A welcome antidote to the whirlwind of the holidays, Ellie Krieger (James Beard Foundation and IACP Award-winner and host of the Food Network's Healthy Appetite) provides a "step-by-step guide to turning your refrigerator and freezer into a treasure chest of meals to make your life deliciously easier and healthier." To that end, You Have It Made presents 150 do-ahead recipes to cover busy breakfasts (for example, Sweet Ricotta and Berry Flatbread Breakfast Pizzas, and Peach-Cherry Breakfast Cobbler), speedy but satisfying lunches (like Four Bean Salad and Chilled Beet and Yogurt Soup), and entrees for entertaining (including African Peanut Stew and Cumin-Spiced Lentils with Sautéed Onions) that allow the cook to enjoy the company, too.
While Krieger believes "no food is ever off limits," her recipes emphasize fresh, seasonal, minimally processed ingredients. To highlight which foods should be staples and which should be occasional treats, food is categorized as Usually (vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains), Sometimes (flour, honey, chicken) and Rarely (refined sugar, cream, cheese and butter). In Krieger's kitchen, balance--not deprivation--is paramount. In addition to nutritional information (calories, fat, protein, sodium, etc.), each recipe has storage and reheating instructions: most can go from freezer to oven or stovetop with no thawing required! Krieger's tips for storage (square containers are more space-efficient than round), preventing freezer burn (well-sealed and air-tight is essential) and reheating promote safety as well as speed. Krieger has given her many fans the gift of time with You Have It Made. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics