Freezer Meals

Most of the information in this post came from my friend, Rosie Jameson, who regularly does freezer meal cooking and is rarely without a month's supply of ready made meals in her freezer. She suggests the book, ‘Dinner Is Ready’ by Deann Buxton, for those of you that want to really put this principle to work for yourselves. The book or computer software for making 30 meals in one day can be purchased from Deseret Book or at www.dinnerisready.com

Food storage for me is about both long and short term preparedness. A lot of my post will deal with log term preparedness, but today I wanted to talk about short term preparedness. When I was pregnant with Ahsley, I had lots of complications. During my last month, I had some difficulties at work one day. Long story short - I ended up having the nurse at work take me to the hospital where I was told that I would have to be put on bed rest until I could be delivered safely via C-section - in another 3 to 4 weeks! UHHHHGGGGG! I am not a good patient. I like to do things for myself and the thought of the good sisters at my church having to bring me dinner or help with other household duties for 3 to 4 weeks was just too much. At the time, Charolett was 15. Ron was not working on the road at the time, so lucky me - they were my cook and maid. The sisters brought in a few dinners, but Ron told them to take it easy and help others that were in greater need, because he and Charolett could handle it. That was kind of true. My house was very clean. I am very lucky that Ron is a real neat-freak. But... the meals left a little something to be desired. The title of this post is 'freezer meals' but that does not mean frozen burritos, as my lovely well-meaning daughter made me several times during my bed rest. It means a real homemade meal. If you think it sounds like a lot of time and effort - not really. You'd be surprised how fast you can fill a freezer with good quality meals for use on sick days - or days that you just don't have much time and you really don't have the money to go out to eat. Before my pregnancy, I had put a few meals in the freezer simply by doubling the recipe that I was making on a particular night and freezing the extra in a disposable foil pan. I was planning on adding to the few that I already had for after the baby's birth, but I was not counting on bed rest with a month left to go - so all my normal nesting activity was greatly curtailed. Here's some suggestions to help you keep from getting caught unprepared like I was for your life's little emergencies as you embark on your freezer meal adventures.

1. Start out with a smaller number of recipes until you feel comfortable, then work up to your goals. Doubling a recipe takes no more time than a single recipe. If you double recipes for 15 days, you’ll have a month’s supply of food in the freezer for virtually the same time commitment as only a two week’s supply.
2. Don’t do a bunch of complicated recipes at once. The suggestion for 30 meals in a day is to double the following: 2 crock pot recipes, 2 oven recipes, 2 stove top recipes, and 9 assembly recipes.
3. Cook soups and foods minimally. Hot foods take a long time to cool and the heat overworks the freezer. Vegetables work well if they are just barely cooked. Adding frozen vegetables at the end of a recipe is great so it doesn't overcook the vegetables and it cools down the dish faster. The vegetables will finish cooking when you remove the dish from the freezer and cook it later.
4. Start preparing the day before by shopping and cooking meats, chopping onions and other veggies, and grating cheeses.
5. Gallon freezer bags lie flatter in the freezer than quart-sized, even with small amounts of food. Generally you can get more food in the freezer using freezer bags than by using freezer ‘Tupperware’ type containers.
6. Disposable foil pans are great and cheap for lasagnas and other casseroles. Check your local dollar store before purchasing them at the grocery store.
7. Use good quality heavy foil to avoid freezer burn on all your hard work.
8. Write food name, cooking times and temperatures directly on foil and freezer bags with permanent marker so that you don’t have a ‘mystery dish’ if a label comes off.
9. Use reduced fat or no fat ingredients (with cream cheese-Neufchatel is fine but fat free doesn't cook well.) Reduced fat sour cream, cream of mushroom or chicken soup, half and half work well in many recipes, but don't use reduced fat margarine.
10. Freezer meals are great for helping someone sick or in need. They can pop it in the oven on their schedule and if you use disposable foil pans – they don’t have to wash dishes or worry about returns.

11. Most modern ovens have a delayed baking feature. If you know you are coming home too late to cook yourself, you can place the frozen meal in your oven in the morning to thaw and set the delayed bake feature for the appropriate time. Your dinner will thaw and bake by the time you come home. Now that's better than fast food any day!

