This time of year I am always looking for ways to make dinnertime easier. With our Fall sports getting ready to gear back up and with school on the horizon, it is a busy time for many families–including my own. One of the ways I like to make dinner easier is to plan ahead and take advantage of these easy freezer cooking tips.
How many of you are familiar with Freezer Cooking or Batch cooking? How many of you actually do it? Freezer cooking is when you prepare a meal and then freeze it to eat at a later date. Lots of moms do freezer cooking where you cook lots of meals all in one day and then freeze them, but lets be honest, I don’t have time to give up a whole day just to cook meals, no matter how easy it makes my life later that month. Instead, I do my freezer cooking a different way so that it doesn’t take me the entire day.
Freezer Cooking Tips
Sometimes I do plan ahead and make a few easy meals that I know my family loves and freeze them but more often than not I just make extras when cooking and then freeze the extras.
For instance, I do this every time I make meatballs. Instead of just making enough for one dinner I make between 3 and 1o lbs at a time. I cook them as usual and then just let them cool and then pack them away in Ziploc freezer bags.
I also make batches of sauce and freeze them the same way. That way when I need a quick and easy dinner I just need to pull the meatballs and sauce out of the freezer and we have a great, homemade meal in minutes!
- Make Ahead Freezer Meals
- Baked Lasagna
- 30 Minute Chili
- Meatballs
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup–freeze everything but the noodles. Add noodles when reheating.
- Chicken Marsala–just follow the recipe to the point where you put the chicken in the oven. At that point you can just freeze and when you are ready to eat it defrost and bake.
I do this for lots of meals, including breakfast. For instance I pre-make muffins and breakfast burritos so I always have a healthy and quick breakfast on hand.
Make Ahead Breakfast Meals
Does this sound overwhelming? It truly isn’t and once you get the hang of making extras or prepping a few meals in advance you will love the convenience of having breakfast, lunch of dinner at your fingertips every day. Freezer cooking is great because you can buy items when they are on sale or buy large quantities and make multiple dinners. It cuts down on leftover waste as well and on those busy nights where you would be tempted to swing through the drive through or grab dinner on the go you won’t have to because you have a meal in the freezer.
and Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites: More Great Recipes That Save You Time and Money from the Inventors of the Ultimate Do-Ahead Dinnertime Method
.How about you? Do any of you do freezer cooking? Does it help you save money too?
Healthy Blueberry Muffins recipe
I don’t freeze meals usually but I was talking to my mom recently about it. This would make those quick meal time nights way easier and healthier!
I really need to do more of this during the winter months, when I have more time to cook. Thanks for sharing these great tips with everyone!
Some great ideas! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up and don’t forget to leave a comment at the party – Next week’s features that also leave a comment get pinned and tweeted!
Thanks for the ideas! I love to cook for the freezer, and appreciate it on those days that we are running late. I buy meat on sale, and in bulk just for this purpose. I think you are right on when you mention the key is making extra of a dish you are already preparing, and this takes a lot of the ‘extra’ work out.