Why Should I Freezer Cook?

I'm sure some of you are skeptical as to how freezer cooking could make your life easier, after all it is quite an effort all at once, true - but only until your freezer is stocked, then as things run low you can gradually build them back up, maybe this weekend its Breakfast Burritos and next weekend its Shepard's Pie.

Last night was a particularly trying night in our house, Dan had to work an extra shift to make up for taking a night off next week, and Anderson has just entered into teething. After a play date with Chelsea & Nixon, Anderson protested nap time for the next 6 hours which would've made it impossible for me to make something to eat, let alone something delicious. This is where freezer cooking comes to save the day, I turned the oven to 325 and threw in a Macaroni & Cheese Bake. One hour later and I pulled this beauty from the oven:

It definitely isn't high on the list of healthy foods so I decided to have a salad as well, which I also had prepared in the fridge, just had to pour in some dressing, give it a shake and I had a fresh garden salad; we also buy garlic bread in slices that are already prepared, I pulled two from the freezer when I preheated the oven and popped them in when I was letting the dish cool down. 

Voila, delicious dinner, minimal effort and no dishes! Anderson also fell asleep just in time for me to enjoy this while still warm!

Mmmmm....dinner!

Freezer Cooking Tips:

1. Cook all your meats together: If you're going to need 4lbs of bacon chopped and cooked for 3 different recipes, cook it all together and separate after. You can even refrigerate for a day or two if you get busy and need a break.

2. Buy pre-grated cheese. I hate grating cheese, might be the fact that I pay to have my nail kept pretty and every time I use a grater I seem to mess them up! Also, when you're going to need 1000grams of grated cheese save yourself 10minutes and buy the grated option, I purchase mine at Costco (2packs of 500g for $15 - which is the best deal I've found - Walmart packs are smaller).

3. Split it Up! Don't try to tackle everything in one day, as you can tell by my date stamps I split mine up over two weeks and spent a total of 3 hours at a time in the kitchen, including prep and clean up so I didn't wear myself out. If you have a full day to dedicate when someone can watch the kiddos and get them what they need then that's perfect too - just do what is right for your household.