As a follow up to yesterday’s An Appetite for Humour food joke (The Parrot Training Course), let’s consider what’s in the freezer. (You’ve got to read the joke for that segue to make any sense!)

Keeping a freezer full of foods that can become a meal at a moment’s notice or a party without a whole of last minute effort is a stress-relieving strategy, especially at this time of year when hectic schedules and unrealistic expectations about the season tend to heighten stress levels.

If you can spare a few minutes now to stock your freezer with pre-made brunch dishes, appetizers, entrees and desserts, you will reap the benefits when unexpected company drops by…or you come home tired and hungry from a shopping marathon at the mall…or the thought of cooking Christmas dinner for 20 threatens to overwhelm you.

A little planning and effort in the kitchen now will ensure you don’t end up slaving over the stove during the entire Christmas holiday.

Home economist, cookbook author and About.com’s Busy Cooks Guide Linda Larsen offers tips on freezing foods and make-ahead recipes for the Christmas season in her article Freeze Ahead Holiday Foods. These ideas aren’t just practical at this time of year. Keeping foods in the freezer is a useful meal planning strategy to employ at any time of the year.