Get a Head Start on Holiday Cooking Today

The holidays are coming, and with it, the need to entertain guests and/or feed the kids while they are home from school and usually cooped up indoors due to colder weather in the Northern Hemipshere. The holidays hold enough time and financial pressure, without the constant wail of “Im’ hungry! What is there to eat?”

One of the best ways to handle the holidays and save money at the same time is through Make and Freeze recipes.  As the name suggests, you make the recipe and eat it, then freeze the leftovers. Or, you can batch cook, making a week or two of meals all at the same time, which you can then freeze for later use.

Make and freeze recipes made from scratch help ensure that you know exactly what is in the food you and your family are eating. If anyone in your house has food allergies, this is a must. It also saves a lot of money, because properly portioned out make and freeze meals cost pennies on the dollar compared to microwave meals from the supermarket or take away from your local restaurant or fast food joint.

Package up your food into TV dinners with the help of sturdy freezer containers. Color code the lids so that anyone who has allergies or a special diet, such as vegetarian or vegan, can always spot exactly what they can and can’t eat.  If you are working and the kids are home all day,  there is no need to worry about getting a hot meal on the table. You can rest secure knowing that there is a freezer full of food for the kids to choose from, heat and eat.

If you and the children and your spouse want to spend as much of the holidays together as possible without slaving in the kitchen, cooking make and freeze recipes now, when you are in the kitchen cooking anyway, can help you get well ahead of the game by the time the holidays ever roll around.

Get recipes ready now for holiday pot lucks, covered dish suppers, dessert or cookie swaps, and even gifts that you can make and bake, parcel up, and give as presents.

Do you have guests coming to stay? Feeding them three meals a day plus snacks can be hard work, and expensive too, especially if they want to eat out while there are there. Get organized now and you will be amazed at how easy it is to entertain them this year.

If you dread the holidays because you know how much cooking you are going to have to do, it’s time to end the pattern of slaving over a hot stove just to try to enjoy the holidays. Make and freeze recipes are easy enough to cook each night, and versatile enough to multiply 2 or three times so that you can parcel up and freeze the rest. Or, go shopping, unpack your groceries, roll up your sleeves, and make about a month of meals in a single day.

Packing your freezer with recipes made with the freshest ingredients means you will never have to waste food or eat lame leftovers again. Best of all, they can give you a great head start on your holiday cooking, making Thanksgiving and Christmas entertaining and socializing easier than ever. If you want a more stress-free holiday season, with better budgeting as you spread out the cost of food over 2 or 3 months instead of only a week, make and freeze recipes are the solution you’ve been looking for.

Further Reading

Make and Freeze Recipes: Great Foods You Can Cook, Freeze, and Use Quickly and Easily

More Make and Freeze Recipes: More Great Foods You Can Cook, Freeze and Use Quickly and Easily (Eat Better for Less Guides)

Even More Make and Freeze Recipes

Healthy Make Ahead and Freeze Muffins

Share

Making the Most of Seasonal Foods

The autumn is here, and with it nature’s bounty. All of the fresh fruits and vegetables that ripen in the fall are at their peak of freshness. Why not make the most of them with some great recipes. Eat some now, and freeze the rest?

Make ahead and freeze cooking can help you save time and money. You will waste a lot less food if your family stops doing the ‘leftover shuffle’, pushing last night’s delicious dish to the back in favor of something freshly cooked, or even worse, take away food.

Let’s face facts. We all love variety. Sadly, a lot of us are also carrying around a few extra pounds. Portion control and packaging up leftovers into ‘TV dinners’ is one way to get the range of foods we love and still stay slim. Serve with a salad and you have a complete meal for pennies on the dollar compared to takeaway.

Make and freeze recipes are also perfect if you have special diets to cater to. Color-code your container covers. Write on the lids or sides using freezer tape, and your picky eater or person will allergies can be sure that they are eating what they want and what’s safe for them.

Many people used to can or jar their produce to preserve it before it spoiled. Packing your freezer with recipes made with the freshest seasonal produce is even better, saving you time and money. Never again do you have to wonder what’s for dinner, and whether it will be delicious.

Further Reading

Make and Freeze Recipes: Great Foods You Can Cook, Freeze, and Use Quickly and Easily

More Make and Freeze Recipes: More Great Foods You Can Cook, Freeze and Use Quickly and Easily (Eat Better for Less Guides)

Even More Make and Freeze Recipes

Healthy Make Ahead and Freeze Muffins

Share