Here's a few freezer meal recipes for you to try:

Cream Cheese Chicken

1 envelope Italian dressing mix

1/2 cup butter

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast

10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup

8-ounce package cream cheese

Turn crock pot on High. Place butter in bottom of crock pot. When the butter has melted, add one envelope Italian dressing dry mix. Stir into butter until well mixed. Cut chicken breasts into 1" strips. Place in crock pot and stir to coat with butter and dressing mix. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours. Remove chicken to plate to cool. Add cream of chicken soup and cream cheese to crock pot. Stir to melt and mix well until smooth and creamy. Remove sauce from crock pot and allow to cool. Place chicken and sauce into a gallon resealable freezer bag. Label. Freeze.
To serve: Thaw. Heat until piping hot and bubbly. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or hot buttered noodles.

Beef and Broccoli

3/4 cup rice, uncooked

1 lb lean ground beef

1 cup onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

10 oz pkg frozen broccoli

10.75 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup beef broth

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup French fried onions

Cook rice according to package directions. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Thaw broccoli and squeeze out water. Combine beef and broccoli. Stir in rice, soup, broth, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning and cheese. (Do not add French fried onions until baking.) Place in freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw and bake in greased baking dish, uncovered for 35 minutes at 375º. Top with 1 cup French fried onions. Bake 10 minutes.

Apple Roast Pork

4 lb pork roast

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup apple juice

1/2 tsp salt

Place roast in dish or pan barely larger than roast. Douse roast on all sides with Worcestershire sauce. Press brown sugar on sides and top of roast. Pour apple juice into the baking pan but not over roast. Cover tightly with extra heavy foil and lid. Place roast in preheated 400° oven. Immediately reduce heat to 275°. Bake for 5 hours. Remove and allow to cool enough to handle. Meat should pull apart easily. Shred meat and sprinkle with salt. Place meat and broth in freezer bag or container. For individual servings, spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Fill muffin cups with meat and broth. Cover and place pan in freezer just until frozen. Pop out and place in gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze.
To serve: Thaw and heat. Spoon meat onto warm onion rolls. Serve with sliced apples or applesauce.

Simple Lasagna

2 cups cottage cheese

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 Tbs dried parsley flakes

2 Tbs Parmesan cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

3 cups spaghetti sauce12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 green bell pepper, chopped1 onion, chopped

2 - 8 ounce packages mushrooms

Combine cottage cheese, egg, dried parsley flakes and Parmesan cheese. Mix spaghetti sauce with the peppers, onion, and mushrooms. Cover the bottom of a greased foil baking pan with spaghetti sauce. Layer uncooked noodles, sauce, and half the Mozzarella and half the Jack cheeses. Top with another layer of noodles, then all the cottage cheese mixture. Top with another layer of noodles, then the remainder of the Mozzarella and Jack cheeses and cover with a thick layer of spaghetti sauce. Cover with extra heavy foil. Label and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

1- 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

2- 10.75 oz cans cream of celery soup

1/2 cup onion, minced

1 1/2 cups ham, cubed

1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1/4 tsp pepper

24 oz bag frozen shredded hash browns

10 ounce bag frozen broccoli (optional)

Directions:
Combine softened cream cheese and soup. Stir in onions, ham, Jack cheese and pepper. Break apart hash browns (do not thaw). Gently stir into cheese mixture. Place in freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw and bake in a greased baking dish, covered, 1 hour at 350º. Uncover, top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 5 minutes makes: 12 Servings

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 10 3/4 oz cream of chicken soup

2 cups chicken, chopped

1 cup carrots, shredded1 cup celery, chopped

2 - 4 ounce packages long grain and wild rice mix with seasoning

5 cups chicken broth

5 cups water

1 package mixed frozen vegetables.

Combine all ingredients in a greased 4 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 4-6 hours or until rice is done. Do not overcook rice. Cool and pour in to gallon Ziploc bags to freeze.
To serve: Put into a large pan on stovetop and cook until hot.

more tips and tricks

My postings have been absent for a few days because my beloved was home and since he travels so much, I always place him as first priority. But now - I am back in the groove - as it were. So .... on with my thoughts of today.
Let me first start by saying thanks to all of you that are reading this blog and have sent me pictures of your own food storage examples and comments to my email. I really appreciate the encouragement. Here are some pictures from a reader in Montana named Lisa. Lisa tried canning her own cheese and it worked beautifully. Thanks for the pictures Lisa!

