We all have that sort of day where cooking is hard, and that day for me was yesterday.

As a meal planning coach I preach the art of cooking and planning ahead, and so it happened to work out in our favour last night, and I wanted to share a couple of tips to help make sure it works out most of the time for you too. Because it's unrealistic to assume that we will always feel like cooking. Am I right?

Convenience will always win over intention. We can have the best intentions ever but still find it hard to make them happen when we're *that* exhausted. Here are a couple of food rules I live by:

• Freeze cooked proteins in meal-sized bags. Sliced meats become stir fry, sandwiches, soup, salads, wraps, and so on. Frozen beans can translate to meatless chilis, soups, casseroles, burritos, bean bowls, and so on.
• Keep enough useful items in your pantry that you can throw something together in under 15 minutes that makes a meal but doesn't take a lot of effort.

It's the little things that slip us up when we try to stay on top of meal planning and eating at home. It doesn't take long for actions to become habits, and when we start making take-out or fast food the default choice, that begins to creep into other meals besides our exhausted ones, and that's when our nutritional balance begins to suffer.

Consider what you can do to make life easier for yourself tomorrow, and start doing it. One baby step at a time will completely change your life.

Have a great day, friends!
Stacy
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Freezer Meals- Getting Started

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For many years, my fridge freezer was all I had. It was a typical top freezer and it was a struggle for me to know what was in there because I was too short to get into the back of it.
This fridge was a huge improvement for us- I wanted the pull out drawers and I love them still. We bought a small upright deep freezer for the basement just a couple of years ago, and the majority of my uncooked meats, ready-to-eat meals that I've cooked ahead (chili, meat sauce, shepherds pie, etc), extra vegetables, dinner rolls, containers of soup, and bones that I'm keeping for stock live in it. I routinely bring up food from that one as I meal plan each week so that I don't have to run down to the basement to grab the food I need each day.

Right now my freezer isn't as organized as usual because I'm in the middle of using up what we have so we can restock for the fall, but in this small snapshot you can see leftover rice, leftover navy beans, a bag of perogies, bagged vegetables and fruit, whole tomatoes, sliced ham, cooked chicken and meatloaf, a ginger nub, vegetable scraps, a couple of baggies of soup stock, and several freezer packs of various sizes. The kids lunches also live in here- in the top right compartment (where my vegetable scraps are right now) is everything I have made for lunches- meatballs, burgers, cheese strings, and muffins. When I get organized I also like to roll and freeze wraps so they can just grab and go.

I consider my freezers reasonably well stocked. But why? What makes it stocked? Why does it matter?

1. Having a stocked freezer makes the difference between ordering in and picking up take out, or being able to cook a meal from scratch. With the meal starters I've got upstairs in my fridge freezer, I can whip up dinner in a few minutes that will satisfy our bellies and wallets. For example, I can make a rice and bean dish with the ham and frozen tomatoes to eat as is or stuff in peppers for baking. I can make chicken fried rice, ham and bean soup, chicken and rice soup, meatloaf or ham sandwiches, pierogi soup, fried ham and perogies with steamed vegetables.
2. Having a stocked freezer makes grocery shopping quicker, cheaper, and more efficient. If you have food in your freezer that you routinely use and restock, your grocery shopping will reflect your efforts. It will be easier to put a meal together when you stock up on proteins and other items that can be frozen for those weeks you run out of time to shop.
3. Knowing you can cook or prep once and eat twice will put a smile on your face. If you make a batch of chili, why not make two? Double up on that shepherds pie, slice that second meatloaf and freeze the slices for quick meals, marinate your chicken and beef for a super quick stir fry that flavours as it thaws, and freeze your extra grains such as quinoa and rice. 
   
4. Having a well-stocked freezer creates time, space, and happiness for one of the most stressful tasks for most people- dinner time and meal planning. Having less stress makes meals automatically more enjoyable, no matter what food you end up making. You will save money in your grocery budget by reducing waste (leftovers get used rather than tossed) and help ensure you are feeding yourself (and/or your family) food that supports your health so much more then fast food ever will. 

