Growing up, my mother often grabbed dinner from the freezer — an icy bowl of chili, a hard hunk of chicken, or artic-cold pasta sauce with meatballs. It was warmed and dinner was served.
Alas, I did not inherit her appetite for efficient thawed dinners. The frosty abyss that is my freezer is cluttered with mystery containers that could, quite possibly, predate the inaugural iPad, hashtags and the pop incarnation of Taylor Swift.
Drive-throughs and pizza delivery save time, but so do freezer-ready meals says Susan Austin, author of "Frost Bite: Make Ahead Recipes to Eliminate Mayhem at Mealtime." And unlike six slices of pizza, pulling dinner from the freezer may fend off unwanted pounds.
"I'm constantly blown away by how the freezer can save me time and money," says Austin, a working mother who says this method of meal preparation is a godsend for working parents. "I regularly make a double or triple batch of a recipe, so we can eat one portion for dinner that evening and store the remaining food in the freezer for a future meal."
Concoct freezer-friendly recipes with items on sale and you're already saving. But, if you are tossing leftovers in the freezer, rather than the trash, you are also saving money by reducing food waste, something I wrote about last week.
Austin and her family will routinely dine on a "bits and bobs" menu, her youngest daughter's favorite dinner. "Everyone gets a spoonful of lots of different cuisines on their plate," she says.
Freezing food is also great for portion control, says Austin. You'll be less tempted to devour an entire dish if you know in advance you will put some into a container for later. You can do this with meals and desserts — like leftover cake.
Make-ahead meals can be as simple as portioning cooked poultry into meal-size packages. Or, you can do what Karrie Truman does: Prepare, wrap, label and freeze a month's worth of nutritious meals in a single weekend.
Hectic schedules have many families looking to fast, processed or preservative-laden frozen foods, says Truman, founder of frugal-living website, HappyMommySaver.com.
"I know, because I was one of them," say the mother of four. "You get into survival mode and you do what you can to get dinner on the table."
Toasted oats changed things for Truman.
"One night, I looked around the dinner table and saw everyone eating Cheerios for dinner for the third night in a row," says Truman. "I decided then and there that it was time to do some freezer cooking."
Freezer meals help to fend off the fright that sets in around the "5 p.m. dinner panic hour," as Truman calls it.
"With preparation and a little effort, a month's worth of dinners can be in your freezer," she says. "Instead of running through a drive-through at the last minute, you can have a healthy meal waiting at home, saving you money every day."
Truman started simple, altering family favorites for the freezer. Some worked great; others needed a little tweaking. Before long she was drafting meal plans, doing some heavy-duty shopping and setting aside an entire day to cook dozens of dinners. Some of her favorite go-to recipes are creamy cheesy broccoli soup, chicken tacquitos and chocolate chip cookies.
"At the beginning you are so excited you have a lot of energy," says Truman. "By the end of the day, your body is tired, your energy zapped and you aren't sure you even want to see — much less eat — any of the meals you worked so hard to make."
With a final wipe of the countertop, you realize it's all worth it, says Truman who offers dozens of freezer-friendly recipes on her website and is currently working on a book.
"That first meal you cook and eat as a family with little effort always makes it worth it for you and most of all for them."
Freezer meal tips for beginners
Cooking a month of meals for the freezer at one stretch can make for money-saving, stress-free dinners. But, it can be overwhelming at first. Karrie Truman, founder of HappyMommySaver.com, is a master frozen meal-maker. She recommends starting slow if you're intimidated. Pick a couple of meals you know your family will like, double the batch and freeze half. Or, simply freeze ingredients — browned meat, cooked rice, grilled chicken. Ready to try the make-ahead for a month method? Here are some of Truman's top tips to get you started. Visit her website if you're looking for recipe inspiration:
Go through what you already have: Use up some of the food you have on hand to save yourself money. Then, flip through weekly sales flyers and hone in on sales or seasonal goods. From there, map out your meal plan. List them all, she says, and on another sheet of paper list each ingredient you will need for each of those meals.
Go shopping for supplies: You'll need all the right supplies to get started. This includes foil baking pans of various sizes and shapes, plastic storage containers, freezer bags and permanent markers. Truman also recommends a slow cooker, large mixing bowls, measuring cups and a food processor, if available.
Get set to cook: Clean your kitchen and make sure you have plenty of room in the freezer. Also, take inventory of your pots and pans. You'll need a few.
Settle on a method: Decide on paper the order in which you will cook your meals. This will help you to stay focused.
Clear your schedule: You'll need to set aside a whole day to cook.
Clean your kitchen: Get ready; you'll have a huge mess to clean.
Source: Make-ahead frozen meals save time and money
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