Tuesday, August 9, 2011

freezer meal tips & party ideas!

As a mom with a toddler and a baby coming in september, I've been doing some research on freezer meals. It would be great to have a freezer stocked with meals so that I don't have to think about what to have for dinner or say, "get me a pizza!"

I'm working with a cookbook called "The Big Cook" and have been planning out what ingredients I need. Every recipe calls for large freezer bags. The idea is that you make anywhere from 4 - 12 of the same meal and put each into a bag and freeze. The night before, you let it thaw, then it goes into a slow cooker the next day (or there are oven instructions as well). I'm planning on doing 4 of each of the recipes that I've picked out.

I know I've blogged before about my love of my Tupperware Freezer Mates but I use them everyday. What better (and green) way to organize my freezer meals? And then I can use them again and again (because I could really get into this pre-planning thing!).

I just came across a blog post written by a pro-freezer meal maker with tips for making freezer meals. Among all the tips she gives, she describes what you should look for in a container. She lists the following characteristics:

Good containers are key to help protect the flavor, color and nutritional value of frozen foods. The bigger the container, the slower it freezes. You want the food to freeze faster. Don't freeze fruits or vegetables in containers larger than a half gallon.

In general, your containers should have the following characteristics:
Moisture and vapor-proof,
Odorless, tasteless and grease-proof,
Food grade,
Durable and leak proof
Won't become brittle and crack at freezer temperatures
Easy to use, seal and label
Easy for compact stacking and good use of freezer space
Reasonable cost

Then she suggests you use Tupperware Freezer Mates!

Want to try a freezer-meal Tupperware party? Get a handful of friends together who want to do the same thing. I'll put together a list of Freezer Mate options/recipes and you can decide how many you want to make/order. Everyone can pre-order their Freezer Mates and I'll send you a list of ingredients that everyone needs to bring. You get your girls together, I'll bring the Freezer Mates, and the recipes and we can spend a night prepping meals! I can even bring my recipe for Tuppertinis to drink while we prep! It's sure to be the most productive Tupperware party you've ever been to. I'll do draws for prizes and you (the hostess) can either take the free credit you'll earn from all the Freezer Mate purchases OR we can split it up among you and your friends and you can all pick something for free!

Email me at rebeccashulba@gmail to get the whole scoop!

Monday, August 1, 2011

dinner with tupperware

Some days, I'll be making dinner and I look around and realize I'm surrounded by Tupperware. THIS is why I signed up to be a Tupperware consultant - I use it daily. The other day, I took a couple photos to show you what I mean.

In this photo from left to right: My Heat N Serve container held my ground beef - love it because it goes from freezer to microwave for easy defrosting. My Thatsa Bowl Jr. is what I used to mix my hamburger in. My Hamburger Press is my favourite summer tool. My Freezermate holds breadcrumbs for whenever a recipe calls for them - they're handy. My assistant is using one of my Measuring Cups. (Also, there are two large Freezermates in the background - one is holding cookies and the other is holding hamburger buns!)

Other Tupperware tools used for my dinner making process yet not photoed? My Cutting Board, my FAVOURITE Santuko knife for slicing tomatoes, and my Chef Series Dutch Oven for boiling corn on the cob.

Then we took our meal outside and ate it on our Tupperware plates and my assistant drank from his favourite Bell Tumbler with Sippy Lid. :)

Having the right tools in the kitchen makes dinner so much easier. Indispensable.