How to Create Freezer Meals

Crock Pot Mania

I have been struggling with deciding what to cook and being motivated to cook each night.  Some days I am just simply too tired and I just want to eat with out putting in the effort to cook!  I decided to make some freezer meals that just need to be thrown in the crock pot at noon and voila dinner is served that night.  It took me two days, but in the end I had 18 dinners in the freezer!  Here is how I pulled it off:

Day 1

Organize your shopping list to make getting groceries simple and quick.  I always organize my food list in order of the store I shop at.  List all the categories:

Produce

Dry

Meat

Dairy

Frozen

Other

List all the items needed under each section.  Print it out and you are ready to go. 

Buying the groceries can seem like a daunting process, but if you follow your list you can hit each section in the grocery store, get what you need, and get out before hours go by.  I am all about efficiency!  Then come home, unload everything and relax!  If you feel up to it start cooking, but if you are like me, going food shopping with two kids under the age of 4 is draining and I need to be fresh if I am going to attempt to make 18 meals!

Day 2

Prepare and assemble.  Label each ziploc bag with name of dinner and directions on how to cook it.

Begin cutting up all vegetable that go into the dinners.  I had to take a break cutting the onions, but other than that cut everything up and place in bowls.  This makes assembling easier. 

After about 4 hours of cooking and assembling this is what I had to show:

Potato Soup

Chicken Dumplings

Bow Tie Casserole

Tin Foil Dinner - Chicken style

Tin Foil Dinner - Hamburger style

Teriyaki Chicken

BBQ Chicken

Spaghetti and Meat sauce

Lasagna

(2 Dinners for each)

Some of the dinners

Not a crock pot meal, but a must have for freezer meals!

I opened up a dance studio to help support our family while my husband attends medical school.  I will use 3 meals each week (the nights that I teach) and I will have meals for 6 weeks!  At least my husband can't complain about me not cooking for a little while :)