***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!***
Before I get to the steps for shopping for your freezer meals, let me answer a few questions from the blog yesterday:
How do you fit all those meals in your freezer?
I will give a fuller explanation later in the week, but one thing is important for you to keep in mind if you are shopping for things like foil pans to prepare your meals. Squares and rectangles pack better than round pans.
The other key is to freeze thing like soups, stews and marinades as “flatly” as possible. (I will have pictures later in the week.)
How long can you keep meals in the freezer?
Some people would say longer, but I feel that three months is a good rule of thumb. (Plus, it gets me to clean out my freezer at least a few times a year and not waste meals.
Where did you get all the recipes for all the meals?
A while ago I bought a “Freezer Cookbook” (Without naming names, if you were cooking in the 90’s and going to church, you probably owned – or own – that book,) and tried out all of the recipes. While I loved the technique and learned how to do freezer cooking from that little book, there were a couple of problems:
- Making 30 entirely different meals was a pain in the rear.
- My family hated most of the meals.
That is when I tried some of our family favorites Freezer Cooking Style. As I learned more and more about what froze well (and what didn’t) I got a collection of recipes that worked for us. I have those in my Frozen Gourmet Cookbook.
Carleta – My freezer doesn’t look anything like yours – mine is full of Mystery…
Trust me – if I don’t keep on top of it, my hubby and I have conversations like, “So what do you think that grey lump of meat it?” Roger’s response? “Garbage.” That is why I have to be so vigilant at labeling everything with dates and contents. Trust me – it is better for everyone involved.
How long does it take to make all those meals? Is your grocery bill astronomical?
Pretty much a full weekend. We figure that each meal averages up between $6-7.50. We could make it cheaper (cook our own chickens for casserole meat instead of buying Costco roasted chickens, making our own pesto, etc.) but we choose convenience over cost on some things.
How do you cook the black and white meat under the table?
Just like chicken.
Now to shopping for your cooking day
My shopping system is pretty easy. I triple my recipes, make a list of ingredients and quantities needed, and buy the biggest containers I can to satisfy those need. If I am doing marinades (and I am always doing marinades) I will buy the big Costco-sized bags of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, divide those into Ziploc gallon bags with five breasts each (because that is usually how many people I am feeding – less breasts for smaller kids who will share,)and then pour marinade in the bags with the frozen breasts. Super, super easy. (I will give more detailed instructions tomorrow about labeling, etc.)
When I got to advanced freezer cooking, I did an Excel spread sheet with my basic menu already tripled – that way I just had to see what I was out of and buy that at Costco and Safeway. My kids are never bored with my cooking and it makes my life SO much easier.
Things you will need besides ingredients
Here are some basic supplies that will make your Freezer Cooking Adventure easier:
- Ziploc gallon bags
- Sharpie Markers
- Clear packing take
- White labels
- Pam or some other non-stick cooking spray
- 8×8 foil pans (if you will be doing casseroles)
-
Aluminum foil
Tomorrow – I will share how to set yourself up assembly line and make it so much easier.
Remember, leave your comments and questions to be entered into the drawing for the cookbook giveaways!
I have done the tripling suggested in the comments. Always nice to hve a frozen meal on hand when someone from the MOPS group or church needs a meal.
You make this all sound so easy!
I have been wanting to do this for so long and just didn’t know how to start. Not to mention most of meals my fam would not eat. Can’t wait!
I love this idea! Also gives me motivation to clean the freezer. My mom was a food shopaholic and always had stuff in the freezer that got lost in the mix. Trying to get out of that trap myself!
Thank you for answering my question. I am looking forward to leraning more recipes and getting a group of friends together to do this.
I just love your comments on facebook and your blog! I have a family of 6 and I NEED this book, sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to try this. Thanks for making everything so fun to read, I love the humor and honesty, LOVE IT!!
