Guest post by Jessica from The Abundant Wife
I have been following Money Saving Mom® for over a year now, and I have long been curious about the concept of Freezer Cooking. As I was creating my meal plan for this week, I looked on Crystal’s website for some Freezer Cooking Recipes. It was then that I realized that her recipes were not all that different from recipes that I already use. This was a new idea to me!
Then I reviewed her instructions for how to begin Freezer Cooking. I had always imagined Crystal gathering with her friends to cook all their meals for the month together. I was surprised to see that Freezer Cooking can be done any time of day, and does not require a team of cooks. Here are the top ten things I learned from Freezer Cooking for the first time:
1. Freezer Cooking can be done using what you already have in your kitchen, with recipes your family already enjoys.
That big pot of soup you made for dinner? Just freeze the leftovers in individual meal sizes, and pop it in the freezer. Voila! Now you’re freezer cooking!
2. Freezer Cooking can be done at any time during the day.
I made my soup for dinner, and prepared Mexican rice (to freeze) at the same time.
3. Freezer Cooking reduces anxiety.
You don’t have to experience stress at 5 p.m., wondering what to make for dinner or if you’ll have time to cook it.
4. Freezer Cooking simplifies meal planning.
When you are making your weekly meal-plan and grocery list, you can count on some meals already in your freezer.
5. Freezer Cooking reduces waste.
You don’t have to worry about food spoiling before you can cook it, or about running out of an ingredient before you can use it.
6. Freezer Cooking and using Supercook.com is a great way to utilize what’s already in your pantry.
You can list your current ingredients in your free Supercook account, and the website will give you hundreds of recipes based on what you already have. Choose one to cook, and then freeze it for later!
7. Freezer Cooking is great if you have children who grow impatient while you’re cooking.
By planning ahead, I can cook during a quieter time of the day. With a meal in the freezer, I can spend less time on food prep and more time with my kids.
8. Freezer Cooking will save you clean-up time all week long.
My husband loves this part. He usually washes the dinner dishes, so Freezer Cooking means less work for him!
9. Freezer Cooking gives you more opportunities to be generous.
Once you have food prepared, it’s easier to offer a meal to someone in need.
10. Freezer Cooking saves money!
You’ll be less likely to buy more expensive convenience foods at the last minute when you have a meal in the freezer ready to go.
I could keep talking all day, but I’ve got to go defrost our dinner.
Jessica’s family of four just moved 2,700 miles from Maryland to California for her husband’s new job. When she’s not freezer cooking, you’ll find her blogging at The Abundant Wife about faith, family, and finances.
The only downside to freezer cooking, which is probably not even worth mentioning, is if you live somewhere that had a severe weather issue and your power goes out and stays out for days. (I am speaking of the present, in New England, right now.) If you don’t have recourse to someone else’s (shockingly empty) freezer that’s actually operational, that’s a LOT of food loss.
Thanks, Jess, for this post! I have been needing to get our meals more organized ans have read Chrystals posts on freezer cooking before. You just gave me the motivation to give it a try.
P.S. Impressed that your hubby does the clean up.
I just finished my second month of freezer cooking. I am totally hooked. It has made such a difference in my daily life. We’re on a ranch 8 miles from town and can’t run into town on a whim if we need something – plus with the busy days – I am really enjoying just pulling something out of the freezer and making a side to go with it.
Great advice. I have been wanting to start freezer cooking but didn’t know where to start. Having 5 kids, I need simplicity!
I love http://www.30daygourmet.com (although I almost always have to double or more the seasonings).
I tend to keep prepared ingredients–cooked hamburger with onion and garlic is a great help. So are pre-grilled meats (heat them up by steaming them) and chopped onions and peppers.
Lisa, how do you keep the smell of the green peppers and onions from bleeding over to your other foods? When we do it we have triple zip locked them and our ice cubes still taste like green pepper/onions! I love the convenience, but need to figure out a better way to store them.
Other than when I first put them in the freezer, we don’t have any problems. You can always buy them already frozen.
I love this post. I too do most of my freezer cooking when I have the time. Usually just doubling whatever I’m making for dinner and freezing half. However I love it when I need to use up some PTO at work and can take a few days off midweek to do a nice long freezer cooking session in my PJs with a trashy audio book blaring in the kitchen while hubby is at work. I can work at my own pace which is much prefered over the usual rushing around the house after a 10 hour day when I’m just trying to get something edible on the table.
Great tips! And the most important thing once you start freezing is not to forget what you’ve got in there!
Good point! After a couple of weeks, you’ll have a hard time remembering which container is pizza sauce and which is spaghetti sauce. A piece of masking tape and a permanent marker should do the trick. 🙂
Does masking tape work? I have been trying to find freezer tape but can not find it. Thanks.
