January 2011 Freezer Cooking Results

Time for my results from the January 2011 Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM.

Since I'm participating in the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge (please join us!), I didn't want to run out and buy a bunch of ingredients to use to make food for the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry.  So, I went with what I had.

If you had followed me on Twitter, you'd already know that I made the following:

• 3 meal-sized packages of dry kidney beans cooked in the crockpot
• 3 meal-sized packages of dry black beans cooked in the crockpot
• 2 meal-sized packages of cooked chicken (from a roasted whole chicken - we also ate part of it for dinner on Friday night)
• 4 quarts chicken broth (some will be made into chicken broth ice cubes)
• 1 quart salsa (not in the picture - oops!)
• 3 freezer cookie dough rolls (I ended up making snickerdoodles instead of the chewy chocolatey cookies)
• 1 loaf whole wheat garlic bread (I made two loaves for dinner Saturday night, but only used one up)

The only thing I didn't end up making was instant oatmeal packets.  That's because all the recipes I found for it called for quick oats, whereas I only had old-fashioned oats in the house.  I may make some granola from the oats instead.

It's not a month's worth of food (I am in awe of those of you who do a full Once a Month Cooking), but it certainly will help us get through this month!  I hope my meager results inspire you to give freezer cooking a try, if you've never tried it before.  You don't have to make a couple dozen meals - you can just make items that will help you make meals faster and cheaper.

See you on the first weekend of February for more freezer cooking!

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January 2011 Freezer Cooking

Time once again for January 2011 Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM.

This month, I'm participating in the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge. (Please join us!)  So why, you ask, would I be adding to my cupboards?

You see, I'm already starting to run out of certain convenience items.  But instead of running to the store and buying more, I'm going to use my creativity to make these items myself!  The ingredients will come from my pantry (as much as possible) and will return to the pantry/freezer in a different form, ready to be eaten during the rest of the challenge.

So here's what I'm making this weekend:

• Dry kidney beans cooked in the crockpot
• Dry black beans cooked in the crockpot
• Chicken broth (some made into chicken broth ice cubes)
• Refrigerator salsa
• Instant oatmeal packets
• Freezer cookie dough

That's the list for now (I don't want to commit to making too much), but if I find more time, I might add a few more items.  

Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend!

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November Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

Time once again for October Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM.

What to make, what to make?  This month, I need to use up some chicken wings that I bought a few months ago, which have been hibernating in the freezer, unused.  I'll be defrosting them, then using them to make broth, and I'll repackaged the cooked meat to be used in stir-fries during the month.  I'll freezer the broth into ice cube trays, to be used in sauces in future meals.

I also have a lot of turkey to be used up.  And some 28-oz cans of tomatoes, too much for a single meal.  So I'll combine them to make a turkey cacciatore, freezed in meal-sized portions.

I'll cook up some black beans in the crockpot.  And, of course, I'll make several rolls of freezer cookies.

Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend!

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October Freezer Cooking Days: The results

My freezer cooking plans for this month were modest, as I have very little room in my freezer.

And, my results were even more modest than I expected!

First, I found that I didn't have dried black beans in the pantry, and I didn't want to make a special shopping trip for them. So, they didn't get made. I'll buy some this week, and make it during the week (cooking beans in the crockpot is super easy!).

Secondly, I made two loaves of whole wheat French bread, which were cooling while I made dinner according to my meal plan.  The pasta and veggies were just screaming for an accompaniment.  So, I used one of the loaves to make garlic bread.  Yum!  But, only one loaf made it into the freezer.

I did make four quarts of chicken broth.  I decided to try freezing one of the quarts in ice cube trays, to use in making sauces.  And I did make four rolls of cookie dough, and still had enough to make a small batch of fresh cookies.

And that was it!  Not exactly a ton of work, but I look forward to using these items in the coming month to make cooking easier.

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October Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

Time once again for October Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM (Crystal at Money Saving Mom is taking a break for a few months).

Advice for the month: Clean out your freezer!

I wasn't planning on participating this month; after all, my freezer was completely full!  Or was it?

