fridge And Freezer Friendly Meals Ahead Of Time, And You'll Never Go Hungry AgainSave Time And Reduce The Stress Of Cooking When You Have Little Time, its definitely not your mothers frozen dinner. Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1: Scrumptious Pork
Make-Ahead Slow-Cooked Carnitas
Serves 10 to 12 Packaging: Quart-size zip-top freezer bags or plastic containers with lids You will Need: 1 (3-4 pound) roasted pork shoulder 1 medium onion, chopped Freshly ground black pepper Salt teaspoon dried oregano cup water How to Prepare:
- Put the roasted pork inside a 4-quart slow cooker. Garnish the meat with generous amount of pepper, salt, oregano and chopped onion.
Pour water into the pot.
- Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook until meat shreds easily and fork-tender, about 4 hours. Or cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- Take meat off the pot and place it on a serving plate. Pour the juices and strain them so you can add them to soup, stew or chili.
- Slice the meat and shred it into tiny pieces.
How to Freeze: Fill each freezer containers or bags with portions of carnitas enough for a single meal. Chill the bags or containers with carnitas inside refrigerator prior to freezing. Thawing and serving instructions: Remove the carnitas from the freezer and just thaw them inside your refrigerator. Turn on the oven and set it to 350F.
Place carnitas on a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Garnish more, if necessary.
Pork Chile Verde with Hominy and Carrots
Serves 8 to 10 Packaging: Plastic containers with lids You will Need: 1 pounds boneless shoulder blade pork strips (also called country-style ribs) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup coarsely chopped onion 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles teaspoon ground cumin 2 cups salsa verde 1 15.5-ounce can hominy, rinsed and drained 2 cups baby carrots How to Prepare:
- Season the pork generously with pepper and salt.
- Place a large skillet on medium heat and heat the oil. Brown the pork strips, turning until browned on all sides. Transfer the pork strips to a 5-quart slow cooker or a large heavy pot.
- Add the onion, chiles, and cumin to the drippings in the skillet. Saut the onions until they are translucent and start to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the onion mixture to the pork in the slow cooker or pot.
- Stir in the salsa verde and the hominy.
- If using the slow cooker, secure the lid and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. If using a pot, bring the mixture to a low simmer and simmer for about 2 hours.
- If using the slow cooker, stir in the carrots an hour before the end of cooking time. If using a pot, stir in the carrots 20 minutes prior to ending the cooking process.
How to Freeze: Divide the pork, vegetables and sauce into meal-size portions in plastic containers. Chill in the refrigerator before storing in the freezer. Thawing and serving instructions: Thaw the dish in the refrigerator.
Cranberry Pork Chops
Serves 4 Packaging: Zip-top gallon-sized freezer bag You will Need: 2 tablespoons salted butter cup chopped onion cup chopped celery 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 cup fresh cranberries 4 boneless pork chops, about inch thick teaspoon freshly ground black pepper teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons brown sugar Other ingredients (for serving): cup chicken broth or vegetable broth How to Prepare:
- Place a large skillet on medium heat and melt the butter in it.
Cranberry Pork Chops
Serves 4 Packaging: Zip-top gallon-sized freezer bag You will Need: 2 tablespoons salted butter cup chopped onion cup chopped celery 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 cup fresh cranberries 4 boneless pork chops, about inch thick teaspoon freshly ground black pepper teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons brown sugar Other ingredients (for serving): cup chicken broth or vegetable broth How to Prepare:
- Place a large skillet on medium heat and melt the butter in it.
Add onion, celery, and garlic, and cook while stirring until the vegetables are tender. Set the mixture aside to cool completely.
- Place the cooled, sauted vegetables, cranberries, pork chops, pepper, thyme, and brown sugar in the freezer bag.
- Zip the bag, making sure as much as possible that no air is left inside. Press the bag on the sides so that ingredients are evenly distributed.
How to Freeze: Freeze the bag flat in the freezer. Thawing and serving instructions: Thaw the dish on a plate or tray inside the refrigerator. In the morning you plan to serve this dish, empty the contents of the bag into a 4-quart slow cooker and add cup broth.
Soy-Ginger Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4 Packaging: Zip-top, gallon-sized freezer bag You will Need: 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin cup rice vinegar cup vegetable oil 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced) teaspoon crushed garlic teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground) teaspoon red pepper flakes (crushed) How to Prepare: