Freezer cooking can be a huge time and stress saver for many people leading busy professional and family lives today. There are several important guidelines that everyone should be well aware of before tackling freezer cooking to make sure that everything goes smoothly. All you need is some quality recipes and the right preparation tools and you can be well on your way to some delicious meals that you can prepare in no time flat.

When you are freezer cooking this is not the time to get experimental so no new recipes. A smart rule of thumb to stick by is only prepare items for freezer cooking that you have eaten before and enjoyed. This way you save yourself (and your family) from not enjoying a meal and still having several of the same meal awaiting you in the freezer for later consumption.

You need to be sure that the food you prepare is at a good temperature to be put into the freezer. The food that you prepare does not have to be completely cooled to be stored in the freezer. If you let the food sit out for too long it will most likely begin to collect dangerous bacteria which will make everyone in your family ill and no one wants to run the risk of that occurring. You only need to let your meals sit for about twenty minutes before sticking them in a freezer. If you still think that you food is too warm when the twenty minutes is up then simply stick a piece of cardboard under the meal and remove it after the food is frozen.

Store your food in quality containers. If you can find square and rectangle shaped containers that will really suit you best, as they can be easily stored in the freezer. You will also find that you have an easier time un-thawing your meals when you are ready to prepare them. If you are unable to use these types of containers then you can make good use of plastic bags. All you need to do is stick cardboard in between the bags to make the best use of your freezer space.

Freezer cooking does not have to seem like an undoable task. All you need to do is stick with these easy to follow tips and you will have a freezer well stocked with delicious food in no time at all.

I know that I also posted this over at thedietingweekendchef.com, but this is an important issue for all of us!

My wife and I have been noticing a change in our size… we are growing bigger. It seems to happen to all of us, as we get older, we eat the same as we use to but we keep gaining weight. With that weight come some unexpected problems. Our joints begin to hurt, we get out of breath, lack of energy, tired etc, so we end up sitting more, doing less and still eat the same amounts. No wonder we gain weight

We need to regain control over the amount of food we are consuming. I don’t mean dieting, diets don’t work! What I do mean is we need to regulate the intake of calories and the output in exercise.

To start with we have to regain our understanding of portions. I read recently that from 1977 to 1997, hamburgers expanded by 23%; a plate of Mexican food got 27% bigger; soft drinks increased by 52%; snacks (potato chips, pretzels, crackers) grew 60%. I’m sure most of you can recall when a typical soft drink used to come in a 10 ounce cup, now they are about a gallon.

It seems as we expand so does the portion of food that we are eating. Thats more calories. As we gain weight, our bodies tend to complain about the extra work and we do less, that is the exercise. So the first step seems to be portion control. We need to get into the habit of measuring the portions so we know how much we are eating (calories). This will help us take control over the amount we eat. Once you are into the habit of controlling your portions you can easily reduce the amount of calories quickly and easily without I might add giving up what we love to eat. You could lose weight simply by eating the recommended portions instead of the whole thing. You would be surprised at the actual portion size compared to the container
Here are some tips:

Use smaller plates. Get smaller plates. There is no need to have a 12 inch dinner plate go for the 9 inch plate. When you are dining out, have the waiter/waitress box half of the meal before bringing it to you. Out of sight, out of mind so to speak. Leftover are great, you get to enjoy the meal twice for the same price.

Pay attention to what you eat. No TV, no computer, no reading, no dinner arguements, eat your meal without distractions. Before your meal start with a glass of water (ice water is better), your body needs it and it starts the process of filling you up so you eat less. Eat a salad, put the dressing in a small dish on the side and dip you fork in the dressing for each bite. You will use less dressing and still get the same taste. Eat your vegetables first. When you are not hungry, stop eating and get away from the table.

Eat smaller more frequent meals… snack more often. You should eat 6 times a day. Start with a good breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, bedtime snack. NOW, snack does not mean sweets! Try vegetables, carrots are great for giving you that crunch you sometimes crave. If you start to crave something, start taking notes as to what you are eating. Most often cravings are because the body is not getting something it needs and your mind interprets that as a craving for something you like, trying to make you eat so that it gets what it needs. We are weak and our minds know it. So pay attention and give it what it NEEDS not what you think it wants.

Menu planning is easy and a great way to get the family together and spend some quality time. It only takes a few minutes and with everyone’s input you will have a successful and less stressful set of meals. Many menu planning articles discuss how to plan a meal. But one of the areas they don’t seem to stress is that of the active family. Every member of the family today seems to have something going on. A successful menu plan has to take that into account. Think about this, would you plan a huge turkey dinner with all the trimmings for a Wednesday evening when you are working full-time and the kids have school? Of course not, there is no time to prep, cook, serve, and clean up. So a successful menu plan needs to take everyone’s activities into account. Lets look at the 7 steps to Meal Planning Made Easy.

Step 1 - Schedules
Create a simple schedule of the activities for the upcoming week or two depending on how often you want to get together and plan things out. Make sure you include the cooks time

Step 2 - Helpers
Make a little chart showing any special events that need to be taken into account. Early appointments, late nights at work, school activities, after school activities etc.
Schedule the helpers and cook. Every member of the family can be involved with the cooking of the meals. Children can help with the prep and clean up etc. Even young ones as young as 5-6 can help with setting the table, cleaning vegetables, clearing the dishes after meals. Even washing dishes with an adults help. Teaches them life skills and responsibility.

