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Freezer Cooking Prep

December 6 // 10 Comments // 4 Minute Read

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 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This is the third post in Creative Savings’ freezer cooking series. Last week, we talked about Choosing the Best Recipes, and you can find all posts in the series listed on the introduction page.

Prepare for a day of successful freezer cooking with these freezer cooking prep tips. Includes a FREE printable to keep you on track and running smoothly!

Believe it or not, freezer cooking takes time….and a lot more prep than I originally thought. It's just not something you can throw together at the last minute!

Preparing at least a couple weeks in advance can really go a long way in making your first freezer cooking day a success. Between picking the right recipes, to making sure you have enough of the essential ingredients – it can get pretty crazy.

And after all that work, I'd really hate for you to hate freezer cooking!

The following strategies are tips I've implemented every time I have a freezer cooking day scheduled.  It's amazing how much they make my entire kitchen experience flow much more smoothly!

1. Schedule Enough Time

If at all possible, schedule a freezer cooking day when there is nothing else going on, especially if it's your first time. 

When I started out, I really had no idea how long each recipe was going to take me, so I really couldn't estimate a certain number of hours. So, I picked a Saturday when we had absolutely no commitments, and labeled it Freezer Cooking Day……literally. It just won't happen if it's not listed on the family calendar!

Schedule a freezer cooking day | Creative Savings

I would try to schedule a freezer cooking day at least 2 weeks in advance. Not only will it give you enough time to prep, it will also help you clear out the freezer {More of that in #2}.

FYI – If you have children, it might be best to do a freezer cooking session during nap time, or see if your husband or a friend can watch them while you work.

2. Clear Out the Freezer

Deep freezers are awesome, but if you only have a small freezer in your kitchen, you can totally make that work too. You just have to clear out some items to make more room in there!

Start eating from your freezer {just like shopping from the pantry} as soon as you have your freezer cooking day scheduled. This not only creates space for new foods to freeze, you also save money by not having to go grocery shopping that week. Win-win!

Clear out the freezer

3. Make a Detailed Shopping List

As you choose your freezer cooking recipes, carefully read over each one, and write down ingredients you need, along with the quantity you need.

And don't forget pantry essentials! Just because you already have butter, flour, and sugar, doesn't mean you have enough. 

This will take a lot of refrigerator and pantry searching, so that's why I suggest you don't do it the night before. I work on my recipe and grocery list a week before our actual freezer cooking day, so I am extra prepared.

Oh, and if you need foil pans and freezer bags, put those on there too. You don't want to make all these foods, and having nothing to put them in!

4. Create a Plan

Keep your recipes accessible by making a copy of each one {especially if they happen to be located in 5 different books} and decide the order in which you want to tackle them.

In addition to writing down the order of recipes, I like to write down steps, and cross off as I go.

For example, if I'm going to make Money Saving Mom's delicious cinnamon rolls, I'm going to make this type of list:

  • Make dough and set bread machine going
  • Make filling
  • Roll out dough, spread filling, and cut into rolls
  • Flash freeze and pack in freezer bags

It makes it so much easier to find exactly where I am in a recipe, especially if I have multiple things going on!

Do you feel prepared to tackle your first freezer cooking day, yet? I hope so!! But if not, I have one more thing to help – a Freezer Cooking Day Printable! 

Freezer Cooking Day Prep Printable | Creative Savings

This printable goes hand-in-hand with this series, and will help you plan out your first {or next!} freezer cooking day. You can download the printable here, or click on the graphic above.

All you have to do is write down each recipe you are planning to make, and list out the steps that go along with each recipe. There's also a spot for notes, because let's honest, one can never have too many notes!

I hope this post gives you the confidence you need to tackle your first freezer cooking day. It's so much more fun, not to mention more organized, when you actually put in the time to prep!

How do you prepare for a freezer cooking day?

 

 

If you have been enjoying this series, please share with your friends via the buttons below. We still have one more post to go, so come back next week for a post on how to make your actual freezer cooking day a success!

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

« Previous PostChoosing the Best Freezer Cooking Recipes
Next Post »How to Freeze {and Thaw} Homemade Pizza Dough


Comments

  1. Jess White says

    October 7 at 2:02 pm

    I end up freezer cooking more by accident than anything else; making meals that are way too much food. But that works too, because it takes a bit less preparation.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      October 7 at 7:11 pm

      That’s a nice problem to have! I’ve been freezing leftovers {in single serving sizes}, because they are so handy to throw into Joseph’s lunch. Plus, I know they’ll get eaten!

      Reply
  2. [email protected] A Cultivated Nest says

    October 21 at 4:55 pm

    Thanks for the series! I’m just getting into freezer cooking and started last Saturday with a small batch. We spent about 2 hours prepping and got quite a few meals. So excited to have things i can just pull out and heat up or dump in my crockpot! We did ground beef (and beans) on Saturday. I’m doing chicken this Saturday. Time wise it was just easier for me to break things up like that and less stressful!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      October 22 at 7:29 pm

      Breaking it down into smaller chunks is a great idea. It’s funny how addicting freezer cooking can be. I’m already itching to do some more! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Peg says

    January 3 at 7:25 pm

    This is my first time on your website and just noticed your calendar app. Just curious to know what the name of your calendar app is and is it for just IPad or is it for IPhone too. I don’t like the calendar that came with my Iphone & IPad. I can’t wait to get busy with the freezer meals. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      January 6 at 11:04 pm

      I use the iCalendar app and you can get it on both the iPad and iPhone here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icalendar-manage-your-ical/id492076105?mt=8 I absolutely love it and both my husband and I use it daily!

      Reply
  4. Audy says

    February 8 at 6:24 pm

    Nice printable.

