Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms By Jane Doiron
Ashburnham, MA - Jane Doiron, Ashburnham resident, elementary school teacher and busy mom of two sons, said she envisioned that the recipes, which she spent years modifying into make-ahead meals, would someday be published in her first cookbook. Out of Doiron’s vision, Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms was born. Her cookbook is scheduled to be published by Outskirts Press, Inc, this summer 2009.
The Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms cookbook consists of make-ahead recipes, which are recipes that can be frozen ahead, assembled ahead, or cooked ahead and reheated. The cookbook’s recipes are a combination of all three.
The make-ahead strategy insures that with a freezer stocked with make-ahead meals, busy moms will spend less time at the grocery store and less money on unhealthy prepared or take-out food. With her recipes in Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Doiron hopes to inspire busy moms to plan meals ahead now, to save time and money, later.
“I really do love to cook. But with a shortage of time due to my family’s sport schedules, the thought of preparing dinner and cleaning my kitchen when I get home from work wasn’t very appealing on most days. Rather than settling on something quick and unhealthy, like take-out, I’ve modified my family’s favorite meals by turning them into make-ahead recipes. I hope other moms find that making meals ahead is a practical approach to cooking that frees up some precious time on busy days,” said Doiron.
The cookbook includes recipes for freezable meals like Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs, Sloppy Joe’s, Chicken Noodle Soup and Hearty Chili. Recipes for frozen marinated meats such as Teriyaki Chicken, Thai Chicken and Taco Meat allow for quick meals on busy nights.
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“Some of my favorite recipes, like Italian Restaurant Chicken, don’t taste the way they should if they’ve been frozen, so for making ahead, I’ve included the directions to assemble part of the meal the day before,” said Doiron.
Recipes for appetizers, side dishes and desserts are included in Doiron’s cookbook. For recipes like Big Ginger Cookies and Brownie Cookies, Doiron provides make-ahead instructions for flash freezing the cookie dough.
Doiron anticipates other busy moms will enjoy her family-favorite recipes and by making a meal or two in advance, when time does permit, they will be rewarded with quick home-cooked meals, appetizers, or desserts, when they really need them.
Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms will be published this summer 2009 and will be available as a e-book from www.outskirtspress.com/
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