This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Vicki R., Heather Mullins, and Kelleen Potter!
When Crystal and I were soaking up the sunshine last month and talking up a storm about all things family, fun, and frugality, we thought it would be a great bonus to Freezer Cooking Days if we were able to offer a giveaway to help moms and other home managers in their meal planning efforts. We put out a call to three favorite bloggers who we knew had great resources for feeding the family. We were so pleased when they said yes.
This weekend we’ve got three very cool prizes to giveaway:
Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn, a mom of 10 and home manager extraordinaire, is an excellent primer for learning how to eat well on a budget. Earlier this week, Mary shared some of her tips for “once a month cooking.” You can read my full review of her book or visit her blog, Owlhaven for more helpful hints, but I promise you won’t be disappointed with this book. And one winner will win a copy of Family Feasts for $75 a Week!
Erin Chase, mother of three small boys, got a brilliant brainstorm about 18 months ago, prompting her to challenge herself to make no meal over $5 for her family. The end result? A popular blog and a cookbook chronicling that journey as well. Erin walks you through a number of strategies to help you lower the cost of your groceries at the same time as produce delicious and nourishing meals. She shared some of her freezer cooking tricks just the other day. I recently received a review copy and am eager to dig into it. Be watching for my review in the very near future. Another winner will win a copy of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook this week!
Stolen Moments Menu Planning is the brainchild of Kate Miller from A Simple Walk and Cooking During Stolen Moments. A mother to four young children, Kate knows firsthand how busy-ness can get in the way of homecooked meals. That’s where her meal planning service comes in to help the busy family. Subscribers to her email meal planning service receive menu plans tailored to their families’ likes and dislikes. Meal planning is a great way to save time, money, and energy, and it can work into freezer cooking quite nicely. A third winner will receive a one-year subscription to the Basic Plan.
Three prizes – three winners. And one of them could be you!
This giveaway will be open until Tuesday, February 2nd at 8 pm, PST. Winners will be chosen at random. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, telling us your opinion about freezer cooking.
Encouraged by what you’ve read? Subscribe to LifeasMOM by email or in a reader and join me on the Road to Joyful Motherhood.
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I think Freezer Cooking is a good idea. I have been cooking and then freezing meat for quite a while. It helps to be able to put meals together quickly. I also like to make large batches of baked goods and freeze the excess.
I started “freezer cooking” about a year ago. I was part of a freezer swap group then. Now, I just do it for myself, but it is a HUGE time saver!
I think freezer cooking is a great thing, both money-saving and time-saving!
I love the idea of freezer cooking and being new to weekly meal planning, I am trying to work it in to my planning!
I really like the idea of freezer cooking and think I need to look into how to do this more. I’m just concerned that I won’t use the meals I freeze as I don’t have a very good track record yet of thawing out the some of the thing I have frozen in the past. I must get better at this! I have Erin’s book (The $5 dollar dinner mom cookbook) already and I recommend it.
I LOVE freezer cooking – I tailor it to suit our family of 5 children, some months it’s more mixes, some months more casseroles and some months more main dishes (meats) but it saves SO MUCH time and energy!
I always try to have a few easy meals premade in the freezer for those days when you want to give up and just eat out.
Thanks for hosting a great giveaway!
I’ve never been real good about “freezer cooking”, but there’s a first for everything, right? Especially, since I’m expecting my first child here in the next couple weeks! I think the whole idea is really genius – I just don’t know where to start and what to make. Maybe if I win one of these awesome books, I can get some good tips!
I love freezer cooking! It makes life for the rest of the month so much easier!
I am all about freezer meals. I am actually in a monthly meal group…we all make 4 pans of a main dish and then freeze them. The second Tuesday of each month we meet and exchange…we walk away with 4 different meals to stick in our freezer and use on nights when we need to! IT IS THE BEST THING I HAVE Done in the last 2 years. When I make my meal I always make an extra pan or two of my dish for our freezer.
I have never before done freezer cooking, but I have read a lot about it this week and definitely want to give it a try. Where I live now, my fridge is just a little bigger than dorm size, but I have been creating a shopping list and recipe book for when we move in a few months.
Freezer cooking interests me very much – I have been reading about it since we had children over 7 years ago…. but unfortunately, I haven’t tried it yet! So need to – it would completely make the evenings go by so much smoother for me!
Opinion about Freezer Cooking? Is that a trick question?
I have yet to do a HUGE marathon-cook-all-day OAMC thing, but I’ve wanted to do it for about 5 years now. I just can’t seem to find that much time to get it done. Instead, I make a double or triple batch of something so I have one or two meals to freeze. I also cook multiple pounds of bacon, ground beef and chicken when on sale, and just freeze it cooked for easy meal prep. I don’t know how I’d function without my freezer.
i have never tried it. i am just learning about it. i like the idea behind it. i love to cook but their are those days when life gets to busy and we need a meal on the fly. i definitely am looking into.
I love to keep at least a couple of meals in the freezer at all times. They really come in handy on days where the thought of cooking makes me want to cry and they’re very hubby-friendly too! I’m trying to get in the habit of doubling recipes when I have a freezer-friendly meal and/or splitting a dish in half to freeze instead of trying to force everyone to eat leftovers.
This is always an area I could improve in. Please enter me in the drawing.
February will be my first freezer cooking month EVER! I am nervous and excited! I have been researching recipes that will suit my family! I think freezer cooking will be a lifesaver for our busy family! Thanks for the awesome opportunity!
I just started freezer cooking last month and have looooved it! my fav part is less dishes on a nightly basis once the big cooking portion is done!
I never really tried freezer cooking until I came across Money Saving Mom last year. I have been slowly trying to join the two of you on your Freezer Days and I have had lots of fun. This is my biggest attempt ever!
I like freezer cooking, but I can’t do it for every meal of the month. It helps to have a few “freezer to oven” meals stashed away in case I get behind and need a quick meal that does not involve a take out menu.
I would love to win one of these prizes. I have not really done any freezer cooking but I am hoping to learn more about it so I could try to save both time and money.
I have just recently started cooking meals in big batches at a time and it has made life so much easier. I’m not at the level that you gals are out, but the other day I cooked and shredded 3 lbs of chicken to put in the freezer, and I also made an extra pan of baked ziti while I was making dinner. With a little organization on my part, OAMC could make cooking so much easier!
I think it is wonderful. I always have homemade pizza dough and a couple of other ‘easy’ things in the freezer. Last year I spent quite a bit of time in the hospital with one of my twins and felt so bad that I left my husband and other son without any prepared food to eat. He fed my son hot dogs for days. I felt so bad. That is when I started to stock pile and freezer cook.
denise_22315 at yahoo dot com
I like the idea of freezer cooking and once a month cooking. I’m not so good about it in practice though. Trying to get better though!
I tried doing the once a month thing, but it didn’t work for me. Making an extra dinner and freezing it is handy though.
I’ve never tried it, but have been reading your and Money Saving Mom’s blogs for about 3 months and am really interested and motivated to try it!
I double a lot of our recipes and freeze the extra. I’ve never done a big day of cooking for us, but have for my daughter and her babyfood. Now that she’s old enough to eat table food, I’m hoping to starting doing oamc for us!
I love the idea of once a month cooking, but I’m a month behind and need to do my freezer/pantry challenge this month to make some room first. Then I’m going to give freezer cooking a shot.
I LOVE freezer cooking. I’ve tried doing it all at once and so far I haven’t figured out how to make that work great for me. What works best for me is to do batch cooking, where I make 3-4 of what I’m cooking anyway and freeze the other 2-3 meals for later. I would love to win one of these great prizes!!! Thanks for the giveaway!
I am just getting into freezer cooking, my main hold-up was not knowing what would freeze well or not, but I am slowly learning.
For me, freezer cooking works best when I do it in components. Meat in marinades, sauce and meat cooked for enchiladas, baking done for breakfasts and snacks. I’d love to do more casserole type stuff, but my family isn’t usually a big fan.
I love freezer cooking! My freezer of oven-ready meals is just about empty, so it’s time I restock. Just in time for Freezer Cooking Days I guess!
I am just looking into freezer cooking – have always felt very restricted by limited freezer space, and things that I do put in there have a tendency to “go bad” before we get around to them. I’m looking forward to seeing other folks plans, etc. for some inspiration!
I love freezer cooking….but want to have more recipes that my family will like
Doubling recipes and freezing half is a HUGE time and money saver—I just need a bigger freezer!
I did a lot of freezer cooking at the end of my pregnancy last year so I wouldn’t have to worry about dinner every night when our newborn came home. Now, I double meals and freeze them. I just budgeted to stock up this month and put a few more meals in the freezer to keep the Pizza Man from getting our money!
I did my first ever! freezer batch this last week… A week’s worth of meals {all casseroles} frozen plus a BRANana Bread made and eaten fresh.
Too good to freeze!
I’m loving the make and freeze but am not crazy about it all being casseroles as they are not so much good for you, at least what I’ve seen and made… So trying to incorporate/figure out how to make healthy meals and freeze for later. Also some non casserole meals…
Just found your blog today via Frugal Fun and Fortune’s!
Jessica Fisher Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I’m not making a single casserole this time. I think there are plenty of ways to make this work in a healthy way. Just trial and error.
I love freezer cooking…it keeps me sane on nights when I don’t feel like cooking once I get home from work!!
I think freezer cooking is an excellent idea. I’m slowly easing into it – and hope to do more in the future when we have more freezer space. Thanks for the inspiration!
I like to cook an extra portion when making dinner and freeze it for future use.
ive done freezer cooking once and loved it. it’s definitely a trial and error on what will freeze good but it’s nice to have something already made and easy to do!
I’ve done some freezer cooking and really want to do more. My husband bought a chest freezer for me as a Christmas surprise, so now I have plenty of storage space! I’m watching for sale prices on tortillas right now so I can make another 60 burritos to freeze and use as needed. I also made 3 1/2 gallons of homemade spaghetti sauce a couple of weeks ago and still have plenty of freezer space left!
I love having meals in the freezer for those days when I just don’t feel like cooking. One big cooking day has not worked for me so I try to just double up on some of our meals and stash the extra in the freezer.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Freezer cooking rocks!
I’m interested in freezer cooking but have never tried it. I’d love to win any one of these prizes!!
I love the idea of freezer cooking and have done it, umm, once. The whole planning stage bogs me down. I think your blog series will inspire me
It is great, as long as it #1 saves money, and #2 saves time in the long run. For me, the most valuable way to save both is the menu planning, rather than the cooking. I do appreciate it though! I probably should do it more often!
I really want to do freezer cooking! I’d love to win a book!
I did a little freezer cooking when I was in grad school. I am expecting our first child in April and think this would be beneficial to us. I don’t know if I can cook enough for an entire month since we don’t have that much freezer space. I would like to try it, though, as some days I just don’t have as much energy and it would be great to just pop something out of the freezer.
Being that I only have 1 fridge/freezer at the moment, I’m a bit limited with what I can do. If I make a soup or a stew & the meal plan doesn’t call for havnig it the next night, then I’ll freeze enough portions for another dinner some other time. But the biggest thing I do is roast 2 whole chickens at a time, shred the meat & freeze in 2-cup portions. Then I make my own chicken stock & freeze that in 1-cup portions. I love being able to have the chicken & stock readily available for all kinds of meals. I’m hoping 2010 is the year hubbs & I can afford & make room in the garage for a separate freezer. I’ve got alllll kinds of plans when that happens! Do you have suggestions regarding which type of freezer you prefer – upright or chest? Just curious. Thx for the giveaways!!
I always have doubled recipes and frozen extras, but life with a little one has gotten me more interested in easy cooking and saving time! I’d love to learn more about freezer cooking!
I think it is a wonderful idea and I should do more of it!! When I am cooking dinner I will try double up to put something in the freezer (sometimes) but that as far as I have gotten!! I think it would be wonderful to have a freezer full of meals!!
Sunnie
Thanks to your encouragement, I am just beginning to utilize my freezer more and am learning the benefits of freezer cooking. I’m looking forward to my first attempt at a freezer cooking day this month.
Sarah P.
Freezer cooking to me can be a life saver its so nice not to have to worry about dinner all the time and get it done it one shot during the month. Makes me breathe a little easier.
What better way to jump in than to have these books in your library. I would love to give it a try.
I do it from time to time, but I only have one child and though I keep busy volunteering and stuff, I don’t have the BIG need for freezer cooking that some do.
