Plan Ahead, Eat Well

A friend once told me casseroles were the key to her sanity in the face of juggling her duties as a full-time student and mother of two. I was skeptical.

Me: A casserole? Really?

Her: Yes. It just takes a little planning. Make it in advance, freeze part of it for using later. Start your week by setting aside time to just make up a couple of casseroles. Then, when things get hectic, you don't have to plan your meals, you just pull out your casserole and heat it and feed yourself and your family.

Me: Hmm...interesting. But what if --

Her: Just make a damn casserole!

I haven't really gotten into making casseroles, but I know my friend has a point. Most of the times that we make poor food choices are because we haven't thought too far ahead about eating. After all, it's hard to think straight when your blood sugar is low and your stomach is growling. But the reality is: you're going to get hungry...several times a day...for the rest of your life. So why not plan for the inevitable by cooking up some things in advance?

While I haven't adventured too much into casserole-land, I have found other ways to follow my friend's advice, specifically by making soup. I love soup. I make some type of soup at least once a week. I make double or triple the amount I would need to make a meal for myself and my family, then divvy up the rest in quart containers and throw them in the freezer.

A few tips for freezing or re-heating soups:

1. As with anything you freeze, make sure to date your containers.
2. Make sure your containers are air-tight.
3. Wait until soup has cooled to put in freezer. If you put hot soup in the freezer it will lower the temperature of everything else in the freezer and use more energy than necessary.
3. Don't freeze soups longer than three months.
4. Soups with potatoes and/or cream don't freeze very well and are best eaten fresh.
5. Pasta doesn't freeze well, either. If your soup includes pasta, add that separately once you've thawed your soup.
6. Thaw soup in refrigerator and re-heat in saucepan.

Please feel free to e-mail me or comment with ideas on how you plan your meals and what steps you take to free up your time around food preparation.