My Plan for Stocking the Freezer
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source: Steve Wampler
Wow, you all had some great suggestions in response to the question, “What are your favorite freezer meals?” If you haven’t read through those comments yet, you’ll definitely want to!
I finalized my plan for stocking my freezer with 6 weeks+ of meals for after the baby’s born, and I’m excited to get started. I thought I’d share my list with you in case anyone else is looking for ideas:
Breakfasts
:: Muffins (batches of 10): apple, banana, pumpkin, blueberry, morning glory
:: Pancakes (batches of 12)
:: French toast (batches of 10)
:: Waffles (batches of 10)
:: Apples (chopped up, to be added to oatmeal)
:: Cereal (in the pantry)
Lunches
:: Chicken noodle soup (in individual portions)
:: Corndog muffins (batches of 8 )
:: Spaghetti pizza (frozen in half pizza portions)
:: Chili (in individual portions)
:: Ham & cheese pockets
:: Chicken fingers
:: Pizza roll-ups
:: Macaroni and cheese*
:: Tomato noodles*
*Thanks to Sati for sharing this great tip, which I think will be very useful on days that balancing 4 little ones under 5 years old doesn’t leave any time for lunch prep: “My favorite thing to freeze for a variety of meals is cooked plain spaghetti noodles. Freeze them in individual portions. You can put the bag in boiling water for 30 seconds to thaw and heat then add sauce of your choice, or butter and garlic, etc.”
Dinners
:: Chicken for tacos/quesadillas
:: Meatballs for spaghetti and/or subs (thanks, Whimsy Girl!)
:: Spaghetti meat sauce*
:: Chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing (thanks, Allegra!)
:: Cheeseburgers
:: Sausage patties and/or sausage balls (thanks, Whitney!)
:: Pizza
:: Baked ziti
:: Lasagna*
:: Meatloaf
*I can’t wait to try Bekki’s tip for cooking large batches of ground beef: “I also cook all of my ground beef at once in a big stock pot. Just add a 1/2 cup or cup of water to the pot and I have done 15 pounds at once.”
Making it Happen
I know that a lot of people stock their freezers by simply doubling each recipe they make and freezing half of it. Usually I’m too busy during the week to even want to think about making extra, and I much prefer to just set aside cooking days. The exception to that is usually breakfast foods, which I don’t mind doubling nearly as much.
My plan is to make all of the breakfast foods over the next 3 months, doubling or tripling the batches to get a few extra meals out of each. My mom is going to come one Monday a month to help me prepare most of the meals, and I’ll take one weekend near the end to prepare all of the no-cook things, such as the marinated chicken breasts and cheeseburgers.
I’m looking forward to having six weeks off from cooking (I’m not a great cook, and while I do enjoy baking, that’s about it) without forcing my family to eat plain rice or frozen dinners the entire time.
Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) Resources
:: Once a Month Mom (with new recipes, shopping lists and cooking plans each month!)
:: A Beginner’s Guide to Freezing Meals and the Basics of Food Storage, from Shaina at Food for My Family
:: Don’t Panic: Dinner’s in the Freezer and Don’t Panic: More Dinner’s in the Freezer (thanks, Karen!)
:: Vacuum Sealers, a must have for OAMC!
Thanks again for all of your tips and recipes!
LOVE this! I am a freezer stocking nut. Thanks for all of the links to recipes. I’m hoping to make the breakfast items on Monday.
I LOVE your new header and I have added your button to my site. Looks great, Mandi!
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This is quite an unhealthy way to eat… the more processed the stuff it, the less nutrients it has. And of course most of the pre-made packaged stuff is full of conservatives.
I mean, if you want to save time, why not just add more raw stuff ? I make mostly salads for lunches, that takes just a few minutes and they can be very filling.
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You are such a great planner Mandi! Good work!
I used to do freezer cooking before school resumed for several years. I would do a chicken day and a beef day and group my recipes that way. With the local locker, I could preorder my amount of fresh ground beef and really get good food for a good price. It was great to have so many dinners in the freezer when we were busy with school in the mornings. (Our main meal is noon.)
I’m glad your mom will come and help you with this. How wonderful!!
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I need to do this! Thanks for putting this out here for me to copy.
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[...] didn’t have school yesterday because my parents came to help me work on my freezer stock for our babymoon, so I’ll have to let you know how it goes this week. Obviously the key is [...]
I love the menu plan ideas! With 2 kids on football teams (2 games each week), a hubby that works full time and is working on his masters degree, and the various things I am involved in, stocking the freezer with meals the family will eat that are homecooked is a wonderful idea! In the past we have relied heavily on take out because we just don’t have a lot of time or are exhausted by the time we hit the door. I am excited about doing this. Thanks for all the great ideas (especially the link to the pizza roll ups, which my teenager will LOVE!).
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Nice menu, I may have to borrow it. I’m totally making those Corn Dog Muffins this weekend though.
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I love freezer cooking! I am totally going to steal this menu! Thanks for the great ideas. I do freezer cooking for suppers but never for breakfast. I am going to give that a shot.
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Mandi Ehman Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
As we’re getting towards the bottom of our stash, I am realizing that I have relied on the breakfasts and lunches even more than the dinners. I LOVE just being able to grab something for those meals!
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[...] :: I love freezer cooking, so check out Mandi’s site for her plan on stocking the freezer. [...]
Could you please provide the chicken marinade recipe? Or is it just italian dressing?
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Mandi Ehman Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 5:32 am
Yep, I just use italian dressing!
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