Here is the best article I've ever read with tips and suggestions on correctly stocking and organizing your freezer. I've done most of these things, myself, and if you want to start getting the most out of your freezer space I recommend you start with this resource.

You can always call for a companion to help you out if you're ready to do a fridge, freezer, or pantry audit. The big jobs are easier with a helping hand, and I'm just a message away.

Did you enjoy this article? Please share!
Have a great day, friends!
Stacy

It's almost halfway through December, and that means we're almost done 2017. Although there's nothing overly magical about the turning of the page to a new year, we seem universally to want to "start over" with each new year.

So what's holding you back?

Take a few minutes to think about what you want in the new year, and what you can do to make it happen. As nice as it would be to think that the changes we want will magically appear under the tree on Christmas morning, realistically speaking the changes we need to make are made up of the steps we need to take ourselves.

For example, I would love to wake up on Boxing Day and find out that our house is magically uncluttered and clean. Will that happen? Not overnight. But if we consistently make the effort together as a family to make that a goal for the new year- and take steps to ensure it happens- at some point it will happen. Slow and tedious, yes. Worth it in the end? Oh, yes.

Here are some suggestions to help you get a handle on your kitchens going into the new year. Tedious? Maybe. But if you really want to make the changes, you will make the effort.

1. Issue: Don't know what food you have?
Solutions:

• Clean out your spice cupboard- pull out all your spice bags, repackage in containers, label and organize- make them visible in a way that makes sense (alphabetical, tiered shelving, stack, etc) Throw out old or expired spices.
• Clean out your food pantry- pull out all your food items. Throw out old, damaged, expired options.
  Set up a food bank box for food that falls into the "never going to eat" category and donate.
  Group "like" foods together (spices, baking ingredients, beans and other legumes, pasta and rice, etc)
  Re-populate your pantry- find storage solutions that work for you to keep "like" items together- tiered shelving, boxes, bins, etc.- Keep things visible in a way that makes sense for you...often used items at eye level and in the middle, less often used to the edges and above or below

2. Issue: Don't know what's in your freezer?
Solutions:

• Clean out your freezer- pull everything out (defrost if required)
• Throw out anything that has been in there longer than a year, is freezer burned (full of ice, smells funny, looks dry), that you will never eat, or that you don't recognize.
• Group "like" foods together (meat, vegetables, fruit, bread, etc)
• Re-populate your freezer- find storage solutions that work for you to keep "like" items together- tiered shelving, boxes, bins, etc.  As above, keep things visible in a way that makes sense for you.

3. Issue: Don't know what to make for dinner?
Solutions:

• Google recipes using what food you have in your freezer or pantry (eg. recipes using green peas and pork)
• Ask your family for suggestions
• Go through your old cookbooks
• Try to build a meal plan around what you already own, and what changes you want to make to your diet (ie. more fruits and vegetables, meatless, ethnic, etc)
• Pay attention to the time you have to use- plot your meal plan on your calendar, choosing your quick meals for busy days and your longer ones for when you have more time

4. Don't know what to buy at the grocery store?
Solutions:

• Make a list! Look at your meal plan recipes, and figure out what you already own. Add the rest to the list
• Think about snacks- what do you want to have on hand when you're in a snacking mood?
• Think about lunches- what do you want to take to school and/or work? 
• Think about nutrition and skip the processed foods- just because the box says 100 cal/serving, how much of that food is useful for your body? 100 cal of something "real" will do more good for you, such as nuts, dairy, whole grains, etc.
• Think about cost- Pre-cooked meals in the freezer section look inexpensive until you consider how many servings they provide. Can you get better bang for your grocery buck if you cook something yourself?
  The best part of this is that many of the pre-cooked meals can be made cheaper and more healthy at home, and frozen yourself for nothing more in cost than a little time and the price of a couple of freezer bags or foil pans from the dollar store.

I hope some of these suggestions help fuel your new year thoughts and plans! Any questions please feel free to reach out!
​Have a good day, friends!
Stacy

Some of you may recall that last winter I was sicker than I've ever been since I picked up mono almost 20 years ago. Just in time for my birthday this year, not only did I catch the flu but also developed some sort of sinus infection and pink eye, all at the same time! It was almost a couple of months before I was up and running our household in my usual capable way.

