Monday, March 3, 2014

Guest Post Monday: Tips for Freezer Cooking

Being a busy mom and having little extra time, I do a lot of freezer cooking. That's what makes me so excited to bring you today's Guest Post Monday. Asheritah from One Thing Alone.

You may have heard about freezer cooking and wondered what all the hype is about. Don't you just end up with unidentifiable mush that tastes wacky and has stalagmites growing like a forgotten carton of half-eaten ice cream?

Maybe you're intimidated by the amount of prep work and cooking condensed in one day.

Or perhaps you've tried a freezer-cooking marathon session and have been burnt out by the experience.

I've been where you are.

My first experience with freezer cooking was a disaster. I spent two days in a blazing kitchen and made food that neither I nor my husband enjoyed. It took almost a year and half for me to recover enough to attempt a freezer-cooking day again. The second time was much more pleasant, and since then I've successfully completed several freezer-cooking sessions with great results. Now I am more intentional with my cooking and regularly incorporate smaller freezer-cooking sessions throughout my monthly meal plan, along with 2-3 "marathon" (i.e., 1-2 days) freezer cooking sessions.

To save you the angst I experienced, here are 5 Tips for a Successful Freezer-Cooking Session:

1. Make a plan
Decide ahead of time what recipes you're going to make and whether or not you'll multiply the recipe (a good idea!). Gather your supplies. Make sure you have enough containers to freeze the food, as well as plenty of plastic bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and a permanent marker. Break down each recipe in basic steps, and create a basic outline for your freezer cooking day. Just 10 minutes spent planning can make all the difference in the world.

2. Prep in bulk
Try to touch each ingredient as few times as possible. Chop all your onions at once. Brown all your ground beef in one pot, and afterwards split into portions for the spaghetti sauce, tacos, and sloppy joes. This saves you a lot of time and dish-washing. And believe me--on such a day, one less pot is a big deal.

3. Pick recipes you like
This sounds logical, but the first few times I spent an entire day freezer cooking, I tried all new recipes. Bad idea. We didn't really like most of them, and I was left lamenting all the hours I had wasted in a hot humid kitchen. Now I only make recipes I've made fresh several times and know my family will enjoy.

4. Find a buddy
Many hands make light work. They also make burnt celery soup a lot funnier, too. Share the load (and the rewards!) with a buddy to make the day go by faster. But if you're 6 months pregnant on said cooking day, try to find a buddy that's not as pregnant as you are. Two pregnant ladies in a hot kitchen with dozens of dirty bowls, pots, and pans is not a pleasant sight. Take it from someone who knows.

5. Order pizza
At the end of your cooking-freezing marathon, the last thing you'll want to do is cook dinner OR eat any of the food you've spent all day making. Be kind to yourself and order pizza or other easily-accessible food. You'll be so exhausted that your feet and tummy will thank you.

If you'd like to check out some great freezer-friendly recipes or more details on how to successfully complete a freezer-cooking day, I'd recommend starting with Once a Month Meals and Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook.

What about you? Have you tried freezer cooking before? Was it a disaster or a success? Any tips you would share with a newbie?




Asheritah profile picture
Asheritah is a Romanian-American blogger who's married to her middle school sweetheart and has a blast raising their daughter. In between loads of laundry, full-time HR work, and daily chaos, Asheritah blogs at onethingalone.com where she inspires women to sit at the feet of Jesus so they can dwell with him deeply, love others recklessly, and live their lives fully. 

You can connect with her on her blog, Facebook or Twitter.









Would you like to be featured as a guest blogger on Miranda Bee? Check this out for more info or email me at info@mirandabee.com

17 comments:

  1. I keep thinking about doing this, but it is a little intimidating. Doing it with another person would definitely help!

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    1. Alicia, cooking with someone else definitely makes it more enjoyable and doable. I had to put the word out a bit before I found a friend who was interested, but it's still one of our favorite memories together (large with child though we were). :)

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  2. Great post! I have been wanting to try this for some time now! It certainly would make life easier!

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  3. Yes, I have done it and I never regret it when I do! It is just finding time to do it more often - thanks for the reminder. It really is worth it :).

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  4. I love tip 3--I've done freezer cooking for years and never knew what it was called LOL

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    1. I agree - I've frozen meals to cook/eat later, but I didn't know that it was a "category" of cooking. I love that Asheritah made it even easier!

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    2. Thanks, Miranda, for having me! It's always great to share stories and tips with one another.

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  5. This is great. I have tried a few freezer meals that I threw in the slow cooker but they all kinda tasted the same. I probably just need better recipes.

    I hope you will stop by and link up 3 posts on my Small Victories Sunday linky that's open all week!

    http://momssmallvictories.com/small-victories-sunday-linky-9-one-partied-like-superheroes/

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    1. I added it to your linky. Thanks so much!

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    2. Thanks Miranda! Pinning it to my Small Victories Sunday linky board and sharing on social media! You can link up 2 more posts if you like :)

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  6. These are some great tips. I have heard so much about freezer cooking but I have not given it a try yet. Definitely something I think I should invest some time into though.

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    1. Victoria, start small and build your confidence, and you'll have a freezer full of yumminess in no time!

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  7. Great tips. I need to start doing this to save time during the week.

    Michelle F.

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  8. Love your "order pizza" tip ;) Great idea after a long day of cooking. I would love to have a buddy to do this with - what a time-saver!

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    1. Yes! My husband just looked over my shoulder and laughed. "Hey, remember that time I ate half of the bean burgers you made for the freezer?" haha.... It's easier to laugh now than it was then. :)

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    2. Oh boy.. my OpenID is all sorts of wacky tonight. Sorry about that!

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  9. These are great tips! We're just starting to try freezer meals and these tips should help.

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