Step 3 - Breakfast
Now with the schedule written down we can start on the meals. Some meals will be easy. Breakfast during the week will probably be pretty routine. But these are important meals to plan in order to save money. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Plan on a good well balance meal. If you are trying to lose weight, please see our related article at The Dieting Weekend Chef (http://thedietingweekendchef.com) for breakfast meal tips.
For breakfast you need a balance meal. Include fruit, dairy, starches and protein. I recommend that you stay away from cold cereal. Especially those with alot of sugar. Not good for the kids. Your meal needs to provide the energy to last until lunch in many cases. So starches and proteins are important. High sugar foods lead to that mid morning crash once the sugar has been burned off.

If you are trying to save money, plan on getting up a little earlier and cooking a breakfast. Hot cereal like Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal provides a good start to the day. Add an egg and toast and you and the kids will have energy to burn up until lunch. Breakfast should be in the 300-400 calories range for a balance day.

Step 4 - Lunch
One meal down, so let’s tackle lunch. This is going to be a little more challenging. Depending on the authority figure, you may need to be flexible here. If you can plan the lunches for during the week you will be able to save a lot of money. Lunches can include leftovers and sandwiches which are inexpensive to make and store. Meal wise the lunch should provide the calories to make it to dinner. Lunches are typically larger than breakfast containing about 400-500 calories in a balance diet about the same as dinner.

For lunch try to plan to use leftovers. If your dinner planning includes foods that members of the family ‘Love’ cook a little extra and use it for lunches. The family will look forward to lunch just to have their favorite food. This is a huge way to save money and if you are watching your weight, a great way to watch the calories as well. Making sandwiches is always cheaper than buying sandwiches and again a way to watch what is eaten. Plan variety in the meals. Plan the meal for what is easy to transport and is enjoyed by the family.

Step 5 - Dinner
Now gather the recipes, meal ideas and suggestions from everyone and start planning the meals. Here is where the schedules also come into play. Don’t plan big meals on nights when no one is home. Also, be a little flexible in the planning. Just because Wednesday night is Meatloaf, doesn’t mean the you can’t have spaghetti instead or that maybe ordering pizza is in order.
You will want variety. I like to plan at least 16 dinner ideas for two weeks of meals. Keep in mind you may want to eat out if the budget allows as well. Look at what the family likes and lay out the meals based on when is best for the schedule. If members of the family really like one meal and you plan on using it for lunch try not to schedule that meal for Friday or Saturday. Again meals that take time to cook or eat shouldn’t be planned for nights when everyone is busy.
Once you have the menu written down you can then go to step 6.

Step 6 - Snacks
All of us have are favorite comfort foods. You will want to make sure you have snacks planned for morning, afternoon and evening. Each snack should be about 100 calories or less. Fruit or low calorie sweets work well here. These are the treats that help you get to the next meal.

Step 7 Shopping
With the menu planned out you can create your shopping list. Checking what is on hand verses what is needed. By knowing ahead of time what you need you will save money.

That’s it. If you have followed the 7 Simple Steps - Menu Planning Made Easy outlined here you have a week or two of meals planned, have a shopping list of what you need, you will be saving money and you and your family will be living healthier and happier lives.

For more information on meal planning, healthier cooking, and recipes for your family to try, visit http://theweekendchef.com. The Weekend Chef is a free membership recipe site with articles, recipes, cookbooks and more all geared at making your life easier. If you are on a weight loss program please visit The Dieting Weekend Chef at http://thedietingweekendchef.com.

By: TheWeekendChef

Deserts using Dutch Ovens is a great way to cook. This article will show you 4 easy dutch oven cherry deserts. Each of these recipes use simple to find, easy to pack ingredients.

The first Dutch Oven Cherry Desert requires:

Ingredients:
1 can crushed pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling (she said you can use others)
1 box yellow cake mix (NOT the pudding style)
1 1/2 cups melted butter (I’m sure you could use less if wanted)

In a Dutch Oven, start by pouring your crushed pineapple including the juice into the Dutch Oven.

Now add the pie filling. Next pour DRY cake mix on top of the fruit and filling. Next melt 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter. Pour over the dry cake mix. Next bake at 350 degrees (about 10 coals on botton and 12-15 coals on top), and it will usually take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Take out when done and let cool before serving.

Here is a nice Dutch Oven Cherry Desert from our European friends. Black Forest Cake in a Dutch Oven
To start with you will need to line a 12″ Dutch Oven with heavy duty aluminum foil, this will reduce the clean up required.
Next using a box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix, prepare the cake mix as per the instructions on the back of the box. Pour the prepared cake mix into your lined Dutch Oven.
Gently spoon the cherry pie filling ON TOP of the cake mix. (DO NOT stir the pie filling into the cake mix.) Bake in the Dutch Oven as you would a Cobbler. It should be done in about 30-35 minutes. Test with a toothpick or metal skewer. If the it is clean the cake is done; if the it is gooey with cake mix, let it bake longer.

When done, remove it from the coals and let it cool a few minutes. Server while warm with whipped cream or Cool Whip (if desired).

This Dutch Oven Cherry Desert is a Cobbler.

Open 2 cans of Cherry pie filling, put in a foil lined Dutch Oven, pour on top a white, yellow or spice cake mix dry. Put on top of cake mix half a cup butter or margarine, cut into pieces & scatter around the dry cake mix. 10 coals on bottom of DO & 15 on top. Cook for about 45 minutes.

The last Dutch Oven Cherry Desert, before I have to raid the refrigerator, is for those on a diet. This is a reduced calorie favorite.

Start with a standard box of cake mix. Dutch Chocolate works very well. Do NOT mix according to the directions on the box. Mix in one can of reduced calorie cherry pie filling and a can of diet lemon-lime soda. Bake at 350 per the directions on the cake box. About 30-45 mins.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. They can be modified to work with almost any fruit mix. Apples and Peaches both are very good.

Article Source: http://theweekendchef.com/articlesdirectory

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