Fast Food from your Freezer
Some days you just do not have the time or energy to cook. So your options are limited to a peanut butter sandwich or your local drive through right? Wrong! With a little advanced planning you can have a homemade meal anytime.
I first became interested in freezing meals because of the promise it held for doing less work in the kitchen and less money for food. What mother does not want more time and money? I dutifully bought the book about cooking once a month and studied their suggestions. It only took me two months to realize once a month cooking was not for me. I did not have the energy or desire to cook for a full day and eat frozen meals most nights of the week.
My exploration into the wonders of frozen foods was not all for nothing. I do not cook for a month at a time, but at any random time you can probably find three or four meals in my freezer, able to be thawed in the microwave and ready to eat in less than an hour. It does save me money and I do not have to eat commercial fast food. Here are some things I learned about freezing your own meals:
- Invest in good containers that will go from freezer to oven. I use the Pyrex glass dishes that can be used in the microwave and have a tight sealing rubber lid to prevent freezer burn. Plastic freezer bags work well for some things, but can get messy when you try to get the food out.
- Split big meals. When I make lasagna, I do not prepare it in a 9x13 pan because it is too big for my family. Instead I make two or three smaller lasagnas, we eat one that night and the extras get frozen.
- Make a double batch. Most soups and many baked meals will freeze well. It takes very little extra time to double the recipe so you have one for dinner and one in the freezer.
- Take advantage of food sales by cooking a favorite recipe in bulk and freezing it in glass dishes or freezer bags. Another great trick is to buy a larger amount of meat (which is usually discounted) and freeze it with the marinade. Put it in the refrigerator in the morning and it will be ready to grill for dinner that night.
- Always try a new recipe before you decide to freeze it. Trust me, you do not want 4 pounds of barbecue that no one likes taking up residence in your freezer.
Just to get you started, here are some of my favorite recipes to freeze:
Black Bean and Corn SoupPork Barbecue
Taco Casserole
Barbecue Chicken (Thaw in refrigerator the night before)
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