The Brief

Break out the crayons and finger paint: Every 4-year-old in California is now eligible for transitional kindergarten.

Fifteen years after a handful of school districts opened the first TK classrooms, California now has the largest — and fastest growing — early education program in the country. At least 200,000 youngsters will attend TK this fall, enjoying low teacher-student ratios, age-appropriate curriculum and plenty of music, art and circle time.

“This really is something to celebrate,” said Carolyne Crolotte, policy director for Early Edge California, an advocacy group. “Now, there’s no question about who’s eligible and who isn’t. Everyone is eligible.”

TK is meant to be a bridge between preschool and kindergarten, preparing 4-year-olds for the routine and expectations of elementary school while honing their social skills and self-confidence. In TK, children learn how to make friends, write their names and do basic math. Mostly, they’re supposed to fall in love with learning.

Holding frogs and counting marshmallows

That was the case at Silverwood Elementary in Concord last week as a dozen bright-eyed 4-year-olds hovered around their teacher, Elizabeth Swanson, as she gingerly held out a tree frog for their inspection.

Several got a chance to hold the docile, turquoise amphibian.

“What does the frog feel like? What do you wonder about the frog?” said Swanson, who was recently named Mt. Diablo Unified’s Teacher of the Year. “How does he use his hands? How do you use your hands?”

But the tree frog — one of several critters in her classroom — was not the most popular attraction that afternoon. That honor belonged to the “home living” station, a corner of the classroom dedicated to costumes, dollhouses, a mini kitchen and everything else an imaginative youngster would need to play house.

Transitional kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Swanson shows a frog to children at Silverwood Elementary School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord on Aug. 11, 2025.

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Laure Andrillon

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CalMatters

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Last year, an enterprising group of students, inspired by the opening of a Dutch Bros. near the school, used the home living station to open their own coffee shop. They ordered lattes and made coffee and collected money. Swanson turned it into a math lesson by asking them to count marshmallows and decide how many should go into each cup of hot chocolate.

“One child would be the barista and one would be the customer, so they learned how to share and take turns,” Swanson said. “They were getting so much practice with social language and communication. And everything was integrated into play.”

Importance of fun

Judy Krause, executive director of early childhood programs at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, said that’s exactly what a TK classroom should be like. The focus should be on experimentation and hands-on activities, based on students’ interests. TK, she said, is not a version of kindergarten; 4-year-olds have unique developmental needs. The main one, she said, is having fun.

If children are enjoying themselves, they’ll learn naturally, she said. If they feel overly pressured or bored, they’ll lose interest and miss out on valuable skills they’ll need for kindergarten and beyond.

“It’s a really big deal that we have this opportunity for all 4-year-olds,” Krause said. “But we have to make sure we’re doing it right.”

15-year rollout of TK

California introduced TK in 2010, and a decade later began expanding it to all districts. This year is the culmination of that effort, with all 4-year-olds now eligible and 91% of districts offering the program. The only districts that are exempt are those that don’t receive money through the state’s funding formula because they receive more money through their local property taxes.

Like kindergarten, TK is optional. But many districts, including Mt. Diablo Unified, have seen strong interest from families. A recent report from the Public Policy Institute of California predicted that about 70% of 4-year-olds will enroll in TK this fall, with waiting lists in some districts. Black, Latino and Native American students have been slightly underrepresented so far, although those not enrolled might be enrolled in other programs. The state doesn’t track that data.

Nearly everyone agrees TK is a good idea. Children who’ve attended TK tend to do better in reading and math, and those with disabilities can be identified early and receive services, research shows.

TK, which is free, can be a financial boon for families. Because of California’s high cost of living, child care and preschool costs are among the highest in the country, with families paying up to $20,000 annually — more than the cost of in-state tuition at the University of California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has long championed TK, setting aside more than $2.7 billion in the years when the state had a budget surplus. The money is to help school districts pay teachers, keep class sizes small and provide other services to the new learners. Ongoing funds will come from the state’s Local Control Funding Formula.

“California is making a big commitment to making transitional kindergarten free and accessible to all 4-year-olds,” Newsom said in a 2023 video. “When we’re finished, California will have the largest free preschool program in the country, where every 4-year-old can start their schooling on the right track, setting them up for success further down the road.”

