Freezer cooking, or bulk cooking, can be a great way to economize on time, money, and resources. And the kids can help cook!

As I mentioned last week, I’m on a mission to make my boys a little more independent in the kitchen. So, it only made sense to include them in the freezer cooking this month. Heaven help me!

Instead of asking each guy what he wanted to make, I let them choose from a variety of cooking plans that I created for The Cookbook (coming later this year). I figured this was an easier way to choose meals as well as have the grocery list and cooking plan already to go.

Providentially, the plan that they chose, the one with the most meat, of course, also featured cuts of meats that were on sale this week at my local stores. Yeah! Shopping, however, involved trips to three four different stores. In recent years it’s not been unusual for me to shop at six different stores in a week, but lately, I’ve not been that crazy in my shopping. This freezer cooking gig required me to stretch a bit.

Note: I could have shopped at probably just one or two, but I would have spent a lot more money. As it is, I believe my grocery total for these meals hovered around $200.

some freezer meal groceries + extras

(Peek in at Good Cheap Eats tomorrow to see how that shopping broke down and what a month’s worth of dinners looks like in groceries as well as dollars and cents.)

Here’s the cooking plan as it looked before we started cooking:

Sorry, no links for most of these. I guess you’ll have to wait to buy The Cookbook.

• Mediterranean Style Steak
• Seasoned Steak with Gorgonzola-Herb Butter
• Mexican Beef Tortas
• Spicy Shrimp and Tomatoes
• Tortilla Soup with Shrimp
• Fish Chowder with Red Potatoes and Corn
• Quick and Spicy Marinara Sauce
• Jamie’s Spice Mix
• Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
• Herb Butter Chicken Tenders
• Caribbean Pork Tenderloin
• Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
• Soy-Ginger Pork Tenderloin
• Cozy Cheese and Potato Casserole

Preorders should start in a month or so. Wait for it….

I gathered all my plastic ware. The Glad plastic boxes and Pyrex or Ziploc glass dishes with plastic lids are my favorites.

I also decided to jot down notes from each day to see how it all worked out, freezer cooking with kids — or how it didn’t.

Thoughts the night before:

Quite honestly, I’m not sure how this will go. I’m hoping that I can assign big boys to different prep tasks and go back and forth from their stations, offering advice and helping. But, the three littles may either help or hinder this process. It’s anybody’s game.

In the past, I’ve told the boys they were “helping” me, but then that didn’t really happen. So, I’m a little skeptical that this will work. I still have some shopping to do in the morning and then a fairly ambitious list to work through.

And there’s always the risk that someone will make a mistake and we’ll have a bulk batch of Oops! But, then again, I’ve been known to do that on my own — without any help.

It should be interesting.

And here’s how it panned out.

Successes on cooking day:

Be my own prep chef – One of the keys to a productive batch cooking day is to do all the prep work in advance. I often neglect to do that, I’m so eager to get cooking. But, this time I made a point to prep everything before I started assembling the meals. This entailed chopping vegetables, cooking potatoes, and grating cheese and lime zest. The result really streamlined the experience. The meals came together super quickly that I surprised even myself, creating 25+ meals in about 5 hours.

Tasty recipes – Our house was filled with good scents all day long. And everything we tasted was delicious! I did veer a little from my original plan, subbing in a pulled pork recipe for the Soy-Ginger Tenderloin and making a chili instead of the Tortilla Soup. Many of these are fairly low maintenance to pull together: marinated meats, soups, slow cooker meals. It’s all a matter of coordinating the different tools in your kitchen.

Cooperative children – My boys were (mostly) great about their kitchen experience. One particular person dragged his feet a little bit, that one who likes to push buttons, so really his behavior was par for the course. He warmed up pretty quickly, though, since he wants to be a chef someday.

I asked each of the bigger boys (14, 11, and 9) to choose two recipes to prepare. Then when I got to one dude’s recipe in the cooking plan’s order, I called him over to walk him through the recipe. It was pretty much a private cooking lesson at that point as I explained what was supposed to happen and what he needed to watch for, add, etc. I tried to let them do the work, with me supervising.

Lots of (labeled) meals for February – We were able to make everything on the list in about 5 to 6 hours, resulting in over 25 meals for the coming month. I also made a point to label everything. The pantry challenge showed me some of my recent laziness. No more mysteries!

What I would do differently:

Communicate my goals to the kids - Things didn’t go exactly as I planned. I think I envisioned a little more enthusiasm on the part of my kids. But, since I didn’t explain that to them ahead of time, they had no idea that I really wanted them to embrace the experience. Everyone did what was asked of him. But, no one went overboard. hehe.

