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Posts Tagged ‘frozen dinners’

Convenient meals can be a lifesaver at times. They can be more nutritious than fast food and eaten at home. You can grab one of these meals when you have a busy schedule and feed you family an nutritious gourmet frozen meal.

There may be times when you have no choice but to grab a frozen meal from the grocery store, but many times, you have another option. Make your own gourmet frozen meal.

If you make your own meals and freeze them you are the chef, so you determine what goes into your family’s food. You can leave out those things your family does not enjoy and choose how spicy to make your food. Additionally, you can choose how much salt or sugar is added to the meals your family eats.

Most people find that it is best at first to choose recipes that your family already enjoys. Who wants to have a freezer filled with dinners that no one in your family likes. If you need some ideas, try these: Beef stew, chicken curry, corn chowder, vegetable soup or Broccoli Beef.

Rice and pasta do not do well in many freezer recipes, they tend to be overcooked by the time the food is cooked and then re-warmed. If you are cooking these recipes, just freeze the sauce and cook the rice or pasta separately. If you have a rice cooker just throw in the rice and water so you can let it cook while you warm the rest of the meal. Pick up fresh pasta and it cooks in boiling water in about three minutes.

To get that freezer stocked try cooking meals that are two to four times the normal size. The excess should go directly to the fridge and not to the table. If it is on the table you will be tempted to over eat and the quality declines. It needs to be chilled as soon as possible for the best flavor.

Another option is to set a couple of days aside for shopping and cooking. Shop one day and cook the next. You should be able to prepare several meals at once for your freezer. Plan to double and triple those recipes so that you quickly fill the freezer.

One of the best options for storing your food in the freezer is a vacuum sealer. Choose the sealer that has a heat seal to preserve the quality of your food. The bags are very heavy weight and prevent freezer burn. They can be used to heat food in the microwave or as a boil-in bag in a pot of water.

If all of this sounds like a lot of effort, take heart! There are actually renowned chefs who prepare frozen gourmet meals.

Don’t count on your local grocer to carry truly wonderful food that you can love.  Instead, take a look online for a high quality gourmet dinner delivered to your door, frozen and ready to heat, serve and enjoy.

Convenient meals can be a lifesaver at times. Whether you want a quick dinner for the family between work, school and the children’s games or if you need something that you can heat for lunch in the break room microwave oven, a gourmet frozen meal can be a tasty time saver.

Sometimes life gets so busy that we have no other choice than to grab a convenient meal from the grocery store. Some of these meals are very good but others are far from gourmet. Here is another option that you might enjoy, make your own gourmet freezer meal.

One advantage of making your own meals is that you get to know what is going into the food. You can choose to leave out ingredients that are not your family’s favorite or increase the spice a little here or there. In addition you are in control of the salt shaker and the sugar that is added to your food.

While most people simply choose their family’s favorite recipes to cook, others like to experiment a little here and there. If you are in the mood to experiment the try one of these, Broccoli Beef, vegetable soup, corn chowder, chicken curry or beef stew. They work very well in the freezer.

Remember that starchy foods such as rice and pasta are not good choices for frozen meals. They tend to be overcooked by the time they have sat in the sauce and are warmed. If your recipe calls for these ingredients, just cook everything else and freeze the sauce. The rice or pasta can be quickly cooked while the rest of the meal is warming. For trouble free rice, use a rice cooker. For pasta, pick up fresh from the grocery store. It cooks in about three minutes once you have boiling water.

If you want to stock your freezer with gourmet meals, just start cooking two or three times your normal size meal. Remove excess food to the refrigerator as soon as the food finishes cooking so that you are not tempted to over eat and the quality of the food is preserved.

Another way to stock the freezer is to have a couple of days per month that are set aside for shopping or cooking. Shop the first day and cook the second. In a short amount of time, you can prepare several meals that have been doubled or tripled and fill the freezer.

Use a vacuum sealer to store your food. The bags are very heavy weight and prevent freezer burn. They can be used to heat food in the microwave or as a boil-in bag in a pot of water.

For those of you who aren’t up to this sort of planning and time, there are actually renowned chefs who prepare frozen gourmet meals.

Don’t count on your local grocer to carry truly wonderful food that you can love.  Instead, take a look online for a high quality gourmet dinner delivered to your door, frozen and ready to heat, serve and enjoy.