Teacher shortage and other challenges

But the TK rollout has had some hiccups. The chief one is finding enough qualified teachers. Because of the small class sizes and the extra qualifications required to teach 4-year-olds, there’s a shortfall of at least 12,000 TK teachers, according to Early Edge California. Last year the state introduced a new TK-through-third-grade credential and more districts are partnering with local colleges to recruit and train future teachers, which has eased the shortage somewhat.

Another obstacle has been finding classroom space. Like kindergarten classrooms, TK classrooms must contain bathrooms, which means that districts had to find money to remodel existing classrooms, or build new ones altogether. Last year’s $10 billion school construction bond has funding available for TK projects.

TK has also had an impact on preschools. Families in California have several early education options: state-funded preschools for low-income families, federal Head Start preschool for very low-income families, and private preschools. Now that 4-year-olds have a free option, existing preschools have seen an enrollment decline that, in some cases, has led schools to raise prices or even close. A recent report from UC Berkeley showed that TK expansion has led to “pre-K deserts” in some parts of the state.

Lauren Ashton plays with a child during a transitional kindergarten class at Silverwood Elementary School.

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Laure Andrillon

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CalMatters

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Children walk out after a transitional kindergarten class at Silverwood Elementary School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord on Aug. 11, 2025.

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Laure Andrillon

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CalMatters

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Bruce Fuller, an education professor at UC Berkeley who’s researched TK, said it’s too early to tell who’s benefitting from the program.

“We’re seeing a shift away from preschool and toward TK, but we don’t know if TK is actually reaching new families,” Fuller said. “We might just be seeing families who would have enrolled anyway.”

Dual-language programs

A handful of districts offer dual-language TK classes, which have been popular with parents. Karina Galustians, a parent in the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles, enrolled her daughter Julianna last fall in an Armenian-English TK class in Los Angeles Unified’s Pinewood Early Education Center.

Galustians’ husband speaks fluent Armenian, and the couple was eager for Julianna to be able to communicate with the extended family and learn more about the culture.

“The more languages you know, the better off you are,” said Galustians, whose first language is Spanish. “To find a school where she can get those academic skills and practice her Armenian — me and my husband were beyond grateful. We hit the jackpot.”

Julianna starts kindergarten this fall at another Los Angeles Unified school, where she’ll be part of the Armenian dual language program. “We feel like she’s very well prepared,” Galustians said.

‘Everyone feels included’

Meanwhile, at Silverwood Elementary in Concord, Swanson ended the day by having students put away the blocks and plastic bugs and Eric Carle books. Then she sat with them in a circle and praised each child’s efforts and told them how excited she was to see them again tomorrow.

“David, you were super responsible today,” Swanson told an awed 4-year-old as she handed him a personalized certificate. “Lindsay, you were a good friend. Zaire, you were so respectful.”

Then it was time for the children to go meet their parents, who were waiting at the side of the playground. Swanson chatted with nearly every parent, telling them how much she enjoys their children.

“I think TK should be the same as what we want for society generally,” Swanson said. “It should be a place where everyone feels included and valued. We want everyone to be curious and non-judgmental and happy to be here.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

Don't forget to moisturize because the Santa Ana winds are here for the weekend.

Today we're looking at highs in the upper 60s to mid-70s for the beaches, valleys and the Inland Empire. Meanwhile in Coachella Valley, expect temperatures to reach 74 to 78 degrees.

Wind advisories are in effect for most of the valleys and mountains, including the Malibu Coast where gusts could reach up to 45 mph.

Looking ahead, it's going to warm up this weekend with highs from the coasts to the valleys potentially reaching the mid-80s.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

A stretch of Pico Boulevard near the Convention Center has been closed for months as the site goes through a major expansion ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The construction has rerouted traffic and limited access into a busy area for the neighborhood.

While the city touts the construction as a potential job generator, it’s also a closure that has been affecting small business owners and neighbors in Pico Union.

For many businesses, there are few answers about where they fit into the plans for the Convention Center’s expansion.

Flor Osorio at Salvadoran restaurant “Taco Bravo” on Pico and Albany Street, said they’ve seen a drop in customers since Metro buses no longer stop on Pico and Figueroa Street.

Customers coming from near California Hospital Medical Center at Grand Avenue and Venice Boulevard are also no longer making the walk over.