    Reply
  5. Laura says

    November 1 at 10:39 am

    I really love freezer cooking and I know the first time I did a bunch of crockpot freezer meals it definitely took me more than an hour, like the blog post said! Maybe I dice veggies slowly or can’t multi-task as well, but it was still awesome. I like having extra meals in the freezer for our family or to send to a family in need. There are often needs in our church and I don’t have time to run to the store for extra ingredients, but when I have a few meals in our freezer they can be used right away! Also makes a great baby gift so they have meals ready to go too!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      November 3 at 3:39 pm

      I have a hard time multi-tasking as well — too many details!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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👩‍💻 | I help value-driven women lead manageable + meaningful lives.
💬 | INFJ / Enneagram 1
🚙 | RV Life @openroading
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Recently, we visited our storage unit to swap out a few things. 📦⁣
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Almost one year has passed since we stuffed this 9’x9’ space with furniture, decor, and other odds and ends in order to travel in our RV full-time. And during our year on the road, I’ve not missed ANYTHING … until I saw my possessions in person! 💔⁣
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For a brief second, I wanted to sell the RV and buy a sticks-and-bricks home just so I could fill it with all my stuff. 🏠⁣
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Thankfully, this mental lapse didn’t last very long. 😌⁣
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Because almost just as quickly, I thought of all the experiences we’ve shared over the last year that I would have had to trade in order to do that, and suddenly I didn’t feel so attached anymore. ⁣
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Courtney Carver from @bemorewithless says, “I don’t want my legacy to be containers of stuff.” In other words, people won’t remember you by the amount of stuff you leave behind. They’ll remember you for WHO you are. 🤗⁣
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I want people to remember me as the gal who said yes to adventure and not someone who couldn’t say no to a Hobby Lobby sale. 🏷⁣
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And so, that means decluttering a few more things that I don't need (in the RV OR in a future home!) and holding onto the simple nomad life for a little while longer. 💼⁣
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What do you want your legacy to be? ⁣
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The busiest month of the year doesn’t have to be one you dread, especially when you try this simple, yet brilliant hack: 👇⁣
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**Number your to-do list.** ⁣
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1️⃣ Start by spilling everything you need to do this week onto the page (don’t worry about the order yet!)⁣
2️⃣ Identify your top priority.⁣
3️⃣ Number the rest of your tasks in order of importance. That’s it!⁣
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Psst… I use pencil just in case I change my mind and want to switch things around! ✏⁣
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This method does two things:⁣
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💛 It helps you focus on the next right thing...not ALL the things!⁣
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💛 It forces you to prioritize. When everything is important, nothing is important. And you want to make sure the most important things actually get done. ⁣
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Because somehow, having less stuff to do makes the things you CHOOSE to do all that more special. 💖

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Even though we won't be spending Christmas in the RV, I just had to put up a few decorations to enjoy before we leave! 🎄⁣
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The next three weeks will be our first time traveling without our home-on-wheels and I'm feeling all sorts of anxiety over choosing what items to pack. We've always had everything we need with us, which means I'll probably forget something. 😬 RV living tends to spoil you in that way!⁣
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Q: Are you staying home for the holidays or going out of town?

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Earlier this fall I hosted a Facebook challenge where I invited you to define what self-care looks like for your life while making an intentional effort to incorporate it into your week. 📆⁣
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This event was even more popular than I expected, and I am so pleased with the positive results many of you shared!⁣
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What I didn't expect? 👀⁣
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The haters.⁣
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Some readers morally disagreed with my Facebook self-care event and let me know by messaging me and calling self-care "misguided," "unbiblical," and even an "idol." ⁣
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Let me be clear: I do agree that we should be careful about our priorities and not neglect our responsibilities completely for the sake of a little me-time.⁣
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👨‍👩‍👦 Your family still needs you.⁣
👨‍👩‍👦 Your church still needs you.⁣
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God didn't intend for us to wear ourselves out for His glory. Rather, I think He created us with needs (food, water, shelter, rest, etc.) to remind us that we ultimately *need* Him.⁣
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So when you take time to address those needs and care for yourself, remember that it's not selfish. It's just wise.

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Are you ready for Turkey Day tomorrow? Although I’m not hosting this year, I’m helping my sis-in-law prepare and contributing my Creamy Parmesan Mashed potatoes and a cherry pie (Joseph’s request) ☝ to the menu. ⁣
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When I *did* host Thanksgiving, my family made fun of me for being over-prepared, but they later told me it was the smoothest Thanksgiving they’ve ever had—and they weren’t just talking about the mashed potatoes! 🥔⁣
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I relied on these seven tips to pull things off without a hitch:⁣
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1️⃣ Read over your recipes one more time and confirm you have ALL the ingredients. ⁣
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3️⃣ Copy/hang recipes on your cabinets  so you can see everything you need to make at a glance rather than being forced to flip through several cookbooks.⁣
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No one cares if you spill blueberries for the fruit salad all over the floor (true story) or you pull a too-jiggly peanut butter pie out of the fridge because it didn’t set right (also a true story). Those are just extra memories you can add to a table already brimming with abundance...and gratitude. 🍽Q: What is your favorite pie to eat at Thanksgiving?

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Family members are just about as different as the ice cream toppings they choose. 🍨⁣
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Even though we love them unconditionally, it's not easy for family to come together during the holidays and have it be completely drama-free. There's increased social pressure, obligation, tradition, personality differences, and always a comment or two that makes you bristle, whether it was intended that way or not! 😤⁣
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PREPARE. Head into family get-togethers knowing how you’ll respond in a tense situation. 🗣⁣
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Q: On a lighter note, what is YOUR favorite ice cream topping? I love rainbow sprinkles!


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