What a fantastic idea! Especially for someone like me who is greatly challenged in the meal prep/cooking area of life. Do you have any non dairy/low sodium recipes? Right when I finally got off the frozen prepared dinners and began tackling homecooking, we needed to incorporate a life change including those requirements. Bummer! Most things I do know how to make involve either dairy and/or sauces that are hight sodium.
Thanks for keeping us motivated and organized, Kathi!
So I love this idea … I just wonder sometimes if I can do it! But it would be fun to get some gals together and have some a good time doing it, right? -b
Love this idea, did it when I was pregnant and had meals ready for the family the first weeks with a newborn!
Really excited about hearing more about this freezer making frenzy!! My first daughter started kinder this week. Between my work and picking up at school dinner can become a hassle!! Thanks for all your great hubby loving ideas. It keeps my man smiling!!
Do you have vegetarian meals that are freezer friendly? I have a few but would love some more.
Kathi,
I love it!! Keep it coming!!! I have a preschooler and a 3rd graders, so any advice I can receive about the freezer meal process will be great!!! It is just a lot of work to redress children and go out to eat after my husband gets home from work. And then it not even be worth the effort once you get to the restaurant and your preschooler is acting like you have never taken him out to eat! So I am sooo looking forward to this challenge so there will be less nights like tonight ( frozen chicken nuggets & fries). I am already wore out from getting back into the school routine!!! Thanks Kathi!
I like the idea of freezing marinades. I will have to try the pesto chicken. My kids eat mac and cheese all the time so it’s great to get new recipes that they may eat. I do need to clean out the freezer first. I think there’s frozen veggies with icicles dangling in there.
Something I tried that was fun…. triple a recipe, eat one for dinner the day you cook, freeze one, and share the third one with a friend. My friend in return did the same thing for me. It was like eating dinner out, but at home!
Thanks for the motivation to go clean out my freezer. This weekend, while canning 39 jars of green beans, my usually helpful husband, interrupted the canning process which meant I now had to freeze 14 baggies of green beans to save them. Little did I know that the small amount of water in the baggies would expand to unnatural sizes and burst out of the bags. I now have green bean stalactites in my freezer. I know I have to clean it up, it is a mess, but it does look kinda cool.
one more thing, hoe can I make my little blue box with a sideways ‘g’ a pic?
Not sure my family would like the “black and white” chicken. hahahaha
Seriously, my family gets bored now, do you have a regular frezzer night or are they there ‘just in case’?
This takes the guesswork out of what you are having for dinner! You can just pull something out becuase you already have a healthy and delicious meal ready to cook!
I’ve always loved the idea of pre-cooking meals for the freezer but haven’t had the nerve to try. I love the step by step explanation of the entire process…thanks!!!
I discovered freezer cooking and Costco when I had my third baby, and had two toddlers as well. I now can’t think of any other way of doing things. I love the tips you have provided. Thanks!!
I love this idea. I have a toddler and a newborn at home, so some nights I just really don’t feel like cooking. Making things ahead of time is such a great idea!
I hope this is finding your blog.
How do you cook and freeze for one person? Can it be done efficiently with just the small self-defrosting freezer over the top of a small refrigerator?
Ooohh, I’m intrigued. I think I may try this freezer cooking you speak of. Anything that makes after school to bedtime simpler is a winner of an idea to me.
I am excited to try this. I always thought that it would be less healthy and did not want to do it. Now I am finally ready for something like this. I have such a difficult time making dinners for us every night at a decent hour. I am not good at organizing my day. So being prepared ahead of time will be great.
This is just what I need! I usually cook for 5 adults and 2 small children, so “coming up with something on the fly” isn’t possible. Now that I’m working full time instead of parttime, I really need to be organized. I’m going to enlist my grown kids (who eat with us) to help with the meal prep! As usual, great job Kathi!
Great to see step by step instructions. I so appreciate this and will print it out and move forward with a plan. Still looking for some weight watchers recipes that my family will like to road test.
