BY SANDRA GUY

Now that we’re cleaning out our COVID-19 closets and enjoying a fresh restart, it’s time to organize our freezers and fill them with budget-friendly, make-ahead recipes.

Before you leap into the recipes, you’ll feel better if you’re super organized and have a place to put those to-go meals. Set aside containers and freezer labels so you can date each container and label its contents. Make sure you’ve done your homework about how long the ingredients can stay safe.

Now for the recipes. For those who are also newly watching their weight — working to fit into new, svelte work clothes instead of pajamas and sweats — start with vegetables and seafood.

Figure out the details. If brown apple slices turn you off, you can dip the fresh apples, peaches, nectarines and other fruits in a wash of three tablespoons of lemon juice to every quart of water to prevent discoloration.

Place fruit on a parchment or a wax paper-lined pan before you freeze it, and avoid overcrowding so the pieces don’t stick together. Once the fruit is frozen, remove from the pan and store in freezer bags. Label and date the bags, since the fruit is best used within three months.

The fruit can work delightfully well with crab cakes for a healthy summer treat.

If you feel more indulgent, perhaps on a rainy day in July, you can unfreeze ingredients for mouthwatering meals of turkey tostadas, French cassoulet, fiesta chicken and carrot ginger soup.

And if you’re a fan of hearty meals for splurging, there’s always pizza, lasagna, meatloaf, beef stew, pork roast, shepherd’s pie and pork burritos.