A little at a time

Quick Easy Cheap Meals: Most of us know the benefits of cooking a lot of meals on one day of the month and then freezing for later use. This is a great plan to follow and can save lots of time and money, and be very quick as well. This is an excellent plan, and I highly recommend following it.
However, there are some circumstances where this doesn't work very well. These circumstances may be:

• You don't have enough money to shop for 1 month's worth of food at one time
• You don't have a day in the month to commit toward cooking and freezing
• You don't have the freezer space to store the frozen food
• You don't have your hands free to start a big cooking day

If this is the case, try doing it "a little at a time."
Here are 3 examples of preparing food to use later "a little at a time."

• You are cooking rice for supper tonight. Cook an extra cup or two and put it in the fridge to use in a few days or in the freezer for quick use on a night you're too busy to cook rice. For example, if you have steamed rice today then you can have fried rice in a few days. Or you could make a rice salad. Just add some chopped fresh veggies and Italian dressing. Let stand for a couple hours in the fridge for flavors to blend and voila!
  
• Soak some dry beans overnight (or use the quick soak method) and cook them until soft. Since this is a fair amount of work, soak some extra. Take them out of the pot just before the rest are cooked. (Freezing helps soften beans so you want to slightly under-cook them before freezing.) What can you do with these beans later? Take them out of the freezer. If you have time, let thaw. If not, heat up a pan and add a little oil. Throw in the beans and break up as they thaw. Add chopped onion and maybe some garlic. Mash if you like. These refried beans are wonderful in tacos or as part of a hearty salad.
• You are washing and cutting carrots for tonight's meal. Wash and cut a few extra and put in a container in the fridge. Makes a quick snack or the start of a side dish for another meal. (You only have to get out the peeler once and wash it once instead of twice)

There are many more ways to prepare food ahead "a little at a time." Use your imagination. Remember to plan to use your left-overs and also your planned-overs. Here's to another quick easy cheap meal idea!