Freezing for space

 When you are doing freezer cooking, Space is a big key..When you freeze a meal or what ever your freezing, you should freeze flat. If I have the space I use a cookie sheet to make sure they stay flat. You want to push out as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. I try to flatten as much as I can till the product is right at the lip of the ziplock seal.that way there ain't really much air to worry about.

LABELING: obviously you should label the bags to know whats in it.make sure you right the date and if the meal has special instructions, like heating instructions. Write that down to.especially if your partner also prepares meals when you cant be home. you know Men. They will look at the bag and ask what the hell are they suppose to do with it.

Casseroles are really great to have on hand and they freeze well. It's definitely a great winter and holiday meal to have on hand.

Hamburger: I make alot of hamburger helpers, cause there always on sale and easy to make. So I make sure I always have 1 lb. increments so I can just grab a pound the night before and put it in the fridge to thaw. If the stores meat counter has a great sale on hamburger I always ask for about 10-20 1 lb. increments.

Chicken: Chicken is a great staple and usually at cheap prices..If you find whole chickens or any chicken at reduced price because it needs to be used soon.I throw it my crockpot and it becomes chicken for quesadillas,chicken and dumplings,chicken soup,etc. which are all great winter meals and easy to freeze.If there is broth you want to keep. I freeze it in ice cube trays and bag the cubes to drop in soups and any meal I want to add flavor to.

Marinating: This is a great summer freezer meal to prepare. Steaks,Chicken, Pork Chops, anything...You can make your marinades in ziplock bags with the meat of choice, Take them out the night before and it will thaw in the fridge all day and marinade itself..then when its time to grill or cook. your all ready to go.

Once A Month Cooking

  I know it's called Once A Month Cooking, but after trying it one time I was so overwhelmed with the cooking and just didn't have enough space..So it's more like 3-4 times a month cooking. which come on, it's still good....So I'm just going to explain how I do this and save time and money. 

  
My needed tools

• Ziplock bags (quart and gallon size)
• permanent markers or labels
• cookie sheets
• crockpot
• mixer
• freezer space

  Once A Month Cooking helps you fill your freezer by creating monthly menus using freezable seasonal recipes. The idea is to sit down and make a list of the meals your family mostly eat. example:meatloaf, BBQ chops, baked chicken etc.. Make sure you also write what you will eat as a side or veggie also.then you can fill in everyday on a calender what you plan on eating for that month. 
 Example: Monday                           Tuesday
              Pork tenderloin                    Chicken Fajitas
              Garlic potatoes                     rice and beans
              Salad

 When your a first timer I would suggest just making a dinner plan menu, then if you feel you can handle it, make menus for breakfast and lunches too. If you have children it makes it so much easier to prepare there meals and gives you the opportunity to plan healthier options for them, rather than running for the pack of cookies because its just convenient.


I will be posting recipes with the label OAMC. My next post I want to walk you through how to pick the seasonal items and how I create my menu. I'm an organize freak and I have to write EVERYTHING down...I put it this way...If it's not on paper, it wont get done :)

Hope you get alot of whats to come