10/26/2004

Cook Once, Eat Twice
When your family life is in the fast lane, but you don't want to bypass good nutrition, doubling up on meal preparation is a smart shortcut. Beef meals, prepared from simmering cuts, especially lend themselves to bulk cooking. If anything, the flavour of a stew or pot roast is even richer the second time round.

In a new booklet Supper Shortcuts, Beef Information Centre home economist, Joyce Parslow, shares some of her family meal-preparation ideas - from hands-off cooking to freezer favourites.

"A regular multi-meal combination in our house is a Greek Pot Roast on Wednesday and then either Beef Pasta Toss or Greek Salad Sandwiches on Thursday before my children head out to skating and swimming practices," says Parslow.

To prepare her Greek Pot Roast, Parslow combines ingredients in a slow cooker before she leaves for work in the morning. When she returns 8 to 10 hours later, the delicious aroma of a meal ready for the table greets her as she walks in the door. The next night she shaves the left over roast into thin slices, and with sliced vegetables, a bottled Greek sauce and specialty bread creates succulent beef sandwiches in minutes. When it is pasta night, the left over roast takes on an entirely different guise in Beefy Pasta Toss.

Parslow also has a wide repertoire of ground beef favourites that are perfect for the freezer. "Whenever I'm preparing chili, stew, meat sauce or even burgers I always double or triple the recipe and then package meal-size portions in sealable freezer bags. Once cooled, I freeze the bags flat for easy storage and quick defrosting."

Order a copy of Supper Shortcuts.
This Greek Pot Roast recipe serves 4 to 6 with enough left over for delicious dinner options the next night.