Freeze It Piecemeal

While it can be very convenient to freeze entire meals, it often limits our menu for the month. I really enjoy foods that are made entirely from scratch but I don't want to spend all day cooking during a busy week. Because of this, I make as much of the meal as possible ahead of time and freeze each piece separately. For example, I love chicken wraps but obviously these would not freeze very well once put together. To make it a quick and easy meal for a busy day, I make the wraps and the chicken ahead of time and freeze them separately. That way I can pull them out and have dinner on the table in ten minutes.

Wraps

I don't tend to enjoy the preservatives (or the cost) of store bought wraps so I always make my own. This can be a little tricky with hungry kids under foot, so it is a good one to make ahead of time. To freeze them, cook them in bulk, separate them in quantities convenient for you (I like to freeze ten together), wrap them in plastic, wax paper, or aluminum and freeze. To thaw, either zap them in the microwave or reheat them in a 325 degree oven for a couple minutes (watching carefully so they do not burn).

Chicken

Like I said above, I love chicken wraps, but the cheapest chicken on the market is a whole chicken and who has time to cook one of those on a busy weekday? So during my monthly cooking, I cook it, carve it, and store the meat in Ziploc bags in the freezer (make sure to remove all bones!). At the same time, go ahead and start boiling down that carcass for some chicken stock that can be great to have on hand for recipes.

Pie Crust
There are so many uses for pie crusts from quiche, to pies, to casseroles, which makes this great to have on hand. In order to conveniently freeze my pie crusts, I buy some disposable pie tins to store them in. I will triple the recipe, roll them out as usual, place them in the tins, and cover with aluminum foil. You can pull them out and use them just like a store bought frozen pie crust.

Pizza Dough

Forget about those $5 frozen pizzas or those $15 restaurant pizzas. You can't beat homemade. But pizza dough does need time to rise which can make it inconvenient. Just like a restaurant, make a bunch at once, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze. Make sure the wrapping is completely sealed because the moisture and smells can easily ruin the dough. Pull out the day before and put in the refrigerator to thaw it, then handle as usual to make your homemade pizza pie.

Beans

As I have mentioned before, beans are so much cheaper if you buy dried instead of canned. A lot of dried beans can take hours or days to prepare, so I prepare them in bulk and freeze them in Ziploc bags. This way, I can just pull them out, run them under some hot water and have ready-to-go pinto, kidney, Lima, or navy beans. As convenient as a can for a fraction of the price.

Break It All Down

Take a minute to think about your favorite meals. Odds are, there is some portion of those meals that can be prepared and stored ahead of time. I find that anything I can make in bulk and freeze saves me a lot of hours through the month, not to mention, cuts cost, if even just pennies (they add up!).

More from the Once-A-Month Cooking series:
Planning Leads to Success
Freezing Sauces, Soups, and Stews
Freezing Casseroles, Pastas, and More

Piecemeal