Freezer meals!

This is a totally random posting compared to most of my other ones, but I have had a lot of requests to know how my freezer cooking project is going! So I am going to update you on what I have found so far and what has or hasnt worked for us!

If you dont know what this is, the idea of it is to take a day and do all your cooking and prepping for all your meals for a set time. My goal is to be able to do all the cooking in 1-2 days for the month. This is my first cooking attempt at trying to reach that goal so I cant tell you yet if I reached it! Some of the recipes I am using come from the book Don't Panic Dinner is in the Freezer, and some are recipes I have already had. Part of the concept is to take one batch of ingrediants and make as many meals as possible with it. Its important to do a couple things right off the bat with this. 1. BE REALISTIC! Dont make a bunch of meals you wont eat! Everyone has their own preference. Dont be afraid to try new things, but dont feel you need to change how you eat too. You can always change a recipe to suit your need, or just dont use it! 2. FOOD WASTE! Change portions, double or triple recipes based on the amount your family needs, not just what is listed. All the recipes I will list will be based on my family size which is 2 adults and 2 kids (one of which doesnt eat much so I usually plan a pretty small amount for her!), plan based on what you will use! I keep extra plain meat in the freezer so I can always add to a recipe if company shows up, or it you double or triple meals just pull out a couple bags.

I plan my weekly meals by picking the meal then breaking down the items. Sometimes I alter meals a little to make items fit. The rule of thumb I use is plan 5 meals for 7 days. That way you have 2 days for leftovers, or the lazy pbj night! I am going to list the meals I have planned and then if you are interested in specific recipes, you can message me and I will get you the recipe for it! There are certain things that are always made the same, if a recipe calls for ground beef, I use ground beef, green peppers, and onion. SO, I cook up 3-5 lbs ground beef at a time and divide it up in bags for casseroles or spaghetti. I also do the same with a big batch of taco meat and use it for tacos or to top twice baked potatoes.

Recipes I cooked:

Twice baked potatoes (ten pound bag)

Spaghetti

Several different types of marinaded chicken or pork chops for grilling

Cherokee casserole and green bean casserole

Cranberry chicken

Cheesey Chicken bundles

Chicken Caccatori

Chicken enchiladas

Honey pork chops

Steak picada

As of writing this I still have several recipes to finish up, I am about halfway through but I started so late I cant finish tonight! I will finish up tomorrow afternoon. I also have Creamy wild rice soup and Chicken tortilla soup that I will use some of what i have already cooked to add to it. I also keep several types of unseasoned uncooked meat in the freezer for hamburgers, or to add to other recipes if I need to stretch them or as back ups.

This is the start! If you want to know more about a recipe, let me know or have questions, I will try to answer them! I am learning as I go along myself, but so far I am saving about 1/2 what I normally spend on groceries because you can shop sales on meat etc. You are cooking and freezing it right away, so if the expiriation date is only a few days away its ok.