Freezer cooking -- it sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? It’s actually a fantastic way for parents to provide nutritious and tasty meals for their families, even on the busiest of days. You start by freezing meals or ingredients for a meal, in order to make mealtimes easier. This is most often done in bulk so you have a few meals at a time. Some start by simply doubling a recipe they are making, serving one immediately and freezing the second for later. Others cook in bulk on one day to prepare meals for the next weeks and months.

Meals made and then frozen will maintain their freshness and are ready when you want to eat them. When frozen properly, frozen meals and dishes will not only keep their flavor, but they will preserve their freshness; even for a few months.

I like to do a mix of one-dish meals—things like casseroles, soups, stews, and chilis—but I also like to prepare ingredients up to a certain stage and freeze them for cooking some of the family’s favorite meals.

Basics like cooked chicken breasts and browned ground beef freeze well and offer endless possibilities for tasty meals that come together quickly like Barista Pulled Chicken or Skillet Shepherd’s Pie.

When you have a freezer full of main ingredients, you can keep your refrigerator stocked with salad greens, spinach, and other veggies so you can make big, healthy salads and satisfying stir fries as sides or used with the proteins from the freezer.

Whether you’re freezing in foil, baking pans or plastic freezer bags, labeling is very important. It’s always a good idea to know how long ago something was cooked; in addition, you generally can’t clearly see what’s inside, so with proper labelling, you’ll know at a glance.

At Bellisari’s our slogan is "Gourmet Convenience." Prepping and freezing food in advance will only add to that convenience factor. Look for more recipes on our website that work well as freezer meals or are easily prepared with basic elements that you can freeze.