It worked fine for me. I’m very low-tech when it comes to that kinds of stuff. 🙂
I not only label what is in the freezer but keep a list on a magnet on the outside of the freezer letting me know what is in there. This helps so I’m not digging around looking for something we already ate or making a roast when we’ve already got 4 in the freezer.
The timing of this couldn’t be more perfect…seriously. My husband and I have been extremely busy at work lately and doing a lot of takout…and had decided earlier this week we needed to have a freezer cooking weekend. I spent last night working on the menu plan and the grocery list and lo and behold, this arrived in my email. Crazy timing and oh so perfect! Thank you!!
Thanks for the great post! 🙂
I tried freezer cooking when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. It all spoiled somehow. I think I will try again using Crystal’s instructions.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. We are already learning that some meals freeze better than others, or some are better frozen in separate parts (pizza sauce/dough/cheese/toppings). I think if you experiment, you can find something that works for you. 🙂
Before I got pregnant this time, I did a HUGE freezer cooking session. (Actually, several smaller sessions, but with a ton of meals.) Two weeks later, our freezer died and we had to throw everything away! It was heart wrenching to have to toss away all that effort and money. Now that I’m still pregnancy-sick and not cooking, I am so regretting the incident because we’ve been eating out way too much. Luckily, we bought a high quality freezer this time around, so hopefully that won’t happen again 🙂
Crystal has also often mentioned the catastrophe when her freezer died with (if I remember correctly) a whole side of beef inside. Sometimes our best efforts at saving money turn on us. I would encourage both of you to try again, once the feeling of frustration from your earlier attempts have subsided. 🙂
Loving #9. 🙂 That is reason enough to motivate me to try it! How great to have several things on hand that you could give to someone in need on short notice.
I love that one too! I want to give more, and it’s so much easier to offer when you already have a meal prepared and ready to serve.
I have only ever doubled my recipes and frozen the extra portions. You give me encouragement to try to plan a full day of freezer cooking and stock up my freezer. Great inspiration!! Thank you!
You’re welcome! And remember, you don’t need a whole day to do it. I accumulated a week’s worth of meals during dinner one night and breakfast the next morning, while I was making other things. It was definitely less complicated than I thought it would be. 🙂
I love that you point out that freezer cooking helps alleviate the stress of impatient little ones. I’ve noticed as my daughter gets bigger, almost-dinner-time drama increases…except on the nights I just pop something I’ve already prepared in the oven/slow cooker/stovetop/what have you.
If I’m not standing over a pot stirring, she’s less likely to think she’s starving and needs to eat right.this.instant!
My thoughts exactly!
That’s exactly how my son acts.. I feel so relieved that it’s not just us! Looking forward to trying a bit of freezer cooking this weekend!
I enjoy freezer cooking but do it along with my dinner prep/cooking instead of taking a whole day to do everything. When I double a recipe as I am making dinner it doesn’t take any extra time plus it keeps the cost spread out over the month. Having the extra meals in the freezer does help for the busy days and allows me the flexibility to share with someone who just had a baby, surgery or needs a meal.
Loved your post and THANKS for the Supercook website! I’ve found a bunch of recipes on it that I want to try with ingredients I already have. It’s awesome!
You’re welcome! Supercook is my go-to whenever I’m menu planning or trying to use up what’s in my pantry. I’ve also used it for situations like when someone asks me to bring dessert at the last minute, and I need to come up with something using what I have on hand. 🙂
The Allrecipes Ingredient Search has been a lifesaver for me as well!
I don’t do a lot but will make meatballs and freeze them, beef stew then freeze it, etc. Small things. However, I have a baby due early in April. I am a substitute teacher and plan on using school vacations this winter to do a bunch of freezer cooking in preparation.
Freezer cooking has saved me quite a few times so far. Sometimes I just run of of ideas on what to make for dinner. That’s when we look into the freezer and eat what was made either a week or a month ago!
Thanks for sharing the cooking website. I will have to check it out. I have Taste of Home’s Freezer Pleasures book and love it. You basically cook one meal for now and another to freeze for later.
I love it, too. I did one huge freezer cooking session about a year ago and wiped myself out. Now I do smaller more manageable sessions. I also like to do cooking in the morning vs the late afternoon when my toddler is less patient and more tired.
I love love love freezer cooking! I love having food available in my freezer for busy time.. like now when we are moving I have had a few things ready to go so I don’t have to worry about stopping my packing groove to make dinner. I am so grateful for crystal’s post I never heard of freezer cooking till I followed her blog and i love this blog! thanks for your tips !