On the other hand, it’s always good to have baked ziti or lasagna that I can just heat up!
Take care…
Em
Freezer cooking is definitely a time saver for me! I have three little kids, so spending an hour or more preparing dinner each night is difficult. But if I do a lot of the prep work ahead of time (and freeze it), it makes dinnertime much more manageable! I love that you are doing these challenges. SO inspiring!
I’m very new to freezer cooking. I’m still in that casserole phase you talk about not defining freezer cooking. I would love to win any of the books, but I really loved Mary Ostyn’s book A Sane Woman’s Guide to Raising a Large Family. I’m actually pretty good at spending a small amount per meal. Our dinners normally cost $6 or so for our family of 7. We eat a lot of plain stuff like I stew chickens to add to casseroles or ground beef to make meatloaf, meatballs, or to add to casseroles. I’m just learning to use the slow cooker and really want to become better at planning freezer cooking. Thanks for your help!
I have never done it but would love to try – working and being tired with little ones just sometimes makes takeout so much easier but this is the year to try! Thank you for the chance – all the books look wonderful -kris
I’m new to freezer cooking, but so far, it has really helped us avoid the “eating out” trap in 2010! Thanks for the inspiration.
I really like freezer cooking! I have done small amounts so far, but we have just purchased a small chest freezer and I am hoping to get more serious about it.
I want to try it but I’m worried about not having enough freezer space right now. We don’t have a stand alone freezer and only our tiny rental house fridge!
You & your friends have really motivated me this month with the pantry challenge. My college roommate has told me about freezer cooking in the past, but I’ve never tried it. Maybe reading your blogs this month will get me going. I love to cook, so it seems like a great idea! Thank you for your encouragement!
I make up meat balls, Salisbury steak patties, and just brown large quantities of ground beef when it’s on sale.
~Joan
Freezer cooking is something that I do, at least with certain items. Waffles are a staple in my freezer. I’d like to find some more recipes to use for it, so thanks for offering the books!
Freezer cooking is a great thing & I would love to learn more. I’ve been doing a little at a time throughout the month of January in preparation for baby #3 coming February 9 (via planned c-section). Thanks for the chance to win.
i really want to get into freezer cooking… but i don’t really make casseroles! having a better resource would be helpful for me
I’m very interested in freezer cooking! Especially with baby #3 due TODAY!!! Would love to win one of these!!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I have just gotten into freezer cooking in the last 6 months or so but I LOVE it! Its just as easy to double a batch and stick 1/2 in the freezer and it is soooo nice to pull something out of my freezer on days I don’t have time to cook. I’m working on doing bigger batches in the next couple of months before baby #3 makes her arrival in May.
If you think freezer cooking is helpful with littles, just wait until they are teenagers! It is absolutely invaluable to have prepared sauces, lasagnas, enchiladas, cooked chicken/turkey, cookies, etc in the freezer for the nights with multiple activites or the afternoons when all the friends descend on our house.
I also like to keep items in the freezer to share with friends experiencing a birth or a death in the family.
I am a bit stuck in the rut with what I prep for the freezer—-these books sound like excellent resources!
I think freezing cooking is interesting. I’d give it a shot!
I love freezer cooking, I took part back in November and really enjoyed those meals during the Pantry Challenge. I’m making applesauce and pizza dough today. All while trying to deal with a sudden snowstorm and a whirling dervish of a toddler!
I am enjoying reading all the OAMC how to’s. It is a time and money saver. Thanks for your help.
I’d love to try it sometime – sounds great!
I don’t do freezer cooking quite like you do, but whenevery ground beef is on sale at it’s lowest price (about 4 times a yr.) I buy 50 lbs that I immediate cook into crumbles, meatloaf, meatball, and form hamburger patties. I also buy chicken quarters by the 10 lb. bag to cook up for soup broth and casseroles. With the meat all prepped meals go much faster. I also chop soon to spoil vegetables and put them in the freezer, measured according to how I usually need them.
I love to do OAMC when I have the time and energy.
Susan
Freezer cooking allows you to simplify the dinner hour by having food prepared or items ready to throw dinner together. It’s also great if you have a busy day and don’t have time to cook.
I NEED to do more OAMC to weave in time for other responsibilities.
I love freezer cooking….there is always a day during the week where I’m so busy I forget to take something out of the freezer in the morning to cook that night and all I have to do now is pull out something I’ve already prepared, like enchiladas, from the freezer and we’re good to go! Having one of those books to add to my library would be awesome!
Thanks so much for the opportunity to win one!
I like freezer cooking. I would do it more if I had a dishwasher! I hate having all those dishes to handwash at the end of a lot of cooking.
I haven’t really done much freezer cooking where you do huge batches of things at once, but I do frequently cook double batches of things and freeze them. Breakfast is the meal I do this most often for, because mornings are the time when I have the least time.
I am just starting freezer cooking and am doing it with friends. Thses cookbooks would be a great help to all of us.
I like freezer cooking in my own way. My family prefers meals freshly made so I buy meat in bulk and then separate it into meal size portions for us. I do love freezer baking! It is so rewarding to go out to my freezer in the garage and find some homemade muffins or quick breads just waiting to be warmed up and served with scrambled eggs and a cup of cocoa for a hearty breakfast.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE freezer cooking!!
I did a good bit of freezer cooking before Christmas because we were blessed with a new baby on the 28th of December and I knew with a hubby working a hour and half from home that “me the new mom of 3″ was going to need all the help she could get!!
Having meals ready to go or semi-ready to go has been a huge blessing!! I can’t even tell you what a great thing this has been for my family.
My kids ages are 8, 4 and 1 month, so its nice to be able to take something out of the freezer pop it into the oven or microwave, all the while having time to help my 8 yr old with homework, look at the 4 yr olds latest work of art on the computer or tend to a fussy 1 month old who just decided hey I’m over here and I want you to hold me and love me up. Oh and did I mention that all this is happening at the same exact time? lol
Now that baby is a month old I still have a spare few things left in the freezer but have definatly seen the advantages of doing maybe mini sessions in the future to make life easier for all of us.
Now spring is on the way and I am thinking with all the activities that will be coming up, having dinner ready to go in the freezer and waiting for me to do something with it is definately the way to go, that way when we have scouts or baseball or play dates, whatever, dinner it right there waiting for me!!
I love OAMC. I’ve thought about for months and finally tried last November. I am hooked. I will doing a big cook day next Thursday. I would love to have these books! Love your site! Thanks!
I have SO been loving the freezer cooking. My husband is a tax preparer which means his busy season starts Monday. He will be working 7 days a week and late hours. I have 4 young kids, so I guess you can say I will have my hands full. Last month I cooked about 26-28 meals to put in my freezer. This is going to make the next two and a half months just a little bit smoother.
Would love to win one of those books! I’ve had my eye on both for a long time.
I have done some freezer cooking on a very small scale-making two pans of a dish and freezing one, or splitting a 13×9 pan of a dish into two 8×8 pans and freezing one. It has been wonderful to have those occassional meals to just pull out of the freezer and thaw–I just need to find more recipes that I can do that with. I am expecting our second child in June, and I would love to have some meals stashed away in our deep freezer for after the little one’s arrival! Those cookbooks would certainly help me find good recipes to prepare! I love reading your blog–thanks for sharing your cooking experiences with us!
I love the concept of freezer cooking! I have not done it on a grand scale in years, but currently use weekends to double or triple recipes to add to our freezer all the time!
My favorite version of freezer cooking is preparing meat, such as ground beef (or venison, which is what we usually have) or chicken, ahead of time so that it is ready to use when I need it for quick supper.
I love freezer cooking and have to get more organized to do it more often!
Freezer cooking is one the best ways I save money on our grocery budget.
I love freezer cooking. I usually have at least a couple quick meals in the freezer. I have tried the big cooking days and doubling recipes as I go. Both work well for me, but I prefer a bigger day (or two) of cooking — as long as I have the freezer space.
Thanks for being such an encouragement, and for the great giveaway!!
Freezer cooking intimidates me. I’m happy to know about these resources.
I love freezer cooking and wish I were better at it. I participated in your first freezer cooking day and am still using food I prepared from it because we only have two eaters in our household. I’ve also gotten into the habit of doubling recipes that can easily be frozen. It’s wonderful!
I love to freezer cook. It is so helpful, especially in the summer. NO AC!
I’m very excited about these cookbooks. I’m really wanting to get into freezer cooking and trying to lower my grocery bill. Its been a challenge so far because my kids are picky. I’ve also had a hard time finding recipes. And even though I will menu plan for a month it never seems to last that long. Any suggestions?
I like the idea of freezing “components” to make meal prep a little easier – excited to see your cooking plan this month!
As a mom to a 3 yr old and 10month old, cooking meals ahead of time is a life saver sometimes! I LOVE following along with your freezer cooking days!
There is no way that I could do one of those ambitious OAM things without hiring a babysitter, but I do make multiples of many meals (casseroles, chicken nuggets, waffles).
Well, I am very new to freezer cooking and just starting to figure things out. My favorite thing to have in the freezer is actually breakfast. I love to make ahead pancakes, muffins, granola and just have everything ready to go in the morning. So much nicer than cold cereal!
I’m just starting to look in to doing more freezer cooking and any of these books would be very helpful. I just found your blog and look forward to checking everything out.
I’ve never done OAMC, but the little bit of cooking extra and freezing I’ve done has convinced me that is an incredibly useful investment of time. Thanks for your encouragement along the way!
I’m doing my first attempt at freezer cooking on Monday. I’m applying what I’ve learned from you great bloggers. Can’t wait!
I’m new to freezer cooking. I’ve learned the value of buying meat in bulk and cooking it ahead of time. Ground beef and cubed chicken seem to stretch for more meals by making it all at once. However, I haven’t yet attempted a full onslaught of cooking in one day.
I just started freezer cooking and it has changed my life. I always hated the dreaded- What’s for dinner? and scrambling around and stressing trying to get dinner on the table. Then I discovered freezer cooking and now I have zero stress and yummy meals for dinner! Love it!
I had my first big OAMC cooking day two weeks ago – LOVING the easy meal prep I face each night at dinnertime!!
Can’t wait to freeze a couple of dishes this month!
I would love to learn more about freezer cooking.
I have never done much freezer cooking. I will occasionally make an extra entree and freeze it for later. I am considering doing more of it. I followed you last month on the eat from your pantry. I didn’t think I could do that either, but I ended up enjoying not shopping for food.
I like freezer cooking, in concept, but some of the recipes I made did not turn out very good as freezer meals. Alas, I guess you learn with experience!
I like the concept of freezer cooking. I am starting to do it slowly and it does save a lot of time.
I also don’t cook a lot of casserole type dishes for health reasons. However, I do love to put various meats in marinades and freeze them. It makes a big difference in my meal planning, and I also think that it really protects against freezer burn.
I have not yet tried a full day of freezer cooking, but I do try to make extra meals and freeze them a few times a month. It’s so nice to have a quick go-to meal when I don’t feel like cooking.
I don’t do as much as I would like to, but I’m really trying to get into freezer cooking more. Hopefully I’ll start this weekend with a few baked goods!
I don’t prepeare meals ahead of time, but I do cook ground beef and freeze it, and I cook large pots of beans ahead of time and freeze them as well.
I really WANT to do freezer cooking, but I can never seem to get organized enough to actually do it! I’m trying though!
I love to stock our freezer with quick meals. It saves me from ordering pizza or going to the drive thru. I also have a 2 yr old that is on a gluten free diet and has feeding issues. It’s a benefit to spend one day making his special muffins by the dozen and freezing them to use later.
I love freezer cooking at it gives me quick and easy meals and snacks that I can grab when I’m tempted to eat out instead.
We don’t like whole meals that have been frozen as they often seem to lose their texture. But I prepare meats, cheeses, beans, etc and freeze them to be used throughout the month.
We’re just a family of 3 right now (soon to be 4) so we tend to have a lot of leftovers. Often, a casserole or soup will last us for 2 meals. So, I love to just freeze all the leftovers. I’m also about to begin freezing meals for when baby #2 arrives. It will be great to have a freezer full of meals so I don’t have to cook for awhile!