This month the boys had their annual doctor appointments, and blood work was done to check on their overall health. My first son, who was anemic a year ago, is now in good shape, at least as far as his iron levels go. That doesn't surprise me at all, because he's a fantastic eater, and we eat a very balanced diet. My second son, however...you may recall him as "the picky one", isn't quite anemic, but on the way there. Because he will not take vitamins (nope, not even gummies) and has a limited love of iron rich foods, I've started cooking once a week with beef, which is the one consistent thing he enjoys eating. Naturally, I serve it with whole grains, which also contain iron, and the vitamin c helps that non-heme iron to absorb into his system. If I can increase his iron levels slowly and steadily, I'm sure at this time next year he'll be improved. I'm also hopeful he'll be less picky a year from now...we'll see, I guess. Hope springs eternal!

So I'm planning ahead, this year, for the inevitable fall or winter cold that knocks me back a few paces. I've started stocking my own freezer with meals that are basically ready to go, and so far all of them involve beef of some sort. Tonight's dinner was meatballs, started on the stove (to brown) and finished in our slow cooker while we were at swimming lessons. I was able to get 15 good-sized meatballs put away for a future need. 

Let me tell you about these meatballs. I combined lean ground beef with extra lean ground turkey (about 1/2 kg of each), added a couple of eggs, a cup of large flake oats, some seasoning, and some garlic. They were browned on my stove, then put into the slow cooker, topped with some mushrooms and onions I'd stir fried after the meatballs were browned, and cooked on low for just 3 hours. They were moist and perfect when we got home- I wasn't sure how it would work out because I've never done that before, but I definitely will again. We served them with loads of fresh vegetables, and whole wheat whole grain pitas.

Meatballs are super freezable for a future need. You can pull them out and reheat when you need a meal- They can be added to sauces or soups, or like my kids, just eaten "as is".
They are one of the easiest things to double or triple!

Consider cooking ahead to help fight your future cold or flu. Nutrition has a huge role to play in how you approach your personal health care.

Enjoy your day, friends!
​Stacy

I got to spend the majority of my afternoon yesterday in a parking lot, waiting. Waiting for the police, waiting for the other guy's company to come take pictures, waiting for the tow truck. As you can probably tell, my bumper got torn off the car when the big white truck tried to turn left to exit the parking lot...but my car was in the way. 

It could have been worse, so much worse. No one was hurt, the kids and I weren't even in the parking lot at the time, we had a witness who stayed until I got everyone's information, and the other driver called me out after it happened (good thing I have The Meals Maven advertising on my car!). It looks pretty cut and dried. I'm hoping I get my car back by the time yoga starts up in September. 


That being said, it threw a loop into my dinner plans. Hooray for leftovers! I was way to sun-stunned to even contemplate cooking when I got home, and it was easy to heat up a bowl of soup for everyone. The leftover soup was destined to become a freezer meal for a future need, but it served a present need instead.

So let's talk about why it's important to cook ahead and keep freezer meals. I'm not exactly a pessimist, but I am a realist. As Robbie Burns said, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" (paraphrased). I love planning, and am not a big fan of surprises, but for all the planning I do, life happens, as it happens for everyone. 

Without further ado, here are a few good reasons why it's a great idea to cook ahead and use your leftovers.

