5 freezer friendly plant-based meals

Freezing plant-based or healthy vegan dinners can make eating healthier easier.  When eating plant-based is easier, and done continually, it's more likely you'll feel less jiggle in your belly.

I love being able to pull out a home-made frozen meal on the nights I need lunch for the next day, but don't want to prep it.

I pop my frozen vegan dinner in the fridge and then by 12pm the next day, it's ready to be warmed in the microwave.

Whether for lunch, dinner or natural disaster, having healthy and delicious, home-made plant-based meals stocked in the freezer can make eating healthier much easier.

Here's 5 plant-based dinners that taste just as good as they did fresh once thawed using Trisha's Healthy Table dinners as an example (Trisha's Healthy Table (THT) sells prepared, plant-based dinners to-go in Columbia, SC to make eating healthy easier.   The chance to get a Spring-Summer, 2017 THT membership with discounted dinners ends on Friday, March 31st).

 

5 Freezer Friendly Plant-Based Meals

Using Trisha's Healthy Table dinners as examples

1.  Vegetable Lasagna

Trisha's Healthy Table makes lasagna using 100% whole wheat noodles, with roasted veggies, a "beef" marinara and a tofu-based ricotta cheese.  It's one of our member's favorites.  

Vegetable lasagna is perfect for freezing whether it's a four person serving or single size.  

All of Trisha's Healthy Table containers are freezer and microwave safe making it easier to freeze, thaw and eat.  You could use a glass tupperware container at home to do that too.

2.  Soups

I enjoy freezing and then reheating THT's cauliflower soup and lentil soup.  Add cashew sour cream and some nice hearty bread to cauliflower soup, and I have a yummy and refreshing meal.  The lentil soup is so filling, delicious and nutrient dense -- it's an awesome and easy meal to reheat as well.

3.  Meatballs and Sauce

Many plant-based meatballs freeze excellently.  Freeze home-made marinara sauce in a separate container.  Once both are reheated, you can add them to pasta or to hotdog buns to make "meatball subs."

4.  Chili and cornbread

Chili freezes really well and maybe to your surprise, cornbread does too!  To freeze cornbread, tightly wrap it in foil (don't forget to date it) and then place in a sealed ziplock bag or tupperware container.  They store well for 3 months.  To eat, heat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through.

5.  Enchiladas

At THT we love layering enchiladas like lasagna and calling it... enchilasagna!  I've frozen this dinner multiple times and it comes out perfect.  Whether you're eating THT's enchilasagna or one you've made yourself, this is one of my freezer favorites.

If you're in Columbia, SC and are interested in having Trisha's Healthy Table cook you dang delicious plant-based dinners, Friday at 11 pm EST is the last day to become a Trisha's Healthy Table member and get discounted dinners for Spring and Summer 2017. 

Now it's time to hear from you.  Answer today's Take Control Now Question...

Take Control Now Question

What are your top three favorite meals to freeze and why?

Answer by clicking 'comment' below.

How to caramelize onion without oil

Sautéing and caramelizing onion is an essential skill to have if you're trying to lose weight and improve your health without counting calories or eating less.  You can easily save 100-400 calories by omitting oil when you cook and using water or veg stock instead.  

Just one tablespoon of oil has 120 calories and 12g of fat.  That's a "whole-lotta" calories and fat in the smallest quantity of food on earth!  Oil is scientifically the most calorie dense food on the planet.  

However, it takes more than just adding water to a pan to get awesome flavor sautéing without oil.  I've seen people pour a 1/2 cup of water into a cold pan and then add their onion just as they turn the stove on.  Ahh!  

That's going to taste more like a water-logged, steamed onion.  Not, sweet and golden brown onion that's full of flavor.

Learn how to sauté using vegetable stock instead of oil to create immense flavor on today's blog video below.  

There's also a correct temperature you want your pan to reach before you add any liquid or food to it.  I'll show you how to know when you've reached that correct temperature in today's video too.

Once you watched the video, scroll down and answer today's Take Control Now Question by clicking 'comment.'

Take Control Now Question

Have you sautéed without oil before?  What do you like and dislike about it?

How to Peel and Cut a Mango

Do you never buy mangoes because you don't know how to peel them?  Or, do you buy them and then they go bad because you don't know an easy way to eat them?

Mangoes are very sweet so they're great to always have in the kitchen when you're craving treats.  Unless, you don't know how to peel them.

Today, I show you how to easily peel and cut a mango is this two minute and thirty second video. 

It's easy!  Here's the peeler we use in the video too.  It's Chef Erik's, from Trisha's Healthy Table, favorite peeler ($10 for 3 of them). Now I'd love to hear from you....

Take Control Now Question

Do you have a different way to peel mangoes that works even better?  We'd love to hear!  Or, what holds you back from buying or eating mangoes?

Click 'comment' below to answer.