Comments on: Cooking and freezing: Ideas for getting past mealtime stress

By: Eat Smart Age Smart

Eat Smart Age Smart — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:34:12 +0000

Leftovers make a lot of sense for a lot of reasons.

Why grab something that is high in fat,salt or sugar when you can take a few hours each week and prepare meals for the entire week and have much better control over the types of food decisions you make?

I love leftovers because I know that if I’m rushed, I’ll always have a healthy meal in my fridge!

By: Flora

Flora — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:22:43 +0000

Aren’t mothers the best?

By: Nana

Nana — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:05:49 +0000

Years ago, I learned to cook up a LOT of chopped beef / turkey, mix with stewed tomatoes, and freeze in meal-size containers. Defrost one and add whatever seasonings appeal that day (Italian, Mexican, Greek, etc.) With a starch and veggie…very easy.

By: Lori Paximadis

Lori Paximadis — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:21:40 +0000

I have a couple dozen go-to recipes, most of which use items that I keep stocked anyway. I’m fortunate to have the flexibility of working at home, and I usually go to the grocery store two times a week to get fresh items or a special ingredient for something we’re craving (it’s one of those chores I actually like).

I am a HUGE fan of coming up with a couple handsful of basic, easy, fast meals that everyone likes and that don’t take a lot of thought or planning, and also of cooking extra of things like soup and stew and chili and tomato sauce so you’ll have plenty to freeze. It doesn’t take much longer than preparing a single batch, and it frees up future time. I buy meats in bulk at Costco and freeze them in meal-size portions (“meal size” being enough for a dinner and a leftover lunch or dinner for most things, depending on how well it works as leftovers).

I love the idea of freezing meats with the marinade — thanks for that!

By: gypsy packer

gypsy packer — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:16 +0000

As a single woman, I prefer to eat meatless whenever possible–salads, beans, pasta. Pasta and beans can be made in large quantities and then frozen in meal-sized packs. For curries or stir-fries, make a big pot of rice–brown, white, or black–and freeze in individual portions; purchase a roast and cut it into meal size; purchase bags of frozen veggies. The roast can be thawed slightly in the microwave, then sliced into slivers and put into the marinade as soon as you arrive at home; then left there while you relax for a few minutes. Pasta salads can be made and marinated overnight, then one meal eaten for dinner and a second for a work lunch a day or two later. Chicken breasts can be frozen individually, thrown, still frozen, into a steamer or poaching liquid and served with a veggie or baked tater.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:22:22 +0000

The hardest part of cooking for me is deciding what to make for dinner that night. So, I plan meals for the entire week at the same time I write out my grocery list. I also post the meal list on the refrigerator. That forces me to make the decision ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute and just getting carryout instead. When I’m doing the dishes after dinner, I check what’s up the next night in case I need to defrost something.

By: JR

JR — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:09:48 +0000

A recipe sharing post would be fun to add on to this! What are your easiest favourites?

By: Bet

Bet — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:02:58 +0000

I have never been a fan of freezer meals. I like planning ahead for a few days. Now that there are only 2 children in the house, I can sometimes get away with cooking a larger meal (a casserole, soup, or something in the crockpot) on one night and then having leftovers the next night– my family doesn’t mind that. I also love fixing a lot of the quick and delicious meals from…Real Simple, where else?

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:42:50 +0000

I do a meal plan every week when the ad circulars arrive, but I just make a list of 5 dinners without assigning them to particular days. That way, I can decide based on the weather and what appeals to us which meals get made on which days.

The other two days are usually taken up by something out of the freezer. I don’t do a specific “freezer cook” — instead, when we have a lot of something left over — say, bolognese sauce or chili — we freeze it down to serve as a meal in the future. Rather than festering as leftovers in the fridge, it gets put directly into the freezer that night, labeled, dated, and ready to save me when I just don’t feel like cooking.

By: Mo

Mo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:55 +0000

One of the things I love about my America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook is that many of the recipes have “make-ahead” tips. It gives the point to where you can stop the recipe and refrigerate or freeze to finish off later. Since the recipes are for 4 or 6, I usually make the recipe up to that point, freeze half (or more), finish that night’s dinner, and have a head start on another dinner!

I’ve tried meal planning, but my life is just too unscheduled. I end up feeling frustrated that it’s not “working.” Making sure that I’m a few meals ahead (and having a list on the side of the fridge of what’s available in the freezer) seems to work better for me.

By: Betsy

Betsy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:04:42 +0000

I think one of the biggest–and often overlooked–strategies for meal planning is to be flexible and go with different strategies depending on your family’s needs. For instance, after my twins were born, I used Saving Dinner–the book, not the menu mailer–because I needed it all spelled out. When the boys started eating solid food, I switched to casseroles and other things that could cook while I fed them. When they got older and I was feeding three toddlers (I have another child), I changed gears again and made more freezer meals because my daily dinner prep time was nonexistent. Now, my strategy has shifted yet again…. you get the picture. Buying basics on sale, keeping a freezer and pantry well stocked with essentials, and having a few ace (and quick) recipes to fall back on ensure you aren’t caught without an option. But no one person’s strategy will work all the time or for everyone else.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:04:21 +0000

my son will be born in december and have read the frequent advice of spending less time decorating the nursery and more time prepping your household to run on autopilot.

one book i cannot recommend enough is called “fix freeze, feast” – using that book and a few free weekends, i have stashed 35+ meals in our chest freezer. the recipes are delicious and do not use lots of processed foods. i researched a lot of bulk cooking books and this was the only one that did not advocate dumping a can of cream soup on a casserole. it also allows you to pace yourself – make a lot or a little.

i don’t work for the publisher, i just really love this book!

By: carrie

carrie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:46:37 +0000

@ L – you could always freeze in muffin tins and then transfer to another larger container. I do this for things like pasta sauce or soups stock, moving them to a ziploc bag once frozen solid. It’s hard to avoid using plastic, but if you are selective about it,there isn’t a lot of waste. I do try to avoid using foil and plastic wraps as they can’t be recycled. In our area the Ziploc/Glad containers are recyclable, so I don’t feel bad about using them knowing I can dispose of them appropriately when the containers are no longer able to be used.

By: carrie

carrie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:42:03 +0000

Freezer meals are our sanity saver.

Like some of the previous commenters, I like to do a ‘big shop’ and then a ‘big cook’ and then freeze meals for later. I make meatballs done a couple of different ways, shepherd’s pie, chicken enchiladas, a meat and tomato pasta sauce that works for lasagna, the meatballs and on it’s own over ravioli or plain pasta. At the same time I make soup or stock. Everything gets frozen in reusable plastic containers and labelled with cooking instructions (for my kitchen-impaired husband) and the date.

Our local Italian grocery store has a fantastic selection of fresh-made frozen tortellini and ravioli and other stuffed pastas. (Artichoke and lemon, bison and fig, cheese, veal, mushroom…) I always have a couple packages on hand to whip up a quick dinner.

One tip is to always buy the same size and shape containers. This way everything stacks well, and when a lid is misplaced or cracked the others you have will still fit.

For nights we want to eat fresh, I thaw some chicken for a stirfry etc and make sure I have salad fixings on hand too.

A couple of days of planning takes the rush out of cooking for at least a month. It’s really worth the time and effort.

By: Marianne

Marianne — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Congratulations on your baby! I swear by meal planning. It cuts down on impulse purchases and helps me to control my grocery purchases.

Marianne : )