meals Archives - MomStart

Michael Angelo’s Frozen Family Style Meals

July 3, 2014 by Momstart 2 Comments

By Lindsey Rowland:

I am a bona fide workaholic. I have work weeks that can creep into the 60-70hr range, which doesn’t always leave me very much time to be a 50’s style good housewife and have dinner on the table promptly at 5pm. However, as old fashioned as it may sound, I want to have my cake and eat it too, by being a successful woman in the workforce and being able to be there for my family at the same time, dinner in hand.

If you are like me, one of your go to’s can be frozen family style meals. They are not always my favorite option, as I do enjoy the food preparation process and well let’s face it they are not always that tasty, full of all kinds of nonsense. Enter in Michael Angelo’s family and party sized meals in 46 or 80 ounces.

I must admit I had my reservations- for me frozen lasagna can pretty much contain anything, and the sauces can taste really ‘thick’ and ‘gel-like’- not at all resembling a tomato. We tried out the biggest one- 80 ounces, as Mack’s version of a portion size isn’t really the norm.

I was very pleased that I could read all the ingredients on the box-all natural ingredients, no preservatives, no fillers. The price point on it was comparable or better than the ‘leading’ frozen lasagnas so that was a plus before it even came out of the oven. Michael Angelo’s held up to their claims, the lasagna tasted very similar to restaurant take out. You could see the layers and chunks of tomato in the sauce, it actually looked like the photo on the box. It had the right amount of sauce-cheese-noodle-meat ratios, and the noodles were even al dente (something I have yet to have found in the other frozen lasagnas of mushiness). I think the 46oz size is perfect for families of 4, or 2 Mack portions if you are doing a conversion there. We had more than enough food with the 80oz size for dinner, and leftovers for the next few days. I would call that one more of a big family gathering size, maybe Sunday dinner –ish size.

Overall I would say this is a win- Michael Angelo’s family sized meals are a great solution to dinner for a family in a crunch, tastes not only like people food, but restaurant quality food, and is all natural and nutritious!

Make-Ahead Meals Cook Book 100+ Recipes for Home-Cooked Meals

May 15, 2011 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Make-Ahead Meals: 100+ Recipes for Home-Cooked Meals You Can Serve at a Moment’s Notice

I love to cook, and love to have healthy meals prepared for my family pretty much every night. We usually do something “out” once a week (usually a SUPER cheap hot dog or slice of pizza), but overall we are an eat at home family. Even my 10 month old is eating many of the same foods as my husband and I. The problem though, is that even the best laid plans can fall apart. When you think you’re going to be prepping dinner, the afternoon nap gets cut short. Or maybe you completely forgot a specific ingredient at the store, and can’t bear the thought of packing everyone up for a trip to the store. Maybe it’s just even that you don’t feel like cooking! Nights off are allowed! Well, that’s exactly what Make-Ahead Meals: 100+ Recipes for Home-Cooked Meals You Can Serve at a Moment’s Notice is for. This book has tons of recipes that you can make, freeze, and then pull out when you want a good, home cooked meal…well… at a moment’s notice! Sellers Publishing sent me a copy of this book to test out and review.

Make-Ahead Meals: 100+ Recipes for Home-Cooked Meals You Can Serve at a Moment’s Notice is full of recipes including starters, entrees, sides, sweets and sauces and salsas. The format of this book is wonderful. There are easy to follow icons to help you know how far in advance the recipe can be made: a sun for make in the morning, a calendar for making up to 1 week ahead, and a snowflake for the recipes that can be made and frozen. Always make sure that you read within the recipe though, because sometimes the calendar icon can mean just a 24 hour “make-ahead time”. There’s also a chef’s hat icon that lets you know there is a helpful tip later in the book. If you are planning to use this book, you should definitely check out the “Stocking the Pantry, ‘Fridge, and Freezer” section. Many of the recipes in the book contain some ingredients that you may not necessarily keep on hand. For example, portabella mushrooms and fresh flat leaf parsley were called for in the recipe I decided to try and took a special trip to the store to pick up. Some of the other features include a section of equipment and supplies that you need, a section with helpful tips and surprising food facts, helpful tips and information for cooking in general.

Overall, this book is a great source of ideas for meals you can pull out at the drop of a hat. Just remember to check the recipe you plan to use for any special ingredients that you don’t always keep on hand. I would also say that most of the recipes in the book are not necessarily “challenging”, but do take someone who is comfortable in the kitchen.

Last week I had the perfect opportunity to test out one of the recipes in Make-Ahead Meals: 100+ Recipes for Home-Cooked Meals You Can Serve at a Moment’s Notice. I was planning to stay busy outside all day on Friday and knew that would run into my usual dinnertime prep. I pulled out my conveniently sized cookbook and decided to try out Pork and Apple Pie. I had already looked this recipe over, and gotten all of the supplies I needed earlier in the week. Thursday night, I made our usual dinner AND took some time to make the Pork and Apple Pie. This recipe could be refrigerated for 24 hours or frozen until needed. I thought the recipe was really tasty, and so did my little one. My husband said that he must just be one of those weird people who doesn’t like pork and apple together. You can check out the recipe under the recipe section of Momstart. You can also order the book Make-Ahead Meals: 100+ Recipes for Home-Cooked Meals You Can Serve at a Moment’s Notice put out by Sellers Publishing and have tons of your own make-ahead meals.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation

About Ashley:

Ashley has a background in teaching Kindergarten and working with children K through 8th grade. She is now a SAHM and a very active member of our local MOMS Club chapter. She writes her own blog at Momicles.