I do some freezer cooking, but I am not very organized about it. I realize that I could be doing much more if I was more organized(with some help!).
what fabulous books!! i’m kinda on the fence about freezer cooking… it has its ups and downs- super great for making meals before giving birth so you don’t have to worry about cooking for a while, great to have something always in the freezer in case of unexpected guests, knowing you have a meal ready to go… but on the otherhand, some things just don’t taste the same when reheated, and some foods can lose nutritional value when eaten after being frozen as opposed to fresh. so again, freezer cooking is great for some occasions, but I chose to cook fresh for other occasions
I often make a big batch of something for dinner and freeze half of it to save me time on another night. I have yet to do a freezer cooking day but I admire those who can do it!
I haven’t tried a formal “freezer day,” but love it when I can make extra and put it in the freezer. So I guess that means that I should devote a day to freezer cooking! (Now how will that work with homeschooling??) Thanks for a chance to win! (I’m reading “A Sane Woman’s Guide to Raising a Large Family” right now…love it!)
I love freezer cooking! This month I’m focusing on quick and easy lunch foods that I can thaw the night before and send with hubby for work. More than anything, I find that if I don’t have a plan for what I want to send for his lunch, that’s where our unbudgeted eating expenses occur.
I just started doing freezer meals and it works out great for our family of 4. I do dishes like tomato soup, twice baked potatoes, vodka rigatoni sauce, and meatballs.
I love freezer cooking! I tried OAMC and it was a little overwhelming. I like to just double or triple my meals and baking when I can and freeze them as I go. The main thing holding me back from going all out is not having enough freezer space. By the time I stock up on meat, freeze fruit and bananas for smoothies, and freeze homemade chicken stock I barely have enough room for anything else. I would love a deep freezer, but I am not sure we have the room in tiny one-car garage
I love the idea of freezer cooking. I wish I had some friends in the area that would be up to doing a freezer cooking day with me. I think it would be so much easier and a lot of fun!
I just tried freezer cooking this week for the first time. I followed your suggestion about just cooking up components like meat, and I also froze chopped onions and some pizza crusts.
I love freezer cooking. I sometimes do a big day of cooking, but am more of a batch cooker. I’ve done several batches of muffins already this morning.
I have never tried the freezer cooking before, but I am definitely interested. It seems like my kids activities are all around dinner time, and this would save us from grabbing a quick dinner in the drive thru!
I think freezer cooking is such a great idea. Our family has those crazy days where there is no time for anything let alone cooking a full meal. It’s nice to know I can pop something in the oven that’s healthy and already made instead of ordering fast food!
LOVE it! I just wish I had more time to commit a whole day to it!
I love putting things in the freezer for those crazy weekday evenings with children’s activities and such… I can’t wait to get back into it after this pregnancy and recovery.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway… I’ve had my eye on Mary Ostyn’s book for a while : )
I am just now getting into freezer cooking. I bought OAMC and kind of spur of the moment when I got home from the grocery store threw together a few meals. It was sooo nice to have those in the freezer on nights I was lost for dinner ideas. I have plans to do a large scale freezer cooking day as soon as I empty the large freezer.
This is my first time trying once a month cooking. I have wanted to try in the past but it seemed a little overwhelming. After conquering Eating Out of the Pantry Challenge though, I thought it would be worth a try! So far so good and I know we will reap the benefits later!
I like freezer cooking! A couple friends and I have a cooking club each month. Each person submits a recipe, you decide what you want to order, and than that person brings all the ingredients needed and does the prep work. Then we meet one night and assemble our meals, take them home, and freeze them. It’s nice to have meals in the freezer that need minimal prep to put on the table.
I try to do some OAMC but my husband never sees the point in makig things ahead of time.
I am intrigued byt the concept, but way intimidated. I work full-time while my husband is in seminary and I don’t relish the idea of cooking all day on a Saturday. It would be nice to use this in conjunction with my crock pot in order to have a variety of meals ready.
I love freezer cooking. You’ll often find cooked meat in my freezer so I can pull a meal together quickly. I still haven’t tried OAMC but this batch cooking works for me!
I would love to freeze cook, if my freezer wasn’t full to the brim. I never seem to have enough room!
I love the idea of freezer cooking. I think that especially with small children it is a great answer. I usually have one thing in the freezer, but I haven’t gotten organized/brave enough to do once a month cooking. Kudos to you ladies for doing this. Such a great idea! I love hearing about your progress and delicious recipes.
I love freezer cooking but I don’t do it often enough. Now that I am working part time, I hope to do it a lot more. I plan on making some stuff for my husband to take to work next week. What I am not sure, but we will see.
I only have a tiny freezer portion of my refrigerator and no large stand alone freezer. It would be a challenge to freeze a months worth of dinners and store other items. But I thoroughly enjoy making inexpensive meals and saving money now that my husband has retired! More husband=less money, lol.
I’ve never tried freezer cooking before. This is my first time! I’m cooking up a storm all weekend. I’m so excited. Here we go…
I tried it once! I was so tired at the end of midnight that I said I would never do it again.
I obviously didn’t plan out my schedule very well. I think it could be a great help. I appreciate all the good examples and may have to try it again. I’d love to win one of these wonderful prizes. Thanks for your hard work.
I always feel that my freezer won’t be big enough to accommodate much freezer cooked – but I’m interested to try!
I’ve always made big batches of things like spaghetti sauce and kept it in the freezer and I love having the ingredients for easy meals like pizza dough or taco meat on hand but I’ve never done it on a large scale before. I’m really excited! Great giveaways!
This is my first time freezer cooking! I’m very excited! =) I’m about to get going right now…
I like freezer cooking though I don’t do a month’s worth necessarily. I generally just try to keep half a dozen or so things in the freezer that can be conveniently cooked or warmed up on days when i can’t have my attention in the kitchen.
I generally don’t have a full day devoted to it, but there are many items such as rolls that I make in a large batch to freeze. I also like to make larger portions of some meals and freeze part (uncooked) for the future. Right now it is only my SO and I, so we still have more time to cook.
I’m a big fan of doubling a recipe to put half in the freezer for another night. I do this a couple of times a week. I’ve never tried to do a huge cooking day. I have a couple of three day weekends this month so this would be a good time to try.
I would LOVE to have any or all of these books! I want to do more freezer cooking, but I do not have a chest freezer.
I really want to try it but it just seems like so much work- I really don’t like cooking, but having something easy during the week would be so nice. I also want a way to save on the budget too!
I am new to freezer cooking and am so excited to try it and reap the benefits! I work full time and have to fight hard to resist take out. For a family of five that gets pretty expensive!!
I’m just getting into doing it on a bigger level. Every now and then I’ll double a recipe to put in the freezer, but I’m going to start participating in freezer cooking days. I think it’s going to make dinner much easier.
I’m really interested in this freezer cooking thing
It makes so much sense! I hope to get started with simple things like chicken and ground meats and go from there. Baby steps for me 
But I hope to be freezing more in the future with more knowledge. Thanks!
LOVE freezer cooking. I am pregnant with our second child due in June and trying to get better at it. It will really be a blessing!
I’m a 50/50 gal. I don’t like the pre-planning it takes to do a full 30 meals in a day – it about kills me! I loooooove having meals in the freezer, and w/ a family of only 4 so far, it’s easy to make a double batch of something on a regular day and freeze the extras. I’m all about the freezer, and cooking…just not all day long.
Katie
I love to cook more on a weekend a freeze a portion for a day during the busy work week. My day is alot less stressful when I meal plan.
I love freezer cooking. It is so nice to pull a meal out of the freezer on a day when I am not highly motivated.
carlamo (at) ymail (dot) com
I love freezer cooking! I am part of a cooking club and we exchange meals once a month! LOVE IT!
I love freezer cooking, although sometimes I have to settle for doing it in bits and pieces, rather than one long day. *sigh*
I have tried freezer cooking several times and love it. I honestly just need to be better at taking the time to do it more often and have also found that I do better when I have a recipe geared towards freezing.
We currently live in an apartment which does not have a very big freezer so a OAMC would be difficult to find the space for. Oh how I miss my own refrigerator/freezer. But with 5 of us I would love to start small to help reduce the stress of meal times around here!
I’ve never done a freezer cooking day but I am planning on doing one this coming week. I think it will be helpful if I have a few things stashed away for the coming weeks (and my plan to cook out of the pantry and freezer for most of February!).
I participated in a freezer dinner swap a while ago and it was okay… I think the problem was that some of the participants didn’t understand the rules… so I came with 9×13 enchilada casseroles that could feed 10 people and came away with a few dishes that were in 8×8 pans that would only serve 2. I would love to do freezer swaps if I could find a group who wanted to.
I think freezer cooking is a wonderful idea but unfortunately, I have never tried it. I do cook more than my family can eat so we have leftovers.
I did my first Freezer Cooking Day last month and I LOVED IT. I didn’t have a good plan for that day so it was a bit chaotic and actually it took 3 days, but it has made the rest of the month so much easier. I am doing another round this coming week. I’ve already purchased all of my supplies and I hope to have a much more organized plan also.
I love freezer cooking. I am currently pregnant and due in june . I am compling a list of what I plan on stocking my freezer with right now…between freezer cooking and my slowcooker Iplan on having it taken care of with no take out!
I would LOVE either 3 of these! Thanks! I would love to start freezer cooking and this would def help motivate me!
I’ve loved it everytime I’ve done it. I just need to do it more often
. Thanks for the stolen moments menu planning info…I had been trying to remember her all week!
We love to cook double batches of meals, and cook lots of meat ahead of time. That way when we need to have a quick meal for those hectic nights it is already there
Both of my freezers are stuffed. I absolutely *love* freezer cooking. It’s so nice to be able to cook a bunch at once and then pull out whatever I want, whenever I want, and have a quick easy meal all ready. And yet, my “convenience food” is much healthier than we could get otherwise.
I’m glad you share your freezer cooking dates, it gets me motivated.
It would be great to have any one of those books.
Thank you,
Arianna
I’m a newbie at this, but love the idea.
I do a lot of freezer cooking, but I don’t do it all in one day. I usually buy as much as I can afford of whatever the sale items are each week and plan menus according to that. I freeze casseroles, meats in marinades, and pre-cooked ground beef. It saves us a lot of time.
I want to try to cook/freeze meals for future use, but I’m scared to! I’m afraid the meal will come out dry/mushy when it’s reheated.
I have never done freezing cooking, but am seriously considering it with all the talk about it on twitter.
I’m going to be a single mom soon so I got this great new freezer cookbook and for the first time I’m going to try it this way I will be able to manage my time much better.
I would LOVE to win. I really need HELP!
I love doing freezer cooking. It is such a huge help in our house. It enables my husband to have an easy time of just throwing dinner in the oven on days that I am working 12 hour shifts.
I have attempted freezer cooking on a small scale before. That turned out ok so Iguess Ishould really try and devote a whole day to it.
I LOVE freezer cooking. I don’t necessarily do massive batches at once, but when I’m in the mood I will definitely whip up big batches of soup, spaghetti sauce, or desserts that I can freeze and use on demand! I have a lovely turkey pot pie and some pear crisps awaiting me in the freezer currently! It’s definitely worth doing if you have a deepfreeze.
I have mostly only done ingredient preparation for freezer storage. I like the idea of OAMC but haven’t ever taken the “plunge” to just do it.
What my husband and I usually do is cook a lot of freezable meals on Saturday and Sunday and then that way we don’t have to do as much cooking on the weekdays. We usually work from 8am-6pm on weekdays so we’re usually so tired to come home after work and cook up a whole meal. It’s much easier to pull something out of the freezer and just warm it up!! Our fave thing to do is make easy pureed vegetable soups, freeze those, and then just put it in the microwave for awhile when we want to drink it!! Then we crumble some goat cheese in it and it’s delicious!
This freezer cooking looks interesting and I would love to try it. I also don’t have a big freezer.. I live in a apartment. I have 2 older daughters ( 20 and 17 ) I am single and I work fulltime and I am also going back to school to finish my BA. My oldest lives with me fulltime and my youngest lives week with me week with her dad. I would love to have a modified version of freezer cooking for the apt living. I go to school at night and this would be great to have so when my youngest is at my home she can just take out a pop it in the oven or microwave and have a nice home meal to eat.
I loveeeee cooking freezer meals.
I am a stay-at-home 
homeschooling Mom, and sometimes life gets crazy, and preparing a healthy meal on time for supper is difficult depending on how my day has gone. 
I love pulling out a meal that I have planned ahead, and still having a healthy homecooked meal on time. 