I decided to remove everything and take inventory.  I found these things taking up space that could have been used for nutritious, convenient food for my family:

• Bananas.  Lots and lots of bananas.  I guess each time some bananas were going black, I'd throw them in, figuring that I'd make Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal or Oven-Baked Banana French Toast with them.  Didn't happen.  So out they went.  I'm sure there will be plenty more to replace them in the coming weeks.
• Old beef broth I had made... hmmm.... quite a few years ago.  I dumped that as well.  (A secret to dump frozen liquids out of a container quick: take the lid off, turn it upside down, put it in the sink, turn on the hot water and aim it at the bottom of the container.  If you want to save the frozen liquid, put the upside-down container in a large bowl first.)
• Some sauces from some meals that I didn't label.  (Label everything, and use it up in a reasonable amount of time!)
• A rather ancient cake of some sort, covered only with aluminum foil.  (Protect the food you're saving!)

So, once I had removed all those space-wasters, and consolidated like items, there was... well, I won't say that it's spacious in there, but there's enough room to add a few more useful items.

So this weekend I'll be making:

• 4 quarts chicken soup, from chicken carcasses saved in the freezer
• 1 bag dried black beans, soaked and then cooked in the crockpot
• 2 loaves Whole Wheat French Bread
• 4 rolls Chewy Chocolatey Freezer Cookies
  

...and maybe more, depending on how much time I end up having.

Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend!

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June Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

Time once again for June Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM. (Crystal at Money Saving Mom is taking the month off.)

As usual, I'll be making components of meals, and not meals themselves.  Why not make full meals?  I have pretty picky children, who don't like casseroles - but they'll eat individual components of dishes.  So I prefer to make parts of meals, then put them together later.

I also do this to save money!  I cook beans in the crockpot and freeze them in meal-sized portions to save money on buying canned beans.  I make my own chicken broth, and thus don't have to have all the sodium and chemicals in canned broth.  And I use up veggies that are about to go bad, and thus would be thrown away, to make sauces that can then be used in meals.

Here's what I have planned for this weekend:

Chicken broth (from chicken carcasses stored in the freezer)
Shredded chicken - I'm roasting a whole chicken, deboning it, shredding the meat and putting it into meal-sized portions
White beans cooked in the crockpot
Oven-roasted potato wedges
4 loaves whole wheat French bread
tomato sauce
4 rolls Chewy Chocolatey Freezer Cookies

Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend!

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May Freezer Cooking Days: The results

I've completed most of my freezer cooking that I planned for this weekend.

I had an ambitious plan, and I ended up leaving out the items that had the most hands-on work - pancakes and waffles for the freezer.  I hope to tackle those another day!

But here's a list and a picture of everything I made:

2 large containers of granola
3 quart-sized bags of oven-roasted potato wedges3 quart-sized bags of  sweet potato fries
2 meals of Crockpot Chicken and Olives
3 quart-sized bags of kidney beans
3 quart-sized bags of black beans
5 rolls of chocolate fudge cookie dough

I'm happy to have all this in my freezer - although I only made two complete meals, I have the makings for lots of other great meals there now!

Thanks again to FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom for this great challenge!

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May Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

Time once again for May Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

When I plan out my freezer cooking, I don't just decide what I want to make and then go buy ingredients for the recipes.  That would be just as bad as doing that each night for dinner!  Instead, I ask myself a few questions:

What do I need to use up?

I check my cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer to see what's in there and what I want to use.  For instance, right now there's a huge jar of applesauce in the refrigerator.  But my kids aren't as enamored of applesauce as they used to be, so it would be a good candidate to use up in some baking.

What can I get in bulk cheaply?

I often see produce marked down dramatically, but I don't buy it because it would need to be used up quicker than our family of 5 could.  But freezer cooking is perfect for buying produce in bulk, then preparing it for the freezer.  This week, I found 5-lb. bags of white potatoes and sweet potatoes at a local supermarket, marked down to 99¢.  I bought a bag of each, and they'll be featured.

What convenience items are we out of?

My cold cereal stockpile has been running low, and I don't want to spend a lot of money to add to it - I'd rather wait until a great sale comes around.  So I'll be making granola to fill this void.  Also, we are pretty much out of canned beans.  But a couple months ago I discovered how easy it is to make dried beans in the crockpot and freeze them for future use, so I'll be doing that.

