First, a freezing tip. If you are going to be freezing casseroles and you don't have enough casserole dishes to freeze all your meals in, don't despair. The answer is to line your casserole dish with foil, assemble your casserole in the foil-lined dish, cover with more foil, and freeze. When frozen, remove the foil enclosed casserole, be sure it's well sealed and labeled, and place back in the freezer. When it's time to heat up the dinner, simply pop the entire foil enclosed meal back into the casserole dish. I like this method even if casserole dishes aren't scarce because it makes clean-up a breeze...just pop out the foil and toss it!
Another idea is to use tvp, or texturized vegetable protien. This healthy meat substitute, available at your health food store, is one way to improve your freezer meals. This is especially true if you are using recipes developed by someone else specifically for this type of freezer cooking, in which case the health value of the meal may not have been the top priority. TVP comes in small packages and must be reconstituted before using but has a texture much like ground beef. It can be easily substituted for one-third, or more, of the meat in your recipe without your family suspecting a thing. It is healthy, freezes well, and oh so economical.
A final tip is this: keep an inventory of the meals you prepare and freeze. This is essential if you don't want to open up your freezer and find you have only a few meals left...and they're all the same. Check off the meals as you eat them so your family can continue to enjoy a variety of foods.
If you are ready to embark on this wonderful journey, here are some websites that you should find helpful. They contain recipes and tips. Check out www.organizedhome.com and http://members.aol.com/DSimple/. You'll never look at your freezer the same way again!
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