I finally got around to publishing my February 2013 nutrition newsletter today. I admit, with my week-long Caribbean cruise last week, I wasn’t really motivated to get it done before I left. (Yes, that is my sneaky way of saying “Neener, neener, neener, I went on a Caribbean cruise!”).

February 2013 Newsletter

Now that I am all tanned and refreshed, I was able to focus on the task at hand. This month’s Mankato Hy-Vee newsletter focuses on getting organized. I will always preach the importance of meal planning, but there are those days that even with the best intentions, meal plans are the last (and often neglected) item on the agenda (drive-thru or frozen pizza, anyone?) Convenience foods don’t have to be unhealthy. You just have to make healthy foods convenient.

Freezer meals are the simple solution to the problem. I’m not talking about the salt- and fat-laden meal kits you find in the freezer section (we’ll talk about how to make those a better choice another time). I’m referring to meals that you assemble ahead of time and put in the freezer to be taken out and used a different day.  Most of us have used freezer meals at some point (who hasn’t taken extra chili and put it in the freezer for another meal later in the month?), but freezer cooking can take on a life of its own. If you search the web, you will find websites dedicated to nothing besides freezer cooking. There are people out there that do all of their meal prep on one day for an entire month! Wowzers! I’m not there yet. I like to have a couple freezer meals made up for those busy days or days I just don’t feel like cooking. They key to success is to be realistic and plan for those times, instead of acting surprised and trying to deal with the chaos. I have included 3 delicious freezer-friendly recipes in this newsletter. 

Do you make freezer meals? If so, I’d love to hear your sucess stories (or flops).