“We used to have a lot of seniors as customers. Business has gone down significantly. But I’m not sure we can do anything about it,” Osorio said, who has been at the restaurant for 34 years and continues to work after her niece took over.

At a nearby Subway, employee Julio Vasquez has been making sandwiches in the same strip mall for the past four years and also noticed a dip in foot traffic.

Pico Boulevard, a major artery around the Los Angeles Convention Center, will remain closed through spring 2029 as the city undertakes a multi-billion project.

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Marina Peña

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The LA Local

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“There’s a lot of people not coming anymore because they don’t want to go all the way to Olympic or some other street just to get here,” he said. “By the time they’re trying to get here, they say they already found tacos or something else, so they don’t come anymore.”

Since the closure began in December, Aurora Corona, a longtime Pico Union resident, explained the road shutdown has especially impacted Metro’s 30 Bus line because it now has to detour down Union Avenue. That forces more cars and the DASH bus into a bottleneck.

“It’s a big mess. There’s congestion and a traffic jam in the morning and afternoon because of two schools’ drop-off and pick-up on Union and 11th and Union and Pico,” Corona said.

Miguel Garcia with the Pico Union Neighborhood Council encourages local businesses to advertise that they’re still open during the construction. He added there’s little a neighborhood council can do to help ailing businesses in this situation.

Representatives for the Los Angeles Convention Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the impact to local businesses.

The Los Angeles Tourism Department says the expansion is projected to create more than 15,000 jobs, generate $652 million in general tax revenue for the city over the next 30 years and bring in more than $150 million in additional visitor spending each year.

Others don’t share the same positive outlook.

City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s office said it will take more than five decades for the city to truly break even on the project.

While the expansion project is estimated to cost $2.7 billion, the total cost to taxpayers will be closer to $5.9 billion with borrowing and other costs, according to Mejia’s office, who recommended the city not take on the project.

Pico Boulevard between LA Live Way and S. Figueroa Street is expected to remain closed until March 2028.

Construction crews will work throughout the week, specifically Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This will include demolition, underground utility upgrades, as well as street and sidewalk improvements, according to the project description.

Crews have demolished and cleared parts of the existing structure around the center. Foundation and grading work are set to begin along Pico Boulevard in between the West and South Halls.

Construction will temporarily pause during the 2028 Summer Olympics, then pick back up afterward, with the project expected to wrap up by spring 2029.

The San Fernando Valley is full of many great places to get breakfast. There’s the greasy spoon diners, the mom-and-pop chilaquiles parlors, and those creative takes on classic pancake houses. The Valley has its share of trendy cafes and influencer-endorsed brunch spots, but much of this list is more unassuming. The kind of place you’ve been going to with your family for years, the coffeeshop for early morning meetups with old friends, restaurants that simply serve the community tasty meals. This is by no means a definitive list, just a collection of some of the places you can get great breakfasts in the SFV.

Myke's Cafe (Pacoima)

Myke's Banana Split Pancake goes all in

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Courtesy Myke’s Cafe

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You can get a straightforward breakfast, sure, at Myke’s Cafe, the legendary Northeast valley breakfast spot with garden seating. They have huevos rancheros, benedicts, or the classic two-eggs-any-style-with-a-side-of-bacon-and-potatoes — but people really come here for their “mad creations.”

Like reimagining a pancake breakfast as a banana split, complete with bananas, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, lemon curd, and of course sprinkles. Or the Wafflechera, which pours lechera condensed milk, graham crackers, strawberries, and whipped cream over their signature Belgian waffle. And if you’re coming in crudo after a long night, the Little Man Hangover Cure comes with fries, cheddar cheese, black beans, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, red sauce, one sunny side up egg and asada. If you need that hair of the dog they serve beer and bottomless mimosas. Breakfast is served all day. If you end up staying for lunch, they’ll put a Snickers bar on your burger.

Con Sabor Salvadoreño (Reseda)

There are a number of places to get great Salvadoran food in the Valley. Pupusas, panes rellenos sandwiches stuffed with turkey and vegetables, crispy pastelitos, and all those great soups. But first thing in the morning, you know I’m craving a traditional desayuno salvadoreño. The ones they serve at Con Sabor Salvadoreño in a strip mall on Tampa and Roscoe hit the spot. Their traditional breakfast comes with eggs over easy or revueltos scrambled with tomatoes, onions, and peppers. It's served with fried plantains, crema salvadoreña, queso duro, a salty hard cheese, thick tortillas, and frijoles licuados, a refried black bean or casamiento, a mixture of rice and black beans. Of course they’re also known for the aforementioned breadth of Salvadoran cuisine, and those delectable pupusas that you can also eat anytime.