Well, I have been very inspired by your blog and have picked up some great tips and recipes. I have never done the whole cook for the freezer thing, but I think it is a great idea, and I am willing to give it a try for my family of five:)
I like freezing meal components more than full meals, and it seems to be easier to squeeze that in. Like many commenters, I rarely have time to spend a full day cooking for the freezer, but I can whip up some biscuits or brown extra meat while preparing dinner. Love to follow along on the Freezer Cooking Days though!
I go back and forth on freezer cooking. I hate overstocked pantry’s/shelfs/etc where I have to pull half the stuff out to get what i need. On the other hand, its so convienent!
Love freezer cooking! Do it currently.
Tracy
tdp75287@yahoo.com
I LOVE freezer cooking. I have a large family with 8 children. Some nights you just don’t have the energy or the time to put together a full meal. When I have the components to a meal already in the freezer, ready to go, it cuts down my cooking time considerably.
I love to make a double batch of dinner to have another time. I think your freezer cooking has been a real insparation to me to shake up my cooking!
I’m so glad that I took part in the “Eating from the Pantry” challenge in January. I’m excited to try freezer cooking in February!
Love it!
I love freezing cooking! It makes life so much easier during the week.
I would love to start doing some freezer cooking! So please enter me for any of those wonderful prizes!
I enjoy cooking in advance. It’s nice to just “reheat” and serve. Throw some bread in the oven and some veggies and dinner is done in less than 15 minutes! Our favorite freezer food is hamburger soup!
I would LOVE to start freezer cooking. I have four growing boys and a hungry husband!
I am trying to get a bigger freezer and I want to start doing this soon. A book would be extra helpful! Hope I win!
i have never actually TRIED freezer cooking…but would love to get into it by using one of these fun books! I would LOVE to win!!!
http://www.hilaryhymer.com
hilary.hymer@gmail.com
I’m working to get better at utilizing my freezer to make dinner less crazy and appreciate you sharing how you make it work and the guest posts to get even more ideas! I’ve done dream dinners-type places, and while they’re nice and claim to be cheaper than grocery shopping for the same items, they’re more expensive than I could get everything for myself with sales and coupons. My goal this year is to utilize what I’m learning from everyone here and a few books and be able to do this myself without having to schedule time to go somewhere else to do my freezer cooking!
I love the idea of freezer cooking, I’ve done it once or twice but I really need to get down and do it again sometime. It makes life so much easier.
I have always wanted to do more freezer cooking, but have either been overwhelmed by the thought, or lacked freezer space. I love your idea of doing part of meals ready so that it is easier to make stir fry’s, tacos, etc. which my family loves. Thank you for your tips!
I like freezer cooking. It has been a lifesaver many times over for our busy family of 5. It also meant that we could eat at the table together most nights. Freezer cooking is a bonus when I need to deliver a quick meal to a family who is having a rough time (death, illness, whatever) because I can just pull something and deliver it.
This weekend will be my first freezer cooking day, and I’m super excited! Today I’m planning and making lists, hopefully grocery shopping later… and depending on how I’m feeling (sore throat and low-grade fever today), I’ll be starting my freezer cooking tomorrow or Tuesday! Can’t wait to start… having home-cooked meals precooked in the freezer will be so convenient!
Due to very limited food budget OMAC or freezer cooking just doesn’t work for me. I do try to make extra here and there to freeze on occasion though.
I would love to start freezer cooking! now that I’m pregnant with my 5th my energy is just GONE.
I’ve been lurking and wanting to participate in OAMC but I get overwhelmed. I grew up with big recipes but over the years I’ve tried to pare them down to a few simple ingredients. I’m going to watch one more time and gear up to be part of the Feb OAMC program. Thank you!
Freezer cooking saved us while I was in nursing school! I need to do it more.
I dabble with the Freezer Cooking, when there is more than we can eat in one meal I will freeze it for a quick meal another day. My dh doesn’t like leftover’s so I end up eating my FM’s on his TakeOut Lunch day! I am not affraid of those leftover’s
Freezing a full meal well now that is something I am interested in and willing to try!
wow I love freezer cooking so much
Freezer cooking is the way to go! I love to cook and I find if I double certain meals throughout the month, it’s so nice to pull a homecooked meal out of the freezer on those nights I don’t have time to cook. You and Crystal are a dynamic duo, and I love reading about your cooking endeavors!
A friend and I are planning our first freezer cooking day together in a few weeks! Thanks for the inspiration, so excited to see how it goes!
Truthfully, I don’t really know what I think about freezer cooking. The only things I have tried is cut up fruit for smoothies and banana bread and lasagna. And I thought the lasagna was going to be a good idea, but I served it to my guests one Sunday afternoon and the middle was still cold. I guess that was my oven’s fault and I shouldn’t be blaming it on the freezer
I just packaged up some steak fajitas for my freezer!
http://spendless2savemore.blogspot.com/2010/01/freezer-cooking-day-part-1.html
I love the concept of freezer cooking in order to save me time in the long run. Unfortunately I can’t seem to get my act together in order to make it work. I did participate in the Pantry Challenge in January and I think that helped me keep on track of the goal.
Thanks for all the ideas and encouragement.
Haven’t done any freezer cooking yet, but hope to soon.
I enjoy looking at the prep work you all do! It encourages me so-I am real impressed with you planning. Best wishes–Maybe I will try it soon! Yes..would love all three books~!
I’m trying to cook ahead and freeze when possible… As soon as I get a little free time (ha!) I’m going to commit and stock that freezer till it’s bursting at the seams. I’ve just about had it with deciding and cooking at least five nights a week.
Freezer cooking is such a lifesaver. I *try* to make a little extra of anything I cook so that we can have leftovers for the freezer. It’s so much more affordable than ordering out on a hectic evening.
I need a deep freezer first! I can’t even fit a frozen pizza into my side-by-side.
Truth be told I’d like to learn more about it. It looks a bit masochistic to do that much baking and prep work in 1 or 2 days. I’d really have to learn the ins and outs before tackling it.
Teresa
dlhewson @ tidewater dot net
I’ve never done bulk cooking, but often make a double batch of some of our favorites when I’m cooking them for dinner, and chuck the extra one in the freezer. Would love to glean some wonderful ideas from any of these women!
I have done freezer cooking different ways. I have done the OAMC and enjoyed it but for where we are in life right now, it works best for me to double a recipe and freeze half. I also cook some main staples ahead such as beans and brown rice to have them handy in the freezer. I also collect all leftover veggies from each meal in a freezer bag until full and then make veggie soup. I freeze all leftover meat to put in soup later too. I make 4 loaves of bread at a time and freeze them. Things like that seem to work better for me right now but hopefully someday soon I’ll be able to devote a whole day to cooking again!
I love freezer cooking. I have only done it a handful of times, but loved having the meals planned out for the month. Lately I have been doing more of the make 3 at a time meals and freeze the other 2, but am trying to get my girlfriends on board to have a “cooking day” The cookbooks would be great!!
I love to do freezer cooking. I’ve started doing a “meal swap” with three other friends. About once a month we communicate by email and each decide on two dishes to make. Then we make four of each of our two meals. On a certain day we all meet and swap these meals, so we end up with a large variety. It is fun and tasty!
I’m also really enjoying the products from a company called “Homemade Gourmet”. Look them up online if you aren’t familiar with them. Their products make it really easy to do freezer meals!
I am new to Freezer cooking but already can see the benefit in knowing that tomorrow I have an already made chicken pot pie to stick in the oven for a homecooked Sunday dinner!
I think Freezer Cooking is a great idea, but it’s only fully useful if you have a large freezer in which to put those extra meals. That’s not to say I haven’t done my own mini versions, but they mainly consist of making enough of a particular meal that individual meals can be frozen for later use (usually for lunches at work). I hope some day to have a chest freezer (even a small one) where I can take better advantage of these ideas!
Jessica Fisher Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
I’ve done it w/o a deep freeze, even with my big family. Guess I see another post coming on.
I love your blog and I’d love to win one of the books. Thanks.
To me freezer cooking always sounds like such a great idea. But even leftovers tend to die in our freezer rather than be eaten. I’m aftraid that if I can’t even make the most of leftovers than freezing an entire meal is likely going to be a waste of time and money…
I would love to have the time to devote a whole day in the kitchen to freezer cooking (it sounds blissful!) but there is rarely a moment when I’m not in charge of my one- and two-year-old. I do try to double batch recipes here and there to stick an extra in our freezer. Maybe soon I’ll be able to plan better and do an entire day! Love your site – thank you!
I don’t do structured freezer cooking but when I’m making something freezable I do try and make extra for later. For example I always make double-batches of rice and freeze half for later.
I’ve never tried freezer cooking but I’d love to in the future! Right now I’m getting menu planning and my grocery budget under control!
Most of what I cook to go in the freezer are soups & chilis. I’d love to branch out, but I’m never quite sure what meals would work the best. One soup I made had noodles in it and they pretty much disintegrated when I reheated it.
P
I tend to do OAMC more as I go….doubling entrees and freezing extras. I probably ought to do more, though, since I’ve got #3 on the way in 7 weeks and then I’ll have three kids three and under!
The only freezer cooking I do is going to the places that prep everything for you and then you put it together, take it home and freeze it. I think freezer cooking would be great doing everything at home, but I’ve just never set aside the time to do it. Would love to start though!
I’d love a copy of one of these books. I get a bit overwhelmed with the thought of trying to meal plan, but I know it will really help my crazy life. I have made a few recipes from the $5 dinner website. Tasty and frugal !
there are only 2 of us, but i enjoy having meals in the freezer although i don’t do it once a month
I’ve been doing more of the “double cooking” then devoting a whole day to freezer cooking. I used to do the whole day before we had kids and we both worked but got away from it when the kids came along and I had them underfoot. I really need to get back into the freezer cooking as we eat way to much processed foods and convinence foods right now. I would love to see recipe idea for meals on the go. My son has hockey practice twice a week during meal time and 9 out of 10 times we end up a drive thru because everyone is starving when practice is over, but it’s to early to eat before we leave (live 45 minutes away from the rink).
I would like to do it more. I had a baby in November and for 2-3 months before he was born, whenever I would make a casserole, I would freeze half of it. It was such a huge blessing and time saver to have meals already prepared when he was born!
I usually do a couple crock-pot meals and freeze them. I definitely need to do this kind of thing more often but need some ideas. As a single working mom, I could certainly use the money it would save me!
I love freezer cooking! It really makes my life a lot easier. I am still looking for all the great recipes though.
I’ve been reading all about your freezer cooking. I am impressed with your motivation and organization. I wish I had a tenth of it. Maybe one of these will help me.
I’m very new to freezer cooking. Did a whole day in December and it made the pantry challenge in January much easier. Going to try it again next week.
I have been following OAMC on your blog and Crystal’s. I have checked out books from the library too in my exploration. I plan meals weekly. I can and freeze garden and surplus food too. Freezing meat and fruit in portions ready to use in recipes later. I just haven’t yet made that leap to mix it all cook it, mix it all together and then freeze it to later thaw it, reheat and eat. I am worried about textures and taste.
I really need to be “relying” on my freezer more than I do. I do try to make a habit of cooking extra meat (hamburger, chicken, etc.) and putting it in freezer bags to have on hand. But I feel like I could make even better use of my time if I had some complete meals ready to pull out of the freezer when I need them.
I had to go back to teaching in august of 09 and my husband is now working from home and taking care of our 2, 11, and 13 year old. I would get home from work and start dinner and work til I went to bed.
One day, after being sick and tired of coming up with meal ideas too(which I never mentioned to him), I sent my DH a link to the 5$ dinner blog and asked him to pick out some meals he would enjoy from her recipe list online.
Lo and behold, that afternoon he picked out several of the recipes…went to the grocery store and got the supplies…and had dinner ready when I got home from work that afternoon! WAS I SURPRISED! I loved his choices and have not had to cook for three weeks now(except on weekends and occasions). I love that sight and think my husband would benefit if our name was picked to win the 5$ cookbook! hehehehe Thanks for the wonderful chance. I enjoy your sight!
Jessicamae3@yahoo.com
What a great giveaway! Thanks!
I LOVE freezer cooking! It’s great for a budget, helpful when there are small kids in the house that usually need more attention before dinner time, and fun to do with friends!
Doing my first REAL freezer cooking day with y’all this weekend! Glad I am finally getting around to it.