Today was 'daycare day' at my nephew's Jr. high school so he 'borrowed' my little one for 45 minutes this morning to take to class with him. It was so nice to have a break and be able to shop for Easter goodies without her in tow. The reason I mentioned my nephew is that when I sent Ashley off to class with him this morning, I started thinking about when he and his family first moved to Utah. My sister-in-law, Becky, and her husband, Troy, moved here from California 6 years ago, when Troy got a chance to transfer here with his job. At that time, they put their stuff in storage and moved in with us for what was supposed to be 2 weeks while they got into a house. The 2 weeks turned into 2 months when they found a floor plan with a local development that they liked and were able to get into a newly built home and pick their own colors. The Reynolds house went from a family of 4 (my nephew was living with us at the time) to a family of 9 for almost an entire summer. Having a family of 5 as house guest for 2 months could be stressful for most people, but Becky and Troy are wonderful, easy-going people. Their 3 boys (2 of whom were teenagers at the time) were also very well behaved. It was during this transition time for their family and ours that, out of necessity, Becky and I discovered a few things about food storage. Here's a few tricks to keeping cost down and storing for large crowds.

1. Storage does not have to be pretty. It does have to be organized. I don't care if you only have scrap wood storage shelves in an unfinished basement (as I do) or beautiful finished melamine cabinets - as long as it is organized, it will work.

2. Break down bulk freezer purchases (meat - cheese - poultry) into meal sized portions before storing. Ex: When block cheese is cheaper - grate your cheese right after you buy it and store it in 1 or 2 cup portions (whatever you usually use for your family size) in sandwich baggies. Then put those baggies into your freezer bag to keep it from getting 'burned'. When a casserole calls for cheese - just pull out a baggie and you are done. I did 40 lbs of cheese (it was on a great sale!!) like this with the meat grinder attachment for my kitchen-aid mixer. It took a few hours on a Saturday afternoon to get it all done - but it was a beautiful thing not to have to grate cheese for a year!!!

3. Buy a kitchen scale and break down packages of chips, Cheetos's, cookies, ect. into proper serving size baggies before putting them into your pantry if they are going to be used for work or school lunches. Then you and your teenagers won't be serving yourselves from a big bag and overeat the junk food. Remember - a serving size of most chips is only 1 once. That's about 1/3 of what you would eat if you just served yourself without the scale.

4. Make your own oatmeal packets! Why pay so much for 10 little packets of pre-packaged oatmeal packets when they are so easy to do yourself. I put each serving into snack sized baggies, and put all the baggies into a 5 gallon bucket. I go to the basement and put 15 or so into a Tupperware in my pantry every week for use. My nephews loved this oatmeal when they lived with me. The recipe for this is at the bottom of this blog.

5. Bisquick and other pre-packaged master mixes are so expensive. Make your own for way cheaper. Check out the video and recipe for 'Master Mix' in my earlier post.

6. Co-cooking is a real blessing! Even if you don't have the opportunity to share a home with another family for a while, you can make this work by sharing the cooking duties with a neighbor. Families of similar size decide on a budget for meals and make a weekly or monthly menu plan. On alternating nights (or alternating weeks if that works for you) each family cooks a double sized meal and brings half to the neighbor. Both families have the same grocery budget as before - but eat more home cooked meals, resulting in fewer nights dining out. This saves on the family budget as well as time and effort for whoever does the cooking in the house. Another plus is that the families will usually shop for the dinner ingredients together. This saves gas money as well as more time.

Spice Up Your Life

So - the mainstays of your spice rack are the salt and pepper shakers. You have a little cinnamon sugar for the kids to sprinkle on their toast. But other than that - your spice rack is pretty much non-existent. Not to worry. Just pay a visit to your local grocery store spice isle and start slowly. You will soon learn that spices are not only flavorful - but good for you. Let's start with trying to cut the salt. Americans use way too much salt. The overuse of this little ingredient helps contribute to the health problems many Americans are already fighting. Salt in and of itself is not bad - but the overuse of it is. But cutting the salt does not mean eating bland diets. It just means that you need to learn how to use the herbs and spices that culinary experts use everyday. It's basically taking the spice in your life from 'McDonald's grade' to gourmet grade. A trip to the spice isle doesn't have to break the bank either. Most common spices can be purchased in a generic version for as little as $1 per jar - and there are even some at my local Walmart that are 2 for $1. The average shelf life for spices is 5 years. So use them to rotate them through your food storage system or toss them after that time period. You can spend less than $30 on the spice isle and have a healthy stock for your food storage. Here's what I suggest to start:

Vanilla: Vanilla is one of the most popular flavorings in the world. It is used in flavoring most desserts, including ice cream, custard, cake, candy, and pudding. Vanilla is also used to enhance the flavor of beverages and sauces. I use a vanilla powder instead of liquid vanilla.

