Freezer Cooking Wrap Up

So, how did you do? Was this your first time freezer cooking? Did you survive?

Perhaps this is old hat to you and you whipped through your list lickety split. Did you try any new recipes or streamline some of your cooking techniques?

Or maybe you were reading these freezer cooking posts wondering what kind of crazy people you had encountered.

Hopefully, if it was the latter, we’ve encouraged you to give freezer cooking a try.

But, I like to cook every night….

Just so you know, I love to cook. I love to eat. But I love having evenings where I don’t have to do anything if I don’t want to. That’s how freezer cooking can benefit foodies as well.

Despite my freezer cooking efforts, there is always something to prepare. And that is where the foodie in me gets daily creative exercise. If the main dish is already taken care of, I can prepare a nicer salad or side dishes, experiment with artisan breads, set a prettier table, or just have a calmer, more joyful disposition.

Freezer Cooking Produces Results

These chicken tacos are a snap to prepare if the chicken is already cooked, seasoned and shredded — and waiting in the freezer. Just add tortillas and your favorite toppings.

This past week I set out to tackle four mini-cooking plans. They didn’t all go according to plan, but my family and I have plenty of meals and meal components to draw from over the next for weeks.

Round One featured ground beef and turkey:

• 12 Hamburgers – uncooked, seasoned patties
• 6 quarts Meat Sauce – a variation on my red sauce
• 2 Lawnmower Taco – a casserole my kids love
• 44 Chimichangas – actually frozen burritos that we can microwave or crisp on the griddle at serving time

Round Two continued with more ground beef freezer meals:

• 2 dinners Seasoned Taco Meat – this makes for an easy dinner, just add toppings and tortillas or taco shells
• 3+ dinners Chili – quick to reheat later and serve “as is” or use to top hot dogs
• 2 dinners Meatballs – so versatile, we use them on pasta in a red sauce or with gravy over mashed potatoes
• 2 dinners Meatloaf – same mixture as the meatballs, just in a different shape

Round Three made use of lots of bone-in chicken breast:

• lots of Shredded Chicken – love this for easy sandwich filling, pizza topping, or to add protein to a salad
• 3 dinners Chicken and Bacon Subs – an experiment from last month that worked out well. I found decent priced breads to make two dinners worth and then made a kit with the fillings in separate bags and a bag of homemade buns.
• 2 dinners Chicken Taquitos – yummy and quick to reheat
• 3 dinners Tortilla Bake w/ Chicken and Poblanos – an experiment that I’ll let you know about later.
• Garlic Bread – a super big hit around here

Round Four saw some altering of plans:

• 2 dinners Queso Fundido – a not so healthy, but totally yummy taco dish
• 2 Pizza Kits – Usually, I just do sauce and toppings, but this time I did everything. Aimee has made me rethink it as a do-able option. I made one batch of her dough and one batch of mine. I’ll let you know how the experiment turns out.
• I had also planned on stuffed chicken breast and chicken in marinades. But, the grocery sales did not cooperate with me. I do not pay more than $2 a pound on boneless, skinless chicken. So, I’ll wait for a sale and do a mini cooking session later in the month.

If I did my math right, I have the makings of at least 33 meals in the freezer, enough to lighten my load come dinner time.

So, how did you do?

Share your freezer cooking successes in the comments or in Mr. Linky below. Got a question? Post it in the comment section.

Photo Source: GoodLifeEats