I think freezer cooking is great. I don’t generally dedicate an entire day to it, but instead fill my freezer slowly.
I’ve done some before, and want to do more. It’s carving out the time to work on it that’s the real issue. Well, that and space in the freezer. I think it’s about time to buy an extra freezer. I think it’ll be worth it for our family of 8.
I have always frozen stuff, but I have never done a true “freezer cooking” or OAMC day. I am planning on doing so next month since our first child is due the end of May and we will need all the extra time we can get! I am very excited to give it a try
I want to try to do some more freezer cooking, but it seems like my freezer is always to full! Every time there is a good sale on meat or frozen vegetables I feel like I need to stock up. And I even have an extra refrigerator/freezer in the garage.
I need to do more freezer cooking! I do very little of it and as a mother of 5, I really need to do this! I am in the middle of a snow storm in Northern Virginia and am baking banana muffins that Mary Ostyn suggested. They are truly delicious! I would love to win a copy of her book.
Ooh, I would love to win!
I love freezer cooking, although I do not do quite enough of it. There is nothing better than knowing on a completely frazzled day that there is a homemade meal in my freezer just waiting for me. Definitely helps combat the temptation to eat out–which is a HUGE budget saver for us.
I have only done about a weeks worth of meals in advance, not necessariy that much freezer room for a whole months worth. But with time, I’m sure I can learn the entire process. =-)
Love freezer cooking! I have no deep freeze so, I do a mini freezer day!
Before I had kids, I would take 1 Saturday a month & cook for the month. Since having kids & staying home, I haven’t gotten back to it. I will batch cook or double a recipe here & there. I really need to get back to it more consistently.
I have never tried this once a month cooking, but I like the idea of it. Looking forward to learning more about how to do it.
I keep thinking that I should try it but I have never been brave enough to do it. Not sure my hubby would go for it. The few cookbooks I’ve seen seem like a lot of casseroles. (Not his favorite!)
I love it and would not have started if it weren’t for you and Crystal. I LOVE IT!!! First of all, I love to bake and cook. Second, I love to grocery shop. Third, put them together and you end up with OAMC/Freezer Baking Day. That’s how I see it anyway
Thanks for the great giveaways!
I have never done a Freezer day before – but I am so ready for it. Lately it seems that I am most disorganized when it comes to dinner for the family. Any additional resources like the prizes you are offering would indeed help a great deal. I plan to participate in this upcoming freezer day and am very excited about it!
I absolutely LOVE the idea of freezer cooking. Up to this point I’ve only managed to get marinated meats in the freezer, but I want to work up to full fledged meals. Definitely a time saver!
I love freezer cooking. With food allergies and a tight budget, take-out food is not an option for us, so the freezer comes to the rescue.
I am a newbie wanting to learn as much as I can. Winning these books would be great!
I don’t do OAMC per se, my daughters and I chop up veggies and freeze them and pre cook meat but I don’t really put it all together before going in the freezer. I do alot of crock pot cooking so that’s my “easy street”. You can make ANYTHING in a crockpot. I make double batches of stuff like meatballs or burritos and I double my meatloaf recipe and bake one right then and freeze the other.
Thanks for the giveaway!
5langfordatcomcastdotnet
I love being able to pull something out of the freezer in the morning and know that dinner is at least halfway done for the evening.
I just tried freezer cooking this month with a friend for the very first time. I am HOOKED! I LOVE giving myself a night off by pulling something out from the freezer. We plan on continuing this in the future together.
I love freezer cooking. My youngest daughter has a lot of food allergies and almost everything has to be made from scratch. I don’t have time to make something from scratch 3 meals a day, 7 days a week so the freezer is my friend. I made chicken rice soup last night and will have enough to have at least 4 meals of that for her and I in the freezer. I have leftover pizza dough in the freezer too from the other night and muffins are always in the freezer.
I like the idea of freezer cooking, but I always seem to have an excuse (or 3) not to actually do it!
I love to do prep work ahead, especially since I am a full-time working mom, and I travel about 2 weeks out of every month. I feel better about leaving my family when I know they still have meals I have prepared waiting for them in the freezer.
I love the idea of OAMC I just need to do it. Love reading your ideas and planning for it.
paula@ayojiak.com
I don’t do freezer cooking to the extent that you do, but I think it’s always a good idea to have at least a couple meals stockpiled. You never know when you might get sick or be running late.
I already have the $5 Dinner books, so no need to enter me for that one
I often do “freezer cooking” after the fact. I make something that my family can’t possibly eat all in one meal and instead of endless leftovers, after dinner I package up what’s left to enjoy a month or two later.
love freezer cooking and could not live without it. hate seeing working moms i know eating mcd’s every night because they won’t take a few hours on the weekend to make a few meals in advance to freeze! so much money wasted!
Personally, I’m a huge fan of once a month cooking and would love to be better skilled at it. Just the idea of being able to cook that much food in a few day and be set for the month amazes and inspires me. I’m all about making the most of every meal and penny so this is right up my alley.
I love to cook lots of food & freeze it later, either in whole meals or parts of a meal. I currently have about 10lbs of chicken in the fridge that I need to cook & freeze…only trouble is my freezer is full! I am in desperate need of a having deep freeze again!!!!!
I would love to win any of the books. I love any book with recipes. I don’t always do the freezer cooking at one time. I will do a few to have on hand for those hurried days but I love being in the kitchen so I will double recipes to make sure there are always a couple weeks worth in the freezer.
I love freezer cooking. It is great to prep ahead!
Definitely something worth looking into though I’m not sure I have pans large enough to double a recipe that will feed six!
I have yet to try freezer cooking but i would love to pull something out of the freezer and have it ready. How it would free up some time…
I love freezer cooking! It is such a lifesaver when we have out-of-town or unexpected guests visit.
Thanks so much for all the information that you provided for a first timer. I am hooked.
I’ve done a two week menue OAMC that lasted us 6 weeks (only one kiddo who was two). Now I’m cooking at home to take to my dh who is already up in our new city where we’re moving and stocking us up here. So I’m trying to empty the freezer and pantry while changing him over to whole grains (at his request-can you imagine this from a major Wonderbread guy?)
I am so excited about reading the info on your site about freezer cooking. I work fulltime outside of our home and think it will definately save me alot of time. I will start with the cooking and freezing of vegetables and meats, perhaps I will get brave enough to make a meatloaf and freeze it. My issue is w/a family of 5, my fridge freezer and our small chest freezer are pretty full. I am going to start tomorrow afternoon by cleaning out those and making some room for my freezing. Thank you so much for what you do!
I am a big fan of freezer cooking…especially in the winter when we eat more soups, stews, chili etc. that freeze well. During the summer months I tend to do more prep work for the freezer…chopping veggies and browning meat and such. With two little ones running around, this makes it so much easier on those hectic nights!
I LOVE having baking mixes in the freezer and it so efficient across the board AND it means that baking actually happens around here.
Before my third child was born I had many meals made up but we ate a number them up before hand when false labor went on two weeks ahead of the delivery. I decided to be happy we had for that unexpected time but post partum meals weren’t as effortless as I’d hoped. This Friday I am going to my s-i-l’s house to help her get her freezer filled and I know that it’s a “I love you,” to the family.
Still experimenting getting good freezer recipes–ones that my family likes and fit all of my son’s food allergies. Having meat done is huge. Every little bit I figure out helps. My hubby is thankful for it, too.
I love freezer cooking!!!
Freezer cooking is something that I have never really tried with anything other than baked goods. However, after reading so much about it in the blogging world, I am thinking about giving it a try. Would love to have one of these cookbooks to help lead the way!
I haven’t done freezer cooking but this is inspiring. I can see where it would be a time saver. I do want to try it soon. Tonight my daughter and I are going to make home made laundry detergent. Got the recipe from Frugal Living and Having Fun. I signed up to follow you by email. Thank you.
mimicourtney1@yahoo.com.
I love the idea of OAMC, but have trouble knowing where to start. This blog is so helpful. Thank you for sharing your ideas for those of us who are beginners. The books look fantastic and oh-so-helpful! Blessings!
I am also a follower on Facebook. Thanks for all your help.
Freezer cooking is such a blessing. This gives me such freedom to get things done.
Risingsouth at aol dot com
I’m inspired by your cooking days. I just bought a chest freezer this weekend. Hopefully I can join you for the next one!
LOVE it! A friend is coming over and we’ll be joining in tomorrow to make freezer meals. It’s amazing how one day in the kitchen can reduce stress for weeks to come!
Love freezer cooling! To open up he freezer and find a cooked pork roast just needed minimal work to whip up dinner is such a treat.
I have very little experience with freezer cooking. I’ve done it, but I’ve never made a day out of it. That said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading about everyone’s adventures. I think I am going to do a mini freezer day… just rolls and a ziti and maybe a few other items. I love having the stockpile, but I live in a REALLY small house with small storage!!
This is going to be my first attempt at doing a BIG freezer cooking day. Up to this point, I’ve just made a larger-than-we’ll-eat-in-one-sitting portion for meals and then frozen the leftovers. I’m hoping to get all my meals for March done the last weekend in Feb!
I have done very little freezer cooking, but once we get settled into our new home, I hope to do a lot more.
I don’t think big freezer cooking days would work for me but I do sometimes cook extra and freeze. It is so nice to know you have home cooked meals in the freezer for those busy days.
I’m looking at January’s menus and at what’s still in the freezer and making the freezer cooking list right now. I’ll be shopping on Monday and cooking and baking on Wednesday but probably just for the first two weeks.
AWESOME giveway. All 3 are I great and I would love to win any of them. We bought a freezer after we got married and it has been so worth every penny we spent. (even in our small married student housing apartment, its worth the space it takes up!) Especially to stock up when meat goes on sale, etc. I do some freezer cooking, mostly I freeze parts of meals to make cooking easier for me. I brown all the hamburger I buy at once and bag into meal size portions. (If it goes on sale I’ll buy 10lbs to hold me over until the next sale, etc). I do the same thing with chicken breasts only I slow cook a batch in the crockpot and then shred them and freeze in meal size portions. Every other month I make a large pot of homemade spaghetti sauce. The day after I make at least 2 (2 weeks ago I made 5!) lasagnas using the homemade sauce(I figure its just as messy to make 1 as it is 5!) and then we eat one that night and freeze the others. I also freeze the remaining sauce into meal size portions. I do the same with enchiladas (at least 2-3 pans at a time.) I think it would be way too exhausting to do a whole months worth at a time. I just do chunks as the need arises (i.e. my old stock in the freezer runs out) or when a great sale hits.
Love your site!
My opinion on freezer cooking is that it is an awesome idea. One of these days I will join in on a much smaller scale. I love that you guys share recipes for breakfasts. We are so rushed on a morning and my 3 year old daughter is so picky! Having freezer waffles/pancakes are a great way to eat quick and healthy.
I’m a mom of 6. My husband has recently retired from the US Navy & is on the hunt for a full-time job. Last week was my 1st attempt at couponing but I’m still learning. Tomorrow I will get my 1st Sunday circular & I’m off to the grocery store to stock up my panty. As soon as I get home I’m going to make 30 breakfast burritos, 30 whole wheat pancakes, 30 french toast sticks, 30 sausage biscuits, 2 lasagna’s (from homemade pasta), 4 meatloafs, and 30 beef & been burritos for the freezer. I used to cook like this when my teenagers were little, but I’ve gotten out of the habit the past 10 years. I’m excited about getting it started again to help free up some time so that I can home school my 2 new babies.
When I married my husband, I also became a mother. Transitioning from a single girl to a wife AND mom in one fell swoop was NOT easy! At the end of my work day, the LAST words I wanted to hear were “What’s for dinner?”
In walks freezer cooking.
YAHOO!
I told my husband that I was going to try this method to help with our busy schedules and he was game. Thus began our venture into the world of cooking for the freezer, OAMC, or whatever you’d like to call it. I’ve done batch cooking, planning (and cooking) for the whole month, stocking up, etc. and I’ve never looked back. This method absolutely SAVES my sanity, and I try to convert anyone who will listen!!!
My husband has high blood pressure and has recently been diagnosed as “pre-diabetic”. I’m learning what this means and am tailoring our menu to his dietary needs and am hoping to incorporate some freezer meals into this. With four boys in sports and one busy little princess it’s not always easy to get dinner on the table for the family meal, so having some homemade help would be great!