How much time do I have to cook?

When I don't have a lot of time for cooking, I'll try to plan items that don't need as much hands-on time - in particular, items for the crockpot.

So here's what I plan to make:

Granola
Blueberry waffles
Applesauce pancakes
Oven-roasted potato wedges
Oven-roasted sweet potato wedges

Crockpot Chicken and Olives
Kidney beans cooked in the crockpot
Black beans cooked in the crockpot
Chocolate fudge cookie dough

This is quite the list for me, so I am hoping I can accomplish all this! 

Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend.

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April Freezer Cooking Days: Turkey soup and veggies

How are you doing with your April Freezer Cooking Days?

I made a modest plan... and I didn't quite finish even that!

I originally planned to make a turkey and potato casserole from the 12 lb. turkey I had roasted and some of the 10 pounds of potatoes I had bought.  But after several turkey lunches and dinners, I only have a few leftovers left!  I'm stunned how quickly we went through the meat.

Also, I had planned to dry some apples in the oven (I don't have a dehydrator), but I wasn't home for long enough periods to complete that plan.

So here's what I did accomplish:

• 3 quarts turkey soup
• 4 quart-sized bags roasted potato wedges
• 1 quart-sized bag diced onions
• 1 quart-sized bag diced celery

Thanks again to FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom for hosting this challenge.

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April Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

Time once again for April Freezer Cooking Days, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

Since this Freezer Cooking Days falls in the middle of Passover, it presents special challenges for me.  I can't cook anything that contains any sort of wheat, oats, corn, rice, or legumes.  That leaves out many of my go-to freezer recipes, like Whole Wheat French Bread.  I can't prepare dried beans for use later.  And my favorite freezer item, frozen cookie dough, is sadly not allowed.

I could, in theory, make items containing matzah, but I don't think I'll be wanting to eat them after Passover is over next Tuesday night.  So I'm limited to making meat, fruit, and vegetable items.  So my list will be rather short this time... I promise a much larger event next month!

On a good note, I did roast a 12 pound turkey for my seder Tuesday evening, and I bought 10 pounds of potatoes, so I have lots of raw ingredients to make into yummy dishes for my freezer.

I'll be making:

• Turkey soup (from the turkey carcass)
• Some sort of turkey casserole, with potatoes... I am currently looking for a good recipe that doesn't contain cream soup or bread ingredients.  Do you have any suggestions?
• Frozen potato wedges - cut into wedges and spiced, baked, then frozen
• Dried apple slices
• Diced onions and celery for use in future recipes

Please follow me on Twitter, subscribe to my RSS feed, and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the cooking days.  I'll post a followup at the end.

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Freezer cooking saves the day!

I love, love, love freezer cooking!

Last night, according to my menu plan, I had planned to roast a whole chicken that had been residing in my freezer for some time.  But somehow, I managed to forget to defrost it, and this fact didn't dawn on me until 5:00!  What to do?

I opened up my freezer and found the package of Crystal's Crockpot Italian Chicken that I had cooked during Freezer Cooking Days.  I defrosted it in the microwave, boiled up a box of 3 cent whole wheat pasta, shredded the chicken and served it on top of the pasta.  Yum, great meal!

I'll be doing Freezer Cooking Days again the weekend of March 27-28 in preparation for Passover.  Stay tuned!

For more wonderful things, check Finer Things Friday and I'm Lovin It Friday.

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March Freezer Cooking Days: The results

March Freezer Cooking Days (hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom) are done!  My recipe list was rather modest, but I was able to get everything accomplished that I wanted to.

I hope you followed me on Twitter to follow my cooking progress, and became a fan on Facebook to see pictures of the results!  Here's a photo of all the bounty:

 

Here's what's in the photo:

• 4 loaves whole wheat French bread
• 3 quart-sized bags of cooked kidney beans (2 cups each)
• 2 quart-sized bags of cooked black beans (2 cups each) [the third bag was made into black bean burritos for dinner tonight as per my menu plan)
• 1 meal of Crystal's Crockpot Italian Chicken (with added onions, mushrooms, and peppers)
• 3 rolls of chocolate chip freezer cookie dough
• 2 challahs (mostly eaten)
• 2 dozen hamantashen cookies for Purim (mostly eaten)

My list was fairly modest compared to many of yours - I can't wait to see all the great dishes you have made!