Sesame Seeds: Sesame Seeds are commonly used in stir-fries, Jewish and Chinese confections, and Middle Eastern dishes. It is also used in breads, candies, main dishes, as a garnish on pasta and vegetables, and for its oil content. A simple start in trying sesame seeds is to sprinkle them over green beans. My daughter loves this.

Sage: Sage enhances pork, lamb, meats, and sausages. Chopped leaves flavor salads, pickles, and cheese. It is one of the most popular herbs in the United States. It is a beautiful little soft velvet leafed plant and is a nice accent to your flower beds. Enjoy the looks and aroma in your garden and use it to cook - 2 uses in 1!!

Rosemary: Another great addition to your flower beds! Rosemary is an herb in the mint family. It is a small evergreen shrub whose 1 inch leaves resemble curved pine needles. Rosemary is used primarily in lamb, pork, chicken, and rabbit dishes.

Red Pepper: Some manufacturers use the term Cayenne Pepper to refer to a hotter version of Red Pepper. Red Pepper is used to achieve the characteristically hot flavor of Mexican, Creole, Cajun, Thai, Szechwan, and Indian cooking. It also is used in chili, Spanish rice, and barbecue sauce as well as meats, salads, and casseroles.

Parsley: This is another easy to grow herb for your garden beds. I grow the curly leaf kind because I found it more decorative. Use fresh or dried Parsley as a garnish in soups, salads, meats, vegetables, and sauces. It is also an excellent breath freshener. It is high in vitamins A and C, and contains iron, iodine, and copper.

Paprika: Paprika is the main flavor in Hungarian dishes like Goulash. In the United States, it is often used as a garnish on stuffed eggs, fish, and cheese and vegetable casseroles. Spanish Paprika flavors shellfish, rice, and sausage dishes. In Morocco, Paprika is used in tomato dishes and salads.

Oregano: Since Greek and Roman times it has been used with meats, fish, vegetables, and as a flavoring for wine. Before World War II, Oregano was almost unknown in the United States. However, its popularity skyrocketed with the popularity of pizza. It is also awesome in homemade spaghetti sauces.

Onion: Dry onion is so commonly used at my house that I purchase mine in the big #10 cans instead of the little spice jars. Onions are popular everywhere in the world. Fresh onions are used as both a condiment and a vegetable in almost any savory food. Fresh onions are easy to store for prolonged periods in a cool dry place. Just knot them off in the legs of an old clean pair of pantyhose and hang them from a nail. Cut them off one at a time for use.

Mint: Mint is the dried leaf of a perennial herb. There are two important species, Mentha spicata L. (spearmint) and Mentha piperita L. (peppermint). Fresh mint is easy to grow. Too easy in fact. It will take over your entire garden and is quite a nuisance to get rid of. I suggest growing fresh mint - but do it in a container. Cooking uses include mint jelly served with lamb, sprinkled in peas, or in chocolate desserts. I prefer to use mint for it's medicinal values. Steep 12 -15 fresh mint leaves in a cup of boiling water to make a mint 'tea' for tummy aches. I used this in Ashley's baby bottles when she was fussy with a tummy ache and it worked wonders. For older kids and adults, add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten the mixture. I will also take a fresh spearmint leaf and hold it under my tongue as a natural breath freshener and appetite suppressant. I also use spearmint and peppermint oil in honey cream mint food storage candy recipes. The recipe has been added to the article at the bottom of this blog entitiled 'my food storage favorite recipes'.

Garlic: Garlic is used in cuisines throughout the world. It is indispensable in Chinese, Italian, and Mexican foods. Fresh garlic can be stored the same as onions (ssee above). When purchasing from the spice rack section - be sure to get garlic powder instead of garlic salt - which of corse contains salt and that is what we are trying to cut.

Cumin: Cumin is frequently used in Mexican dishes such as chili con carne and hot tamales.

Cream of Tartar: Cream of Tartar is a natural, pure ingredient left behind after grape juice has fermented to wine. Cream of Tartar is used to stabilize egg white foams. It is also a major ingredient in baking powder.

Cloves: Cloves have been used for thousands of years. One of the earliest references to them says that the Chinese, in order to approach the emperor, had to have a few Cloves in their mouths to sweeten the breath. Cloves are used in spice cookies and cakes.

Cinnamon: Possibly most the common baking spice, Cinnamon is used in cakes, cookies, and desserts throughout the world. Cinnamon is also used in savory chicken and lamb dishes from the Middle East. In American cooking, Cinnamon is often paired with apples and used in other fruit and cereal dishes. Stick Cinnamon is used in pickling and for flavoring hot beverages.

