Day 25: Freezer Cooking

I've seen a few people do freezer cooking and I think it's fascinating!  For those of you who haven't heard of freezer cooking, it's where you spend an afternoon chopping, dicing, mixing, and storing meals to use for later.  Some people will do freezer cooking to last them a month.  If I ever attempt that, you all will be the first to know. I will admit I don't know the ins and outs of freezer cooking, but I do see several benefits.  First and foremost, it can bring elegance and simplicity to your dinner time routine.  Also......

1.  Saves you $$$
2.  Saves you time when it comes dinnertime, which is usually a very busy time for all families.
3.  Allows you to cook more healthy than going through a drive through.
4.  Gives an opportunity for you and your family to sit around the dinner table.  When you have meals already prepared in your freezer, you limit your excuses for not having a home cooked meal as a family.

These meals were shown to me by a Pampered Chef director that I work with, so Susan, if you're reading, thank you!  Here are 3 dinners that you can throw into a gallon ziploc freezer baggie and put into your freezer.  Total time to do this will take about 25 minutes and you'll have 3 meals at the end!  The approximate cost will be put after each recipe and totaled at the end.  The totals will be based on a family of 4 just to give you a reference point.

Caesar Chicken
Chicken breasts or strips (however many you need to feed your family)
1 bottle of Caesar dressing (whichever is cheapest and on sale)
Place chicken in ziploc baggie and pour dressing over chicken.  Done!  That was easy :)  Cook in a slow cooker or baking dish and serve over pasta or rice and a salad.
Cost= $6.00

Mexican Chicken
Chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa
1 can of chopped black olives
Place chicken breasts and olives in baggie, and pour salsa over the chicken. Place in freezer.  Done!  Serve over spanish rice- yummo!
Cost= $8.50

BBQ Ribs
1 rack of pork or beef ribs (you may have to cut them in half to fit into the gallon bag)
1 bottle of bbq sauce
2 cloves of garlic
Pour sauce over ribs in the bag and mince the cloves of garlic directly into the bag.  Done!  It doesn't get any easier than that!
Serve with baked potatoes and coleslaw.
Cost= $12

Total for 3 dinners for a family of 4 comes to $26.50. That's about $2.20 per person per meal.  Not bad considering a meal at a drive through is usually around $4.  I hope you use these recipes and if you're one of those people who are hard core freezer cooking, share some of your recipes either here on the blog, or on my facebook page.  Happy cooking!