Ive been very interested in trying this – I am a full time working mom so it would be so nice to cook once a month and have more time with my familt at nice. I wish I knew about this sooner!
I have been reading you for such a long time, but never really comment. I am working up the nerve…to freezer cook. I KNOW it would make a huge difference in our life, but it never seems to be the right time.
I love reading your posts about it, and have learned so much. One of your past posts even got Hubby on board! Now it is up to me…
A group of friends and I do a freezer food group, where we pick a theme once a month and then bring 4 batches of whatever to trade. Some of our themes – healthy/weight watchers, sneaky veggies (sneaking veggies in to foods for kids and hubbies), breakfast, casseroles (combined this for Nov/Dec to help during the holidays), soups, seafood, Italian, Mexican, etc. Its great having a few fall back meals when life is generally too hectic. I’ve tried an all day thing before, which failed miserably because I made the mistake of trying all new recipes – use the tried and true recipes on those days!! Would love to win one or all of the books!
I really like the idea of freezer cooking, but have yet to truly make it happen. I do make double of some meals, then we can eat one and freeze the other. I especially like doing this with lasagna and enchiladas (things that tend to be more labor intensive for me). I really would love to figure out how to make OAMC happen, considering were hoping to have multiple children. Maybe a chest freezer will be in our future…
All that to say: great job to all of you who are able to make it happen on a regular basis!
I haven’t quite figured out how to cook for two now that all the kids are married.. So there are always leftovers. Left overs get old after a while. I love to learn how to cook for the freezer.
I love freezer cooking because when I see fast food on my way home from work I know it will be just as fast to go to my freezer! It encourages me to continue to pass up less healthy meals and focus on what I am giving to support my family.
I have nerver had a big freezer cooking day, but I love to double or triple a recipe I am making and pop the extra meals in the freezer to use later.
I have never had a big freezer cooking day, but I love to double or triple a recipe I am making and pop the extra meals in the freezer to use later.
I love cooking two meals at once and knowing that later in the month I can pull that meal out on a busy day. I’m hoping to take that a step further next month and cook up more meals to freeze. Thanks for all your inspiration!
I’ve not tried freezer cooking yet, but I’m ready to dip my toe in the water.
I have never tried Once a Month cooking but looks very interesting. wish I had this blog when my kids were little. now there is just the two of us. I like to precook the meat etc, and the beans or brown rice and then they are handy for meal prep. right now the garage is my freezer space, minus 13 tonight. BRRRRR. perfect place to store tomorrrow’s soup and the crock pot of applesauce I made to day. really enjoy your blog. thanks for sharing .
I would love to learn this to do on a monthly basis…I fear freezer burn
I like to do it in mini-bursts. I’ll be blogging about this time-saving and fairly stress-free approach on Feb. 1st
Those sound like really great books!
I still haven’t quite gotten the hang of cooking up a whole month’s worth of food at one time, but I AM doubling and tripling many of the meals I cook to gradually create a supply of ready meals in the freezer. I still LOVE to read about the accomplishments of others who manage a whole month at a time.
I do a VERY small scale of freezer cooking. Maybe once a week I’ll make a BIG batch of something I’m making anyway to put half in the freezer for later….and that’s about all I do specifically for the freezer.
cheled77 at hotmail dot com
I do some freezer cooking, but usually only when a recipe makes 2 meals worth. I need to set aside a day and really make the effort to cook for my freezer.
BTW–I love the “$5 dinner mom cookbook”. I have it checked out from the library right now. I’d love to win it!
I’m hoping to start this week with freezer cooking! With 2 littles running around, I have a really hard time cooking dinner & hope this will help! Thank you =)
I’m determined to hav regular freezer cooking days. Talk about a lifesaver! This time around I’m freezing brown rice and side dishes too. And completely simplyfying the menu to make it easier for me. I’ve started buying some ingredients on sale. I can just taste victory now. Can’t wait to get started!
I love to have a freezer full of yummy things to eat – it definitly cuts down on last minute trips to the store and dinners out – which are big budget busters
I LOVE to freezer cook! I haven’t done it quite a while so I’m excited to get some meals in the freezer. It will be so nice!!!
Love the idea and I have made a extra batch when I am cooking a item to freeze but I have never devoted a whole day to it. I am still in awe of the freezing of the grated cheese?
I’m especially loving doing it as I get ready for our baby’s arrival in a couple of weeks!
I have never done OAMC, but I find it helpful to freeze extra/leftovers of what I’m making. I also like to bake for the freezer! Thanks for the giveaway!
This seems like a great idea to me. I haven’t tried it yet but I am planning on doing it within the next month or so. I have definitely been inspired to do this to free up some of my time and make more of our homeschool time together.
freezer cooking is a great thing for working moms…. it saves so much time. i would love to try new recipies tough…
thanks everyone
LOVE freezer cooking…once it’s done and the food is in the freezer! I find the planning and extra cooking to be a daunting task, though. Plus, we try to eat LOTS of vegetables (we generally do not eat meat), and at some point there’s just a limit to how many veggie dishes freeze well. So I do think that’s a bit of a limitation. But I freeze quite a few bean dishes.
I’ve never done all my freezer cooking for the month in one day, but I frequently cook double and freeze the extra for later. It’s nice when you have an extra busy day to be able to pull something out of the freezer instead of spending money on take out.
I have never tried freezer cooking but would love to give it a whirl.
I have only used the OAMC one time. It was a truly rewarding experience. However, I have not taken the time to follow up on the success of the first venture. I know it would benefit our family for me to jump on the bandwagon again. I hope I win one of the prizes, I need some help to get me back on the a successful meal planning track.
i love to use my freezer to help me out later on at dinner-time!! i am expecting baby #2 in a couple weeks, so I have been stocking my stand-alone fridge with soups and casseroles!!
I am excited to enter this contest!! Hope I win!!
I’ve tried the once-a-month cooking and loved it, but I don’t think I’ve seen it with a budget attached. Sounds great!
$5 meals also sound great as well as someone planning my meals for me. All great options!!
Honestly, I’ve never heard of freezer cooking until recently! With my husband working full time and a full time student, and me running a home daycare…I think I NEED freezer cooking! that’s next on my list…think I’ll make time to try tomorrow!
I’m very interested in freezer cooking. I’ve dipped my toe into the world of freezer cooking by just making double of things that I’m already making and sticking it in the freezer, or browning 5 lbs of ground beef when I’m already browning one, and then sticking the rest in the freezer. It’s working for me and I’d like to continue and increase what I’m doing already. I don’t know that I can take a whole day (or weekend for that matter) to devote to it, but I can do a little at a time, for now anyway. Maybe I can move into hardcore freezer cooking as my kids get a little older. Thanks for offering this giveaway!
I am definitely new to freezer cooking, however I LOVE the idea! I tried it last month, and tonight I was pleasantly surprised when after a long day, I found a yummy casserole in our freezer, waiting to be baked. I am going to try and do another batch of freezer cooking very soon, and am so thankful for your wonderful blog. Such an inspiration in so many ways. Blessings, Amber
I have never done a freezer day, but I like the idea. I do frequently make large batches of food, and freeze some. We have a large deep freeze which is really nice for this sort of thing. Having food ready to pull out of the freezer is such a lifesaver sometimes. It is a big timesaver too.
I love having things in my freezer to pull out. I love it! I tend to cook big batches of things I make throughout the week and freeze the extras. It works out well for us!
I can’t wait to do freezer cooking! It’s challenging for me, if I want to eat the same thing as my family, though, because I have multiple food intolerances.
I have always been a fan of putting leftovers in the freezer. I used to rack my brain as to what I could possibly make ahead besides casseroles to put in the freezer. I’m really glad I found you guys and your OAMC because it has really opened up my eyes to how much more I can do in advance and also the challenge to do several meals or freezer items in a single day or over a few days has been really beneficial to me. So I am soaking up all I can learn and making it work for me the best I can.
And at the risk of being really sappy here, I just want to say that it is really helping me more than you’ll ever know. Before I found you, I was finding myself going two or even three days without a real meal because I just couldn’t muster up the energy to cook. Grief is a real energy sucker and on top of that I have some unexplained chronic pain. So, thank you for motivating me.
I think the idea of freezer cooking is wonderful. It saves so much time on those nights that you get off late or have to rush around for whatever reason. I think it also helps to plan what to have for dinner, especially when you wait to the last minute to think about what’s for dinner like I sometimes do. I want to get into freezer cooking, but I could definitely use some tips on recipes!
I love it but whenever I do it it takes awhile to actually use the meals because I love to cook and sometimes have a hard time just not doing it some nights:) But I am sure when my family expands it will be a lifesaver:)
I think freezer cooking is the way to go with my working and the kids and hubbies meetings at night. It really is a lifesaver on those busy nights.
I have been cooking extra portions of our dinners and freezing them. It has really helped me plan for weeks ahead. If I get overwhelmed with the day and forget to plan dinner, I can just take something out of the freezer and dinner is served.
I am really interested in the Once a Month Cooking idea but really am not sure where to start.
I would love to learn more about freezer cooking……now ands days i could see how one day of freezer cooking can shorten the time spent in the kitchen during the week. Would love to explore more on this topic.
I’m just sitting down from my Freezer Cooking Day, part one. I’ll finish tomorrow. I just made a 20 quart stock pot full of the best soup in the world. I’ll be able to split it into 5 meals (a meal for us is dinner one night and lunch for the following day). I also made lots of “pieces” of meals. Mixed marinades for chicken and got those divided up and in the freezer, and lots of other things. I have one more soup to make tomorrow, some homemade pizza sauce and Crystal’s pizza dough, plus a little baking and I will actually have meals to last our family of 5 for about 6 weeks, possibly almost 2 months.
THANK YOU FISHMAMA FOR OPENING MY EYES TO THE BEST WAY TO COOK!!! This method is totally saving my sanity and my budget.
All three prizes look awesome and I would love any of them. Thanks again for all of your inspiration!
I know I would save money to do more freezer cooking but I need help with organizing such a task! I did one round of once a month cooking and I loved it…time to do it again!
This is so exciting to me! Thank you for introducing me to this wonderful idea! I have MS and somedays I just dont have the energy to cook for my family, this would give me so much FREEDOM to proudly put an awesome meal on my families table for a change!! Bring it ON!
Oh and those books look like goldmines of information- Good Luck to all!
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Maria in Jacksonville,Florida
I love your site! I get great ideas for meals plus the motivation to get in my kitchen and start cooking.
These books sound fun. As for freezer cooking – I prefer to plan all of my dinners and cook as the day comes.
I have been intrigued by freezer cooking or OAMC for ages but have never done it on a grand scale. This month I plan to change that. I need to do freezer cooking for my family and my in-laws. My mother in law is recovering from surgery, and my family’s schedule is out of control for the next 6 weeks or so. I am researching and/or converting recipes to 8 servings (6 for us/2 for in-laws.) right now and getting that all together. Next step, I think, is to plan shopping list. Please pray for me as take this on! I really think it’s going to be lots of fun!
I LOVE freezer cooking! And when I do it I usually do it the way you’re approaching it this month. I make types of meat for the freezer and decide on the specific dish the day I make it. It definitely speeds things up in the kitchen!
Freezer cooking came in most handy when I got pregnant with #4. Between the day I found out and the begining of week 6 (when morning sickness usually hits me) I stocked the freezer with meats. This helped us survive the time I spent on the couch unable to do much cooking. I could at least bring myself to throw something quick together with the meat already in the freezer.
Thanks for the giveaway!!!
I’ve read about “once a month cooking” and thought that it was a great idea, but I have never tried it. So this month happens to be the month!!! I am hoping for the best!! : )
i think it’s an awesome idea. i do it w/out destinating a special day for it. i just cook double of thing that i was already cooking and put the extra away.
I have never done a full blown oamc but will be trying one when my sister gets back in town. I think it is a great idea and concept. I have several recipes that I double when making so I can freeze and use for a later meal. I also cook my groundmeat when I buy it so it will be ready to use straight from the freezer. At 25, I have been able to share these ideas with other young couples who have started doing the same.
I have yet to figure out how to get a meal on the table every night of the week. If I could figure out a routine so I didn’t have to think about it on the way home from work my life would be transformed!
