Stashing Soup.

If you love soup as much as I do, you never get sick of eating it -- but you might get tired of preparing it all the time. Well, guess what? You don’t have to. Make large batches of soups when you have a chance, then freeze portions for 1, 2 or 4, depending on your needs.

Because of their liquid to solid ratio, most soups freeze and reheat really well. Stash packages of your favorites in your freezer and pull them out when you need. Whether it’s a single serving pack for that random Tuesday when you get stuck working late or the whole batch for Saturday’s dinner party, a little soup on hand helps make life a lot more manageable.

Here’s a recipe that gets the job done. Add California Ripe Olives, corn and salsa to the classic chicken and rice combo for a zippy meal that’ll never let you down.

Mexican Chicken and Rice

• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups chopped chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup prepared green salsa
• 1 (4.25 oz.) can sliced California Ripe Olives
• 1 tsp. ground cumin

Combine ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Heat to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serves 4.