***Give Away Alert! I will be giving away three copies of my freezer cooking cookbooks The Frozen Gourmet Just leave a comment on the blog sometime this week and I will pick three winners – the more comments, the more chances to win!***
I have had so many questions about the whole Zen of Freezer Cooking – recipes, storage, shopping, cleaning out the fridge, etc. that I thought it would be a good idea to address some of the questions that you all have – and share some of my Freezer Cooking philosophy. (Yes, that is exactly how deep I am.)
I am summing up some of the questions that y’all have been asking and trying to give the best answers I can.
Does shopping at Costco really save you money? How about for a smaller family?
Here is my very uneducated opinion about Costco: If you are super organized, use coupons wisely, follow loss-leader sales, and can shop on a frequent basis to take advantage of those sales, you can probably save as much money shopping more traditional stores and outlets as you can at Costco.
I admit that we make some trade-offs re: money/convince. If I can get it at Costco, I usually do – especially when it comes to Freezer Cooking. (Although, we tend to buy our fruits and veggies at Safeway or Farmer’s Markets, and do grow a few things – tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs – on our tiny back patio. We have not been as happy with the quality of the Costco fruit and vegetables. )
I think if you get your stuff home and have a plan for dividing up your big Costco-sized items, you can save money. Money is lost when you forget that you bought that bag of frozen chicken and discover it 18 months later.
What about Low-Fat versions of the recipes – where can I find those?
Most recipes – low fat or not – can be frozen in some state. You can always use low fat substitution for the ingredients that are stated in a recipe as well.
Obviously you are not going to freeze a salad, but, low-fat soups, chili’s, marinades, stews, (that are not cream based) work great.
I have some recipes in my book that are great for low-fat cooking. And then there are others. There will never be a low-fat version of “Poppy Seed Chicken” or “Dreamy Spaghetti”. Maybe lower-fat, but they are just not healthy. In those cases, we serve a lot of veggies, and treat those casseroles as more of a side dish (and I have a bowl of chili instead of the casserole.) These are the recipes that my kids LOVE so it is OK to slip them in every once in a while. (Trust me, the meal I am serving them is better than what they would order at McDonalds.)
Here is a family favorite for low fat cooking. If I could only freeze one recipe – this would hands down be it. You can spice it up and add chicken sausage to make a great Jambalaya – serve it over pasta, or if you are looking for lower-fat versions, over steamed white or brown rice.
Chicken Cacciatore
1 lb Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 1/4
cup Onion
2 cups Mushrooms
1 tsp Minced garlic
1-28 oz Can of crushed tomatoes in puree
2 Tbs Parsley
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Basil
Parmesan cheese
1. Prepare: Cut chicken into cubes. Slice onions and mushrooms. Chop garlic.
2. Cooking: In a large skillet, sauté chicken in vegetable oil until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from skillet and sauté onions, mushrooms, and garlic until the onions are transparent. Add chicken and remaining ingredients except for Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 15 minutes. Allow sauce to cool.
3. Freeze: Freeze in a 13×9 pan.
4. Serve: Thaw sauce in the refrigerator overnight. Place the foil-covered pan in a 350° oven for 30 minutes to warm. Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes.
Servings: 4
Can I store my freezer meals in glass – I am worried about the health reports re: plastic bags.
If you are likewise concerned about plastic bags, I would encourage you to take a look at This Article. Basically my philosophy (this is just for me and my family, you need to make your own decision,) is that I store and freeze in plastic, but I don’t reheat in plastic anymore.
Day 3: Prepping for Your Day
You have already decided what you are cooking and made your shopping list. Now before you rally the troops for Expedition: Costco, make sure you have a place to put all that stuff when you get home.
- Clean out the fridge and the freezer. In our house, that means if I won’t be using it for meals, and I can’t remember when I bought it, it gets tossed. I try very hard not to buy things that we are not going to use immediately because I don’t want to waste resources (economically, or environmentally.) Either that or we have a meal that consists solely of freezer stuff we need to use up. (Guess what kids? Organic Fish Sticks, mixed vegetables and puree of pumpkin for dinner! Oh boy!)
- After cleaning out your freezer and fridge, make sure you have a clear working space in your kitchen. This is when I will pack away the crock pot, the toaster over, and any other knick-knacks on my counter.
- Empty the garbage and recycling.
- On the cooking day, wear super-comfy clothes that you don’t mind getting tomato sauce on and your comfiest shoes (if you do it barefoot, you will be exhausted early on.)