I do freezer cooking throughout the month rather than spending a full day or weekend doing it since I work full-time. Doubling a meal, prepping additional meat or baking extra goods works for me and is a huge help on a day/evening where I’m crunched for time.
with out cooking once a month ( okay it was more like 4 days straight to get it all done) and putting it one of the 3 deep freezers we had, Hubby and I could not have survived raising 6.It was not unusual to have 6 more besides our own of their friends at any meal at the table. Especially with hubby working 2 jobs and me ( self employed)working 3 and home schooling the youngest 2 along with one of their friend’s..then add sports( all were in sports) half in music,cheerleading,church youth groups, Camp Fire then add THEM working after schools.
I am trying to hop on board the Freezer cooking train….I use my freezer all the time…would like to be better organized and prepared….
During a family members illness a friend delivered a month of meals to my family. It was a great blessing. I love being able to feed a family of 8 without the hassle,and wanted to try it myself. Thanks to you women I am able to try and not feel as if I am doing it alone. My Daugthers and I are working to get it done. I am sure it will help us save also. Thanks again for the encouragement.
I love the idea of freezer cooking, but my current freezer is not big enough. It’s jammed packed full of food now. I don’t think I could fit anything else in there. : )
I would love to try to do this. I do double some recipes for the freezer, but that’s about it so far. These books sound like they would be very helpful. Thanks for the contest!
I love freezer cooking—IF I can get someone to come do it with me. The day goes so much faster and the results seem so much more
Freezer cooking is the only way to go whether I make a big day of it or just double or triple a recipe. It’s a lifestyle for me now because I don’t want my family to have to resort to take-out or junk food because I failed to plan.
In the past, I have made freezer meals but never cooked enough for a whole month! In the interest of time, I think it is a great idea. There are many days when my family has varying schedules that just don’t allow for a “decent” meal to be cooked. I’ve been enjoying reading your posts as well as Money Saving Mom’s! Keep up the good work and please enter me in your giveaway!
I think freezer cooking is great and I wish more people knew about it. It would save many people trips to the fast food joints. I wish I could get the courage up to do a HUGE weekend session. But for now what I do helps tremendously.
Thanks
I am still in the learning stage with my OAMC.I’ve learned a lot from different blog’s and especially 5$ dinners.I would really enjoy any of those cookbooks.
I haven’t done any freezer cooking as of yet, but anything to get dinner on the table without always having to say ‘What should we have for dinner tonight?’ sounds like a great idea to me!
When I freezer cook I pick one certain item to do instead of making it a marathon.I will do chicken one day pork another and so on.When I do it this way I dont get burned out and I have time for other things.
Freezer cooking is so convenient. Typically, I tripple batch something once a week or so rather than do a monthly marathon cooking day. Thank you for hosting the freezer cooking days and for the potential to win your giveaways.
The Freezer Cooking postings has been so inspirational that I hav shared with co-workers who are not spreading the good news of organization and time management. Thank you so much!!!
I’ve been dabbling in freezer cooking for a little while. I am now ready to take the plunge! Thanks for this offer of 3 great prizes!
I would love to win any of these! I like freezer cooking, I just need to be more organized and need to set aside a day to get it done.
LOVE freezer cooking! Each month, some friends and I do a freezer meal swap and it’s fantastic! I’m hoping this summer, before baby#3 arrives, I can cook up a TON of meals to have at the ready!
I love freezer cooking!!! Being a mom to 5 precious children and homeschooling 4 of them keeps me very busy. Taking one weekend to make meals for the month helps me put a good meal on the table at the end of some very crazy and exhausting days. It is the answer to staying on a budget while leading a very busy life!!
I’m excited about learning more re: freezer cooking…I’m just getting started. My husband is out right now getting some storage stuff. Here goes nothing…..hope I can win a book to give me an extra kick start on learning to cook – regular or freezer!
HOLLY
I am new to freezer cooking. I still have a lot to learn so, I definitely could benefit from this book.
I was really introduced to freezer cooking for the first time by Crystal at Money Saving Mom….and I’m catching on to the idea! I had my first freezer cooking day last month and really enjoyed the outcome! Planning on doing it again this month.
Alicia
I am excited about trying freezer cooking for the first time this month! I hope to get some baby food, meals, and mixes prepared to help during a busy season while we are trying to sell our house. Thank you for all of your advice!
I am so inspired by you guys to try freezer cooking this month! It seems like it will be a great idea for me as I’m in my third trimester of pregnancy and I’d love to have meals in the freezer so we don’t eat takeout every night.
I don’t do a lot of freezer cooking but I really think it is a good idea. It is nice to just be able to pull something out of the freezer if the day gets a little crazy or I haven’t had a chance to go the grocery store yet.
I love having meals in the freezer! It helps so much when days are crazy, and now that our church schedule of delivering meals has ended (they where so generous and there were so many meals!) I will be breaking into my carefully prepared stash!
I’m so ready to try once a month cooking….as soon as I’ve emptied my pantry! I’m still going on the Pantry Challenge!
I have not tried freezer cooking but I think I am going to have to soon. What a great idea to make those hectic nights flow a little easier, without turning to take out.
Great giveaway! I’ve been making double batches of meals to feed the freezer and it is so nice to have healthy, home made meals ready on nights that I don’t feel like cooking!
I like to buy hamburger in bulk and cook it up….some with onion and garlic, some plain, and some with taco seasoning. That way, when we aren’t sure what we want for dinner until the last minute, we can have already cooked meat.
I’m really enjoying reading about everyone’s OAMC adventures. My first OAMC experience was over 15 years ago! And I still try to make freezer meals when I can. I’m planning a “make a mix/basics” day sometime in the next few months. I want to make some homemade broth, homemade long grain and wild rice mix, homemade condensed soups, etc. We are trying to cut out some of the packaged “junk” ingredients. Trying to figure out a few others to make too.
The only “freezer cooking” I do is cooking up and seasoning ground beef when I buy it. It does make meal time prep go much faster. But I’m trying to find ways and time to do more freezer cooking.
I think freezing cooking could be beneficial for the whole family. I am a social worker and some days I work strange hours. My family would be able to enjoy healthier meals and great family time if I take a Saturday and freeze meals. I can also cook with my girls and this will allow great bounding / experience for each other. Thanks for the info. Blessings…… theWells Family
We enjoy freezer cooking especially making things that are easy to add together to make a meal.
Thanks for the give-away opportunity!
Michelle
I’ve wanted to do this for a while now and I’m finally jumping in! I’ve done most of my prep work and will get to assemble when the kids are at school tomorrow! Thanks for all of the great recipes and helpful tips!
I use to do freezer cooking or as we called it once a month cooking but I haven’t done it for quite sometime. You have inspired me to start again. Thanks!!!
I like freezer cooking, I know it saves money
I have been cooking and freezing for over 10 years, we are a famiky of three and my DD always bring hot lunches to school in a thermo, the same thing for my DH (he re-heated in the microwave) and me too.
I cook one Saturday and freeze up to 30 meals; if I cook Chicken, I can make: lasagna; pasta w/chicken and alfredo sauce; chicken scallopini (with artichokes, mushrooms, alfredo sauce and pasta); and left some plain chicken for quesadillas or chicken salad.
If I cook ground beef: we make our own hamburguers; chili; lasagna; taco meat.
I cook rice and freeze in small plastic bags; make my owm breadcrumbs with the leftovers bread; shoppe and freeze: green and red peppers, onions, strawberries, and bananas.
I save a lot money!!! Once you start is very easy to continue on. The key is to cook more than you will need for your meal and freeze the rest.
Also, make sure that you label all containers with the name and date.
Maria T
Any or all of these books would be SUCH a big help! I’ve wanted to do this for so long, but need some major help to get started.
Thank you for considering my entry.
I don’t know what I would do without being able to put some food away in my freezer each month. I have two cookbooks that help, but with a child with allergies I have found I can’t do too many out of the one. I have especially been grateful for this when I’ve been having babies and life is absolutely insane. It really makes dinner easier!
love freezer cooking!! only way i make it through a week!
I love it! I try to do as much freezer cooking as I can. Right now my freezers are both FULL! Full freezers = less stress = happy mommy = happy kids!
i *love* freezer cooking, but i don’t do it a month at a time. instead, i do it about every other weekend or so. Our freezer is pretty small, so once a month just doesn’t work for us.
Well, I LOVE the fruits of freezer cooking, but don’t feel like I have the time to do a whole month’s worth in one day. What I try to do is to double or triple what I’m making and stick the extras in the freezer for another day. It IS such a blessing, though, to be able to pull out a meal from the freezer…something home made and not a bunch of expensive and/or processed foods.
I love freezer cooking. Between work and graduate school, I get home late and tired & my husband works evenings. Freezer meals has saved us! We made up about 15-17 dinners and are going through. I never thought about doing breakfast foods but think I might now! I love new recipies and tips for freezing – they are lifesavers!
I am fascinated by freezer cooking and would absolutely love to try it!
I haven’t tried to premake freezer meals other than a stint a long time ago at a “make ahead dinner” place. It was remarkably easy, I just need the motivation (and the dishes) to try it again!
I love freezer cooking!
Thanks for this giveaway! Hope I win!
I have done freezer cooking before at a place called The Dinner Station. It was great, but now I want to be able to do it on my own at home. So …. I am going to try to do this with you!
Freezer cooking is the bomb! What a lifesaver. I just had surgery on my left hand/wrist and I’m one-handed right now. Luckily, this was a planned surgery so I had time to prepare. Thanks to you and your awesome ideas, I was able to prepare meals and stock my freezer so that I could easily feed my family – even with only one good arm. Everything from waffles and pancakes from the freezer for breakfast to chicken pot pie (thanks for your recipe) to pumpkin bread and banana bread for desserts. I used your idea of cooking rice ahead of time and bagging it up and also cooking ground beef and packaging it. What a timesaver for some quick dinners. Thank you for your wonderful blog. I check it every day. I’ve used so many of your recipes and ideas. You’re truly a lifesaver and moneysaver — and sanity saver! Have a great time on your trip.
Tammy
My opinion of freezer cooking? Would love to do it, but beyond baking and freezing meatballs once (which was a big success) I’ve never done it. I know, I know, I need to ‘just do it’. But it’s such a daunting task to me!
I’ve done mostly partial freezer meals liked pre-cooked hamburger meat or chicken. I love the grated cheese idea. I would like to try more full meals that are ready to pop into the oven.
I just love freezer cooking. I started doing it when I was pregnant and I haven’t stopped. It saves so much time later on.
I think freezer cooking is a great idea. I already do it in a modest form, by freezing leftovers or portions of large batches to have on hand for later. I have been thinking about trying it on a larger-scale basis, but I haven’t taken the plunge yet. I’ve been reading lots of books and blogs on the subject, so I need to just go for it!
I really like the idea of freezer cooking. I freeze some things, but not much in the way of once-a-month cooking. I’m hoping to change that soon, though. One of my goals for February is to plan out freezer meals to make before my first baby comes in May. Hopefully I’ll still have the energy to tackle them all when March rolls around.
Thanks for offering this giveaway. I read Mary Ostyn’s book a few weeks ago, and really got a lot out of it. I’d love to have my own copy!
I love the idea of freezer cooking, but I don’t like doing it all in one day. I much prefer to just do some extra ‘plan-ahead’ cooking throughout the month. But I plunged in and spent Saturday in the kitchen and got the freezer stocked up!
I do some freezer cooking and really like the idea of having something already made to pull out of the freezer. This summer I plan on doing a lot more freezer cooking because I will be babysitting a young girl, along with caring for my baby daughter so I will have a lot less time to spend in the kitchen…and probably a lot less desire to!
I love the idea of freezer cooking; I just can’t work up the energy to spend a whole day in the kitchen!
I have been wanting to try this. Thanks for the encouragement.
What fun! I can wait to read those books even if I don’t win. I’ve heard great things about Mary Ostyn’s book!
I haven’t done a ton of freezer cooking… yet. But I did get the fix, freeze, feast book for Christmas and what I’ve been doing is making the recipes… eating 1 serving that day for supper and freezing the rest. I’ve managed to stockpile 6 servings of meatball dishes, and 2 servings of mango cranberry chicken so far, which is huge for me!
I love freezer cooking, but I have found that right now in my life it works best to do it slowly, cooking double batches of things as I am making them and freezing the extra. Right now I only have the freezer connected to my fridge, but I hope to have a deep freeze some day, which would allow me to do more freezer cooking.
Love the idea of freezer cooking- have done it on small scale, but would like to do it a whole lot more!