Multi-task more - Next time, I’ll multi-task a little more, getting more than one child going on his task at a time and then “hopefully” roam the kitchen, helping and advising. I definitely could have had more than one cook in the kitchen.

Well, we’ll see next time.

Related Reading:

Here are some of my favorite posts that will help you get started in Freezer Cooking:

• A Quick Start Guide to Freezer Cooking
• How to Create a Freezer Cooking Plan
• Freezer Cooking Recipes You Can Count On
• Freezer Cooking Q & A
• Storage Length and Methods of Packaging

How did freezer cooking go for you?

February Freezer Cooking (With Kids) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

A Kings birthday cake, whether for an LA Kings Hockey fan or other special guest of honor, is super easy to make with a layer cake and a cardboard crown.

I am not a big fan of purple. I’ll admit it. But, I couldn’t very well serve a black cake to my LA KINGS hockey fan of a husband. So, even though I am not a fan of purple, I took one for the team, as they say.

I actually shopped in three different stores trying to find the right inspiration for this cake: Party City, Target, and Michaels. Hockey paraphernalia is hard to come by as are paper crowns, believe it or not. (At least those that match the color scheme I was going for.)

I cheated this year. Yes, I kinda did. I chose a very simple cake to serve my husband on his birthday. I guess that’s becoming my MO. The last year’s worth of birthday cakes have not been some of my best work. They’ve been uber-simple, not that fancy.

I think part of that has been that my bigger kids aren’t all that jazzed about themed birthday cakes. The older two no longer request Bionicle Thornax or Roman Gladiator birthday cakes. Instead, both requested cheesecake on their birthdays.

I definitely pulled out all the stops when they were little guys. The younger ones are easily pleased. And I’m getting old.

I’m not sure how I did it, back in those days when I stayed up into the wee hours of the night sewing capes for 2 dozen knights in shining armor. I don’t think I could — or would — do it today.

But, I’m a firm believer in making birthdays special nonetheless.

Good Meals

On FishPapa’s birthday on Sunday, he requested a full breakfast. This is by far his favorite meal. Typically, we go out to breakfast, but it is often very expensive and not that great. So, I stocked up on everything I needed to make ham and eggs, bacon, biscuits, pancakes, and hashbrowns and we feasted at home. My kids adore a full breakfast.

Good Cake

Later in the day we sang to him and ate cake. LA Kings Hockey Cake. Here’s where the cheating part comes in. In retrospect, the cake would have looked cooler if it had been fondant for a crown instead of cardboard. But, we don’t like the taste of fondant. Nor the taste of cardboard, either, for that matter. But, it seemed less wasteful to recycle a paper crown than to chuck one made of fondant.

And hubs didn’t mind. Though he did miss the chocolate frosting. I think he’ll be requesting cheesecake next time, too.

A Kings cake, whether for a hockey fan or some other royal dignitary, is super easy to make, especially with a paper crown. Frost a round layer cake and place the crown around it on the platter. I made sure that the crown would allow you to peek at the purple frosting. And I added a touch of silver sprinkles across the top. The purple kisses also added a little sparkle to the other wise plain Jane cake.

And there you have it: super simple cake for a King.

Baked any fun cakes lately?

You can view the upcoming topics on the URS Calendar. Next week: Valentine’s Recipes

LA Kings Hockey Birthday Cake (& a Birthday Cake Round-Up) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

For those of you who read my food blog, Good Cheap Eats, you’re well aware that we’ve been undergoing a Pantry Challenge this past month. Having a well-stocked pantry and being able to “eat out of it” is a great way to save money and resources.

This past month, I dedicated my energies toward stock rotation, clearing everything out so that we knew what we had and making sure we used up things before they went bad.

The posts on Good Cheap Eats reflected those efforts this month. In case you missed them:

Pantry Challenge

January Meal Planning and a Pantry Challenge

Goals for the Pantry Challenge

Pantry Challenge Week One

How the Pantry Challenge Can Save You Money

Pantry Challenge Week Two

Pantry Challenge Week Three

The Butternut Squash Adventure

Pantry Challenge Finale

Our Daily Meal Log

What to Make with….

What to Make with Chicken

What to Make with Pork

What to Make with Venison

What to Make with Fish

What to Make with Beef

Kitchen Organization

Tips for Organizing Your Pantry

Tips for Organizing the Freezer

Tips for Organizing the Fridge

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: 5 Tips for Kitchen Organization

Recipes

Hot Sandwiches for Cold Weather Days

Oven Baked Apple Compote

How to Cook a Chicken in the Slowcooker

Cinnamon Streusel Coffeecake

Book Reviews

Three Favorite Food Philosophy Books

Grocery Geek reports

Costco for FREE?

