Incorporating Freezer Cooking into Your Life

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

30 Apr 2008 11:35 AM

I greatly admire anyone who can do once a month cooking for freezer meals. I just can't do that, nor do I want to make the effort of spending an entire day cooking, even it if means that I won't have to cook for the rest of the month. In spite of my aversion to freezer cooking sessions, I still have a relatively full upright freezer full of meals for busy nights. How is this possible? I'll tell you.

I fill the freezer with meals by incorporating freezer cooking into my normal routine.

First, I don't plan out elaborate meals with the exact side dishes, deserts, etc. Rather, I supply the freezer with meal basics that can be mixed and matched. Some examples might included a cooked turkey breast, slices of meat loaf, glazed carrots, bean dishes, pot pies and baked pasta dishes.

Second, I keep the freezer stocked with plenty of frozen vegetables that can round out a meal and be microwaved in minutes. Frozen corn, broccoli, peas, green beans and more can be prepared quickly with a little salt and butter or a bit of shredded cheese.

Third, I incorporate the freezer cooking into my regular meal preparation. Since I have to cook anyway, it doesn't take much more effort to make extra and freeze it. The dishes, bowls and pots are no dirtier, and cooking everything in the oven at once uses the same amount of electricity as cooking a single meal. Today, for example, I prepared and cooked four ground turkey meat loaf loaves. When they came out of the oven and cooled for a bit, I covered one and put it in the refrigerator for tonight's dinner. The other three, I cut into slices before freezing them on a cookie sheet. Later I'll pop the slices into freezer bags for longer storage.

How do you freezer cook?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

Related Articles:

Throw A Freezer Shower!

Foods that Don't Freeze Well

Flattening Your Freezer Cooking

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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Lessly (57396) 30 Apr 2008 12:15 PM

Thank you for the article! I have been trying to incorperate freezing cooking into our home. I have Tag'd this :)

Mary Ann Romans (26876) 30 Apr 2008 02:12 PM

Thanks for reading Lessly. let me know how it goes! I'll post some more strategies, soon.

Heidi (5269) 30 Apr 2008 03:44 PM

I started doing this when I was pregnant with my son to save me from having to cook during those early days when rest was a huge priority! Now I love the convenience of having a home cooked meal ready to "heat and serve" whenever I don't feel like cooking! I recommend it to all of my friends if for no other reason than it's cheaper and healthier than ordering a pizza on those "tired" nights!

Mary Ann Romans (26876) 30 Apr 2008 05:54 PM

Having freezer meals on hand when you have a newborn is a great idea! Have you tried making pizza crusts for the freezer? This way you can enjoy your pizza fast and load it with healthy ingredients!

jonesx6 (1606) 01 May 2008 03:28 AM

Mary Ann, As you know we have three big boys here that like to eat. When they were little I was able to do what you do but now that they are big I can't. It seems I need to make more food to fill them. An example would be that I used to be able to use a 1.3 pounds of ground turkey for any dinner. Now, I've got to use over 2 pounds of turkey to feed the family. With food prices so high I am only able to buy enough food for the week. I did a mini freezer cooking day in March and I used our income tax money to buy the supplies for that. lol Great ideas!! I used to make extra spaghetti sauce and meatballs to throw in the freezer. That was always a good no fail meal to pop out of the freezer. Laura

Mary Ann Romans (26876) 01 May 2008 04:15 AM

I don't know what I am going to do when I have teenagers. The 4 loaves of meat loaf I made yesterday required 6 pounds of ground turkey, which I purchased on sale. I find that the 3 pound packages are less expensive than the 1.3 or 1.5 pounds even at retail price. That should give you three meals for your particular family: one to eat and two to freeze. And, I use six cups of stuffing mix (along with the other ingredients).