The Everything Freezer Meals Cookbook (2 page)

WHY SPEND AN OTHER MOMENT staring into the freezer at frozen hamburger meat or chicken, trying desperately to decide what to cook for dinner?
The Everything
^®
Freezer Meals Cookbook
solves the ever-so-stressful “What's for dinner?” dilemma by giving you all the tools you need to prepare and freeze delicious home cooked meals. Family dinners, once trending toward obsolete, are now becoming popular as the economy forces more families to eat at home. Here, you'll learn a variety of methods for filling your freezers with delicious meals like:

• Apricot Walnut Stuffed Chicken
  

• Salmon Patties with Dill Sauce
  

• Lemon Tarragon Sauce
  

• Cheese and Rice Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
  

• Garlic Parmesan Rolls
  

• Chocolate Banana Popsicles
  

In addition to saving time, you will be armed with money-saving tips such as how to take advantage of loss leaders at the grocery store; how to shop sales combined with coupons to maximize savings; and how to cook, portion, and freeze meat and other foods on sale that can be purchased in bulk. With everything you need to succeed, you can dive into the world of freezer cooking and enjoy the tremendous time- and money-saving benefits it will bring to your life!

If you have children, in all likelihood you feel like a taxi service, driving your children to school, games, sports practice, rehearsals, and other after-school activities. And if you are a working parent trying to balance the kids with a full- or part-time job, odds are you are stretched to your limit. Regardless of your situation, most days there never seems to be enough time to do all the things you need to do, and much less time for the things you want to do. After a full day of work or caring for the children, dinner is just one more thing on the to-do list that needs to be checked off. Dinnertime can be one of the busiest times in a household, and freezer cooking is a trouble-free solution that saves time when you need it most.

Just like with all good things, it takes practice to develop a habit and freezer cooking is no exception. Dedicate yourself to utilizing your freezer to its fullest potential. After all, you already own a freezer; why not get the most use out of it as possible, especially if that use will greatly benefit your life? Learn all you can about freezer cooking. Learn how to freeze a casserole, learn how to defrost and prepare meals, and find freezable recipes your family loves. Start small or start big, but start nonetheless. You'll never change your life without taking that first step in the right direction.

Once you do start freezer cooking and train yourself to think of cooking through the “eyes” of your freezer, you'll be amazed at the endless ideas and opportunities you'll encounter. Because you have a recipe for seasoning, cooking, and freezing ground beef in bulk, you can take advantage of sales and buy meat in large quantities. Putting together a chicken meal for the freezer can be as simple as putting chicken breasts in the bottom of a freezer bag, whipping up a marinade to pour over the chicken, and freezing it. With freezer cooking you can be as simple or elaborate as you want to be, but one thing is for certain: You will start to think differently, shop differently, and live differently.

Freezer cooking is about making life easier by filling your freezer with prepared meals, side dishes, and ingredients you can mix and match into meals. It's about saving money at the grocery store, and saving time in the kitchen. Best of all, it's about reducing stress in your life and giving you more time to spend with the people you love. Imagine opening your freezer door and seeing it filled with prepared meals. The hard part has been done; all you do is choose a meal, defrost it, and heat it. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

Get ready to embark on a fantastic journey into the world of freezer cooking. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to fill your freezer with pre-cooked and ready-to-cook meals that don't require a large amount of preparation time. Along the way, keep in mind that there are countless uses for freezer meals — they are not just for dinner.

Picture this: Your family is asking “what's for dinner?” As you stare into the freezer, your stress level rises while your energy plummets. With no ideas for dinner, you go out to eat. Sitting in the restaurant with your family, you feel renewed and energized. You no longer have to think about what is for dinner, and someone else is doing the cooking. All is well, but this is only a temporary fix to the dinner crisis. The good news is there is a simple solution: freezer cooking.

Most families find when switching to freezer cooking they are eating healthier meals because they eat more meals at home. The normally chaotic dinner time becomes organized and under control. Holidays and entertaining are simplified as you prepare appetizers, main dishes, and desserts ahead of time, giving you more time with your guests.

Here are some ideas on how you can use freezer meals:

• Freezer meals make planning a weekly meal schedule a breeze.
  

• Freezer meals provide a home-cooked meal for your family when you are unavailable to cook.
  

• Bring frozen meals with you on vacation and save money on eating out.
  

• Build up a supply of meals when you are pregnant so you won't have to cook once your baby is born.
  

• Deliver a home-cooked meal to your sick neighbor.
  

• If you get sick, don't worry about dinner — your family can heat a frozen meal.
  

• When unexpected company drops by, simply defrost a dessert from the freezer and start a pot of coffee.
  

• Give pies and cakes as gifts to teachers, caregivers, nurses, and others you appreciate.
  

• Bring a meal or two to a family who is struggling financially.
  

• Deliver a hot, home-cooked meal to a friend with a new baby.
  

Freezer meals are wonderful for planning ahead, as well as for dealing with the unexpected. Stock your freezer and be surprised at the uses you find for the meals.

The Mix and Match chapter (Chapter 15) of this book contains basic elements that are common to multiple recipes. By having these basics on hand, you have the ability to create a variety of meals so you or your family won't get tired of the “same old thing.” You get the benefits of prepackaged convenience food without the cost. Say you have 30 minutes to make dinner, no idea what to serve, and nothing is defrosted. From the freezer remove a frozen pizza crust, homemade pizza sauce you quickly defrost in the microwave, cooked shredded chicken you defrost in hot water, and mozzarella cheese you have on hand in the refrigerator. In minutes a homemade pizza is in the oven with very little time or effort on your part. Are you in the mood for stir-fry? Take out a package of cubed, seasoned chicken breast; a bag of vegetables; and a container of frozen sweet and sour sauce. With very little planning, you've just put together a healthy dinner.