Brent’s Deli (Northridge) 

Grab a traditional breakfast or order a pastrami sandwich and a bowl of matzo ball soup if you're feeling crazy

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Josh Heller

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LAist

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I think that Brent’s Deli s probably the best deli in Los Angeles, and they make one of the best breakfasts in the Valley. We often meet my wife’s family there early on Sunday mornings before the rush. If you come any later than 8:45 you can expect a twenty minute wait. I sometimes get delicatessen breakfast favorites like salami and eggs or matzo brei. Another favorite is American Dream Breakfast which comes with your choice of french toast, pancakes, or waffles topped with a red, white, and blue patriotic trifecta of strawberries, whipped cream, and blueberries. My wife’s family always orders a round of mini latkes and blintzes for the table. Grab a traditional breakfast or, heck, it’s totally okay to order a pastrami sandwich and a bowl of matzo ball soup for breakfast. Get there when they open or expect a wait.

Goto At Silog (Panorama City) 

Breakfast including tocino, a cured meat and bangus, also known as milk fish

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Courtesy Goto at Silog

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For a great Filipino breakfast go to Goto At Silog. In Filipino, “Silog” is a portmanteau for sinangag, meaning garlic fried rice, and itlog for a fried egg. The word can get even more portmanteaued when you combine it with your favorite proteins like a sweet and garlicy sausage longganisa which makes a dish called longsilog or tocino, a cured meat which becomes tocilog. They also serve Spamsilog and Hotdogsilog. Another popular dish is their sizzling sisig, made from crispy pork jowl, served in a skillet with eggs on top and of course a side of rice. You can also go with their namesake Goto, a savory rice porridge made with ginger and beef tripe. Breakfast is served all day.

Western Bagel (10 locations including the Van Nuys Factory)

There are some great places to get bagels in The Valley, like Hank’s in Sherman Oaks and Burbank. But it’s hard to beat Western Bagel — the “bagel that won the west” since 1947. Their factory in Van Nuys makes around five million bagels per year.

(I got a tour of their operation last year. Bagels galore gliding by on conveyor belts on their way to be baked.)

They make the dough at the HQ but each retail location boils and bakes their bagels on-site. You can bring home a dozen with appropriate lox and schmears. Or order their popular jalapeño cheese bagel or their famous Egg Ala Bagel with scrambled eggs, cheese, and your choice of bacon, ham, sausage, or turkey. Their horchata latte hits the spot every time and if you and a few friends want to get extra caffeinated, you can order the 96 ounce containers of coffee for a good time.

Big Art’s (Mission Hills / Chatsworth)

Carne asada breakfast burrito at Big Arts

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Courtesy Big Art’s Tacos y Burros

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There are so many contenders for the best breakfast burrito in the valley. You can go to fast food joints like Big Fat, whose griddle produces some hearty breakfast burritos, or new school places like Taqueria Nopal who work out of a modern trailer on Balboa in Northridge and also have an impressive specialty latte program.

But a place that’s been holding it down specifically for the breakfast burrito for the last few years is Big Art’s. Art and his team have been in a tent on the corner of Devonshire and Sepulveda slinging those warm flour blankets wrapping a combo of cheese, egg, tater tots, pico de gallo, and avocado salsa. The OG style comes with asada. You can also get one with bacon that’s called the "when pigs fly” burrito. (You can also omit the eggs and get the vegan soyrizo version). They also serve cafe de olla and a coffee cake that rivals the classic LAUSD recipe. Big Art’s Tacos y Burros recently opened a brick and mortar location in Chatsworth on Devonshire in the plaza behind The Munch Box.

Mel’s Drive-In (Sherman Oaks) 

Like the Mel’s Drive-In on Route 66 in Santa Monica that LAist food and culture writer Gab Chabran recently wrote about, the Sherman Oaks location originally started as a 24 hour Googie-style diner. It originally opened in the Spring of 1953 on Ventura Boulevard and Kester Avenue as Dyles Restaurant (and later Kerry’s Coffee Shop.) Back then you could order breakfast 24 hours a day, with menu items like the advertised steak and eggs for $1.75. These days you can order it but you’ll be paying closer to $29.99.

