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| My freezer prior to cooking day (admittedly not very organized!) |
But this month, I decided to give it a shot. Of all the months in the year, it would be awesome to save time in December through freezer cooking! Here's how it went down...
My pre-cooking food supplies:
My recipe list included:
Lasagna
Enchilada filling (I used a slightly altered version of this recipe)
Chili
Black Bean Soup
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Taco Bake
Crockpot Salsa Chicken
Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts (simply chicken breasts marinated in italian dressing and stuffed with mozzarella!)
Exciting side-note: I used tons of fresh parsley from my container garden for the lasagna sauce! Love it. :)
I cooked primarily during nap-times, since I didn't have a sitter and my hubby was in class. The cooking was spread out throughout the day, but with a one year old underfoot, I certainly didn't cook all day (just trying to give you a time reference!). Here is the lasagna sauce, enchilada filling, and chili cooking on the stovetop:
The results?
Lasagna (2 large pans)
Black Bean Soup (x2)
Chili (x2)
Taco Bake (x3)
Crockpot Salsa Chicken (x2)
Enchilada Filling (x2)
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| A total of 13 meals! |
I didn't quite make it to the sweet potatoes or the mozzarella chicken breasts, but I'll tackle those later this week.
I was really encouraged to find that I can make freezer cooking work for me, even with my downsized kitchen space! I didn't tackle an entire month's worth of meals, but when you count the homemade frozen pizza dough I already have in the freezer, plus the frozen fish, we have at least 17 meals in there! That's a good chunk of my monthly cooking taken care of.
Linked to Homemaking Link-Up and Freezer Cooking Daze.
Way to go Alicia! 17 meals is quite impressive and you'll be loving it when you have those days "off"!!
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed! I would love to do freezer cooking, but I need quite a bit more room for it. I constantly store meats and breads in my freezer so there is literally no room. I am hoping some day when I have a garage I can get a seperate storage freezer for just this use. Good job!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how much food can fit into a freezer! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteWow! Very impressive!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! It's the only post I've found that actually includes all of the recipes and details that make it possible for me (also in a small kitchen/freezer) to feel enough courage to try it out! I have a new baby coming, and this is now sounding so exciting! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLooks delish!
ReplyDeleteStoring items in plastic bags is a huge space saver. Did you know putting the bags in something like an empty coffee can first (and turning the top over) makes filling the bags easier?
Great Job!!
That is great! Can I ask how much all of that cost?
ReplyDeleteTotally awesome!!! You'll be eating like a king and queen (and prince) and feeling rested since you don't have to cook and get the kitchen dirty and messy every night. :)
ReplyDeleteJoyce, all my groceries for this cooking day cost me around $120, including some extra frozen fish, the chicken for the mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts and our produce for the week. And some eggnog. :D All of that will make around 19 meals in my freezer, so it ends up being around $6/meal.
ReplyDeleteI did have some things on hand, which is always helpful (mostly canned goods).
I keep saying I am going to do this, and mean it! You've inspired me, and I don't even have the excuse of a small freezer.
ReplyDeleteOne day and 13 meals, that sold it for me!
This is such an inspiration. I think I might make a new years resolution to be more like you.
ReplyDeleteWow, amazing! I am going to host a Freezer Cooking Post every Monday! I would love for you to join in and Link up! I am looking forward to trying some of your recipes!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dealsanddishes.com/2011/01/freezer-cooking-onions-for-now-and.html
hello love this. i want to do this . where can i find these recipes and what kinds of pans did you use. did you bake the enchilada dish first?
ReplyDelete