To my friends and family who have asked me to publish my recipes:  today is your lucky day.  Here are some of the best recipes from a book that my kindergarten class put together in 1985-86.  Let me know how they turn out!

Casserole (Clinton Smith)

Cook noodles and melt the cheese and put the cheese on the noodles and stir it up then it’s done.

Peanut Butter Cookies (Tia Ferguson)

Put peanut butter in little balls then squish it up.  Pat them down and then put them on some straight pans and put them in the oven to cook for 5 minutes.

Soup (Scot Thomas)

Dump a can of soup into a pan and cook it for 10 minutes.  Put it in a bowl and eat it.

Sloppy Joes (Suzi Miller)

First get the buns.  Make the meat and cook it then put it on the buns then put the top on.

Pudding (Matthew Piccolo)

Get a bowl and put in the milk and pudding and stir it up.  Put it in the fridge for how long it says on the box.

Bread and Milk (Celeste Wilson)

Get as many breads as you want and tear it up and put it in a bowl, then put as much milk in as you want then add half of a spoon of sugar.  It’s ready to eat.

Vegetable Pie (Daniel Hughes)

Chop up lettuce, smash the carrots, chop some radishes and put it in a bowl and mix it up.  Put it in the oven.  Cook for 10 minutes then eat it.

Blueberry Muffins (Nicholas Gray)

Take dough and put it in a Muffin Pan.  Bake them, then put decorations on the top.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Ever get tired of cooking and cleaning up every day?  Does your diet consist mostly of frozen pizza, Ramen noodles, and fast food because that’s all you have time to make?  Do you have a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier food?  If you want to eat healthy, tasty meals on a lean budget, then I have an idea for you:  put your freezer to work.

I’ve been doing this for several years.  I make large quantities of delicious meals once or twice a week and freeze the leftovers to eat on days when I have less time to cook or just don’t feel like cooking.  I know this isn’t a novel idea, but it has improved my quality of life, so I’m sharing it with you.

Here’s what I do

I love pasta.  I make a wide variety of pasta sauces using all fresh ingredients.  When I have time, I cook a large pot of sauce (enough for 8-12 meals for one person).  I usually eat one serving the day I make it, put another in the fridge for lunch the next day, and freeze the rest of the sauce in plastic containers.  On other days, I thaw out a serving of sauce while I boil pasta (it tastes better freshly boiled) and have a healthy, tasty meal in about 10 minutes.  I also don’t spend more than 3-5 minutes cleaning up.

Today I made an alfredo sauce from scratch and added onions, garlic, scallions, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, parsley, and ham.  It was delicious, and there’s enough in my freezer for about 7 more meals.  Also in my freezer now, I have a vegetable, beef tomato sauce and my version of an Italian wedding soup.  There’s also some chicken peanut curry sauce that I use on freshly cooked rice.

I love having a wide variety of tasty, healthy (at least relatively healthy) dishes available in my freezer whenever I want them.  And with enough freezer space the possibilities are endless.  Just about anything can be frozen.  It does take a little planning but sure beats lots of cooking and cleaning every day.  It’s also healthier and cheaper than things like frozen pizza and fast food.  Your freezer is your ticket — well, one ticket at least — to a better life.

Anybody have other ideas for healthy, efficient cooking?