Freezer Cooking Day

The other day I shared with you 6 Tips to Prepare for a Freezer Cooking Day. I hope it inspired you to take the plunge into freezer cooking!

I had my own freezer cooking day last Friday. I spent about four hours preparing the following:

(2) Batches Baked meatballs (made 5 bags for the freezer)
(2) Batches Baked chicken nuggets
Slow Cooker Chili (made 3 bags for the freezer)
Sausage Spaghetti sauce (made 4 bags for the freezer)
Enchiladas (1 pan for the freezer)
Taco Seasoning (stored in pantry)
Basil Pesto (9 cubes stored in freezer)
Zucchini Bread

When doing freezer cooking, you want to try to cook like items at the same time. For example, I knew I could brown the sausage for the spaghetti sauce at the same time I browned the meat for the enchiladas. So, I got two big pans out and started them at the same time. It only took me one hour to make the spaghetti sauce, enchiladas and start the chili. The chili was a last minute decision since I had planned on two pans of enchiladas. But, I didn’t follow one of my own rules for freezer cooking! I didn’t have enough cheese! On the fly, I decided that chili would work since I could use the meat and beans that I had already cooked for the enchiladas!

The next step was preparing items that needed to be baked in the oven. That meant that meatballs, chicken nuggets and zucchini bread was up! I did the chicken nuggets first. The chicken nuggets require the use of a food processor to grind the oatmeal. The taco seasoning requires the same tool. So, I squeezed in the taco seasoning while I had the food processor out.

So the goal is to plan your day so that like items can be done all at once. If you have several recipes that need chopped onions, chop them all at once.

Now, I say it took me four hours. I also made lunch during this time, had a 20 minute phone call with a friend that needed a listening ear, a run to the garden for basil and keep the kids entertained. I probably could have finished faster, but there was no need to push myself!

Do you currently do any batch or freezer cooking? I encourage you to give it a try!

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.