Chaos a motivator / Cookbook author to address Just for Her audience

Suzie Roberts knew there had to be a better way. As she ordered fast-food pizzas, she told herself if she were just more organized, she would have nutritious, family-friendly meals waiting in her freezer for her busiest nights.
"Dinnertime was always crazy in our home," the Perry woman said. "We would wait until the last minute to decide what was for dinner, and all heck breaks loose when you don't plan ahead."
So in 2004, Roberts came up with a plan: She would find nine friends willing to make, freeze and trade meals. And with a once-a-month effort, all 10 families would have made-ahead meals ready to thaw, cook and consume on their busiest days.
"Trial and error was part of the process," said Roberts, 34 and the married mother of five, ages 2 to 12. "We played it by ear, and experimented. We added rules about trying meals out on your family first, rather than using the group as guinea pigs. We learned what freezes well and what doesn't, and how to undercook dishes to make them come out right."
Nichols and her friends are old hands at the process now, and Nichols even published a book, "Girlfriends on the Go: A Busy Mom's Guide to Make-Ahead Meals" (Cedar Fort, 2007), which continues to draw new fans and spark new make-ahead dinner clubs.
Roberts will talk about her methods and successes at the Just for Her Women's Fair, an all-day event featuring speakers on home, business and lifestyle topics, informational workshops and demonstrations, on Friday at Weber State University.
"I decided to put my thoughts out for other people, to help people," Roberts said. "I know how crazy things can get. And people seem to like the book, and sales are good."
The spiral-bound book offers cooking and freezing tips, and includes recipes for beef, chicken, pork, soups, pizza and pasta dishes. Ingredients are simple, not exotic or costly. Those who reviewed the book on Amazon.com praised the preparation and freezing tips, which usually call for freezing entrees before they are fully cooked. Noodles, rice and vegetables end up perfectly cooked once they are removed from the freezer and baked.
Shopping lists help the reader multiply the single-meal recipe for 10 meals, if desired.
Amy Forsberg, of Perry, is a member of Roberts' make-ahead meal group.
"We eat out less because we can throw something in the Crock Pot and eat a hot meal when we get home," she said. "The hardest part of cooking is deciding
what to fix. Having meals cooked by other people
also helps us be brave and try new things. My kids don't love everything, but at least they try new things."
Janette Mondon, also of Perry, uses the cookbook.
"We can't have dairy because of some allergy issues in our home," said the mother of three. "We didn't get into a freezer group, but the cookbook has been very good. We can pick and choose what is good for our family, and freeze items individually or in bulk. We also like to have meals we can take over to friends or neighbors in need."
Mondon is happy to have recipes that call for ingredients she already has around the house.
"The recipes don't call for fancy stuff you've never heard of," she said. "Most of the ingredients are things we have in the cupboards. Sometimes I look at what I have, then find a recipe to go with it."
Mondon enjoys giving copies of Roberts' books as wedding gifts, she said.
"It has family-friendly ingredients that almost everybody has at home."