Check out Money Saving Mom for more freezer cooking tales and Tackle It Tuesday for more challenges!

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March Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

As I posted here, I'm looking forward to again participating in March Freezer Cooking Days!  Again, this will be hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

I'm looking forward to getting some yummy additions to my freezer.  I loved having beans already cooked and ready for burritos and stews, and they were so much better (and so much less expensive) than canned beans!  When a meal needed an extra addition, it was so easy to reach in the freezer and get some whole-wheat French bread and make a quick garlic bread out of it.  And when someone ate all the cookies before the end of the school week (gee, I wonder who could've done that?), it was a relief to just grab a roll of cookie dough, slice off a dozen cookies, and bake them.  Almost no mess at all!

So this is what I'll be making over the next few days for the freezer:

• 1 package red kidney beans, cooked in the crockpot
• 1 package black beans, cooked in the crockpot
• Crystal's Crockpot Italian Chicken (I'll add onions, mushrooms, and peppers as well)
• 4 loaves whole wheat French bread (and this time I'll be sure to have enough yeast on hand)
• 4 rolls chocolate chip freezer cookie dough

In addition, I'll also be baking the following for eating right away:

• challah for Shabbat
• hamantashen for the Purim holiday on Saturday night/Sunday

Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend. I'll post a final report here on Monday night.

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March Freezer Cooking Days

Coming up this Friday...  March Freezer Cooking Days!  Again, this will be hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

I'm looking forward to participating again.  Last month, I made and froze cooked dried beans, tomato sauce, chicken broth, whole-wheat French bread, and cookie dough, among other things.  It was so great to have these ingredients ready in my freezer to be made into delicious, quick meals.

This month, my freezer is still pretty full with purchases from the Albertsons closing sale, but I'm sure I'll have room for some of those items and a few new things.

Tomorrow I'll be posting my plans for the March Freezer Cooking Days.  And I'll be posting my progress on Twitter and Facebook throughout the weekend.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!  And then I'll post a final report here, with pictures of all my bounty.

If you'd like to participate as well, check this post at Life as MOM.

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February Freezer Cooking Daze Update

I participated in the February Freezer Cooking Daze, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.   Here was the plan I posted at the beginning of the cooking. 

I posted updates on my status throughout the weekend on Twitter - are you following me (@frugalfollies) there?

Here's my plan, and how things turned out:

• 4 quarts chicken broth  Done!
• 2 quarts tomato sauce  The recipe only made one quart.
• 2 lb. (dry) pinto beans cooked in the crockpot  Done!  I used some of the beans to make chili for dinner tonight as well as one quart of chili to freeze.
• 4 loaves whole wheat French bread in the bread machine  I only made 2 loaves because I ran out of yeast.
• 4 batches slice and bake freezer cookies Done!
• 2 loaves challah  Done and eaten up!
• Applesauce in the crockpot  Done!

Here's a picture of all the things I made, with the exception of the challah and the applesauce. I'm glad I have these ingredients ready to be used as the base of my menu plan  for the next few weeks.  And now, combined with my ill-fated trip to the Albertsons closing sale, my freezer is full! Next month, I'm going to try to make several more items.  Can't wait!

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February Freezer Cooking Daze: Recipe list

Now that there's room in my freezer after doing the Eat from the Pantry Challenge, it's time to fill it back up! I'm participating in the February Freezer Cookie Daze, hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom. The plan is to cook for the freezer from Friday until Tuesday (not continuously, of course!).

Instead of making complete dishes for the freeer, I will be concentrating on making ingredients that I can pull from the freezer or fridge and make into future meals. Here is what I plan to be making during that time:

• 4 quarts chicken broth (from carcasses taking up room in the freezer now)
• 2 quarts Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce
• 2 lb. (dry) pinto beans cooked in the crockpot
• 4 loaves Whole wheat French bread in the bread machine 
• 4 batches slice and bake freezer cookies
• 2 loaves challah (I make this every Friday)
• Applesauce in the crockpot

I'll keep you updated on my progress throughout the weekend!

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