To save more $ may I suggest lining a casserole dish in aluminum foil and then preparing the meal in it. Freeze it, lift the meal out, wrap it again in foil, lable and stick it in the freezer! When you go to cook it just unwrap the outer layer of foil, pop back in the original dish and cook. Makes clean up a breeze too! HTH!!!
Great job! 🙂
I guess the idea of having that much food in my freezer at one time is a bit scary — guess we’ll just have to be better about not being wasteful!
I don’t get the comment about Black and White Meat either..
I used to go to the “prepared meal shops” to make my freezer meals, but they were expensive and most have gone out of business. Just need to get motivated to do it my self at home. And find more healthy meals to stick to our diet.
I love that you are doing this! A couple years ago we had a speaker at MOPS talk about how she does a month of meals in the freezer just recently that idea had came up so Im glad you are pushing me in the right direction, slowly and with wonderful direction.
I’ve always doubled and tripled things like lasagna and enchiladas for freezing. I’ve been meaning to make and freeze more, but it always seems so overwhelming. Your book sounds like its just what I need.
Long time reader, first time commenter! This is such a great idea! I used to do this, years ago when my boys were little. I did it in a group and thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and meals that we assembled. The benefits are huge – with never having to answer the question “what’s for dinner” with an “I haven’t figured that out yet”. Now that I am working, I need to do this again. Thanks for taking the time to take us through this step by step!!
I love how your kitty made a little home on the box. Too cute. Can’t wait to try the freezer meals. Great idea!
I do not have a big freezer at all, but I really want to try this on perhaps a smaller scale! I love the idea, especially in the winter, of having a meal already done and ready to pop in the oven. I am really hoping to win a copy of the cookbook! Thanks for sharing!!
Can’t wait to check back on your blog this week… I love freezing meals but have never attempted trying to work a full weekend to load up the freezer… excited to try it out!
I have had a wonderful mentor from MOPS who has taught me a little about canning a few items. I love your blog this week. Thanks for all the information!
I have been on the fence about Costco and Sam’s. Only because I have a four year old and two year old so really I cook for three (me, hubby, and squish the kids as one meal). I know you cook for more, but do you think it is worth it for me, who is truly interested in freezing, to join? Do the benefits outweigh the costs?
Thanks! 😉
Thank you! ! !
I love, love, love this information! This concept has been on my mind to plan out forever. I have made it as far as freezing my homemade spaghetti sauce, so I really needed the nudge in the direction of progressing from the novice phase. Actually I would be happy to prgress within the novice phase to a more advanced novice. No need to go ninja just yet, but I’ll get there!
Your freezer article is so timely. I love my freezer but it has gotten to be a bit of a mess. I am trying to use things out of it and I want to rearrange it. I was just thinking that I wanted to make some meals to freeze and then your email just arrived. Karma baby!
Oh yeah and what did i miss?? Black and White Chicken???
This is so exciting and sounds like a great way to get the kids involved in the cooking. Can’t wait to get all the info and get started.
Just wanted to add that a Sharpie is a MUST. Everything else will run in the freezer once it gets a touch of moisture. I’m so excited about this…will definitely be freezer cooking after the tutorials are complete 🙂
I’m so excited about learning this. Thanks for documenting your steps. My husband is a coach and I never know what time he’ll be home. Pulling something out of the freezer and into the oven when he’s heading home sounds super appealing. Then, if I realize he and the coaches ordered pizza while they were meeting, I’m saved the frustration of wasting an evening cooking. Thanks, Kathy!
My family is so picky too! I feel like I get bored with having the same thing over and over- they do not unfortunately. Lovin’ all you tips this week!
What about lowfat or other health concerns such as low sodium? Are these recipes easily modified or are there some lowfat ones in the cookbook?
Please don’t cook the black and white meat under the table! I really like the idea of buying rotisserie chicken for stuff, never thought about that. Do you find that cooked pasta and cooked rice freeze and thaw well?
My husband gets bored with foods really easily and I have a toddler and infant so meals are truely about feeding him. Plus he is super picky. Definitely need new recipes.
Thank you so much for step by step instructions.