Freezer Meal Ideas and Tips

I've been working on putting together my collection of photographs to photo-commemorate the year 2012, and was thinking of posting it today.  The pictures, for the most part, are images of very adorable children, smiling parents, and loveliness all around.  However...  given that today was one of the most difficult days of the past six years, it seemed a little hypocritical and ridiculous to put my "awesome family life in 2012" post up today.  (If you live in the Eastern half of the United States, it's very possible that you heard the echos of my immature outburst, the gist of which was, "I can't take this anymore."  Around 10am?  Yeah, that was me.)

So instead of completely misrepresenting the kind of day I had by posting something similar to a Color Me Happy Year in Review, and without actually talking about today because that dirty laundry isn't ready to be aired -----------

I decided to respond to the request of a few friends (hey, gals!) and pass on some ideas and recipes for frozen meals.

Some random thoughts to consider:

* I usually set aside three or four weekends for major cooking.  (usually in Nov.)

* I raid my recipe box and pull out everything that I'd like to make, then divide the recipes up into piles according to the weekend they'll be made.  I try to lump like items together - soups, casseroles with similar ingredients, meals with chicken, meals with ground beef, crock-pot meals... however you want to divide it up.

* I use the recipes to create a shopping list for each round of meals.

* I buy lots of extra gallon-size freezer bags and aluminum casserole trays at the Dollar Store.  I also buy Dollar Store tupperware if they have larger sizes available.  (I usually double bag the bags, just to be safe.)

* For soups especially, or for any meals that require a lot of veggie and onion chopping before you cook, I often have a "chopping night"  and enlist my husband's help.  I'll chop all the veggies and meat the night before and put them in ziploc bags so they're ready to go the next day.  For some soups, all the ingredients go in the pot at the same time, so they all go into one large ziploc.  But if a recipe needs the onions added first, for example, I'll put the rest of the veggies in a big bag, and the onions in a smaller bag within the larger bag.  I just like to keep everything as easy as possible for the cooking day.  Don't forget to label these bags too!
*  Don't make unnecessary dirty dishes for yourself.  Why use two pans when you could use one???   If you're making beef chili and shepherd's pie within a couple days of each other, cook all your ground beef together in one pan.  Then you can divide out what you need to use right away and what needs to go in the fridge for later.  Same with chicken, potatoes, etc...  (easy every-one-already-knows-this tip: if I cook more ground beef than I need - which I usually do - I freeze the extra to add to spaghetti sauce for an easy last-minute meat-sauce night.  Just a little review from Freezer Food 101.)  

* I usually make double of everything, except for recipes I know we all love.  Those I may quadruple.  When I freeze meals, most things I freeze are intended only to feed my family of 6 (wow!  I can't believe I can say 6, because the baby eats table food now!!)  Some casseroles I've made in the past and so I know the recipe leaves me with tons of leftovers, so I will make a double batch but divide it into three aluminum pans.  Perfect size meals for our family.  I do freeze some bigger meals to use if we have company.  I will label those bags/pans accordingly, so that I don't have to wonder which meals are the larger sizes later on.

* Don't forget to label your meals going into the freezer with instructions of how to defrost, cook, serve, etc...  

I can't think of anything else right now.  I have put some of the favorite recipes to freeze on the "Recipe" page up top. I can't wait to hear what you try!  And, if you have any fabulous recipes for freezing and feeding to hungry families, send them this way.  I love trying new ones!

Finally, if you're anxious to see 2012 in photos, check back in a couple days when it won't be so "off the mark" to post it!  I'll be *trying* to link it up with Dwija at House Unseen!  

My beautiful, wonderful freezer

No more cooking for me for quite a while because I'm DUH-UN.  (that's done with an emphasis, ok?)

My freezer is stocked.  It's beautiful.  Here, take a look...

Meals, meals, meals !  Soups, chili, casseroles.  The bottom pull-out drawer is all home made applesauce and berries we froze from summertime picking.   In the door is what's left of our freezer jam, frozen pumpkin breads (yum!), and of course - my Perry's Pumpkin Pie ice cream.   What did you expect ???  It's limited edition, so I have to stock up on my favorite flavor while it's in stores :)  

It's so beautiful it's almost a shame to start removing meals from it thus diminishing the stockpile.  But I'll get over that pretty quickly.  You know there are few things I like more than pulling a ready-to-go homemade dinner out of my freezer.  If my estimations are correct I won't be doing much cooking until mid to late  February. (we do planned leftovers.)    That was how far we got last winter before I had to cook up a second round.  Last year's second round conveniently came a few weeks before the birth of our fourth baby.  I was nesting in high gear and was able to channel all that prenatal hyper-energy into my cooking.  I actually made three months worth of meals in about 5 minutes.  Sadly, this year I may not approach the second round with the same gusto.  

So, what will I do with all of my new-found late afternoon/early evening spare time?  Stop. Right. There.  Let's not kid ourselves - just because I don't have to make dinner doesn't mean I suddenly have "spare time."  

Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I'm in a place in my life where even if a few hours were actually added on to the end of every day, I still wouldn't feel the effects of "spare time."  There is always more to be done.  However, it is my hope (and part of the plan) that in those last few hours of each afternoon I will not feel the stress and distraction that comes with preparing a hot and healthy meal while supervising (and sometimes entertaining) four littles.  I hope we'll be able to complete more craft projects, finish more puzzles, paint more pictures, read more stories, build more marble tracks, construct more forts, go on more excursions.  What a gift to my family (and to myself!) to be able to say, "Sure, we can do that.  Dinner's already made!"  

An Annual Frozen Meal Exchange

How long do you have to do something for it to be considered a tradition or to earn the title "annual" event.  Does five years count?  Or does it lie in the intention to continue for years into the future?  It's probably a combination, right?  In that case, I think I've started a tradition.  It's an annual frozen meal exchange.  And at the risk of sounding prideful, let me just say that I'm proud of this event.  It's truly become one of those favorite Fall activities that I love to look forward to. (to which I love to look forward???  Oh, you prepositions!)

Five years ago I was expecting my second child.  My due date was in late November.  Many of my friends were also expecting their second baby that Winter or the following Spring.  I think some of us felt a sense of  impending doom - the cold, the snow, new babies... "We're never going to see each other again!!"  I recall sitting at my computer, probably some time in mid October, ready to type an email inviting this group of ladies to join me for a holiday cookie exchange in the hopes that we'd get to hang out one last time before Summer '08.  At that time, I had already begun freezing a few meals in preparation for the postpartum fog.  And I knew that the last thing I needed in the house was cookies. It hit me - what if we exchanged dinners???  That was what I really needed.

So we did it!  I invited six other women.  Everyone participated and so we all went home with seven frozen dinners.   We have done it for five years!  I think for three of those years we've had all seven families, and this year was the first time we were down to five.  But, I have every intention of continuing on as long as I have willing participants.

Here are the benefits to participating in a Fall frozen meal exchange:

- You have lot of pre-made meals at an especially busy time of the year (we usually try to do the exchange in the weeks before Thanksgiving).

- You may save a measure of money in buying bulk ingredients for mass producing your particular meal choice.

- You get to serve your family delicious meals that you may not have ever made yourself.  Variety is good, right?

- You may hit upon a great meal that your family likes so much you add it to your own regular meal rotation.

- The participants get to socialize and spend time together while also gathering tons of food to take home to the hungry hordes.  It kind of feels like grocery shopping, only better.  

- And did I mention that you have a lot of pre-made meals in your freezer, ready to defrost (or toss in a crock-pot) and eat whenever you want???

The cons:

- You have a lot of prep and cooking to do at once.  I mean, you are making full meals for for seven families at once :)  (But, you were going to have to cook a meal for your family anyway, why not just make a little lot more of it.)

Let's look at those lists again.  The benefits clearly outweigh the drawbacks.  

So, you want to start a frozen meal exchange?

(Reality check... "Theresa, about 5 people read your new blog.  Three of them are your family members and the other two probably are already part of your meal exchange.  You've had a blog for about week and your inspiration intended for busy moms everywhere is mostly falling on deaf ears...or more precisely, no ears at all.)  Ok, so then for my own benefit, I'll lay it out:

- Invite your participants.  I like seven families.  It's a lot of meals and you're sure to get a good variety.  Don't forget, adding even more families may mean more meals and variety, but it's also more meals that you have to prepare.  It's one thing to be a little crazed and stressed while preparing seven meals, but it's another thing to drop to the floor, unconscious, trying to make meals for 10, 11, 15, however-many families at a time.  

- Choose families of a similar size.  When our group began we all had two adults and one small child.  This year the five participating families (all from the original group) are each up to four children!  The kiddos range from 3 months to 8 years old, and they were all at my house (except for two)!

- Choose families that have similar eating habits and tastes as yours.  Be aware of dietary restrictions and/or allergies and decide if the group will be able to work around them.  It may not be wise to include a family that follows a diet that's not in line with the other families.  However, we have a good example of how this can work... After the first exchange, the husband of my very good friend adopted a fat free vegan diet.  The family still participates though b/c some of the other moms are willing (and able) to adjust their meals to fit his diet, and the meals that are not adjusted are still suitable for the rest of her family.  And - bonus!  We all get to sample and benefit from the fat free vegan meals our friend brings to the exchange.

-Try to dialogue ahead of time about what each mom is going to bring so that you don't accidentally end up with three or four of the same meal.  The meals I've made have been potato cheddar and broccoli soup, beef and bean chili, Mexican chicken casserole, sausage and sauerkraut casserole, and cilantro lime chicken tacos.  Meals from others that I can remember are shepherd's pie, assorted quiches, white chicken chili, beef and barley soup, breakfast burritos, you get the idea.  

- Host the event.  Instruct everyone to being meals in containers they will not need back - plastic gallon bags, aluminum casserole pans, Dollar Store tupperware, etc...  Attach the following info to the meal: what it is, your name, defrost/cooking instructions, and the recipe.  

That's it!  Have fun!  

As I mentioned, I intend to continue our meal exchange for as long as it makes sense for us.  The past five years the meal exchange has been so fun, and it's such a practical way to prepare for the busy holiday season (and to help good friends do the same.)  My only regret is that I haven't taken a picture of the group every year to chronicle the event and the growing families of my friends.  Perhaps that's a new tradition I'll have to start at our Sixth Annual Frozen Meal Exchange.