Make it Yourself Ready Meals

Now, I'll admit that even I have off days where I don't want to fire up the cooker, and look for an easy out. Sometimes, it ends up with me stopping at the garage on the way home, buying a ready meal, and forcing myself to eat some sort of indeterminable gloop. (That being said, I am also quite partial to the old "dine in for two for a tenner" deals, but I think the major pull on that is the savings you can make on the wine!).

What I like to do is make the most of the inclination to cook, when it arrives, and stock my freezer with lots of lovely home made "ready meals". I even bought some very similar plastic cartons with snap on lids to freeze them in, which adds to the appeal. Perhaps I'll try making cardboard wrap around labels too...

Anyway, there is nothing nicer than, when having said off day, you can come in, open the freezer, grab something and throw it into the microwave. My batch cooking favourites (which will have their own features soon) are:

• Beef bourginon
• Chilli con carne
• Lasagne
• Basil and ricotta cannelloni
• Lamb stew
• Chicken and rice soup
• Tomato based curries

I tend to favour whatever you can make without having to do anything more arduous than cooking pasta or rice (potatoes are a step too far when I am in the mood for one of my ready meals). On the evenings when you can't wait to get your shoes off and put your mammies on, the last thing you'll be looking for is haute cuisine, so imagine the food that feels like a hug, and throw it in your freezer.

 

Most things that I tend to freeze can be defrosted in the microwave and then reheated in said microwave. This is the beauty of cooking things completely before you freeze them - it substantially reduces the chance of poisoning yourself. It does mean that some things will get a bit dried out, but there is always a quick two second rescue job that can restore it to its former glory.

 

A little note on cooking for the freezer though, is that you should check out your local food standards agency (or equivalent) for their advice on what is safe to do.

 

If it saves you some hassle but means that you are still getting something better than a box of salt with added sugar, go for it.