Freezer Cooking Crazy?

When people hear that I love Freezer Cooking (Once a Month Cooking), the responses that I get are pretty much the same:
I hate to cook let alone cook for a whole day...
That seems like a lot of work...
I don't have time to cook that much- if I were a stay at home Mom I could...
It costs too much money...
Those are the most common responses and we'll CHAT about those each for a minute.

And then there are the folks that lock in and shout TELL ME MORE that make me excited that I found freezer cooking.

My Freezer after a January Cooking Session.  This makes me feel like a Proverbs 31 Girl!

First off, I have been freezer cooking for about 12 years. I used to cook ONE day a month and that was it.  Then baby 1 and 2 came within 6 months of each other (I <3 Adoption!) and life got very hectic.  I could NOT figure out how to spend an entire day cooking with a 2 year old and an infant- can you say major meltdown?!?  Then enter the 3rd baby several years later (SURPRISE!) and it clicked...do it in the evening.
So for about 3 and a half years I have learned to stock my freezer in smaller amounts of time.  Some days, I just make a triple batch of whatever I am cooking- taco meat, chili, chicken for fajitas, etc...  Lately, I find myself being more ambitious and cooking 30-40 meals in three to four days.  I am loving my freezer and the stress free meals it brings us. Hope this may help you.

The reason WHY is simple:  Mostly, because my family likes to eat every day. I know- SHOCKING!

The reasons why people are "afraid" of freezer cooking:

I Don't Like to Cook
The secret is I don't really enjoy cooking...guess that is not a secret anymore... I don't enjoy the process of cooking.  It always seems like a chore and when  you have to do it EVERY DAY, it feels like something that just never "gets done."  See, I like to feel "accomplished", and so when I spend an entire day in the kitchen (or a few evenings, depending on our schedule), I feel like I have something to show for my work.  It's perfect if you don't like to cook, but your family still likes to eat.

That Seems Like ALOT of Work
Well, YES, it is, but so is cooking starting from scratch every single day.   You see 5 pounds of meat = 5 meals, but still one pan used. If I brown meat every night, I have to wash that same pan 5 times- YUCK!  Plus, it's less dishes to clean up, because you are making more than 1 meal at a time...why brown 1 pound of meat when you can brown 5 in the same pan?  I am all about keeping it simple if I can.

I Don't Have Time to Cook That Much
I don't really have time to cook either.  With 3 girls, a hubby in school full time, working 3 days a week, helping my husband in children's ministry, we are very busy!!!!  What makes Freezer Cooking such a WIN is that when it is all done, all I have to do is pull it out of the freezer, put in the oven,crock pot, or reheat in the microwave, throw a couple sides together and dinner is SERVED! Since I am not having to be real "hands on" with dinner, other things can get done at the same time. (Normally it is homework at the dining room table.)

It's Too Expensive to Cook all at Once
The upfront cost seems like a lot at once- that is completely true. So, start with 2 weeks and see how you like it. Guaranteed, you will find yourself going through the drive thru or grabbing a pizza on the run a whole lot less.  And in case you haven't discovered, fast food is not cheap!  (When we go to Wendy's with our family of 5, it costs us around $20 and that is eating of the VALUE(???) Menu.  That same $20 will stretch to make 2  to 3 freezer meals! 

So...Are You Ready To Give Freezer Cooking  a Go?

The next time I freezer cook, I will take photos throughout the process to share with you.
By far, may favorite way to Freezer Cook is to do a Meal Swap. Get 3 or 4 friends and pick meals (4-5 is a nice number of meals) that you all want to have and then cook your 4 or 5 meals. Then SWAP with each other.  Make sense? When you are all finished and swapped, you have up to 20 meals and you only made a few different meals, just larger "batches."  Some swaps I know actually cook together.  That doesn't seem to work out for me, because we are all so busy.  This allows us to cook when it is convenient for each of us. (For me, it is after all 3 of my kiddos are in bed.  So I end up cooking 3 nights from 8:30 to Midnight or later.) 

Let me clue you in on the BEST thing I ever did for my freezer cooking...this program called Thirty Meals in One Day. 

This program has tons of recipes, plus you can add all of your favorites.  It figures out your grocery list, prints recipe cards, adjusts recipes if you want to make more than one at a time.  Then when you are all finished, it will print labels for you to stick on your food WITH cooking instructions once you pull it out of your freezer. GENIUS, I tell you.  (And they don't pay me...I just LOVE this program.)


Maybe this will help you, too.

Thanks for the CHAT today.