$160.20 MTD

Keeping Up with Their Appetites

Final Week, Pantry Challenge

January’s Good Cheap Eats is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Head’s up! If you make a purchase through the Amazon links in this post, I do receive a small percentage of the sale.

Years ago, almost twenty to be exact, I was une jeune fille americaine living in France. I left the States speaking horrific French, but not caring. It had been a lifelong dream to live in France, and I was going.

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to meet and dine with a number of French folk, and to be indoctrinated into the world of wonderful cheeses. And to brush up on my French.

Oh, sure, when I first got there, I reserved my purchases at the cheese counter to Mimolette, a soft orange cheese that reminded me of cheddar. But, as time went on and I rubbed shoulders with more of the natives, I got bolder to try different cheeses, loving the strong flavors and smells.

On occasion, my French family would break out the Fondue pot or the raclette machine and I would stuff myself on cheese and carbs, either baguette or potatoes, depending on which cheese dish was featured that night.

FishPapa came to visit me that year and we traveled throughout the South, visiting different areas and being regular tourists. Within a year of my return home to the States, we got married and flew back to France on our honeymoon. I assumed we would make it a yearly trip.

We haven’t been in years, almost twenty to be exact. But, I’ve got my eye on 2014.

Anyway, this post is supposed to be about cheese. And it is. Or will be eventually. My publisher sent me a copy of the lovely book La Bonne Femme Cookbook by Wini Moranville. I love it! It’s taken me back. I even dreamed of France the first night reading it.

So, a few days or so ago, I was strolling through Trader Joe’s thinking about France… and voila! In the cheese section there was raclette. And I had to buy some as well as some cornichons. I knew we had ham and new potatoes at home and on the spot, come pantry challenge or high water, I switched meal plans for the evening, so we could enjoy raclette.

I entertained visions of my children scarfing down melted cheese and potatoes and thanking their mama profusely for her kindness. Instead, they all plugged their noses and tried to hide from the delectable feast. Hubs and I looked at each other in disbelief. How could they respond this way?

Clearly, in 2014, it may be a second honeymoon.

Raclette is a cheese, traditionally a Swiss cheese, as in “made in Switzerland.” It does not have big holes like you may imagine when you hear the words Swiss cheese. But, my package of cheese was from France. So, whatever.

Hot and melty raclette is served with boiled new potatoes, baby pickles, and charcuterie (ham). It was a fantastic, easy supper. Whereas you can buy a unitasker machine specifically designed to melt the cheese and heat the other ingredients, I don’t have one. Instead, I warmed all the items that needed to be warmed, like ham, potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms. And then I broiled the cheese in a pan in the toaster oven. Not as fancy as the machine, but it worked.

I apologize for no photo. Our plates were so pretty. But the light wasn’t. Bummer. I guess I’ll need to make it again soon. On a date night. Without children.

Recipe: Casual Raclette

Ingredients

• new potatoes, boiled
• sliced ham or other charcuterie, warmed or at room temperature
• 1 jar cornichons (baby pickles)
• other vegetables, like sauteed mushrooms, steamed asparagus, etc
• 1 package raclette cheese, sliced

Instructions

1. Arrange an assortment of potatoes, ham, pickles, and vegetables on each plate.
2. Broil the cheese on a pan in the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until melted and slightly bubbling.
3. Scrape the cheese onto each plate.
4. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

This is by far a favorite cheesy recipe of mine. I would love to hear what YOUR favorite cheese recipes are! Share them with us today on Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Please note if you don’t post a recipe containing cheese, your post will be deleted. Thanks for understanding.

Raclette (Ultimate Recipe Swap: Cheese) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Today on Ultimate Recipe Swap we’re sharing recipes that feature winter squash. Apparently, I have a lot of that! Squash, that is.

For weeks and weeks now, our produce box has included at least one or two squash: acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and even kabocha. And I’ve been stockpiling them in the pantry, roasting one or two here and there.

But, I’m in need of inspiration! I loved reading Shaina’s EASY way to roast a whole squash. I’m definitely going to try that soon. Especially one of these monster butternuts!

I would love to hear what YOUR favorite squash recipes are! Share them with us today on Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Winter Squash: Ultimate Recipe Swap is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

Any kid subject to orthodontia work is going to struggle with pain as well as hunger. Here’s our list of foods to comfort kids after a trip to the ortho.

Over the last five years we’ve ushered three of our children into the world of orthodontia. We’ve done palatal expanders, retainers, and braces, among other things that I can’t remember the names of. And each time, there’s been a challenging season of what to feed them since their mouths are so sore.

