With an already busy work schedule, kids and a husband at home it can be difficult to get in a healthy meal each day. Then you add in events and holiday parties full of treats and savoury appetizers I know I often find myself over eating or even eating when I’m not even hungry. One way to make sure you’re getting a healthy meal at home or to be prepared for those events where you need to bring a sweet or savoury is to bake and freeze. Then it’s as simple as pulling whatever you need out of the freezer and defrosting when needed.
Baking
While baking sweets or treats in the oven doesn’t necessarily mean they are healthier, baking savoury type foods means you can cut out any unnecessary fats or oils.
Sweets usually involve white flour, butter and of course sugar but you can’t really get away from them around the holidays and it’s nice to bring a small package of treats when visiting someone’s house. I usually cut quite a bit of the sugar out of recipes because you really don’t need it all, but another way to stop yourself from over indulging on cookies and bars is to bake them and then quickly wrap them, put them in the freezer and forget about them. It’s way too tempting to eat them with them sitting pretty on the kitchen counters.
To stop myself and my family from wanting to swing through the closest drive through for a quick meal, I like to bake and freeze one pan dinners that simply require reheating in the oven like lasagna or pasta bakes. If you prefer to bring a savoury treat when out visiting over the holidays I find baking them in the oven means less oils. There’s no frying involved and if you use parchment paper then you don’t have to worry about your savouries sticking to the pan.
Freezing
Freezing your pre-made meals and appetizers is super convenient and will save you a lot of time and stress. If you own a deep freeze like this Insignia 10.2 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer then you can bake and freeze in large batches.
Take it on the go
I always love to bring a sweet treat or appetizer when I visit over the holidays. It’s a way to take a little stress off the host and show them I care. With baking pans like these Pyrex 4-Piece Glass Baking Set you’ll be prepared to bake and take your foods with ease. I use them at home when I make meals to freeze for a quick dinner. The lids make them easy to store and the carry bag will either keep your foods hot or insert the freezer pack to keep cold foods 
cool.
I know during the holiday season it can sometimes be hard to even find time to sit down and relax with a hot drink and a Christmas movie on T.V. but I promise if you take a free few hours and do a whole bunch of baking and freezing you will be thankful when you need a home cooked meal or a treat to take to an event.
You can find the perfect storage option for all your baking and freezing at bestbuy.ca.
Main image @ www.gretchensbakery.com.
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