Bay Leaves: Bay Leaves, a staple in American kitchens, are used in soups, stews, meat and vegetable dishes. The leaves also flavor classic French dishes such as bouillabaisse and bouillon.

Basil: Basil is widely used in Italian cuisine and is often paired with tomatoes. It is also used in Thai cooking. The herb complements meat, vegetables, cheese, and egg dishes.

Allspice: It is not a blend of "all spices," but its taste and aroma remind many people of a mix of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Allspice is used in Jamaican jerk seasoning and in Jamaican soups, stews, and curries. It also is used in pickling spice, spiced tea mixes, cakes, cookies, and pies. Food producers use it in ketchup, pickles, and sausages.

So remember - If variety is the spice of life - spices should be the variety in your food storage!!

Tips to Save on Your Grocery Bill

Here's a few handy tips that I have learned over the years:

1. Use a list every time - It is much, faster, easier and cheaper to shop if you have inventoried your pantry before you leave home. Stick to your list! When you shop from a list, you'll make fewer trips to the grocery store and save move in the long run because there are less chances from impulse buying.

2. Shop alone and after eating - One simple recipe for avoiding impulse buying: Do your shopping after a light snack or meal and leave the kids at home. If you aren't hungry, it's easier to stick to your list. If your children aren't with you, they won't be begging for all the goodies they see. You will be in a better position to do real comparison shopping.

3. Understand how stores work - A basic understanding of merchandising can help you avoid overspending. These simple habits will go a long way toward keeping your budget in check:
• Walk briskly toward what you came to buy and avoid distractions along the way. For example, have you ever noticed that the diapers and milk are often at the back of the store? You're forced to walk past a lot of temptation to get to the items you need most often.
• Products are displayed at the ends of the aisles in order to catch your eye. They may not actually be on sale - they are just placed there to catch your eye. Many "featured" items are not bargains at all.
• As you peruse the aisles, check the prices on the bottom shelves and compare them to the cost of the items at eye level.
• Avoid buying the items displayed by the register. The magazines at the checkout stand cost much more per issue than they would if you had a subscription, and cookies in little packages cost more than a from a box. Almost everything near the register is there to inspire you to buy on impulse, not to save you money.

4. Buy store brands or generics - The less-costly house brands on many items are often so similar to national brands that you wouldn't be able to tell them apart without the packaging. Read labels to compare nutritional value and you'll quickly see how little difference (if any) there is. Also, keep in mind that meat and dairy products all have to meet government standards, so store brands should be just as wholesome and nutritious as national brands.

5. Check the unit price - As you cruise down the aisles comparing products, take note of the unit price that is listed on the store shelf next to the item price. The unit price tells you what the product costs per ounce or some other consistent unit of measurement. Don't be fooled by packaging — compare per-unit prices, and buy the item that offers more for less instead of the one that looks like more for less.

6. Use store savings cards and coupons - Check your store's weekly ads for coupons on items you buy regularly — but also take advantage of your store's savings card. Keep your clipped coupons organized, perhaps separated according to grocery aisle or section. Whether you choose to hold them in envelopes, in a zip-top bag, with paper clips, or in a specially designed accordion file, store them in your purse or car so they're with you whenever you shop. Then, when you put the item in your cart, put the coupon for it in the checkbook, so that when you get to the checkout, it is all ready to go and you don't make everyone wait in line behind you while you sort out your coupons. This also avoids your forgetting to use it once you get the the register. Also, if a sale item doesn't appear on the shelves, ask for a rain check so you can get it for the reduced price when it's back in stock.

7. Buy in bulk - Buying in bulk is a no-brainer if you're feeding a big family. But you can still benefit from these discounts if yours is a smaller family or you have limited storage space. Here are some ideas for making the most of oversize buys:
• As always, arrive at your bulk-shopping store with a list.
• Buy mostly nonperishable items that you know for sure you'll use eventually — for example, paper products, cleaning supplies, baby wipes, juice boxes, and canned goods.
• If you do purchase perishables, separate large packages into smaller ones as soon as you get home. Divide chicken and steaks, for example, into daily portions and freeze for later use.
• Split the purchases and the bill with another family. Again, a list is a must — agree ahead of time on what you'll buy. If you trade off trips to the store, both families also save time.

8. Buy from the source - Get produce from a local farmer's market and you can avoid the store markup on fresh vegetables and fruit. Get your eggs or milk from a local farmer if you have one nearby. It's not worth driving for an hour to save a dollar or two, but if there's a guy in town, his stuff will be fresher and usually much cheaper.