Consider the following questions:

• Would you like to simplify your life?
  

• Does dinnertime have you stressed because you never know what to cook?
  

• Would you like to find a way to save money on groceries?
  

• Do you never seem to have enough hours in the day?
  

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then freezer cooking is for you. By using the recipes in this cookbook to prepare freezer meals, you and your family benefit in numerous, sometimes surprising, ways.

People lead busy lives, and therefore time is a precious commodity. By investing a small amount of time in freezer cooking, you reap great benefits. For example, it takes just as much time to make three batches of spaghetti sauce as does to make one. By simply tripling your recipe, you save cooking time for future dinners. Think of freezer cooking as banking time.

Since you (theoretically) have more time on the weekends, you can spend time making freezer meals. Then, when busy weeknights roll around and you are short on time, you're able to pull a meal out of the freezer and provide your family with a meal in minutes. You have just withdrawn time from that investment you made over the weekend.

When faced with a busy day and little or no time to prepare dinner, the fastest solution is to eat out. This might mean ordering pizza, swinging through a fast food drive-thru, or dinner in a restaurant. Regardless of how you eat out, every option available is more expensive than fixing a home-cooked meal. A middle-of-the-road approach is to purchase convenience food at the grocery store. This might be pre-cooked and packaged food, or full meals from the deli. While this solution isn't as expensive as eating out, it is still more expensive than cooking at home. The best solution is to heat up a prepared meal from your freezer. By planning ahead, you'll save a lot of money by not eating out because you have no other options.

Imagine this scenario: it is late afternoon, you've had a busy day, and all you want to do is sit on the couch, take your shoes off, and lose yourself in a good book. But that can't happen because you forgot to take meat out of the freezer to defrost. If only you had a frozen meal already prepared, you could pop it into the oven. Then you remember last week when you doubled your lasagna recipe and froze half. Because lasagna is a freezer-to-oven meal, you don't have to defrost it first. With renewed energy, you put the frozen casserole in the oven. Dinner has been taken care of and you can now enjoy your book!

When you practice freezer cooking, you give yourself the opportunity to serve a home-cooked dinner to your family each night. Nightly family gatherings at the dinner table become a time for family members to talk about their day. Family members feel comfortable sharing with one another when they are able to have regular conversations. This may be the only time during the day everyone is together.

What's for dinner? Chances are you've heard those words a few times in your life because just about everyone likes to know what's for dinner. Including you! Freezer cooking makes meal planning a breeze.

The easiest way to plan your meals is to print off a monthly calendar. Next, make a list of the meals in your freezer. Assign a meal to each day and write it on the calendar. Hang your calendar on the refrigerator so that every-one knows, at a glance, what is for dinner each night.

Planning your meals in advance offers another benefit. Because many of the freezer meals need to be defrosted before cooking, you know what to remove from the freezer and put into the refrigerator so the meal will have a full 24 hours to defrost in the refrigerator.

A.A. Milne wrote, “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most insightful, and this quote certainly applies to freezer cooking because it isn't something that just happens; you get the best results when you plan and are prepared for cooking. A little time spent getting organized and planning your meals is time well spent.

A well-stocked pantry is one that contains basic ingredients regularly used. Here are some basic suggestions:

• Baking supplies such as flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, vegetable shortening, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips.
  

• Staples such as rice, dried pastas and beans, canned beans, herbs and spices, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, chicken and beef stock, wines, bread crumbs, and cooking spray.
  

• Condiments such as ketchup, honey, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and soy sauce.
  

Like most jobs, freezer cooking is easier when you have the right tools. It is not necessary to have all the tools listed, but you benefit from having as many as possible.

• Utensils: measuring spoons, dry measuring cups, wet measuring cups, can opener, garlic press, spatula, tongs, cutting board, slotted spoons, colander, meat thermometer, whisk, zester, rolling pin, wooden spoons, rubber spatula, and a variety of knives.
  

• Dishes, pots and pans: mixing bowls, baking dishes, small and large skillets, sauté pans, sauce pans, baking sheets, loaf pans, muffin tins, rectangular and square baking pans, and a large stockpot.
  

• Electrical appliances: hand mixer, food processor, standing mixer, slow cooker, and a microwave oven.
  

• Freezing supplies: freezer bags (quart and gallon sized), wax paper, plastic wrap, heavy-duty aluminum foil, and a variety of containers made specifically for food storage in the freezer.
  

Before you begin to freezer cook, plan which meals you want to cook according to what your family likes. If you are on a tight budget, choose recipes that contain common ingredients you will use in other recipes. There's no sense in buying a $10.00 bottle of a rare spice that is only used one time. Once you have a list of meals, decide how you are going to tackle freezer cooking. Review the methods found in this chapter, and select what is right for you.

Nothing is worse than getting halfway through a recipe only to find you are missing a key ingredient, so an accurate grocery list can be the difference between success and failure in your freezer cooking. Go through each recipe and write down the items and quantities you need to buy. Check your list against what's in your pantry to ensure you are not buying items you already have. Do not forget to add quart- and gallon-sized freezer bags, aluminum foil, freezer wrap, and any disposable freezer containers you want to use for freezing. Another shopping preparation option reverses the process — refer to your coupons and store sale flyers and plan meals around which ingredients are on sale. Or plan meals according to what you have stockpiled.