It’s been a Mel’s Drive-In since 1988, a part of the iconic chain of California fifties diners that were featured in the coming-of-age movie American Graffiti. The Sherman Oaks location still has a jukebox at the table and you can sit at a booth beneath Wolfman Jack, and new school heroes like Guy Fieri. You can get your classic diner fare plus specialties like their The Elvis Scramble, with chorizo, green chiles, monterey jack. Or the Yuppie Joe’s scramble with ground turkey, spinach, mushrooms and onions.

Garcia Bros Cafe (Van Nuys)

Garcia Bros Cafe Breakfast sandwich

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Courtesy Garcia Bros Cafe

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Whenever I’m driving down Victory Boulevard west of Van Nuys Boulevard, I see a long line forming in front of Garcia Bros Cafe. People say they don’t mind standing in line for up to forty-five minutes, because they love their made-from-scratch food and extremely friendly staff. This popular Van Nuys destination is known for their hearty breakfasts.

Their house specialties include avocado toast, chilaquiles, spicy chicken omelettes, and matcha berry pancakes keep the crowds coming. They’ve got a Brunch Burger with American cheese, arugula, onions, bacon, thousand island, and a sunny side up egg. The Victory Breakfast Sandwich comes stacked with two scrambled eggs, goat cheese, hashbrowns, avocado, and tomato. Their full coffee menu includes signatures like cafe de olla and matcha lattes. Come hungry, the wait is worth it.

Lady C’s, formerly CiCi’s Cafe (Tarzana) 

The breakfast diner in a strip mall on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Wilbur recently renamed itself. Since it opened in 2006 it had been known as CiCi’s Cafe but now it’s called Lady C’s. Everything else is exactly the same, including the ownership, staff, recipes, and having perhaps the “Largest Menu In The World.” Long lines of customers keep coming into Lady C’s for their classic diner breakfasts and tiramisu soufflé pancakes. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for their 80+ soufflé pancake options, and only one order per table to accommodate their tiny kitchen.

When you look deeper into the menu you can find some of their Thai fusion specialties like the shrimp fried rice, Thai beef benedict, and the beef panang curry and lava omelette. The orangeish red curry is served among the Japanese-style viral cream runny egg dish that erupts “lava” when it’s cut into.

Honorable Mentions

I know a list of great breakfasts can be controversial, especially in the the things we may have omitted. Why not include the Ranch Style breakfast at Joyce’s Coffee Shop in Northridge? Or the steak and eggs at the iconic Norm’s of Van Nuys? Where’s the cheese beorek at Taron Bakery in North Hollywood? Or the tamale lady at the corner of Saticoy and Reseda? These are all certainly great meals that hit the spot early mornings, but alas we’re limited by space.

I like to cook. I really do. My husband and I are are proud members of both Costco and Sam’s. If something like short ribs or chicken thighs are on sale, I buy in bulk and freeze it.

So why does our credit card suggest we lean heavily on takeout most weeknights … and ignore what we already have?

The problem was painfully obvious: too often I fail to take that next step and actually plan a meal around the items in my freezer. It all felt so wasteful — and costly.

The answer was obvious. I needed a battle plan.

I know that what I did next is going to sound ... intense. But if you made it this far, just hear me out. Here are the extreme steps I took to finally bring some order to one of the most disorganized spots in my home: The freezer.

Step 1: I pulled it all out

I emptied the contents of my kitchen’s side-by-freezer onto my kitchen counters. And then I stared in horror at the crumbs, smears, drips (and, um, some tufts of dog hair at the foot of the door) that remained. So gross!! I gave it all a quick wipe down, and scrubbed the shelves. Ah. That felt good. I did the same thing with the 20-year-old freezer we are lucky enough to have in the garage.

I pulled everything out of my freezer and itemized it on a spread sheet. The goal: Less waste, and saved money on takeout. So far, it's working.

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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As I went through each item, I checked the expiration dates, level of freezer burn — and the likelihood that either my husband or I would actually eat it. Luckily, most of it was still good.

Step 2: I documented it all

As I did my “stay or go” evaluation, I added the item's name to a simple list before tucking everything back haphazardly into the freezer.

