Freezer Cooking 101: Save Time and Money with Freezer Meals

If I had to pinpoint the number one money and time saver in my life, it would be freezer cooking. Freezer meals are the best things since sliced bread around here {which you can also freeze for the record}. Yes, it is a lot of work upfront, but that work pays you back each time you look at your bank account and each time you pull a freezer meal out and have a hot, home cooked meal in a fraction of the time. Freezer cooking is totally awesome.

Why Should You Freeze? I know a lot of people are overwhelmed even thinking about it. Your kitchen will be a disaster, there’s a large upfront cost to consider and you’ll be a slave to your kitchen all day. Trust me when I say, once you fill your freezer with easy to prepare meals, there’s no going back. You’ll be hooked.

It’s awesome for when I’m so busy I completely space dinner. It’s awesome for that surprise “oh by the way, so and so is coming for dinner.” It’s awesome for those long days spent in the garden when the last thing I want to do is spend time in the kitchen. It’s awesome for when I fly off on an adventure and leave the rest of the fam home to fend for themselves. It’s awesome on days I simply have no desire to cook.

Open freezer, pull out meal, follow simple instructions and BAM, dinner is served.

How Much Should You Freeze? Go big or go home I say. Because you’ll already be stuck in an apron for hours and the dishes will be piling up in your sink, make it count. Prepare as many meals as you can in one day. Research your recipes {I’ve included a bunch I love below}, have all your steps planned out and your ingredients on hand, and go to town.

Many people like to bribe friends, spouses or kids to help them. I say if they are ever going to benefit from eating one of those tasty freezer meals, they can roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty! Plus it helps to pass the time faster. And if you don’t trust them to cook, you can always enlist their help with the cleanup!

What Should You Freeze? You can check out my Complete List of Freezer Meal Recipes here. There are pretty pictures for all you visual readers {like me!}, so you can see what looks awesome to you before clicking through to the recipe. I lean towards one-dish meals and casseroles, and I always think of how a dish will freeze before adding it to my list. But in addition to all those main dish meals, you can go crazy and freeze desserts, smoothies and cinnamon rolls in a snap!

Another big time saver is prepping and freezing meats and sauces and in advance. I order most of my meat in bulk from Zaycon foods, so I end up with pound after pound of meat to process, cook and freeze. I’ll throw a bunch in the crockpot and season, chop and shred it in preparation for future meals. So in addition to having already fully prepared meals, I’ll save myself tons of time by having the meat completely ready for other non-freezer meal recipes!

How Should You Freeze It? I stick mainly to freezer bags and foil pans {I buy mine at Costco, but I’ve heard some dollar stores sell them as well}. I like the foil pans because they don’t tie up my nice Pyrex dishes and I love freezing in plastic bags because I’ve perfected the art of freezing and stacking those bags to utilize space.
The most important thing is to make sure your meals are completely sealed or properly wrapped, so they’ll keep in the freezer. And make sure you clearly label and date all of your meals. No one wants to eat a 4 year old mystery meal!

So now that you know how awesome freezer cooking is and you have some of my tips and tricks up your sleeve, what are you waiting for? Get out there and freeze something!

~Mavis

Links to freezer pans I commonly use:

• Aluminum Foil Pan Containers with Lids 8.5″ x 6″ x 3″ 
• Aluminum Foil Deep Pans 9″ x 13″
• Round 9 Inch  Aluminum Foil Pans with lids 

Find More of My Freezer Meal Recipes