Time to Stock Your Freezer

The past few days I have been cooking like crazy.  Not only am I trying to replenish some of the ever-present soups in my freezer, but I am also tackling next month's Once-A-Month Cooking a little early as well as getting ahead of the game for when this baby arrives in a little more than four months.

Once-A-Month Cooking is a practice that I encourage everyone to attempt.  Whether you are a stay-at-home parent who is looking for less cooking time and more kid time or a working mother who wants healthy, homemade meals but just does not have the energy to cook every night, Once-A-Month Cooking will make your life easier.

A few tips to help cooking monthly work:

• Always keep your freezer stocked.
• Constantly be on the look-out for new recipes (menu variety keeps the family satisfied).
• Never cook single batches - always double or triple it.
• Cook and freeze complete meals that include the protein, vegetable and grain all in one dish, if possible, to make reheating a snap.
• Focus on cooking as much as you can when you have the free time or are in the mood to go crazy in the kitchen.
• Freeze in meal-sized portions or individual portions for faster reheating without waste.
• Buy several freezer-safe dishes or stock up on aluminum foil so you do not run out.
• Be sure not to freeze too much at once or you may overwork your freezer causing spoilage to other foods.
• Buy in bulk so you always have necessary ingredients on hand for when that cooking urge strikes you.
• Crunch the numbers for a deep-freezer as you become a batch-cooking pro.  You may find it pays for itself within a year.

If you have never attempted Once-A-Month Cooking, I encourage you to try it in the month of September.  Does the idea of scheduling and planning overwhelm you?  Then start out by doubling or tripling batches of what you all ready make and freezing the extra. 

Eventually, your freezer will be filled with a variety of foods your family enjoys and all you have to do is cook occasionally to keep it full.  Not much planning is required once that freezer is packed with delicious homemade meals that can make it to the table in fifteen minutes.

Stay tuned for some new freezer-friendly, frugal recipes!