that time we made all the dinners

Because we’ve been so busy this summer with work and traveling, we were somehow able to put off buying groceries for a whole month. That’s right, a month. We’ve saved money, but this past week, things got a little desperate.

On Tuesday, I used the last pound of venison that was in our freezer, the rest of the potatoes that were shriveling up in the bottom drawer, and the two lonely eggs hanging out in their carton. Wednesday, we came home, sat on our couch, and after a few too many episodes of Family Ties, realized we hadn’t eaten dinner, and it was almost 9 p.m. I ate cereal. Caleb ate the last piece of meatloaf drenched in ketchup.

After a burger and fries from Sonic, I decided that we needed a change. Not only did we need to buy groceries, but I needed to find the motivation to cook. It’s easy to say that I’ll make time to prep crock pot meals before we leave for work in the morning, but let’s be real – waking up a half hour early is easier said than done. It’s awesome to think that I’ll want to cook something other than eggs and toast when we get home from work, but the only thing I want to do is curl up next to Milo and talk about his day.

That being said, we decided to try freezer meals.

Usually, if I want to know how to do something related to the home/kitchen, I start with Google and/or Pinterest. So that’s what I did. I discovered the Happy Money Saver Blog, and her post about making 50 freezer meals in one day. I could totally do this, I thought. So I did. *Correction* We did. Caleb did all of the dishes. 🙂

We started by picking a few recipes that we wanted to try, including a couple that blogger Karrie listed in her post.

Recipes: 

– Honey Lime Chicken (3)

– Honey Glazed Pork Chops (2)

– Corn & Zucchini Queso Chowder (1)

– Chunky Chili (2)

– Spicy Sausage & Bean Soup (1)

After a trip to Aldi, a broken burner, and three hours of cooking later, we cooked enough for at least a week of meals. We usually have leftovers because we don’t eat as much as a family of four would, so they will most likely last us a bit longer, or at least provide us with some lunches. The number next to each recipe signifies how many times we multiplied the recipe. Caleb was unsure about the Corn & Zucchini Queso Chowder and the Spicy Sausage & Bean Soup, so we only made each soup once. This is what our freezer currently looks like:

 

While we didn’t make fifty meals (I thought it might be a bit much for our first try), I’m really happy that we tried it, and that “making dinner” will be as easy as picking out a meal, and defrosting it/putting it in the slow cooker.

Hopefully the Corn & Zucchini Queso Chowder keeps well, and tastes good once we defrost it. Someone commented that freezing a milk based soup turns out grainy, and just didn’t work.

Ultimately, I think this is definitely something that I want to do again; especially once classes start up again, and I have even less time and energy. Three hours, of what is essentially prep work on a Saturday afternoon, is nothing compared to having to do the same prep work after a long day at work. It’s totally and completely worth it. It also helps to have a hardworking husband that is willing to follow you around with a sponge, and clean up spilled flour and dirty dishes.

If any of you have tried freezing meals – – – did it work for you?

What are some of your favorite recipes?