How to Freezer Cook
Three years ago I had two babies (one a newborn and one eighteen months) and a three year old. Dinner time was a nightmare. Between food restrictions and an incredibly picky eater I was making at least two meals every night and sometimes three. It was insanity.
I’d try to make the dinners between nursing sessions while the older two children were occupied with an “amazing toy” as per the suggestion of a parenting book. Unfortunately they were never too terribly interested in the toys, they wanted my attention which had been so divided since the baby had been born.
I was at the end of my rope until I heard about freezer cooking from a Focus on The Family broadcast. The thought of having a month’s worth of meals ready to go was so exciting I immediately began making a meal plan that day.
Three years later my freezer has been stocked with a month’s worth of meals many times, several weeks worth of meals at others, and sometimes it’s only had one or two pre-made meals in it. But through it all utilizing make ahead meals has greatly reduced my homemaking stress, and help free up time for homeschooling.
If freezer cooking sounds like it could make your life easier don’t be afraid to try it. Here are my best tips to get you started.
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1) Buy a Book or Read a Ton of Blog Posts About Freezer Cooking
When I jumped into freezer cooking I just did it, no tips no advice, just feet first jumped. We had some interesting meals that first month, a little research would have saved me the duds. I wrote The ABC’s of Freezer Cooking to share my experiences with freezer cooking so someone who is new to it wouldn’t make the same mistakes I did. Whether you choose to buy a book where all the information you need is in one place or just use google, I highly recommend doing some reading if you’re a newbie. And typically the cost of an eBook is cheaper than a “dud” meal that won’t get eaten so it’s well worth the money.
2) Create a Pinterest Board Just for Freezer Meal Ideas
Start by following some boards that already have freezer meal ideas (like mine or others) and pin what looks good. Whenever I create a meal plan my first stop is always Pinterest to get ideas.
3) Get Your Feet Wet By Doubling or Tripling Meals That Will Freeze Well When Normally Making Dinner
It’s as simple as it sounds. The next time you make your world famous chili or a favorite casserole for your family double the recipe and when it cools freeze it. You’ll have a meal ready to go on a particularly busy night. You could even do this every day for a week and have seven meals ready to go.
4) Be Flexible
I firmly believe homemaking is more about personal preferences than it is rules. Freezer cooking should make your life easier not become a burden. If it is a burden, just don’t do it. It doesn’t work for every family and that’s okay. There have been times in the past three years where I haven’t wanted to meal plan or make meals ahead of time for no other reason than I didn’t feel like it. So I didn’t.
It’s your home. Experiment. Don’t feel like you need to live up to some author’s, blogger’s, or Martha Stewartesque ideal. It doesn’t really matter if you have one meal in your freezer or thirty.
I honestly think every family should give freezer cooking a try at least once though. It literally saved my sanity when I had three children three and under and continues to be a blessing now when I know I’ll have a particularly busy week or month.
There’s no need to fear freezer cooking. Do a little research first and “just do it”.
What questions do you have about freezer cooking? Leave them in the comments and I’ll answer them.
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KMLogan
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