Lucky for them, I broke my jaw in college, so I can definitely empathize with an inability to chew and mouth pain.

The general advice is “soft foods” but that can feel overwhelming when you’re used to a regular diet of pizza and tacos. Here are some of the things that have been helpful in our repertoire of foods that comfort kids after orthodontia.

For when they can’t chew:

• DIY Smoothies (add some protein powder for extra oomph)
• Yogurt with Maple Syrup or Honey
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Roasted Vegetable Soup
• Milk Shakes
• Pureed Butternut Squash (You can also puree other vegetables, like carrots or sweet potatoes)
• Crockpot Applesauce (can be made with pears, too)

For later when they can chew a little:

• Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
• Rice Pudding
• Chicken Noodle Soup

What soft foods do YOU recommend?

Foods that Comfort Kids After Orthodontia is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

When life hands you lemons (or any kind of citrus), zest ‘em, juice ‘em, make all kinds of good things with ‘em. Today we’re sharing recipes that feature citrus fruits.

Once upon a time, I grew up in a fairytale castle with a golden tree growing in the backyard….

Ok, so it wasn’t a castle, but gold really did grow in the backyard. Lemon gold. The lemon tree “came with the house,” as they say. The house my parents bought when I was 2 is where they still reside. That makes the lemon tree at least 38 years old and it’s still producing.

Hundreds of lemons every year are harvested from its branches. And since I moved back from the frozen tundra, I am the happy recipient of a king’s ransom of lemons. Considering that lemons are often $1 a piece at the stores, I’d say, yes, a king’s ransom.

Lemons and limes are different than their citrus cousins in that you don’t typically eat them fresh. (I have on many a day as a teenager when I forgot my key and climbed over the back fence to wait until my mom came home. But, my stories of eating whole lemons are for another post.) My point is that lemons and limes typically aren’t the fruit you just take a bite out of.

At least not if you’re a normal person.

Instead, you use them as garnish or take their zest and juice to enhance both savory and sweet recipes. They are flavoring, if you will.

Lemon Walnut Coffeecake

So, what do you do when you have a surplus of lemons?

Now, I know not all of you are spoiled to live in the Land of Eternal Sunshine where trees of gold sprout in the backyard. But, I have lived in the frozen tundra we call Kansas, and I know that while living there, I found lemons on sale from time to time, so I stocked up. Because I could. And because I love lemons. And probably because I missed home.

So, what do you do when you have a surplus of lemons?

Or limes, or oranges, or grapefruit, for that matter. Winter is citrus season, so no matter where you live (north of the equator), you should be finding citrus at a lower price than normal right about now. Stock up when you see a good sale. If you can eat the citrus fresh (like with oranges or grapefruits) go for it.

But no matter the variety, I suggest these two wonderfully, freezer friendly options:

1. Zest the citrus fruit.

Citrus zest contains a huge amount of flavor. It’s the colorful, oily part of the fruit’s skin. Don’t go too deep, into the white, that is bitter. Just scrape off the zest with a zester or microplane. Store it in an airtight container in your freezer to use in recipes throughout the coming months. Thanks to my friend Jessika for the tip! It has been a wonderful asset to my cooking.

You can do this for lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges, just store the different kinds separately.

2. Juice the fruit.

This year I finally broke down and bought a  new power juicer for citrus. Prior to that purchase the kids and I were using an antique citrus juicer with the well, similar to this style, but in milk glass. A family heirloom that is better to stay that way.

Plus, using a power juicer is so much quicker. Throughout the last few months we’ve had Valencia oranges and lemons from our produce co-op to juice as well as Meyer lemons from Dad’s tree.

You can use the juice right away or freeze it in small containers for later use. You can even freeze it in ice cube trays, transfer the lemon cubes to another container or a ziploc bag and return it to the freezer.

Favorite Citrus Recipes

Use the juice and/or zest in these family favorites:

• Lemon Walnut Coffeecake
• Caesar Salad
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Lemonade Like Chick-Fil-A Makes
• Meyer Lemon Tea Muffins
• Lemon Roasted Potatoes
• Lemon Ginger Bars
• Cherry Limeade Muffins
• Coconut Lime Muffins with Chocolate Chips

And use the fruit in these:

• Cutting Grapefruit Sections
• Orange Salad with Feta and Almonds

Got a great CITRUS recipe to share?

When Life Hands You Lemons (Ultimate Recipe Swap: Citrus Fruit) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

A pantry challenge is a great way to use up what we already have, think through how I want to shop in the future, and of course, save money.

