Freezer Cooking has been one of my favorite time savers in the home. Anyone who homeschools or is simply busy- what woman isn’t, right?- can really benefit from storing up meals in the freezer. Most people really appreciate having a month’s worth of dinners stored, I enjoy that too, however, I have found that having various breakfasts and lunches stored is HUGE for me, especially when we are in our homeschooling semesters. Not having to worry about meals and snacks during the day has increased my productivity in school and in the home. My older boys appreciate being able to reach in and pull out what they need without all the prep work, I am a happy camper because it is less mess for us to clean!
Once you decide that you want to give it a shot, the next thing to decide is what to make for the freezer. I started thinking about what my family likes to eat and made a list. Then I sifted through that list seeing what could be frozen. Sometimes, the whole meal, like waffles with strawberry sauce could be frozen, other things, like mom-mc-muffin sandwiches could only be partially frozen. ( I know some people fully freeze these, but my family just doesn’t like how the eggs turn out after defrosting) For those things that could only be partially frozen, I would assess what could be frozen for that meal that would make prep time quicker. For example, bacon or sausage can be pre-cooked and frozen for the mc-muffin sandwiches, so all I have to do is cook an egg and assemble the sandwich. Very easy! If you have trouble thinking of meals, there are several great websites out there. A simple google search will yield plenty of resources to get you started. Another helpful thing to do is to walk through the freezer section next time you are grocery shopping. I got so many ideas from doing just that!
After my lists are made, I go through my cupboards to make sure that I have the ingredients I need to make what is on my lists. I also check my supply of aluminum foil, tins, freezer bags, etc… you’ll also want labels and a sharpie pen.
After my shopping list is made, I shop! Then I come home and start cooking. There are also times when I see something on sale like chicken, and I will buy in bulk and make meals from that. I don’t confine myself to one method, I just do what I can, after a few times of doing sessions, you get used to what you like to do and what you don’t. Now, I personally have 2 days a week set aside as “Baking Days”. Tuesdays, are when I make snacks and goodies with the boys. We make cookies (fresh for the week), cookie doughs to freeze, P&J sandwiches, english muffin pizzas, and a few other things that freeze well and serve as snacks and goodies for the kids and my hubby. I might make a few batters for muffins, or breads, etc.. We usually focus on 2-3 recipes per week, per baking day. This way each week our freezer is being stocked with something. Sometimes, there is a Baking Day where we realize we don’t have to make anything because our freezer is so full, so I might just make a quick batch of cookies. Saturdays, are when I focus on meals for the month. I do a Saturday for breakfasts, one for lunches and one for dinners. I also will bake with any sale items I was able to pick up that week.
Another time saver for me has been prepping and freezing as many meats and veggies as I can. I make fahita kits with raw green and red peppers, onions and mushrooms. I keep browned ground beef or steak, or chicken in separate baggies, with the seasonings. This way all I have to do is put a bag each in a frying pan with some water and after a few minutes, voila! Fahitas! Asian rice kits are easy to prepare and freeze ahead of time for a quick ‘rice-bowl’ dinner. We also freeze sloppy joe mix, taco meat and chili.
So, here’s what a typical monthly baking and cooking schedule might look like in our household:
Baking Day #1 – Muffins and cookie dough day
Saturday Cooking Day/Breakfasts: Breakfast burritos; Pancakes, waffles, strawberry sauce, Cinnamon Rolls and icing, sausage patties, bacon, shredded potatoes mix (to be used later for hash browns- we combine potatoes, green pepper and onion), english muffins
Baking Day #2: Sweet breads and cakes/or cupcakes
Saturday Cooking Day/ Lunches: Regular chili, white chili, soups, tortillas, pita bread, cornbread, chicken, vegetable and beef taco mixes, PB&J sandwiches, hummus, english muffin pizzas, sloppy joe mix, rice bowl kits, fajita kits etc…
Baking Day #3: Pies, pocket pies
Saturday Cooking Day/Dinners: Two weeks are usually devoted to dinner perparations because of time and cost. Casseroles, Dump Chicken and Beef recipes
Baking Day # 4 : Desserts meant to be kept frozen & smoothie kits
Saturday Cooking Day/ Dinners 2: Specialty recipes and sides- Specialty recipes might be BBQ’d meats, pulled pork, garlic lime chicken, bacon wrapped chicken…recipes that take a little more time to make. Sides are garlic mashed potatoes, baked potatoes with various toppings, mac n cheese, carrots with ginger sauce, broccoli with cheese sauce, and a few pasta or rice dishes.
So, of course, this is A LOT of work, and we do not always do this much on any given week, it really depends on what is currently in our freezer each week. I almost always have too many desserts, or goodies, what is nice about his though is when the holidays hit, because at a moments notice, I am prepared for get togethers or church events. Another nice thing about keeping your freezer stocked that has kind of turned into a ministry for me, is when sickness or arrival of a baby or funerals occur, I am prepared to immediately throw a few complete meals together to go help the families in need. I am usually over prepared, but I have found this to be a blessing, especially when our finances have taken a hit due to car repairs or whatever, I usually do not have to worry about having enough till the next paycheck because I tend to over- do-it during the times of ease.
There was a time though, when I had to do the majority of our freezer cooking week-to-week, based on whatever my husband was being paid. I remember hearing other women talk about how they would buy $1500.00 worth of supplies for the whole month and do their freezer cooking that way. I still do not do that, because finances just don’t allow it. At that time I really only made a few dishes here and there, even just the little bit that I was able to do helped tremendously, so if you are not in a position financially to go all out with freezer cooking, don’t let that discourage you! You’ll soon find that having a batch of cookies in the freezer, or a couple of soups or dinners will provide some relief for those stress filled days that will become invaluable!