Ya’ll? I really love having a freezer full of meals ready to just be tossed in the oven, but let me let you in on a little secret. I absolutely hate taking an entire day and doing nothing but freezer cooking. Really. It may very well be one of my least favorite things to do and that is coming from someone who absolutely loves to cook and bake. With that said though, having my freezer full of yummy goodness is a must have in our house. I don’t spend hours cooking and I still have a freezer full of freezer meals.
How to Fill Your Freezer Without Once a Month Cooking
The thing is? I really do love cooking. Baking is actually one of my favorite things to do and yes, there is a difference between baking and cooking, but even though I love to do them, that doesn’t mean I want to spend 4 or more hours chopping, mixing and making up dishes. Instead, I do it the lazy persons way because let’s be real? I’m so lazy sometimes that it isn’t even funny. Well, it’s either that I’m really lazy or that I’m really busy and need to find shortcuts for the majority of the the things that I do in life. Yeah. I’m sure that’s it.
Related: Freezer Cooking Recipes
Now don’t get me wrong. You’ll still need the same supplies that you would if you were doing once a month cooking. I personally use these foil pans with lids and love them. They make things a lot easier and yes, they are sturdy enough to be washed out once and reused. You may need to buy lids again but that will save you money over having to re-buy the whole shebang. You’ll also want to have plenty of freezer bags and a sharpie on hand too so that you can store what doesn’t go into the casserole pans and can label things with directions and dates.
Once you’ve got your supplies, its time to start cooking. No, not all at once, but like your normally do. Instead of spending a day or two doing nothing but cooking, just cook your normal meals with one exception.
Make double.
Yay! There’s the “secret!” No really. When you’re cooking your normal meals, make double and prepare one to be frozen. It won’t fill your freezer in a single day, but it will fill your freezer without making you exhausted and overwhelmed. Each time you make a meal, make double and freeze half. After 30 days of cooking, you’ll have 30 meals frozen with very little extra work.
I will grant you this. It isn’t a quick fix, but honestly? Traditional once a month cooking overwhelms me and I’m betting it does a lot of you too. I also really don’t have time to mess with one day where I take so many hours out to do what I’ve already worked into my schedule. Cooking is already worked into my daily schedule so why shouldn’t I use that time to cook for the following month. Having the freezer stocked slowly with those meals allows me to have a meal for when I’m running late or not feeling well and building it slowly allows me to fill the freezer with awesomeness.
Do you prefer the once a month method or are you like me and prefer the slow way?
Good morning, Stacy,
I love to cook and bake; however, my back refuses to allow prolonged cooking sessions. What I will do for baking is set up pans with parchment paper using spring clips from my office supply (soak in soapy water and use baby toothbrush to clean, then rinse well and use blow dryer to dry) to hold the paper in place. I then measure out all dry ingredient for the recipe in a bowl, then let butter and eggs come to room temp overnight. Using mix master or Cuisinart that is ready to use, mix and pour into pans. Oven should be preset. Get out cooling racks, clean up kitchen and have hot pot glove at the ready.
With cooking, I will wash, peel, grate, dice and chop while watching TV (at least I’m sitting down!) and prep everything the night before. Easy to make on you own schedule.
Note: Please put recipe on counter by the stove.