For Lisa Donatelli of Cuyahoga Falls, nirvana is not a day at a spa, but dinner in the freezer. “In my situation, as a Realtor, it is nothing out of the ordinary to be showing s from 5 to 8 p.m. Often you either miss dinner or end up making bad choices on the way [...]
Freezer Cooking With Thrifty Schooler
Ed note: This originally appeared as a post to the Thrifty schooler Yahoo group. Reprinted with permission. Dear Thrifty schoolers, List member Christy recently wrote to me . . . “I am looking for a cookbook or ideas on making meals for a month (or at least a week) and freezing them. I know they [...]
What’s for Dinner, Mom?
It’s 5 pm and the kids are hungry. You rummage through the refrigerator looking for leftovers – no such luck. You hastily attempt to prepare a simple Spaghetti Bolognese and realize that you’re out of pasta. The doorbell is ringing and your eldest son just called. He’s bringing his girlfriend for dinner. We’re all aware [...]
The Potato Plan
I’m a bulk cooker and one of the types of sessions I do is potatoes. Many people are surprised by this because they assume that potatoes don’t freeze successfully. I assumed the same thing at first but after years of experimenting I’ve found that they are one of the easiest and most versatile foods in [...]
The Ham Plan
Here is my “Ham Plan”. I am finding it easier and more economical to have bulk cooking plans for when meats and veggies are on sale or in season. I do a big cooking that lasts a few months (Hopefully! I am still new at this) so I don’t have to cook that particular meat [...]
The Chicken Plan
Here is the first plan I wrote, out of necessity! I couldn’t figure out how to deal with so many different parts of the chickens I was doing unless I had everything written down and the recipes gathered together. My Strategy – When dealing with meats that have different parts, you need to think about [...]
The Hamburger Plan
Here is my “Hamburger Plan”, probably one of my most used so far. I love having all of my favorite recipes in one place, and I find myself referring back to it often. Game Plan Since hamburger is loose and you don’t have to cut it up into different sections (such as chicken and turkey), [...]
Foods That Don’t Freeze Well
One of the most common questions I hear from people who are interested in freezer-meal cooking is: “How do I know what will freeze well, and what won’t?”If you’re unsure of how well something will freeze, freeze a single serving when you prepare the dish for a regular family meal. This way you can check on how well the item holds up to freezing and reheating. The following lists should give you a good start at identifying potential freezing problems with various food items.