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Figure out what you are going to eat for dinner on cooking day. I can’t tell you how many times we have gotten to the end of a cooking day and had nothing to eat. Some of the ways we have planned for that dinner in the past:
- Buy an extra chicken at Costco and eat that with a salad.
- Leave one meal unfrozen and put it in the over.
- Order a pizza (totally legit option after all your hard work.)
Tomorrow – I answer more of your question AND we go to Day 4 – making the meals!
I am so excited about learning how to prepare and freeze meals during the week. I’ve recently gone back to work (after being home for the last five years) and am still adjusting to both of my full-time jobs: analyst and wife/mom (oh wow, I guess that’s 3)! Thanks for the chicken recipe. Hope to see more….. Thanks!!!
I am def getting excited about giving this a try. Mondays are crazy for us, so even if I only used the freezer meals for Mondays it still would be so nice to have dinner “done.” Thanks for all the great ideas!
I tried a once a month cooking approach once and failed miserably. Thanks for the inspiring posts and recipe. As the school year catches steam, ready made meals would be a bonus at our home. How do you get motivated to plan ahead and stay ahead?
That chicken recipe sounds YUMMY!!! I am goign to give that a try this weekend! Thanks Kathi!
Thanks for all your great tips! Lovin’ them all!!!
Love Yoshida’s!
I had to share my favorite freezer tip. I despise chopping onions. I use my food processor on “Pulse”, to chop onions to keep in my freezer, freezing them flat in 1 gallon freezer bags. Whether I need 1 Tablespoon or 2 Cups, I can break off just enough to add to my recipes. It is also a great way to use up a large bag of Costco onions…which is about the same price as a tiny bag from Safeway. : )
Do you have to have a deep freeze to have a “freezer philosophy?” Ha ha ha!
Thanks for your daily doses on freezing… I’m getting ready!
I totally agree with your comment about making sure you have planned dinner for cooking day. Several times I have cooked all day, stocked the freezer, but it approaches the dinner hour and I am scrambling. I can’t wait to try the chicken cacciatore recipe! Thanks!
PS-I will second your opinion that rice freezes fine. I do a large batch of whole wheat rice each month, freeze it flat in 1 gallon freezer bags. When I need rice, I give the bag a good WHACK against the counter and break off only what I need for a particular meal. Huge time saver!
Oh and BTW… teriyaki is a great marinade for freezing too. We have done steak, chicken and even hamburgers. Soooo yummy! and versatile!
I so wish I was a few steps ahead of the game this week. Last minute I was invited out by a girlfriend tonight and had nothing prepared (or planned) for dinner so I am winging it! Would have been nice to have something to serve my family without racing like a mad woman!
Julie – I freeze the cacciatore seperate from the rice and just make that on the day of. I have frozen rice before, minked in with cacciatore and it did pretty well – but I may be more tolerant than the average bear.
So looking forward to hot yummie meals that will not take forever but will be something the my three boys will eat and put a smile on my hubbys face!!!
Thank you!
I can’t wait to add more freezer meals to the menu. I am a planner. I make my menu on Wednesday then the shopping list from that. Then I am at my grocery story every Friday morning. I am hoping this will make it even more planned ahead and cut my grocery bill a bit. Thanks!
Your Chicken Cacciatore has been a favorite here for years. And one I’ve forgotten about for quite a while! back on the list it goes! 🙂
Totally agree with the barefoot comment. I made and froze gnocchis (two hours of rolling, cutting, and squishing with my finger) barefoot, and I could barely stand later. I have actually given thought to cleaning off the kitchen table when I do this freezer cooking so I can sit a bit or at least rest one leg on a chair.
Chicken seems to be a staple in freezer dinners. Is there another meat that freezes nice? I think to pork when I say that…
Kathi, you mentioned that the cream-based sauces don’t freeze well. Can you share wit us any other “general rules” of things that don’t freeze well? Love the blog this week..can’t wait till tomorrow!
Thanks for the great “Chicken Cacciatore” recipe. I can’t wait to give this one a try.
OK- I think I might be willing to give this a shot. Since I am a mom with two toddlers I should be able to do half the meals and end up with double right? 🙂
Planning for your meal after cooking is a great idea. Then agaian after looking at food all day I am not sure I could eat anything. What are some other marinades besides pesto that you use often?
How do you freeze rice based dishes? I’ve heard that the only carbs/grains that do well in a freeze and thaw situation are noodles; rice and potatoes don’t do well. Is there a special trick to freezing them or you just don’t do it?