I am just now considering the Freezer plan and would love to get one of the books. I’m just doing research now on what freezes good and what does not and what recipes will freeze better than others. Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
My opinion of monthly freezer cooking is that it sounds fabulous! I haven’t tried anything so organized, but you have inspired me to try it this month. Thanks for the site- hoping I win of the books, too.
This concept is new to me, but I love saving, love cooking and LOVE eating. So help me understand how to get the most out of my second freezer!
I love freezer cooking…its the way I got through my last month of preganncy!
I love freezer cooking and bulk cooking of any kind. It saves me time and money, so I can focus on my family and the things that are most important in my life. I have posted a good bulk Onion Soup Mix Recipe at http://busy-at-home.com/blog/?p=1089 and Bulk Cooking and Freezing Rice at http://busy-at-home.com/blog/?p=1030.
I’m single and don’t have any kids, so I’m already in the habit of freezing my leftovers when I cook. Like so many other people have commented, it’s easy to pass up take out or a grocery store run on the way home from work when I know I already have something I made myself that I can just heat up! I’d love to expand more on cooking purposely to freeze for later and to get some new recipe ideas! Thanks for offering this great giveaway!
I’m new to freezer cooking, but find it very helpful. I’ve yet to have a big freezer cooking day, though. I usually fill it up slowly.
I love the idea of freezer cooking and have done it a time or two. I always seem to forget to pull out what I need to thaw it out though. Great giveaway!
I’ve been reading a lot about freezer cooking lately. I want to try it and am building up a recipe list of freezable meals. Hope to give it a try in 2 weeks or so.
Freezer cooking is so great any time of year, I do it all the time. What I do at times is double up on preparing my receipes for a meal here or there. Then I put half of the meal in the oven and the other half in the freezer. if the receipe calls for some ingredients to add before cooking I usually put them in a zip lock sandwich baggie and attach it to the pre-made meal. If it is something that can’t be frozen then I jut write a little note of what I need and the rest of the directions and enclose that into another zip lock baggie and attch that one too.
I love freezer cooking. One day of labor and you reap the benefits for months later!
I love freezer meals and can always use new and fresh ideas!!!
I love freezer cooking! It makes my life so much easier…I love that spending 4-5 hours in the kitchen equals 8-10 (or more!) hours saved on later nights!!
I’ve done freezer cooking a few times – it is great to have meals already prepared when it’s been a busy day!
Love freezer cooking – otherwise there would be a lot of hungry mouths in my house!
I love freezer cooking days. My hubby is away alot so I’ve learned to portion them into 2 serving sizes (dinner and the next lunch) so I don’t end up eating the same meal for 4 days!
LOVE Freezer Cooking! I’ve done it off and on (mostly on) since my first was born 5 years ago.
Saves tons of time and tons of money. I’m always on the lookout for new recipes and tips. I still have lot to learn!
-Lauren
What a great giveaway! I have grown to love freezer cooking. What a life saver! When I was pregnant with my 3rd I made extra meals each night for a couple of months to save a bunch for when the baby was born. Now that she’s nearly 2 (where did time go?!) I am loving having a once a month cooking day. It helps me so much with my time. I’m a WAHM-homeschooling mom of 3 ages 6 and under, so being able to cook one day (well, if I’m honest it’s usually about 3 days) one time a month helps out so much! I feel like I’m able to keep up with my 20 hour a week job, housework, knitting, and homeschooling a whole lot more easily that way. We’re still finishing up what’s currently in our pantry/freezer (I have about 4 meals left) and then I should be doing another cooking day sometime this next weekend.
I’ve tried freezer cooking, but my husband swears he can taste the difference between freshly cooked (or freshly microwaved!) meals and frozen ones. Maybe I’m packaging things wrong (?). I do freezer cooking for breads, muffins, pancakes, etc., though, so there’s always something for breakfast.
I LOVE freezer cooking, although I must confess that I don’t do it as often as I should
It makes life so much easier to just grab something out of the freezer and be done with dinner!
I am so excited to have learned about your freezer cooking days! I have to do this and I know it will help me out tremendously since I work evenings (5-10 pm) which makes it hard for me to get ready for work and feed the family at the same time! Thanks so much for telling us all about it!
I think that Freezer Cooking is a great idea! I work full-time and have 2 foster children, so I don’t really have time to have a full freezer day, but anytime I make a main dish, I try to make double of it and freeze the other half. This makes for quite a few meals in the freezer, which is great on the nights when we get home late and I am so tired from teaching all day. During the summer when I am off work, I have done a freezer cooking day and absolutely LOVE having a freezer stocked full of meals.
I just did my first freezer cooking this weekend. It was a lot of work, but it is so nice not to have to worry about what’s for dinner now for a while!
I have been scared of freezer cooking, I have had the thought the food doesn’t taste the same, more like a frozen meal. I would really like to start to save time, just need some good recipes to get me out of that fear.
Freezer cooking is something I’d love to try. However since we just have a small side-by-side, I barely have enough room for the basics in our freezer. Hopefully, one day soon I can get another freezer, and then I’ll be joining in the freezer cooking.b
I love stocking our freezer with precooked meats and waffles, pancakkes and such. I really want to start making muffins and other quick snacks that i can just take out and heat up. Freezer cooking saves us time and money because I schedule my big cooking around grocery store meat specials.
I love freezer cooking! Even if I only do a couple of things a month, it’s a huge time saver on those last minute nights. Not to mention it keeps us from getting fast food when we can do “fast food” at home!
I think OAMC is great and such a timesaver!
Some days I don’t know how I’d get dinner on the table if I didn’t have some meals stashed in the freezer. It definitely works for me!
I can’t wait to participate in Freezer Cooking day…maybe next month. I just had my third child a month ago, so I’m still pulling stuff from the freezer for dinner every night.
I really enjoy reading these blogs about frugal living. I would like to be entered in the freezer cooking giveaway.
Thanks,
Ruth
I’m all for cooking ahead. Only sometimes I forget what’s in there, and then we’re afraid to eat it later.
Kim Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:49 am
@Paige, Masking tape and a sharpie can solve all questions. Just write what it is/when you put it in the freezer and you’ll always know what you have/how old it is. The masking tape comes off easily too.
This is and awesome idea. I am new to this idea and am trying to soak up as much information as possible to help out and save money for my family. I have started a little with freezing meals but am no where near being able to do it for one day and have the meals for a month.
I enjoy having meals in the freezer and would love these tools!
I am a big fan of freezer cooking, but could use some new recipes to try out… I am kind of in a freezer cooking rut right now.
I’m new to freezer cooking, other than putting up a duplicate dinner meal or extra batch of muffins occasionally. I’d love to do more freezer cooking, but definitely need some guidance. The websites mentioned look helpful, and I’d be excited to win any one of these books!
i have been dabbling in freezer cooking for several months. i got inspired when moneysavingmom posted her plans to cook ahead to prepare for the birth of her baby. i was also pregnant and ended making lots of meals for the freezer and it was SOOO helpful. this led me to think, “why not do this regularly even when i’m not having a baby?” so, i have had several days since then and love it! and i love you guys posting about your cooking days with the recipes. it gives me lots of great ideas!
Would love one of these books! Thanks!
Just happened onto the Owlhaven blog sometime last month and bought Mary’s book. I’ve devoured it and have started streamlining my meals to be more affordable for my family of four. I’ve also been more intentional of doing more prep work for future meals (i.e. cooking the beef, chicken, etc. after purchasing) to have that step already done. LOVE your idea of spending a day cooking & baking to stock the freezer. Can you guess what I have planned for this afternoon before my kids get home from school? Just added your blog to my feed… great site! Thanks for sharing your savvy tips and your heart for God!
I do have a question. What kind of containers do you use for the casseroles you put into the freezer? Do you put your soups in bags?
Jessica Fisher Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:22 am
I use rubbermaid or glad plastic containers for soup and baking pans (either glass or disposable) for the casseroles.
Penny Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:15 pm
@Becky, I am still using plastic containers for individual servings, but I am slowly trying to switch over to glass to avoid the BPA issue. But I also invested in a larger stand-alone freezer to help accommodate the larger containers as well.
I haven’t yet tried it, but the freezer cooking looks and sounds great! I need to get a little more organized and I will be right there with you! (I hope…)
I’ve always wanted to try freezer cooking and just don’t know where to start! These cookbooks I think would be put to good use in my house!
I have been reading up on all the blogs about freezer cooking and think it is a great idea. I plan on getting started on freezer cooking.
The cookbooks look amazing! Life (with a 4 year old and a 6 month old) is made much easier when you can cook ahead and freeze!
I am slowly getting into freezer cooking, b/c my husband does not like leftovers. He is gradually getting to the place where he’ll eat leftovers. If I freeze them before he sees the food, and put them in portion-controlled servings, then they don’t count, and he’ll make them for lunch or dinner later on.
Freezer meals save my sanity. I got 4 big bags of tomatoes free last fall from a generous gardener, and made portions of a tomato-veggie blend for sauces, etc. It has been such a budget stretcher. These books look helpful. Thanks for all you do!
Although i have yet to try OAMC i have really been thinking about it.. i am 9mons pregnant and i think after this baby (#2) is born i am going to try it. I think it is amazing and i am proud of all those women/moms who do it each month you are a role model:)
I love the idea of freezer cooking, but it seems a bit overwhelming! I appreciate that you and Crystal have really tried to give ideas and ways to accomplish this, though! Would love to win a new cookbook!!!
I love the idea of freezer cooking! I have a 4 week old son and I’m realizing the impact he is already having on our family budget. Grocery bills will definitely be one of the places I need to cut back…and meal planning will help for sure! I’d love to win a cookbook for some ideas.
I am a little nervous about freezing cooking. I want to do it, but I am afraid I will not like the way it comes out. I don’t want to waste time or money. But I think that I will try out one or two recipes and see how it goes! Thanks for the contest!
I need to work on freezing larger portions or make more meals when I do freezer cooking. Seems like we go through them so quickly because they are conveniently pre-cooked! My hubby loves grabbing something from the freezer to nuke. I suppose him being happy is worth it though!
I love freezer cooking! It makes it easy for my husband to prepare a healthy meal when he gets home from work first.
I’ve followed your blog and Money Saving Mom for a couple of months now and LOVE the idea of freezer cooking for a month. I’ll be quitting work at the end of this month, so I’m really looking forward to my first freezer cooking in the upcoming weeks.
I love freezer cooking! It is a great time saver and great way to prevent last minute dining out! LOVE IT!
I love freezer cooking! Although, admittedly, my hubby does most of it. He’s gotten into cooking lately and, like any man, he loves using neat gadgets. It’s great to have meals prepared ahead of time so that all we have to do is take something out of the freezer in the morning. I do need to find more freezer side dishes, though.
I love the basic freezer cooking I do. It isn’t much, but I cook meats and rice and have them frozen and on hand. I also freeze a lot of fruits and vegetables. I enjoy reading about everyone else’s cooking days!
I like freezer cooking, but seem to have a hard time knowing where to start… I want to try to make more meals this way. I would love to have one of those cookbooks for some ideas!
I love freezer meals! I get together with a friend every month or so and we make a few meals. Sometimes it is one meal (like Lasagna) that we will make 10-12 of. Other times it is 2-3 of various different meals. I love having them in the freezer for days when I just don’t know what to make, or don’t have time to make anything. I don’t do an entire months worth of meals, but I probably have 15 or so meals sitting in my freezer right now.
I have not tried a freezer cooking day yet but I hope to in the coming months. I think that it would save me time and money. Right now I just make a double or triple batch sometimes when I make stuff and pop it away in the freezer for another day.
I really enjoy freezer cooking. It is so nice to know that I can thaw something and have dinner ready in no time. I am hoping to do a big cooking day near the end of the month. Right now my family is eating from the pantry and freezer. We didn’t start pantry eating when everyone else did, and we still have food to use up.
I love freezer cooking. It is so smart and cheap I love having my DH’s favorites on hand when I am too busy to cook.!
I would love to do freezer cooking but Im nervous about space. My husband and I live in such a small apartment with small appliances. I’m hoping that when we move into a bigger place, I’ll be able to join in all the fun!
Honestly, I’ve been toying with the idea for a while, but I think I would better serve my family by doing extra cooking in anticipation of the evenings we get in late from activities outside the home not necessarily for the entire month. Also, I love the recipes I’ve found here because not everything freezes well, and it’s nice to have such a great resource of tried and true freezer friendly recipes.