I used to rely pretty heavily on packaged prepared foods. Not microwave meals, per se (although I’ll admit I’ve eaten a fair few of those in my day as well), but mostly pre-made components that I would incorporate into my meals. Over time I realized just how much money I was spending on things that I could easily make myself, and in most cases could make better.
I still love the convenience of pulling something out of the freezer, though. That’s where the allure lies, in the comfort of knowing that in the fridge is a meal, or at least a good head-start, for those days when spending hours in the kitchen doesn’t sound quite as relaxing as sitting down with a beer. Of course, there’s always tofu and tempeh to make for a quick fix, but I don’t think The Brit would last very long on tofu and tempeh every day. That’s why I make double, triple and even quadruple batches of staples, and put the extras in the freezer. I don’t really know why it took me so long to figure that one out, actually.
It means that some days I can throw together a meal of burgers from the freezer, homemade buns (that I made at the same time as our sandwich bread), oven chips (fries) and a quick homemade coleslaw in about 20 minutes, and still feel good about it.
That lettuce from the farmers market was the best lettuce ever.
We could probably get about two weeks worth of dinners out of our freezer at the moment – I have pizza dough, chickpea cutlets, chicken-style seitan, chopped bbq seitan, apple-sage sausages, veggie ‘meatloaf’ and homemade burgers, all of which I made. It’s a better feeling to me than just having some Boca burgers and a frozen pizza to come to the rescue on those desperate days, and makes meal planning and cooking throughout the week much easier.
That’s why I love my freezer. I hope you’re getting the most out of your freezer, too.
The smallness of my freezer is pretty much the bane of my existence – I know I could fit so much more delicious stuff in there! My current favorite thing is my stash of frozen herb pastes. (Mostly pesto, but some chimichurri sauce too.) I freeze them in ice cube trays, so I always have convenient pesto ready to microwave and mix into pasta or soup or on a sammitch whatever.
That is the best idea ever! I am going to buy some ice cube trays just for that purpose. Like, today.
That looks like a perfect meal. I’m feeling the freezer love!
Thanks! I would (probably) survive without my freezer, but my life would be a lot harder!
What a well stocked freezer you have! Very lucky. I definitely agree with you about making large batches of certain things to store for a quick and easy supper later. Love the look of that burger!
Thanks! I have to admit, I sometimes have to suppress my hoarding instincts when it comes to my pantry and freezer – but it definitely makes life easier to have all that food ready!
i think i need to take stock of what i’ve got in my freezer, reorganize, and make more space! i love the idea of making extra yummies to freeze up & enjoy later as a tasty, quick meal!
I need to reorganize my freezer too! As I was writing this post, I kept remembering more things that I had in there and had forgotten about… oops!
I can’t wait until I have a large freezer to fill with yummy goodness. Quick, healthy weeknight meals are the best!
Totally! I never used to utilize my freezer to it’s full potential, and now I can’t imagine having to live without it
OMG, that lettuce was the best ever! That guy wasn’t there this past week, so I bought some mixed lettuce from Arugula Man. Good, but not as good as the other.
BTW, I’m makin’ your Tamarind Tofu for dinner tomorrow night. I’m about to print the recipe.
I was so sad when that lettuce was gone. I didn’t make it to the market this last weekend, but I’ll probably be there this Saturday. Although, after our sushi party, I don’t know how early I’ll want to get up
I hope the tofu turns out well!
I *love* my freezer for precisely the same weekend! Being prepared helps us not eat take out (hellooooo high sodium Chinese delivery!)
And by weekend, I mean “reason” — ??? Not quite sure how I mixed them up.