Fill freezer with pre-prepared meals

#Middlebury #KitchenDiva

(Phil Curry photo)

Let’s just face it, after a long day at work (or play), most of us don’t want to prepare a meal. But with just a little planning, your freezer can become your favorite “fast food” place. Filling your freezer with pre-prepared meals saves time and money.
It also ensures you’ll be eating something that is healthier than the typical fast-food meal. When you freeze meals in advance, you control the quality of the ingredients and the amount of salt. Almost everything from appetizers for dinner parties and breakfast dishes to complete meals and desserts can be frozen in advance with the proper planning and preparation.

I usually prepare all of my family’s meals for the week on either Saturdays or Mondays. Sometimes I just cook all the meat or main dishes. Then all I have to do is steam some vegetables or prepare a salad, and dinner is served. I also prepare a few extra meals – using some of the same meats, spices or ingredients I already have on hand – and freeze them. By using a few freezer fast-food tips, you can serve a well-balanced meal in minutes, and save money by preparing meals in advance and freezing them.

Preparing meals in advance means you’ll have large amounts of food to shop for and to put away. Plan your meals, make a list and shop in advance. It’s never a good idea to cook on the same day that you grocery shop. It’s better to plan the shopping trip for one day and cooking for another day. This also allows you to take advantage of any sales you might find on meats or vegetables. You also can cook several different kinds of meats or main dishes and stock your freezer so that you have enough “fast food” meals for two to six weeks.

I try to use recipes with similar ingredients or cooking times so that I can chop up all the vegetables I need at one time, or bake more than one dish in the oven. You also can stock your freezer by doubling the meals you make during the week. You can serve one of the dishes and then stock your freezer with the other. Make sure you securely wrap and seal your make-ahead meals to prevent freezer burn. Write the name of the dish and the date on a label or on the plastic wrap or plastic freezer bag to make the dishes easier to identify.

Using freezer- and microwave-safe divided plates is one of the best ways to store individual, homemade frozen dinners. Leftovers are the perfect choice for these frozen dinners. The divided plates make the meals easy to defrost and re-heat in the microwave.

Fast Freezer Turkey Patties

Burgers are always a hit with the family (Depositphotos photo)

These turkey patties are great as a main dish topped with some sauteed mushrooms and served with a side of rice and a salad. They’re also great for a quick sandwich using pita bread or a hamburger bun. You can season and shape the patties and then wrap and freeze them all, or cook and serve some of them and freeze the rest.

5 pounds ground turkey
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 Eggland’s Best eggs
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 small onion, diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 cups fine breadcrumbs

1. Mix the cream, eggs and Italian seasoning together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Using a large skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon of the oil to the pan and saute the garlic and onion in the oil until tender. Leave the vegetables in the pan and set aside to cool.
2. Add the turkey, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and the vegetables to the cream mixture and combine well. Slowly add the breadcrumbs; don’t overmix. Divide into 7-ounce, 1/2-inch-thick patties.
3. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Heat on medium. Add the patties, a batch at a time. Cook 5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center and meat thermometer reaches 165 F.
4. Serve immediately, or cool and wrap patties individually in plastic wrap and place them into a large freezer bag. Label and date the bag. Makes 15 servings.

(Adapted recipe courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation, www.nwtf.org)

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd. Inc., and Angela Shelf Medearis