If you’re looking to make 2014 a year with less stress and more time to focus on the things that really matter, you’ll enjoy this series. I’m sharing easy ways to simplify your life, and this week we’re focusing on routines.
This past year, I’ve incorporated the routine of making freezer meals, and boy has it made my life easier! You see, I really hate to cook. I love entertaining, and going all out for a few special occasions a year. But when it comes to cooking dinner every day, I’d almost rather stick a fork in my eye than a pot roast. So we resorted to a lot of fast food and convenience meals so I wouldn’t have to cook as much. Not good for the budget or the body.
I tried once-a-week cooking, when I’d cook 5-6 meals on a Sunday. I challenged myself to use all 4 stove burners, the oven and microwave simultaneously so I could cook the most food in the least time. That method was OK, but we tend to forget about leftovers in our family, so more food got wasted than I was happy with. Also, food just doesn’t take as good once it’s been reheated.
I looked into freezer meals, where you cook a huge amount of food and freeze it in meal-sized portions. But that seemed like DOUBLING my cooking time, not reducing it. Plus, you’ve got the whole doesn’t-taste-as-good-when-reheated factor. Then a good friend of mine turned me onto the idea of uncooked freezer meals when she started her Wildtree business. They have wonderful spices and herb blends, all natural and MSG-free. If you’re looking to make delicious meals using healthy, natural ingredients, I definitely recommend Wildtree.
After trying uncooked freezer meals for a few weeks, I was hooked! Since I’m freezing them raw, I don’t recook anything. I decided to concentrate on crockpot freezer meals, since I don’t want to wait an hour for dinner after I get home at 6pm. My kids (and I) get cranky when we’re hungry, and we want food now! I can toss a meal into the crockpot in the morning, and it’s ready when we walk in the door. If we’re home that day, I can start it around lunchtime and have a tasty meal by dinner. The best part is, I don’t even have to thaw them first! They take another hour or so, but I can throw them in frozen and they still taste great.
I make one batch of each new recipe to make sure we like it. The ones that pass the preschooler test get made again, this time in bulk. 15-20 meals gets us through a month, since we supplement with spaghetti or other fresh meals, and do eat out or have dinner at my parents’ house once or twice a week.
Now, I basically spend one afternoon a month making freezer meals. I make 3-4 batches of each recipe. Here’s my basic process.
- Collect your recipes. Two of my favorite sites are A Year of Slow Cooking and WhoNeedsaCape.com.
- Decide how many batches of each recipe you’ll make. The more batches, the easier your prep will be, but the less variety you’ll have in your meals.
- List your ingredients. Remember to multiply your amounts by the number of batches you’re making! And you won’t find teaspoons on the packages; you’ll need to convert to ounces/pounds.
- Go shopping.
- Prepare all batches of one recipe at a time, then move onto the next. This eliminates clutter and confusion, making the process faster. I put everything in gallon zip-top freezer bags. Make sure you squeeze out all the air to reduce freezer burn.
- Label each bag with the name of the meal, cooking directions, and the date. Use a Sharpie marker, because anything else will rub off and you’ll end up eating Mystery Meals 😉
- Freeze and enjoy all month long!
Be sure to make a list of what you’ve made so you remember to eat them! Tomorrow I’ll post about meal planning, which has also simplified my life tremendously, and is only possible for me because of freezer meals.
Have you tried freezer meals, or any other bulk-meal preparation? Leave a comment and let me know how it went!
