Jump Start Jan: Declutter Week: Day 7
It’s the last day of Declutter and Organise Week today, and we’re going to get more organised with our food and eating habits. It’s that time of year when lots of us are trying to eat more healthily, and/or perhaps save some more money by cutting back on takeaways.
Today’s idea is to do some batch cooking, and freeze up the portions so that there’s always something nice to tuck into when you get home – lessening the urge to call out for a takeaway.
Write out a quick list of your personal favourite, or family favourite, meals. Think back to some hearty, warming or filling recipes, and work out whether they will work as frozen dishes. It’s extra helpful if you can think of one-pot meals, or things that can be served with almost-instant side dishes such as cous cous, noodles, bread rolls, wraps or naan bread.
Examples include:
- Lasagne or other pasta bakes
- Stew and dumplings
- Casserole or hotpot with potato chunks
- Bean dishes such as kidney bean chilli
- Tagines with chick peas
- Chunky soups with lentils, split peas or barley
- Biryani curry
Batch cooking saves you time as well as cash. It doesn’t take that much longer to peel or chop a few extra ingredients, and the cooking time’s usually the same, plus it’s the same amount of tidying away and washing up as it is for a single meal.
And you practically have a ready meal waiting for you in the freezer when you come home tired after a long day – no mess, no fuss. What’s not to love?
What would your ideal home made ‘ready meal’ from the freezer be?
