This week, I have been busy stocking my freezer with meals. I was inspired to better utilize my freezer over the fridge, after watching Jess's video about how you can freezer cook without a deep freeze. Jess's tips are great for getting your feet wet in freezer cooking.
Baked Ziti (It was pretty easy because I just doubled the recipe when I was making it for dinner one night.)
Honey Baked Pizza Dough (makes 4 crusts)
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
3 pounds of browned beef (divided into one pound bags)
3 portions of cooked chicken breast (for three separate meals)
Shredded Mozzarella (We shredded it, divided it into 2 cup portions, and put the small bags of cheese into a large freezer bag.)
Breakfast Sandwiches (This is a super easy breakfast for hubby. These cook in the toaster oven for about 20 minutes. This makes enough for two work weeks.)
Still Left to Make:
Refried Beans
No Bake Energy Bites (x 3) I keep making these, but they are eaten so quickly. I may need to hide some in the freezer.
Other items in my freezer:
Organic Cherries and Berries for smoothies (bought on clearance)
Frozen Bananas (for smoothies)
1 pack cooked black beans (cooked in CP)
1 organic can grape juice
1 can limeade
2 loaves of store-bought bread bought on clearance (used for toast)
2 loaves of sprouted,organic bread, on clearance (my treat- for toast. I love it toasted and then topped with mashed avocado, with a dash of salt and pepper)
Shredded Cheddar
I used to buy the shredded cheese at the grocery store. This was our first time shredding a 5 lb block. Since shredded cheese contains cellulose(wood pulp), we figured it was well worth about 10-20 minutes of our time to shred it ourselves.It tastes a lot better and I was able to fill many more baggies with cheese, than with the pre-shredded variety.
Each summer, we usually have a large harvest of tomatoes, much more than we could use at one time. I am excited about making this freezable tomato sauce with my fresh garden tomatoes.
A Few Freezer Cooking Tips:
1.Start small. Don't overwhelm yourself with making 30 meals in one day. Try doubling casseroles and freezing one portion for another night. Waffles, cookie dough, and pizza dough are easy to double or triple.I divided my list of freezer meals into seven days worth of managable tasks.
2. Start with a plan. Create a grocery list and a menu plan of freezer meals, even if you are starting with one or two meals.There is nothing more frustrating than running out of an ingredient during a cooking session.
3. Use as many "kitchen helpers" as you can. Bread machines, crockpots, and waffle irons can be great assets in the kitchen. Let your kitchen helpers multi-task for you. A bread machine can be whipping up dough, a crockpot may be making chicken stock, while you are free to make waffles in the waffle iron. Work smarter, not harder.
4. To save freezer space, don't freeze pans for each individual dish. The mold technique allows you to use a minimal amount of freezer space. With this technique, you only use a dish while you freeze that particular meal. Afterwords, you remove the meal from the dish, allowing you to save room and to use the dish again. If you are serious about freezer cooking, you may want to invest in a Seal-A-Meal. A more frugal option is to use a freezer bag, and to remove excess air from it with a straw.
5. Freezer Cooking is a great way to save money. Instead of buying beef each week, when the price will fluctuate, you can stock up on it when it is at a rock bottom price. Freezer cooking allows me to cook all of my meat at once, rather than heating up the oven and stovetop, multiple times, throughout the week.
Do you freezer cook? I would love to hear your tips!
Helpful Freezer Inspiration Links:
The Happy Housewife's Bulk Cooking Videos She inspired me to make a whole chicken in the crock pot and to make my own chicken stock. Great inspiration here!
Stocking the Freezer @ Annie's Eats
Space,Time,and Money Saving Freezer Tips
Erin's Freezer Meals
Freezable Foods
Tammy's Freezer Tips
This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays.
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