Want to cut down on dinner prep for the summer and not use your oven as much? Check out this Crockpot Freezer Cooking session from Loving My Nest.
You can also read about her Crockpot Freezer Cooking Session #1 and Session #2.
Freezer Cooking
I’m over at MomLife Today talking about one of my favorite subjects — freezer cooking:
I don’t know about you, but there are some days at our home when life whizzes by so quickly and all of a sudden it’s 5 p.m. and dinner isn’t even a figment of my imagination. For most people, the fallback is to call and order takeout or run and get something at the grocery store at the last minute.
But this is stressful and expensive, not to mention unhealthy. There must be a better solution!
For me, the solution to the 5 p.m. “What’s for dinner?” panic is called “freezer cooking.” If I forgot to pull something out from the freezer earlier in the day, I can just pick a meal from my freezer stash that defrosts quickly — such as meatballs.
I can pair this with some frozen veggies, rice, and maybe a fruit salad. No one even has to know I forgot about dinner until 30 minutes before it was supposed to happen!
Want to learn more about freezer cooking? Here are some posts to get you started:
- Start Where You Are and Learn As You Go
- How to Plan a Freezer Cooking Day (and find more ideas here)
- Is Freezer Cooking Really Worth the Effort?
- How to Cook for Your Freezer When You Don’t Like Casseroles
- Can You Have a Freezer Cooking Day if You Don’t Have a Lot of Freezer Space?
- How to Store Your Freezer Meals
So, I was excited about this idea I had for making Mac N’ Cheese Cups, inspired by this recipe from Once a Month Mom. Only my idea pretty much flopped.
You see, I had some boxes of Annie’s Mac N’ Cheese on hand, so we used that instead of making the sauce from scratch. But then, since I never use muffin liners, I decided we’d skip using those and just put the mac and cheese directly into the muffin tins.
I was hoping that these would pop right out after baking. But they didn’t. In fact, it didn’t really stick together at all.
Oh well. I guess we saved you having to try it yourself — and it’s not like the Macaroni and cheese isn’t edible, it’s just not real lunchbox-friendly. 
Live and learn, right?
Oh and I also wouldn’t recommend turning your back when your 3-year-old is in the kitchen helping you.
Because you might end up finding him painting the sliding glass door with mac and cheese!
Check out this recipe on Once A Month Mom for a more tried and true Mac N’ Cheese Cups recipe. You can also find a Dairy-Free/Wheat-Free Mac N’ Cheese Cups recipe over on Milk Allergy Mom.
Are you joining us for Lunchbox Freezer Cooking? If you’ve blogged about a lunchbox recipes you’ve made for your freezer, leave a link to your post and recipe below. I can’t wait to see your yummy recipes and ideas!
We’re big fans of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins here. So, of course, when I saw this recipe recently, I just had to try it — especially since I already had all of the ingredients on hand — thanks to some free credit from Vitacost.
I thought it would be fun to change things up for our Lunchbox Freezer Cooking series and make these muffins, instead of our usual amazingly-delicious pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe.
These were very easy to make and were surprisingly yummy — especially for the ingredients. But they aren’t anywhere near as good as our favorite recipe. However, they are much quicker to make. And, I’m guessing, they are much lower in fat and calories, too.
3-Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 can pumpkin
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Mix can of pumpkin and chocolate cake mix together thoroughly (can use an electric mixer, if you prefer). Sprinkle chocolate chips over batter and stir in.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins almost full. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, until done.
To freeze: Cool completely and stick into an airtight ziptop freezer bag. Store for up to 4 weeks in the freezer.
To serve: Thaw for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Or, warm for a minute in the microwave.
Makes 12 full-sized muffins.
Recipe from Nomadic Nom Nom.
If you haven’t tried our family’s favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe, you’ve got to give it a whirl. I can almost guarantee you’ll like. Unless you’re one of those strange people who don’t like chocolate or pumpkin! By the way, my friend Jamie, has an egg-free, milk-free version of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins over on her blog.
Are you joining us for Lunchbox Freezer Cooking? If you’ve blogged about a lunchbox recipes you’ve made for your freezer, leave a link to your post and recipe below. I can’t wait to see your yummy recipes and ideas!
Looking for some more Crockpot Freezer Cooking Recipes? Check out Kojo Designs and Saving Your Dinero for their second round of Crockpot Freezer Cooking recipes and helpful tips.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins — these freeze so well!
Think you might be interested in trying your hand at freezer cooking? Here are some suggestions for starting off successfully:
1) Start Small
If you’ve never done any freezer cooking before, I’d recommend starting with no more than two recipes at first. You’re probably capable of much more, but start small and gradually work up from there.
2) Pick Recipes You Already Know You Love
If you want to love the recipes you stick in the freezer, make sure you pick recipes you already know your family loves. There will be time for experimenting later, but wait until you feel really confident with freezer cooking before you branch out and try a bunch of new recipes.
Not sure your favorite recipe will freeze well? Check my list of what freezes well in my free Freezer Cooking ebook.
3) Set Aside at Least an Hour for Cooking
Set aside sometime during the week or on the weekend when you have a free hour and plan to do your cooking then. Make sure that you have a solid hour or more set aside for the cooking so that you’re not in a rush. Rushing around trying to get things done before you have to go somewhere only sets you up for failure.
4) Have a Plan for Your Children
If you have young children, make sure you have a plan for what they’ll be doing while you’re cooking, too. The last thing you need is to have your first freezer cooking experience be an exercise in frustration due to constant interruptions from needy little people.
Afternoon naptime might be the best time to do your freezer cooking. Or, you could do it on the weekends when daddy or grandma can watch the children. If neither one of those are an option, consider putting together some Busy Bags or Day of the Week tubs to be brought out only during freezer cooking times.
