Post power cut help

[houmousandcarrotsandwich]

went 3 days with out power (came back on yesterday) so freezer had to be sorted.

Chucked a lot :-(

Cooked fish fingers and some fish cakes off straight away, as were still pretty frozen (now sitting cold in my fridge, what do I do with them?!)

Have got some mince and turkey steaks thawing in fridge. Am I right in thinking I can cook these ( prob a Lasagne and a chicken tonight like sauce) and then freeze again? (as they were raw, then cooked before being frozen again)

Also want to use this an excuse for a fresh start on the cooking front (Ie be better, healthier for kids, with some bits in freezer for easy quick dinners). So any advice what's good to buy on my shop today (re stocking freezer and fridge). Newly single mum, so any cost cutting/make my life easier tips very welcome!!!

yes - you can cook the thawed meat and then freeze it. Just make sure once it's cooked, it's cooled down and then frozen.

Healthier meals / things to buy:

Home made chicken dippers, breadcrumbs and egg or yoghurt. Can pre-cook and freeze. And you can use wholemeal crumbs to be even healtheir!

Mild chicken curry - I use the pastes, and fry up onions and garlic but whizz that up in the blender to make a thick gravy sauce. Add a little cream, yum!

Chilli con carne

Lasagna

Hi, as PP said it's fine to freeze cooked meat as long as you let cool before freezing and thaw completely before heating again.

with regards to your fish fingers/ fish cakes, could you crumble them up a bit and mix through mashed potato with a creamy or cheesy sauce to make a sort of fish pie type dish? that's all i could think of sorry!

i'm a single mum too and it can be hard to think of things to please DS and myself. one of the best things i have in my freezer/cupboards for a quick meal is pizza bases and pasta sauces.

i make my own bases but shops have them if youre not into baking. DS and i like different foods so it means i can do sort of a half in half pizza to suit both.

cooked ham or chicken (packet stuff for sandwiches works fine), tinned sweetcorn, leftover bacon, tomatoes, any type of cheese get whacked on and i use a pasta sauce over the base if im not making my own. im happy if i can throw it on without cooking it but know its still healthy

Whenever I make a chilli or stew of any sort I always make loads and freeze toddler-sized portions for my DS. I also keep lots of frozen veggies - peas and carrots. Also spinach is good as the little cubes are just the right size for adding to kids' portions. I always keep bread in the freezer for toasting and plenty of homemade stock (from roast chicken carcass) and soup.

Might be worth checking your home contents insurance as sometimes freezer contents is covered.

as schmalex says its well worth checking your home contents insurance.

Welcome back to the world of electricity!

My mom claimed on our insurance a couple of times when we were kids. Mom and dad both worked in insurance so I'm certain they'd have checked out any implications for future payments going up etc.

Depending on what you have it can be really costly, especially if you've got joints of meat in your freezer, so do give them a call to enquire.