1. Unexpected car accidents (what else could be first after a day like yesterday?)
2. Family illness- your own, or someone you take care of- it's so hard to cook a meal when you're cleaning up vomit or tending a fever! Or lying in bed because staying upright isn't an option, as I discovered last winter.
3. A friend's need.
4. Busy extracurricular that sneaks up on you- sometimes I think I'm superwoman, but that's not always true. 
5. Lazy summer days- I like cooking, but I like taking a break, too, especially when it's really hot.
6. Budget crunching- some months/seasons are more expensive than others- such as Christmas, back-to-school, and so on- if you cook ahead when you've got some financial breathing space, it makes it easier on the tighter months.
7. Return from vacation reprieve- the last thing you want to do when you get home from a vacation is go grocery shopping so you can cook dinner. 
8. Vacation meals- if you rent a kitchenette, or tent with a cooler, it's helpful (and cheaper) to have meals ready to go.
9. Save money- by ensuring you are using up as much of your leftovers as possible, you aren't buying more food that you just threw away.
10. Help the environment- food waste is bad, not only for your wallet, but the landfill as well. Not just because we are running out of space to throw our garbage, but also because all that garbage has to decay, and those gasses don't do any favours to the environment. I think John Oliver expressed it really well in this episode of Last Week Tonight.
11. Healthier- I believe, hands-down, that anything you cook at home from scratch is better for you than anything you buy, whether fast food or freezer meals from the grocery store.
12. Setting the example- there is so much advertising geared to the little people in our lives about fast foods and convenience meals. It would be easy for them to grow up not knowing any better. We need to take responsibility for the global issues surrounding obesity and other health related issues, and teach our kids about this, now.

Here are a few pointers about stocking your freezer. Sometimes it feels overwhelming, or perhaps hard to start, but if I lived for 12 years without a deep freezer and still managed, so can you.

1. Start slowly. It might seem like there isn't much there for you to use, but give it time. If you double a meal twice a month, in 6 months you'll have 12 freezer meals, and that's nothing to sneeze at.
2. Label and date everything. You may think you'll remember, but you won't.
3. Store the dated food with the oldest in the front, in decreasing order. That way you will use up the oldest food first.
4. Freeze properly. Some foods, like soup, stews, and sauces do really well frozen flat in a freezer bag. Fill about 1/2-3/4 full, lay mostly down to remove the air, and zip. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet, and when it's frozen solid it can be stored upright like a filing folder. Other meals, like casseroles, are better frozen in a foil container, such as the ones you can buy from dollar stores. The most important thing to remember when freezing food is to remove all the air, or as much as possible. Air leads to freezer burn.
5. Thaw properly. Take your casseroles out the night before, and allow to thaw in the fridge. Keep your frozen foods thawing on a tray or in a container, because sometimes they may start to leak a little when thawing, either due to condensation or a broken seam. You can thaw your sauces and soups in the microwave, if necessary. My microwave has a defrost setting, and that works well enough so I can thaw it enough to get the food out of the bag and into a bowl or pot to reheat.
6. Take inventory. Your meals will do you no good if they're buried in the bottom or at the back of the freezer and you forget about them. Most freezer meals will keep for several months, but there is a shelf life too, and you want to make sure you use them and replace them periodically.
7. Dinner starters are almost as helpful as complete meals. Before I had a deep freezer most of my freezer meals were meal starters. By this I mean sliced proteins, small amounts of leftovers to go towards a future meal, and so on. 
   One of the greatest ideas I've come across was from a childhood friend. She would take leftovers small bits- a tablespoon or 2 of mixed vegetables, a little bit of tomato paste, etc.- and decide on what meal those would become. She'd keep putting these small amounts of foods into the same labeled freezer bag or container, and when the bag was full she'd have a meal ready to go. Her favorite one to do this with was chili. I find myself doing this with things like rice, beans, onions, and so on to make chili or mexican casseroles; leftover fish, shrimp, and so on to go towards something like jambalaya or seafood chowder. The same rules apply: freeze flat, get rid of the air, and label/date everything.
8. Don't limit yourself to dinners. Busy mornings make for rushed breakfasts. If you're rushing out the door, depending on very little nutrition to get yourself started, start freezing yourself some breakfast foods, such as egg sandwiches, hearty muffins, and so on.

I hope these ideas will inspire you to get started on making the most of your resources, and enable you to eat more at home, eat less fast food, save more of your food budget, and organize your freezer in a way that suits your needs. 

I've got a post coming up pretty soon on healthy lunch box ideas. With the kids heading back to school shortly, and the restrictions placed on what we can pack for them, I think it's a timely post- keep watching for it!

Enjoy the last couple of weeks of summer! 
Until next time,
Stacy