7 tools for $7 to ease cooking day stress

This past weekend I made some freezer meals - half for me, and half for my kids.  Before I was done, my Sharpie marker gave out.  I also realized I could use a few other tools that would help make cooking day - and serving days - easier.

(What did I make?  Vegetarian Chili to get my vegan daughter through finals.  The slow-cooker version of this Taco Meat, half for us and half for my son so he won't starve while his wife is visiting her sisters.  And several freezer meals from two of my favorite cookbooks, "Once a Month Cooking" by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson, and its sequel, "Once a Month Cooking Family Favorites" by Ms. Wilson.)

I headed to my local Dollar Tree store and picked up seven things that make it easier to prepare, label and keep track of freezer meals:

Extra measuring cups and spoons:  We still have the aluminum set of serving spoons that we got when we were first married 36 years ago.  Two problems.  If you used it to measure wet ingredients, you'd have to wash and dry it to measure a dry ingredients.  And the whole set was hooked together, so when one was used, they all needed washing.  One Thanksgiving, I bought a plastic set at Dollar Tree, then separated them as soon as I got home.  It worked out so well, I bought a couple more.  Now I can use the 1 tbsp measure for lemon juice, put it in the dishwasher, and get another clean one out for chili powder.

Similar story with measuring cups.  We have two sets from my husband's bachelor apartment, three Tupperware sets and another we bought when we moved to Thailand.  The problem is that some are broken, melted or have the marks of dog teeth; some are missing (especially, for some reason, the 1/2 cup measure); and we can't always find what we want.  A new set for $1 is a good investment in avoiding frustration.

Kitchen scissors.  I have a good set I use for opening packages, cutting chicken skin, snipping parsley and even cutting green onions.  But when you're cooking multiple meals for the freezer - or one large holiday meal - it's nice to have an extra pair (especially when one was used for cutting chicken - that one goes straight to the dishwasher)..

Sharpie and color-coded stars to mark food containers.  I wrapped all the meals in plastic freezer bags - even the ones that were already covered by aluminum.  At a minimum, the bags should be labeled with the name of the dish and the date it went into the freezer.  If you really want to be nice to the person responsible for getting it on the table, you also can write directions for thawing and preparing. 

I also bought some color-coded stars.  I eat gluten-free.  A couple of my kids are vegan.  My husband doesn't eat certain vegetables.  So I can put the star on to indicate the presence (or lack thereof) of animal products, gluten, broccoli and any other allergies, preferences or phobias that develop in my family.

And finally, a weekly calendar and dry-erase markers.  This will require a little more discipline, but since I usually am the last one home from work, someone else will likely be getting dinner on the table.  By taking a few minutes on the weekend, I can let everyone know what's for dinner during the week, how to prepare it, and which cookbook they can search for the recipe.

Use that freezer!

Each of our bio kids represents an appliance. After I returned to work in 1983 after maternity leave, we bought our first microwave oven. Our dishwasher gave out when our second son was born in 1986; with two young children, we replaced that baby right away. And then, in preparation for our third child's arrival in 1988, we bought our first chest freezer.

All three appliances are essentials in my book, but the freezer has a special place in our home (and I don't mean downstairs in the laundry room). It has allowed us to buy meat on sale, prepare meals (or at least parts of meal) to serve between work, picking up the kids at school, and going out again to a school or church function, and prepare meals ahead for holidays and parties.

My first freezer bible was "Once a Month Cooking" by Mary Beth Langerborg and Mimi Wilson. I'm still using the 1986 version, but it was updated and now available in paperback at Amazon. They give options for cooking an entire month of meals, or two weeks at a time. We found that, with leftovers and meals eaten out at church, family and other functions, they lasted twice as long. Eventually, I would do a modified version of the plan, doing only chicken or beef dishes. All of the recipes were delicious, but my favorite remains the Hearty Hamburger-Tomato Stew.

Last year we were introduced to Zacon Foods, an online company that makes quality bulk foods available to consumers on-line. After signing up, you receive notices of upcoming events. Next for me is the chance to buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts at $1.69 a pound. It's only available in 40-pound cases, so you have to plan ahead with a strategy for using it. A couple of young moms - Kate Anhl and Angela Davis - have put their ideas in a great booklet available online, "The Ultimate Guide to Freezer Friendly Meals: Chicken." Cost to download is $3.99, and it's well worth it if you're intimidated by what to do with a case of meat.

Finally, got this helpful guide from Paula Deen, one of my favorite food personalities but not one I associate with fast, frugal or fit! She has good, basic tips for using the freezer. (By the way, Bobby Dean has lightened up many of his mom's recipes. I can't wait to watch his new show, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Food Network, "Not My Mama's Meals."