I will admit, I was skeptical about freezer meals. Everything I read made it look too difficult and time consuming to make it worth my while. Freezer Meals are meals prepared ahead of time and frozen to be eaten later. These meals are also identified at 30 day meals, as one method involves making 30 days worth of meals in 1 day or Once a Month Cooking. The purpose of preparing meals ahead of time is that you will always have a meal that is easy to reheat for your family. Frustration of deciding what is for dinner is minimized, as the meals are already prepared. It is also great in case of emergency. If there is an emergency then a meal can be quickly heated instead of relying on fast food. I have tried several methods and many meals and really enjoy preparing meals this way. There are two main methods that can be taken to make freezer meals. Deciding which method will work for you should not be difficult, just take a look at your lifestyle!

The first thing to consider when deciding on freezer meals is to research what freezes well. Sour cream, and cottage cheese don't freeze well! Also, pastas and rice need to be a bit undercooked. If you cook them as if you are going to eat them now, then they will get mushy during thawing and reheating. Recipes for freezer meals are plentiful with many on-line websites as well as books dedicated to these types of meals. Researching and planning will come in handy with either method you choose to implement. Research your favorite recipes to see if they will freeze well. You can also research new recipes to try. Planning is more time consuming. You will need to plan how many meals you need and the best way to prepare them. You will also need to make sure that you buy enough groceries to make the extra meals.

The first method may be the easiest way to get started so you are not overwhelmed. This method involves making 2 or 3 batches of your dinner each night and simply freezing the extra. This is easy as it's not too difficult to double or triple a recipe. Simply make the food as you normally wood but cover it well with foil and place in freezer labeled with reheating instructions. This method may take a while to stock your freezer, but it requires a minimum effort. The downside to this method is that you need to be consistent in making the extra meals for a while and not skip any. If you only make 1 or 2 extra meals every few weeks, then your freezer will never have a great supply of ready meals.

It is important to label each item! Most things look alike when frozen and mixing them up may not be fun! I also prefer to keep a list of the frozen meals on the outside of the freezer and cross them off as I use them, so I know what meals I need to make again. This also saves electricity as I know what is in the freezer before opening it!

The second method is the one day cooking method. This involves preparing ALL meals in 1 day. This method requires great planning! I recommend the book Once a Month Cooking as the book contains more than 30 recipes and several sample menus including 2 week as well as 4 week menus. The book also gives shopping lists to make it easier to decide what you need. I have done this method several times and it takes all day to prepare enough meals for an entire month. The upside is that you only cook one day a month! The downside is that it took so long and so much energy, it's hard to eat the meals because then you know you will have to do it again in a month! I actually prefer this method though. I use a menu so my family knows what to expect each night, and if I know I will be busy, it is easy for my husband to put the meal together.

If you decide to not use a book, then you will need to figure out how much food you need and how to best prepare the meals. I usually cook all my chicken the day before in a large pot. I buy whole chickens as they are cheaper. By cooking them the day before, they cool off making handling it easier. The same can be done for other meats and even some pastas and rice. Preparing ahead of cooking day also saves you time and energy on cooking day. Also plan to eat out, or have someone else cook on cooking day. You will most likely not want to eat what you have prepared that day! Also make sure to have the day devoted to cooking. Even if you don't use the entire day, you will be tired, so use the extra time to relax. Plus you will need to clean up, and that is a job in itself. Or if you are lucky, you can get someone else to clean up after!

Preparing meals in 1 day can be a fun event if you involve others. If you know another family that could benefit, then go in together and prepare 30 meals for both families. It's easier to spend all day preparing food when there is someone to talk to. It also goes faster, as each person can be responsible for different preparations. If you can use a large kitchen (a church kitchen would be perfect) then adding more people to the process is even better. The more the merrier!

If you are a busy family, a family that could use time away from the kitchen, or just prefer to have meals in the freezer just in case, freezer meals are wonderful. The process saves time shut away in the kitchen and does end up saving money, as runs to the store or restaurants are minimized. I highly recommend at least trying freezer cooking for a few months to see if it works for your household. With everyone running in different directions, freezer meals make it easier to get everyone fed. Maybe you can even enjoy a meal together for a change!