9. Buy in season - Strawberries can cost $2 a package or $4 a package, depending on whether you buy them in June or January. The price of lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and other fruits and vegetables also varies by season (and sometimes by the weather, as droughts and other extremes shrink crops and raise prices). Know what's in season & plan your meals around what you'll find at the best price. Then take things a step further and do as our grandmothers did: Get a roast or a ham, serve it on Sunday, then slice it for sandwiches on Monday, and toss in a few veggies to turn the leftovers into a stew or soup on Tuesday.

10. Grow your own - Fresh herbs can cost a pretty penny at the grocery store. Why not grow your own in little pots on your kitchen window ledge? When a recipe calls for it, you can pinch off a bit of basil, dill, thyme, or chives — and in the meantime, the herb plants will decorate your kitchen nicely. Chia herb gardens are a nice way to start. It's all in the box - but the fresh herb starts will soon be available at your local Walmart or other garden center so you can have immediate gratification instead of waiting for them to grow. (One thing to be aware of - I grew mint one year and it tried to take over my entire flowerbed. Even if you grow other herbs in your flower beds - grow mint in pots to avoid having it take over everything else.) Tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables are also easy to grow in containers. Strawberries have charming flowers and make a good ground cover. I have them in my decorative rock garden. Whether you have a yard, deck, or even just a small balcony, you can turn a little sunshine and water into both a garden oasis and grocery savings.

11. Make your own baby food - I know it sounds daunting to some - but trust me - it's easy and good for your baby. I made most of Ashley's baby food by simply putting my leftover stews, mac & Cheese, meats, fruits and veggies into my 'Magic Bullet' blender. I made her food for the next day every night after dinner, stored it in the fridge in little Tupperware containers, and it was very easy. I just could not see paying for all those tiny jars when it cost me nothing extra to make the food myself.

These are just a few tips. I will discuss one of my favorite things to do in my next blog entry - making freezer meals to save time, money and energy. Until tomorrow - Happy shopping!

I'm back - - -

I took a few days of from publishing to this blog while I spent time with my wonderful husband. He is often away from home with his job so when he is home - I usually won't be writing. We had a great day trip to Little Sahara in Delta Utah. We rode the 4-wheelers in the sand and spent quality family time. The girls love the 4-wheelers - especially my little Ashley. Her first trip out on our boat was when she was 7 weeks old and her first 4-wheeler ride was when she was 9 months old. We have a Rhino with a backseat and we strap her into the car seat and away we go - all over the canyons, trails and sand dunes that are so abundant here in Utah. I guess she will be one of those fearless types when she grows up. So far - she shows no fear at any of our family adventures. Here's a little picture of our girls in the back of the Rhino on our annual Piute trail riding tip last year . But - a travel log is not what you are here for - so on with the food storage stuff....

I have posted a video below about how to make really easy wheat bread. Making bread is one of those things that used to scare me. I thought it was only for those pioneer type people. Over the years, I tried various recipes and methods and finally found a few recipes that I like and that my family actually uses. The video is kind of like how my friend and neighbor Cynthia Hart showed me how to make bread. I learned from Cynthia that bread making does not have to be an arduous hand making ordeal. She taught me that it's not about the recipe so much as it is about the process. Everyone should experiment a little to find the recipe that they like best and make bread at least once a month to stay in practice. I think it is one of those 'lost art' type of things. We have gotten so spoiled with going to the store to get everything - that a lot of today's younger homemakers don't know basic cooking and baking skills. The art of cooking from scratch has gone by the wayside in favor of frozen dinners, entrees, and fast food. And yes - I was once one of those frozen entree junkies - but being reformed from my lazy ways gives me the right to talk about it.

I do not pretend to be a fabulous cook. I am far from it, but I can make wholesome and nutritious meals for my family. I like to keep things simple and use common ingredients. I like the idea of learning new methods and recipes for homemade mixes so that I know what is going in my children's bodies. I have researched a lot on the Internet and I have posted the links to many sites that I use on the left of this blog. Check them out and see what you might find to incorporate into your family routine. I know that when I started cooking from scratch more, both my husband and I lost weight. (not because my cooking is lousy - quit with the teasing remarks Charolett - LOL) We feel better because we are not eating a ton of sodium and preservatives. Family is precious and feeding them from scratch may not make me a better wife and mother, but it makes me feel like a better wife and mother. Life is good - savor the flavor and kiss the cook in your life.