Today’s the first check-in for the Pantry Challenge over on my food blog, Good Cheap Eats. We’re spending the month “shopping our kitchens” before we go shopping elsewhere. This is the 4th time I’ve done an extended pantry challenge; January 2010, January 2011, and July 2011 were past challenges. It’s a great way to use up what we already have, think through how I want to shop in the future, and of course, save money.

I was stunned how many people are joining in. Yeah for using up whatcha got! I’ve been updating our daily log to share how we’re making it work with what’s already in my pantry, fridge and freezer, and other folks are sharing their experiences on the log, too. Talk about your camaraderie.

It’s not too late to join in — because you get to make the rules. Check out the goals we all shared last week and join in!

Are You Shopping Your Kitchen? is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

I love my freezer! I’m not ashamed to say it.

I remember years ago my younger sister turned up her nose at the idea of making food ahead of time and freezing it. Truth be told, I think she just had bad memories from our childhood when our parents or grandmothers stockpiled food that didn’t see the light of day for months, years, decades.

Quite honestly, it was kinda creepy that Gramma had canning jars full of stuff in her basement that were so old, the dust was growing thick on their tops.

Probably one of the problems of the prosperity that most Americans experience (in comparison to the rest of the globe) is that we have excess.

Typically, we have more than we need, we buy more than we need, and we don’t always use what we have. I have been guilty of this many times over.

This month I’m hosting a Pantry Challenge over on my food blog, Good Cheap Eats. I was stunned to see so many comments and folks signing up to participate on these posts:

• Join Me for a Pantry Challenge
• January Meal Planning and the Pantry Challenge
• Goals for the Pantry Challenge
• Daily Log – Pantry Challenge 2012

Clearly, I’m not the only one with a little excess in the cupboards, fridge, and freezer. So, we’re shopping our kitchens before we go shopping elsewhere.

This is a wonderful opportunity to use what you have, rotate your stock, and make sure things don’t go to waste. In fact, I found a good handful of freezer meals to use up this month, like Soy-Balsamic Burgers and Turkey Tortilla Soup, Carnitas Tacos, homemade barbecue sauce and Chicken Tamales. Obviously, freezer cooking helps me year in and year out. We’re reaping the benefits of work I put it weeks ago!

Freezer cooking is helping me take time off this month. Without the scary food experiences that haunt my kid sister.

Try the Make Ahead and Freeze Method

If you don’t already practice freezer cooking, I encourage you to give it a go. Not only does it help you save money through bulk cooking, but it will help you save time and put your feet up more often.

Not sure where to start? Here are some of my favorite posts that will help you join the Freezer Cooking Craze:

• A Quick Start Guide to Freezer Cooking
• How to Create a Freezer Cooking Plan
• Freezer Cooking Recipes You Can Count On
• Freezer Cooking Q & A
• Storage Length and Methods of Packaging

Did you do any freezer cooking this past month?

We’d love to hear about it. Tell us in the comments, or if you posted it on your blog, share the link below.

Join the Freezer Cooking Craze! is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.

A homemade baking mix gets jazzed up with two forms of chocolate and a cheesecake like topping. Delicious and easy to pull together!

As you may know, we’re in the midst of a Pantry Challenge over here. While I’ve not completely sworn off grocery shopping this month, I am “shopping my closet” as it were before buying something more. I love the Pantry Challenge because it really encourages me to be creative with what I already have. These muffins are a great example.

I had a bag of homemade muffin mix in the freezer just begging to be used. And I’d been wanting to choco-fy it for some  time. So, in went cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Then, to gild the lily — and use up one of many cream cheese packages in my fridge — I added a cheesecake topping.

We tested these muffins twice this week. I say “we” because my kids all had opinions about it. Yesterday’s cheesecake topping was better than today’s. But, today’s chocolate mixture was better than yesterday’s. So, I’m giving you the best of both worlds.

This recipe is an awesome way to jazz up a homemade baking mix.

Recipe: Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• Cream Cheese Topping
• 8 ounces neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (If preparing as a mix, simply combine all these ingredients in a ziptop bag, label well, mark with the wet ingredients and baking instructions.)
2. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, sour cream, and eggs. Whisk to blend. Add wet ingredients to dry. Fold gently until mostly moistened, but still lumpy. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Divide the mixture amongst the muffin cups, about 1/4 cup batter for each cup.
4. In another mixing bowl, combine the neufchatel cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Divide the cheese mixture amongst the cups.
5. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs attached.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

Welcome to this week’s chocolate party! Share a favorite chocolate recipe in the comments or in the linky below.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins (Ultimate Recipe Swap: Chocolate) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.