Freezer Cooking…
Note to self: Baby Steps!
I should have known better. I’m really not sure what happened to my brain between Wednesday night, when I came to the sad realization that we could no longer survive solely on the remaining contents of the fridge and pantry, and Thursday afternoon, when I found myself surrounded by recipes and grocery lists and the intent to prepare and freeze dozens of healthy, nutritious meals… but there I was.
Okay, so it wasn’t dozens. It only SEEMED like dozens at midnight when faced with mountains of ingredients galore and WAY too many pots and pans. It began with a run to the local warehouse store, where I accumulated 24 chicken breasts, 12 chicken thighs, 6 lbs of ground beef, a few lbs of round steak, and 6 salmon filets. Oh, and lets not forget 208 gallon-size freezer bags (at less than I would normally pay for 120), 128 quart-size freezer bags, a jug of laundry soap that will supposedly last for 128 loads, 90 dishwasher tabs, and assorted other items. Now I remember why I don’t go to there very often!! But I do know my regular Walmart prices pretty well, and I did save a lot of money… and I guess with four kids, and an extra adult for the next few weeks, I need to face the reality that we ARE a large enough family to benefit from bulk shopping.
So we stashed all that here, there and everywhere and after dinner, I headed off to Walmart for the rest of the groceries. By 10:00 pm, everything was away, I had given up hope of watching ER, and we began. We quickly realized that my shopping skills are a bit less than perfect — even with a list, I missed a few key ingredients for some of the recipes. So dh jumped in the car — gotta love having a decent grocery store a mile away — and went to grab the last few items. He forgot the main thing I sent him for, but I guess I can’t say too much on that one, can I?
With the help of dh & dd11, we chopped, we food-processed, we measured, and we bagged until after midnight… and in the end, my freezer was filled with a dozen ready-to-cook meals (about half for the crock pot). Add in a leftover night or two, weekly spaghetti night, and dh’s desire to pull out the grill on weekends, and we should be good for 3-4 weeks! I know someday I will undoubtedly be glad I embarked on this adventure, but right now I am SO incredibly tired (my preschooler had to wake me up or she wouldn’t have made to preschool). I guess that’s why the instructions said to take it SLOWLY!
Bon appetit!
