Cook once, eat all week: Soups, casseroles and stews
Don’t get left out in the cold! Cooking ahead is the perfect way to manage a busy lifestyle and winter is the ideal season for it, as most soups and stews can be frozen and stored for months! Find out more…
Why not make 2010 the year to change your dinnertime fate? This Sunday, take the time to prepare several days worth of winter warmers. By stocking your freezer in advance, you can have delicious, nutritious meals on the table in minutes!
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Why soups, casseroles and stews?
They are terrific time-savers and you can use them as your winter weight-loss weapon! Kelly, a Weight Watchers Community User reveals, “I love to make a huge batch of vegetable soup, using whatever is at hand. It's the perfect snack to fill me up between meals if I get peckish.”
Four fabulous make-ahead recipes
Lamb and pearl barley soup
This hearty soup is a great source of nutrients. The vegetables will make up a big quota of your ‘5-a-day’, plus the barley adds fibre which is great for digestive health.
Mexican beef stew
The combined chilli and garlic gives this meaty stew a real kick! A great winter warmer for those cold nights.
Lamb and sweet potato slow-cooker casserole
It may take 7 hours to cook, but the wait is definitely worth it! Not only will the flavours be divine, but you can freeze it for up to 3 months. This way you can cook once and enjoy all winter!.
If you’re still not convinced, here are nine more reasons why soups, casseroles and stews should be a staple on your menu this winter!
- They're easy to cook in large quantities – recipes tend to double or triple well.
- They keep well for several months in the freezer in portion-controlled, microwavable containers.
- Many are complete meals in themselves. Others pair up nicely with a side salad, crusty bread, wholemeal pasta or brown rice.
- Equipment needs are minimal. All you need are basic measuring and chopping tools, a long-handled ladle and a big saucepan.
- Varying textures is easy: Make soup chunky or purée for a creamy taste without all the fat. Hand-held immersion blenders that you submerge in a pot of soup make puréeing especially easy. If you're puréeing soup in a blender, however, cool it slightly and purée it in small batches to prevent scalding liquid from splattering.
- They're easy to modify. Cannellini beans can be swapped for red kidney beans in stews, casseroles or soups. And instead of using pumpkin, why not try sweet potato instead?
- Getting in lots of vegetables doesn't is super simple.
- Soup liquids tend to absorb the flavours of herbs, spices and seasoning packets so obtaining great flavour takes minimal cooking effort and requires little to no fatty ingredients.
- Clean-up is a breeze: Most casseroles and stews are one-pot meals. Some even work well in a slow cooker. Using a slow cooker takes all the effort out of meal preparation -simply turn on your slow cooker before you head out the door in the morning and your dinner will be ready by the time you get home.
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