Freezer-Friendly Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
5) Wrap Things Well
Want to ruin your yummy food? Don’t let it cool, don’t wrap it well, and don’t package it up in an airtight manner. All three of these things almost guarantee that your foods will develop freezer burn.
6) Make Sure to Use What You Cook in a Timely Manner
It’s wonderful to have food at-the-ready in the freezer, but it does you no good if you don’t actually use it. Make sure to eat it within 2-3 months, if not before.
I always consult my freezer when planning our weekly menu and incorporating some of the meals — especially those that need to be used up soon — into our weekly menu.
Need some tried and true freezer recipes for your first freezer cooking experiment? Here are a few of our most-loved freezer cooking recipes:
::Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
::Banana Bread
::Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
::Brown Bag Burritos
::Ham & Cheese Pockets
::World’s Easiest Marinated Chicken
::And don’t forget to check out all of my posts so far in the 4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer series.
What advice and tips do you have for someone who is brand-new to freezer cooking?
How do you find the strength/discipline to follow through with freezer cooking on a consistent basis? I’ve not disciplined myself to do so as of yet. I do so enjoy reading about your freezer cooking experiences, however. Is it really that well worth the effort? (time saved, easy clean-up after each meal, etc.?) –a reader
Yes, freezer cooking has been so worth it for our family. I wrote a post in 2010 with three specific reasons why I love freezer cooking. And those reasons still hold very true two years later.
1. I spend a lot less time cooking and cleaning up the kitchen.
I no longer have big time blocks in our schedule to do full day or half day cooking sessions, but I’ve found that doing mini half-hour or one-hour freezer cooking sessions works really well for this season of our life. And while I might not be making 20 or 30 meals at a time, by consistently cooking ahead once or twice a week, we always have some meals in the freezer for those busy days when I don’t have time or energy for cooking.
Instead of having to dirty up a bowl to make meatloaf three times in six weeks, I just triple the recipe and make meatloaf once and stick the extra two dinners’ worth of meatloaf in the freezer. If I’m already going to dirty up a bowl, I might as well double or triple the recipe saving me the effort and mess later on in the month. After all, it really doesn’t take but a few more minutes to make two extra batches of meatloaf — and the clean up time is pretty much the same!
2. I don’t have to dread 5 p.m. anymore.
I don’t know about you, but there are some days at our home when life whizzes by so quickly and all of a sudden, it’s 5 p.m. and dinner isn’t even a figment of my imagination. Before I started regularly cooking ahead and freezing meals, I’d be tempted to call my husband and ask him to bring something home for dinner.
Freezer cooking has solved the 5 p.m. “What’s-For-Dinner” panic. If I forget to pull something out earlier in the day, I’ll just pick a meal from my freezer stash that defrosts quickly — such as meatballs. I pair this with some frozen veggies, rice, and maybe a fruit salad. No one even has to know I forgot about dinner until 30 minutes before it was supposed to happen!
3. It’s not a huge undertaking to have dinner guests or take a meal to someone.
When I have meals already made in the freezer, it’s rather simple to bring food to a new mom or have friends over for dinner.
Lasagna casserole, spaghetti pie, and meatballs are great staple meals to have on hand to share with others. Just whip up some Bread Machine Buttery Rolls, make a salad or fruit and maybe some brownies and you’re set! I also like to sometimes make up chocolate chip cookie dough and freeze it so I can quickly make a dessert for friends coming over or to take somewhere.
Knowing the reward that comes as a result of the effort is what gives me the motivation and discipline to follow through with freezer cooking. Well, and it also helps that I have the public accountability of blogging about it and all.
More Helpful Freezer Cooking Articles
Start Where You Are and Learn As You Go
How to Plan a Freezer Cooking Day (and find more ideas here)
How to Cook for Your Freezer When You Don’t Like Casseroles
Can You Have a Freezer Cooking Day if You Don’t Have a Lot of Freezer Space?
How about the rest of you? Have you found freezer cooking to be worth it for you? Why or why not?
Since I decided to switch my plans and make homemade pizza for dinner tonight, I figured if I was already going to be in the kitchen making pizza, I might as well make a few extra things.
So, I browned two pounds of ground beef and then mixed up the pizza dough.
While the pizza dough was resting for five minutes, I set aside some of the cooked ground beef for the pizza and added some taco seasoning, beans, and a can of tomatoes to the rest of it.
This made two dinners’ worth of taco meat for the freezer — perfect for Haystacks!
I also threw the ingredients for my sister’s Easy Whole Wheat Bread in the bread machine and let the dough mix up while I put together the pizza and baked it. I stuck the bread in a loaf pan to rise during dinner and baked it after dinner.
So, for just a little bit of extra time in the kitchen, I was able to make dinner and plus put two dinners’ worth of taco meat plus a loaf homemade bread in the freezer.
It wasn’t anything spectacular, but by using the little minutes here and there to work ahead like this, it really helps you to be able to pull together homemade dinners in no time later on in the week or month.
Use your minutes well and you’ll soon find you have more margin, more peace, and more sanity in your life!
Heather from Queen Bee Coupons shows how she took 40 pounds of beef and spent seven hours turning it into 40 meals for her freezer. Here are the meals she made:
- 10 taco meat meals (1 pound each x 10 = 10 pounds)
- 6 Italian mozzarella meatball meals (1 pound each x 6 = 6 pounds)
- 6 sweet and sour meatball meals (1 pound each x 6 = 6 pounds)
- 6 meals of Kalamata/olive burger patties (18 patties, 3 per meal = 6 pounds)
- 6 meals of burger patties (18 patties, 3 per meal = 6 pounds)
- 6 meals from lasagna dishes (6 pounds)
Head on over to her blog for pictures and details on she pulled this off!
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