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Kalyn Brooke

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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.

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« 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.
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What’s one thing you budget for that other peopl
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I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
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I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣ ⁣ I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣ ⁣ But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣ ⁣ As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣ ⁣ Why? ⁣ ⁣ No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣ ⁣ And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣ ⁣ There are too many good ones out there anyway. Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣ ⁣ This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣ ⁣ Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣ ⁣ What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
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My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣ ⁣ These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣ ⁣ 1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣ 2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣ 3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣ ⁣ That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣ ⁣ What planners/journals are you using for 2021?

Self-care is just as important as making your famo
Self-care is just as important as making your famous sugar cookies this holiday season. 🍪⁣ ⁣ Because let’s be real. ⁣ ⁣ That Hallmark-esque Christmas magic disappears the moment disagreeable family members annoy you. Or when you feel irritable over too many late nights and little-to-no sleep. Or when expectations over meals and traditions and social activities fall short and leave you feeling disappointed. 😬⁣ ⁣ But instead of dwelling on these stressful moments and using them as an excuse to completely disconnect from reality (as I’m often tempted to do!), view them as an opportunity for you to respond with poise. 💞⁣ ⁣ ➕ Journal your feelings. ⁣ ➕ Go for a walk. ⁣ ➕ Prioritize what’s essential. ⁣ ➕ Remember to breathe.⁣ ➕ And try not to eat your feelings…okay?⁣ ⁣ Here’s your permission slip if you need one: You don’t need to do or participate in everything! Take a time out when you need it. 🙌⁣ ⁣ That’s the best way you can protect your emotional well-being over the next few days.⁣ ⁣ Merry Christmas, friends! 🎄


I know you’re ready for this year to be over. 🙋‍♀️ The last twelve months brought so many hard things into our lives—relationships were lost, our country became more broken and divided than ever, and oh yeah, we walked through a pandemic too. 🦠 🤯 No biggie, right? Ha! 😅 And while it’s easy to look back and wish we could skip 2020 altogether (or at least insist on a do-over), I don’t want this year to be the one where the hard overcame the good. 💕 Just as hard days don’t mean ruined days, hard years don’t mean ruined years. 2020 can still be good. 💪 For me, I want to remember the fun and exciting things we did. The adventures we had. The new shows we watched, and the books we read. The new life hacks and things I discovered that made my life easier or just brought me joy. 💞 You’ll find it all in my latest blog post (link in profile). If you still need to buy a gift for a loved one (or for yourself!), you’ll find plenty of fun and affordable ideas to fill up the rest of your gifting list. 📦 Otherwise, enjoy a stroll down the good side of 2020’s memory lane and leave your favorite things in the comments so I can try them. 👋


Pro minimalism tip: Use double-duty appliances. 🤯⁣ ⁣ With limited kitchen space, I have to be super careful about what appliances we invite into the RV. We already had an Instant Pot, Ninja Blender, and a Food Processor. But I really wanted an air-fryer! ⁣ ⁣ With no place to put it, I discovered that Instant Pot made a dual instant pot/air-fryer product. So I gave my instant pot away, and my mom bought me this one for an early Christmas present. I’ve only played with it a couple of times but I’m already in love! 💕⁣ ⁣ Kale chips...sweet potato fries...broccoli. I’m basically an air-frying queen now. And I can easily switch back to the instant pot whenever I want. Yay for two appliances in one! 🥳⁣ ⁣ Q: What is your favorite appliance to use? Is it double duty? 🤔


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