With my new set-up (child care downstairs and my kitchen upstairs) freezer cooking is a necessity if I want to continue serving meals made from scratch to the toddlers and myself. It's no longer a fun hobby and luxury to make meals ahead, but survival.
Before, if I didn't have a freezer-full of meals, I knew I could put something together last minute if I had to, or I could make a big batch of the "meal of the day", serve it, and freeze the leftovers.
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So now, I must stay on top of my freezer cooking. That means planning BEFORE I go shopping. We usually grocery shop Friday evening right after child care is over, which means I must have my grocery list ready by Friday afternoon. (I don't know about you, but I'm a "List Person"). Although I keep a running list all week, I usually finalize my list at nap-time on Friday after consulting the weekly store ad online. Most of my grocery list is based on what is on sale.
Until this week, I also consulted my recipe box as a part of making my list. With my list of favorite recipes growing quickly, it's quite a chore going through my recipe box trying to find the ingredients I need to buy to make the meals out of what's on sale each week.
It finally dawned on me to make a quick reference list. There are certain things I keep on-hand all the time: garlic powder, minced onions, most spices, baking supplies and condiments, etc. But, there are some things I don't keep on-hand and know I have to add to my list if I want to make certain recipes: cranberry sauce, orange soda, tropical fruit, cheese, pasta, rice, etc.
So, I got to thinking that if I made a list of the recipes I love to keep in my freezer, with a list of items that are not staples in my pantry, I could have a quick reference for making my grocery list.
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Here's my Freezer Cooking List. It may not make any sense to anyone else, but it has made my grocery list planning go much quicker.
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