Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook Revised and Expanded Edition

This was my first make ahead cookbook I purchased, and I picked it based on the reviews. I've had it a few years now, have tried about a dozen recipes and most of my notes say "bland", "needs more seasoning", "boring", or "just OK". The two recipes I did enjoy were the Pesto Pasta with Chicken and the Garlic Bread, but it's pretty hard to mess up those things. I wanted recipes that would not only hold up to the freezer but wanted things my family and I liked so much that it was worth making 2 or 3 batches at one time to be thawed and eaten over the next couple months, and I'm just not finding those recipes in this book. I've given up and have tossed it onto the donate pile. I have four other cookbooks dedicated to freezer cooking that I like much more.

Great freezer meal ideas! Book could have been laid out a touch better - but I do love the sections where it gives shopping lists and action plans for cooking a large batch of freezer meals in just a few hours. We will get a lot of use out of this - as we're preparing to fill our freezer before a kitchen renovation takes place!***Update*** so - 5 hours and 18 dinners prepped and either in the freezer or chilling before being frozen. I'd say that was time well spent. Spent 90 minutes selecting recipes and creating the full ingredient list and comparing that to our pantry/fridge/freezer to get a complete shopping list... then 45 minutes in Winco gathering all the items needed on Saturday. Sunday, I spent 5 hours in the kitchen and knocked out 18 dishes! My freezer is filled and dinners (well, at least the main dishes) are ready to go!

Seriously - the best! I love that the recipes are organized by "bulk" meal planning - there is a complete shopping list and then directions to prep. I love that the recipes often incorporate similar ingredients so I'm not buying random/individual ingredients for each dish. My family LOVES everything I have made and the directions are easy to follow.Some recipes could be doubled/reduced to match the accompanying sauces. Example, I made 1x sweet and sour meatballs, but 2x of the sauce to match the meatballs. Also, 1x of the Sweedish meatballs gave me like 80 meatballs! My freezer is full (which is the point) but I have A LOT of meatballs! So, if the ingredients end up with more than 1 pound of meat, consider reducing/doubling to fit your family's needs.

It's just my husband and me now and I don't cook like I used to. I've missed the good nutrition of home-cooked meals, and have missed the time in the kitchen. My daughter suggested this book and I'm having a really good time cooking recipes in large quantity to freeze later. I've tried several soups, the Tomato Pesto, the Meatballs and a couple of others. Every recipe so far has been delicious. The author even gives tips on organizing your freezer, how to label, how long things can stay in the freezer etc. It's a great book - instructive AND delicious recipes.

I recently decided to start making freezer meals to help with budgeting and time. I am so glad I chose this book. I love that the base for several recipes is a homemade cream of celery soup - My son has a wheat allergy and I have been able to make the soup base with gluten free ingredients thus allowing him to share many of the meals with us. We have tried several of the recipes and so and I am looking forward to trying many more. I think the information provided regarding the proper way to freeze and thaw has given me confidence to try something new. Also I like not just the pre-planned cooking days, but also that she gives you the tools to organize a custom plan for preparing any combination of meals in the book. I will definitely continue to use this book.

Excellent Book. Well organized. Recipes are easy to follow. Most are healthy. There is a good variety of recipes and many of the recipes can be personalized with just a few changes. For those who want to follow a recipe and a set of meal plans by the book, this is available also. Lots of good information on what can be frozen and how long it will last in the freezer. A friend and I ordered this book just after we started cooking together to freeze meals. We have found it to be extremely useful and are enjoying many of the recipes in the book. Cooking in advance has helped both of us in different ways. My friend has a family and works a long day and has to go home and decide what to cook unless of course she can just pull something out of the freezer! I live alone and work 12 hour shifts and have lost interest in cooking when I have to do it just for myself. Now I can pull a healthy meal from the freezer rather than eating fast food for convenience.

I bought this book a few years ago and I used it off and on for a few months and then honestly forgot about it, like all my other cookbooks. However, I had an upcoming surgery which was going to leave me on a liquid diet for a month. I knew how stressed my husband would be, so I turned to this cookbook and went on a spree prepping meals for him and my daughter to eat while I was unable to. It was so helpful to have these recipes and write out specific directions for my husband to reheat upon thawing, etc. AND my very picky daughter loved every meal I chose. I highly recommend this cookbook, especially if you are someone that needs to plan ahead.

I have an older paperback copy and bought a newer edition to use on the kindle app. It is very handy to have a copy on hand for reference (ex. At the store getting ingredients) and I love the new recipes - the raspberry baked oatmeal is a new family favorite. There are so many recipes in here that I love, and the best part is that I can freeze multiple servings and use them on a day I don’t feel like cooking. The author lays everything out in a very easy to execute way. If you’re on the fence, do yourself a favor and get this book.

Just received my copy and there are so many recipes and plans! I was surprised to find not one single photo in it though, hoping if I look up the recipes on the authors website there will be pics. Looks very useful though and going to give it all a go!

Although as a Brit it took a little getting used to when converting cup measures to grams and oz, once i had cracked it the recipes were brilliant! i havent done a massive months cooking as Jessica suggests but, when i do cook from the book, I make double and freeze half.The pizza dough recipe works brilliantly and is great for when little ones have their friends around. The mix and match muffins are brilliant as its quick and they freeze well - ideal for lumchboxes.Overall, as a busy Mum I would sincerely recommend this book!

There are some very good and cheap to make recipes in this book but I still find that food that has been frozen and re-heated is not brilliant in flavour. Useful when you are really up against though.

Totalement ravie de mon achat. Les recettes je les goûte déjà. Yoopie aussi - elle tient compte du budget et aussi, des recettes sans gluten (pour ceux/celles qui sont allergiques) et aux fruits à coques. Ce livre n'est pas très illustré mais il y a des photos. Pour des photos il vaut mieux acheter Seriously Good Freezer Meals** que j'adore mais ce livre ci me semble plus pour une petite famille et aussi pour les personnes célibataires. **Celle-ci, plus pour la cuisine en grandes quantités et c'est sympa aussi. Des recettes pour ceux/celles qui travaillent à l'extérieur - et des astuces que je n'ai jamais utilisées. Oui, on achete son céléri et on blanchit tout et on fait des sachets de céléri (ou de carottes ou de champignons, etc.). On fait des marinades et on met son poulet dedans, cru, avec le marinade, dans le surgélateur. On rentre du travail et voilà, il faut juste cuire le riz (ou servir le pain) et mettre le poulet (ou autre viande) plus les légumes etc. + marinade + repas vite fait. J'ADORE. Qui n'est jamais rentré du travail fatigué et a acheté un plat surgélé du commerce qui est cher + pas bon????Je vis seule et je n'ai pas envie de cuisiner tous les jours, comme tout le monde je crois. Il est drôlement moins cher de cuisiner comme ceci et d'ajouter les légumes (une salade, par exemple) frais ou pourquoi pas, des surgeles qu'on a acheté ou surgelé fait soi-même. J'achete des légumes bio en vrac. Maintenant, sur base de ce livre, je vais vraiment profiter de chaque gramme de mes légumes ou viande.Super!

Having a bunch of food ready to go in the freezer was fantastic! I have graduated and am now looking for work, and I still use this book to plan out weeks of food, so I can use my time for things other than cooking or figuring out what to make for dinner.