Looking back, my life has always been full of phases. I obsess over something new and can't seem to get it out of my mind for a while. Eventually I move on, but hopefully I have learned something new and have incorporated it into my life in some way(oh how I wish I could obsess over an organized house, or just a closet!!). Right now my latest obsession is freezer cooking. I don't think I will grow out of this activity, it's just too efficient and fun, but I will probably spend less time pouring over recipe books at some point. Right now, if I have a spare moment, I am reading freezer cook books and bookmarking my favorite recipes and making shopping lists and dreaming of a fully stocked freezer. I take these books with me to appointments, to the park where I can study them while the kids play, I have even been known to take a cook book along while taking a bath! I know, its crazy, but I am ok with that.
Did you know the library is a great place for cook books of every kind? I have learned there are people who cook for the entire month in just one weekend, its called OAMC-Once A Month Cooking. They prepare all the food, freeze it and then pull it out each day as needed. Isn't that cool? We used to eat out quite often. At the end of a long day I felt entitled to grab some fast food for my family. I know that is not healthy and with our budget realignment a while back cooking every night has become a necessity and a reality! I am not the most organized person and the thought of everything involved with one day of cooking a month truly scares me. So I have been taking small steps. If I am making one meal for my family, I triple the recipe and freeze two. Or some afternoons I make several meals and triple them and freeze them. Right now my freezer has about 35 meals in it. I have a list and its kinda like going to a restaurant and ordering with the variety we have in there right now. We have Caribbean Pork, Parsley Parmesan Chicken, Crab Quiche, Seafood Creole, Mariachi Chicken, Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Manicoti, Spinach Feta Lasagna Rolls, Mediterranean Chicken, Christmas Quiche(don't let the name fool you, its delicious any time of year), Chicken A La King, and Italian Macaroni & Cheese and lots of homemade spagetti sauce and taco meat. This week I will be making some chicken enchilladas, pizza burgers and sloppy joe mix to freeze as well. It is reassuring to know that I have so many meals put away for the month. Its great on the budget too. When chicken goes on sale, I pour through the chicken sections of my books and buy in bulk and focus on chicken dishes. When hamburger goes on sale, that is my focus. I am learning new ways to cook and bake and honestly I am having a lot of fun with it. So far most of the meals have turned out beautifully and the family likes them!
My sister Megan and I are planning to get together in a couple of weeks. We will each plan several meals, we will make them together and then swap with each other for greater variety! I think it would be great fun to start up a cooking club with a bunch of friends where everyone could bring multiples of their favorite frozen meals and swap with everyone else.
My favorite freezer recipe books are Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer, and Fix, Freeze, Feast and the Freezer Cooking Manuel from 30 Day Gourmet. There are lots of others, but these are great for family cooking!
OK, so I have taken the first step, I have admitted I have obsessive issues. I will probably seek professional help...but not till the freezer is packed full of dinners! If you don't think I am absolutely crazy, come join me sometime, we can fill your freezer too!
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1 year ago
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5 comments:
I love this idea too- though I haven't been doing it lately. YOur recipes all sound delicious... and much fancier than mine!!
My favorite time saver is to buy ground beef or ground turkey when its on sale and cook it all (I buy a disgustingly large amount). I drain the fat and then measure a cup into a baggie and freeze them all. Then I have meat ready to add to a casserole or for tacos. I do this with chicken too. I boil it al, then chop it up and freeze.
Post your family's favorite recipes, so we can try them too!
I wish I lived closer to you! I'd come over and freezer cook with you and Megan anytime! That's such a good idea. We have been trying to eat out less too and it's hard sometimes. I'm a little last minute too...are we related? ;)
I liked your scrapbooking obsession-- you did good with your running obsession back inthe day. What about the crimped hair obsession you had...lolol..just kidding. Look forward to working with you. Love, Megan
And I LOVE my new book. Thank you!
That's a great thing to do! I actually hate to be tired at the end of a day without any ideas on what to eat. I've always made menus up and even though I change nights, it helped in planning.
Right now my obsession is canning meat so I have a year's supply and have it already cooked and ready to add into whatever I want. I've done chicken, turkey and hamburger meat. I plan to do pork in the next few days. It's fun to be prepared!
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