It might seem overwhelming. But if you have a schedule which makes it hard to cook every single day, getting your dinners done will feel so satisfying.
As a full-time working mom, I understand the struggles of many others in my situation–we want to be supermoms. There’s work, tending to children and our homes, and getting meals on the table on a daily basis. We love to cook and bake and try new recipes–but when?
To be honest, I did not grow up with a stocked freezer. My mother bought ingredients and cooked fresh food daily. My mother never froze a thing. I first learned of the concept when I got married–my husband mentioned that his mother had many freezers and prepared meals in advance. When I was expecting my first child, it got me thinking–if I froze many meals now, I’d be set for after the baby!
So I did. And since my first baby was a preemie, those meals served me well, as there was no thoughts of cooking for many months.
And that is how my relationship with the freezer began. I am still grateful to the freezer that helps me be the best mother and wife I can.
This is especially true in the summer, when I want to be outside with my children after we all come home without the worry of “When am I going to make supper?”
I have two simple tactics that make my life so much easier.
It seems like a lot to read at once but it really doesn’t take that long once you have it down to a science. I put on a counter cover, set up a few stations, and rolled up my sleeves. It’s a lot of work–but I promise you will go to sleep feeling so satisfied.
Tactic #1: Nothing goes into the freezer unless it is prepped. I’ll never freeze a pack of chicken cutlets before I bread, season, or marinate.
Tactic #2: Stick to a weekly schedule rotation which looks something like this:
Sunday: Leftovers or a BBQ
Monday: Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Tuesday: Ground Meat (either meatballs, burgers, or sloppy joes)
Wednesday: Salmon or Grilled Chicken Shawarma
Thursday: Dairy Night (pizza, lasagna, cheese sticks or pretzels, wraps)
Most of the food listed is made in bulk, so I go to the grocery and buy 20 pounds of chicken cutlets, 20 pounds of ground meat, a few packs of salmon and I get working.
First, I make all my chickens. Some are breaded, some are marinated, and I prepare a few different versions. Then, I make a huge pot of meatballs and lots and lots of hamburger patties.
I also make a variety of soups and freeze them–broccoli soup, cauliflower soup, cream of chicken soup, and vegetable soup…
As far as side dishes, I do freeze some side dishes like rice, kasha, farfel, deli knishes, potato knishes, carrot muffins, and broccoli kugel. Others, I make fresh, such as breaded cauliflower or roasted vegetables.
Does this happen all in one day?
No. Sometimes, the grocery shopping and proteins usually happens on one Sunday, and soups and sides on another day. Other times, when I’m not so overzealous, I’ll break it up and do chicken on one Sunday, ground meat on another Sunday, and soups on a third, and build up the freezer stash more slowly. Sometimes, it’s not as realistic. Last week, I bought ground beef and made only burgers on Monday night. On Thursdays, I made only cookies and cakes for the month. Yesterday, I bought two family packs of chicken cutlets and made one type of chicken for the freezer. This way…things build up more slowly but there’s still always dinner in the freezer for me to serve.
FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT AND A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES, MAKE SURE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP STATUS HERE. JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP AND WE’LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN A NEW POST IS UP!
Wow. What an inspiration for not working moms! If this mother is so dedicated to making her family healthful homemade dinners – anyone can! Amazing. HaShem should always give you the strength and new easy ideas!
Any ideas for those of us with just the freezer over the fridge?
What can I do with chicken cutlets to have a variety
Buying a big freezer was the best investment i ever did. Its worth every penny. If you can’t, then you have to check what’s the most time consuming for you, and that’s what you put in the freezer.
Do you cook the chicken before freezing or freeze breaded/marinated and then cook when you defrost? Thanks!
A great trick I learned is to prep raw cutlets for shnitzel: Coat in flour, then the eggs, then the breadcrumbs. Freeze raw like that with baking paper between each piece so they don’t get stuck together. You can then defrost them whenever you want and they’re ready to fry!
How do you freeze and not have freezer burnt taste?
I freeze everything raw and defrost before cooking/baking. cover foil pans and and everything gets put in a ziploc freezer bag – they’re a little thicker and help prevent freezer taste. Also, make sure there’s as little air as possible around the food the more airtight/vacuum sealed, the fresher the taste. If you’re not sure it’s fully sealed, double wrap.
Can we get you meatball/hamburger recipe?
When I make meatballs in bulk, I use a cookie baller and put them on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Then when they are cooled I put in ziploc bags, and to serve I put in a foil pan with sauce, cover and heat in oven.
this is exactly what I do! everything in the freezer is prepped- so much easier.
I never figured out how to enjoy frozen cooked foods. There’s always a weird taste – even if I sealed it well.
.The Ninja grill/air fryer has been a total game changer for our dinners. I marinate chicken cutlets in the morning (takes literally 30 seconds) and then for lunch or dinner grill them on my ninja grill. While they’re griling, I put rice in a pot and another pot with strings beans or I just cut up a salad. Same thing with burgers – making the burger mixture takes 2 min (egg, spices, breadcrumbs, ground chicken/beef) takes. Then I make into patties and put on the grill. Can serve with burger buns or oven baked french fries or fresh rice/pasta.
Anotner recipe – throw in breaded chicken cutlets in the airfryer (while that’s cooking, I put up some pasta or ptitim). Really quick and easy.