Freezer Cooking

We just finished up a huge freezer cooking session. It is quite an undertaking, but SO worth it in the end. We have been doing this on and off for probably 10 years. At first, I bought a book that planned it out. I found that many of the meals on that meal plan were things that my kids wouldn't eat. (there are still things my kids won't eat on my menus, but when there are 7 kids with 7 different opinions NO ONE is ever totally happy). I digress... The main reason we do this is to keep us out of the fast food world. We can't afford to eat out all the time, but it's so easy to swing through the drive thru, or pick up a few $5 pizzas. That's not being financially responsible though. At least not for us. So, by a little planning, and a BIG trip to the grocery store you can actually save money!

The easiest way to stock your freezer, and if you don't have much freezer space this is the way to go. Just duplicate the meals you do cook and freeze. If you are making Lasagna for dinner, make two and freeze the other. Then you have one for a busy evening.

If you have the freezer space - then you are set. This is how I do it.

1. Search the Internet for "freezer meal recipes". You can find them on blogs, recipe sites, or other places. If this is your first time, start with maybe 10 recipes. You don't want to tackle a month at at time unless you are super organized. Once you do it once, you will get the hang of it and can handle a larger session.
2. Once you have your recipes - you want to make a master shopping list. I do this by going through each recipe and writing down all the ingredients. I even write down simple things like flour and milk - I want to make sure I have everything on hand. I will then make hash marks, or tally the amount of an item that is repeated in another recipe. That way I will know how much TOTAL I will need of every item. (I may need 24 pork chops total, for 3 different recipes, for example).
3. When this "tally" page is done, I will then organize the list according to the store. I'll put all the Meat together, all the veggies together, canned goods, dairy, etc. This is also a good time to count up all the different containers you will need. As I am going through the recipes - I read them and get a handle on how many servings it will make, and what container would be ideal for that. Some things are best in a gallon freezer bag, some in a foil 9X13 pan.
4. Once this is done, I'll make a "prep" sheet for cooking day. This is usually a rough idea of how things will flow. I try to group together "like" items. If I have a lot of recipes that are really just chicken marinades. Those I do all together, as they are quick assembly and don't require much chopping or other preparation. Then I move on to the more complicated dishes - Chicken pot pie, or things that require cooking meat prior to freezing.
5. Now it's time to go to the store. This can be a price shocker - especially if you are doing it for a month's worth of meals. Save it for payday, or do it in smaller chucks. This past weekend, I spent $350 at HEB and another $50 at Walmart. Still not too bad, considering our usual grocery budget for a family of 9 is around $200 a week, PLUS the between shopping day trips for milk and "forgotten" things. You want to shop the morning of, or the day before because you probably won't have anywhere to STORE all the groceries you will be picking up - and to put them away and then just pull them out the next day is a whipping!
6. I organize my ingredients from the store, and from the pantry for frequently used items. Then I just leave them out for the cooking session so I don't have to keep going to the pantry.
7. The BEST advice I can offer is to clean as you go! If you will rinse and wash things by hand as you go, you will be grateful when you are done! Nothing is worse than being on your feet for 8 hours straight cooking to turn around to the sink and see it overflowing! I enlist my very eager husband. He does most of my chopping and prep work, helps assemble meals and helps with the dishes. It makes things go so much faster with a helper!
8. Then you cook! I would allow 8 hours for 30 meals, especially if you have things that are more "complicated".

Almost anything you make at home can be made to freeze. Pasta items, like lasagna should be made either without cooking the noodles first, or cooking them to al dente. You don't want mushy pasta when it thaws and cooks. Easy things to start with are simple marinades with chicken. It can be as simple as putting some chicken breast in a bag and pouring a bottle of Italian dressing over the top and freezing it. Make sure to label your bag BEFORE you put your food in it. You also want to make sure to get all the air out and then freeze it flat. If you freeze your bagged items flat, then when they are frozen they can be stacked to take up less room.

I would love to help anyone do this, just email me if you have any questions. I can also send you my most recent documents from this last cooking session. I certainly don't verify the accuracy - and all recipes should be followed for common sense. (like I leave out all bell peppers, and much of the onions so the kids won't whine). Hopefully I didn't leave anything off the shopping list - good luck there. Just don't shoot me if something goes wrong! :) Also sometimes I decrease the amount of the recipe if it looks like it will be too much or increase it if it is something that the kids really love - like tater tot casserole.

When all is said and done, I make a master list of what I have frozen so I don't have to dig through the freezer to see what is for dinner.

Let me know if you try it, and how it works out!