Then, I called it a day. And I ordered takeout for dinner for a job well done.

C’mon, I wasn’t going to cook after all that housework!

Step 3: How I organized it all

Now: organizing it all. I'd done a little bit of internet sleuthing about how to best do this. But everything I found was all about creating a freezer aesthetic, with matching bins and beautiful labels, so pristine and organized like a Jenga game. I admit I envied those IG and TikTok accounts … but that’s not our life.

And that’s when I had an epiphany: I realized our challenge was figuring out how to best organize our inventory list, and not the freezer shelves.

The reality is, we are going to shove stuff into the freezer wherever we find room.

This freezer won't stand out on TikTok. But I know exactly what's inside, and where. And yes, that is a lot of butter.

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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Step 4: A master list

To start with, I tried to imagine how I’d actually use this information. Probably by asking myself questions like, “What can I make for dinner?” and “I swear I thought we had some ice cream … “

So I organized my inventory list according to these categories because it made the most sense to me:

• Main entrees & proteins (Such as chicken, fish, green chili tamales etc.)
• Carbs (bread, corn tortillas, waffles, etc.)
• Fruits and veggies (Frozen bags of spinach and strawberries, etc.)
• Sweets (ice cream, cookies, leftover slices of banana bread, etc.)
• Staples & Misc. (A jar of homemade pesto, walnuts, etc.)

Step 5: When and where

I was feeling pretty good about my work so far, but I knew I wasn’t done. Knowing a particular item is in the freezer is one thing.

Knowing precisely where it is, is something else entirely.

So I created a freezer map, a legend of the different areas, or "zones," in my two freezers. I listed out every single freezer shelf and drawer. In the end, I had a whopping 16 zones. The side-by-side kitchen freezer, for example, has 10 zones: three shelves on the door, six shelves, and a lower drawer. So right there, that’s 10 different places where something could be hiding out.

Why all these persnickety details? Because the only thing worse than trying to figure out what to make for dinner each day is trying to find the things you want to make for dinner each day.

The idea was to be able to be so detailed and painfully specific that I could call my husband and say, “Can you please grab the Mason jar of marinara sauce out of the freezer so it will defrost in time for dinner? It’s on the kitchen freezer door, middle shelf.”)

So over the course of a few days, I went back through the freezers yet again and reorganized my master list, which my husband kindly turned into a no-frills spreadsheet — sortable by category and location.

My husband created a no-fuss spreadsheet that is sortable by category, and location. A copy in the kitchen means we can scrawl updates on it to maintain our system.

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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Step 6: Execute 

Now we had to decide WHAT we were going to make with all this stuff. We'd vowed to avoid buying more food for the freezer until we’d worked our way through what we have, so we brainstormed a bunch of super simple easy meals that we could take turns making.

For example, I found two hefty stacks of corn tortillas in the freezer. That means scrambled egg tacos are on the horizon for breakfast, and cheese quesadillas are coming soon for dinner.

I also unearthed a box of Pillsbury pie crusts that I’d forgotten about. So a simple deli ham and cheese quiche and maybe some simple rotisserie chicken hand pies will be in my future.

Some of the stray slices of bread tucked into the freezer have already been turned into homemade croutons.

That leftover marinara sauce? I am going to buy some pre-made meatballs at the deli, a few slices of provolone and two bolillo rolls. So meatball subs and a salad = dinner with zero leftovers.

That salad? I'm realizing leaning heavily into supermarket bagged salads is the way to go.

I got lots of meal mileage out of that pack of long frozen tamales. Here, I had them with a salad for lunch. They also made for a perfect dinner one recent night. And we still have two tamales left!

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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I've also discovered another way to fill out these meals is the hot salad bar at my local Whole Foods. Their roasted veggies are ah-maze-ing and my husband especially loves the string beans and roasted broccoli.

I bought a small container of those the other night, just enough for dinner for two, and it only cost a few bucks.

I paired that with those green chili tamales that I found in the back of the freezer. They steamed up perfectly in the microwave. I also made some fresh guac with chips.

And just like that, dinner was done with very few dishes.

As we devoured it all after a long work day my husband looked at me and said: “I could eat this once a week.”

That’s the kind of positive feedback that will help me stick to my new freezer system!