A few tips to get you started with your long-term meal plans:

• With proteins, such as chicken or lamb; cook and use them to make stock, then freeze for when needed.
• Make your stews and soups and freeze for when needed.
• If your fresh herbs are wilting, finely chop and freeze in labelled containers.
• Always have a few packets of minced meat on hand; easy to defrost and great for home cooking.
• Similarly, always have some frozen vegetables on hand.
• Packets of frozen fruits are also great to have when making smoothies. Alternatively, overly ripened fresh fruits can also be frozen.
• For boneless skinless chicken breasts, make a marinade and freeze together in an airtight container. This will make for a juicier dish once cooked.
• Stale bread; cut and place in a food processor. Pulse and freeze to use next time a recipe calls for breadcrumbs.
• Doughs; easy to make and freeze. Great for when you need them, at which point, you will have eliminated an entire step.

So, if you have time to spare, use it to stock up your freezer.  It may take a while to get there, but it’s a HUGE time saver when you finally do!

If you want to learn more about meal planning, check out our blog post on Kitchen Must-Haves. We’ve listed down the essential tools that every home cook needs to have in their kitchen.