Contributed by Angela Cleveland

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been looking at ways to create simple and delicious meals while coping with our busy schedules. So far, we’ve looked at how to prepare for complicated recipes, how to build a menu from fresh produce, and how to stock our pantry with the basics. This week, we will focus on how to stock our freezer with healthy delicious meals that can be pulled out and served or added to other recipes for a fast and nutritious dinnertime meal.

Making extra

One of the easiest ways to stock a freezer is to double recipes as you make them. Instead of making a soup for 4 people, double the ingredients and make it for 8 people. Store the extras in meal sized containers and keep in the freezer until needed. The containers should have a wider opening at the top so that the food can be removed without thawing. Casseroles, soups, and stews all freeze well, although cream-based dishes may not be as freezer-friendly.

Preparing for future needs

Ideally, in order to prepare for the busy nights, we can prepare full meals ahead of time and freeze them. Realistically, we may not have that extra time, but there are other options. Instead of freezing complete meals, try freezing components of meals. For example, Mollie Katzen (www.molliekatzen.com) suggests freezing ingredients that take an extra step that you may not have time for. For example, by mincing garlic and ginger, freezing them in logs, and slicing off what we need for each recipe, we can save ourselves the time it takes to peel, slice, and dice. She also suggests freezing common ingredients such as chopped onions, cooked beans, fresh berries and fruit, grated cheeses and parboiled vegetables. By freezing these on a cookie tray and then storing them in freezer bags/containers, we can easily pull them out as needed. In our baskets this week, we have carrots, broccoli, beets, and cauliflower that can all be partially cooked and then frozen for future needs.

Storage tips

Once we have our extra meals or prepared ingredients, we want to make sure that we are going to freeze them effectively. We don’t want to pull out a casserole in a couple of weeks and find that it is freezer-burned. We want to maintain their flavour as well as nutritional content. The first step is to cool the food to room temperature before freezing. The second step is to use freezer containers made of moisture or vapor-resistant material. Also, leave a bit of room in each container to allow the food to expand as it freezes. Be sure to label the containers. It’s amazing how similar things begin to look once they are frozen. Plus, it is nice to know when the food was made so that you can ensure its quality.

Ingredients

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Instructions

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