Meal Planning Day 5: Freezer Meals

Even though I am a stay-at-home mom evenings are crazy - - - my kids are whinny, I am tired, and a lot of times it seems like making dinner is anything but a relaxing or enjoyable time for anyone. So, to save myself time and a little sanity I like to prepare and/or freeze a lot of my meals ahead if time - with my favorite Pandora station playing and a glass of wine in hand.

Today's Goal: Prepare meals in advance to save time in the kitchen
Printable Worksheet: Prep Day Planner
Time: 10 minutes planning (prep time varies)

Step 1: Grab your {meal plan} and print the {prep day planner}. Pandora & wine highly recommended but not required ;)

Step 2: With a supply of Tupperware or ziplock bags at your side, prepare any vegetable that you have so they will be ready to cook or eat for snacks right away. If you or your kids take fruit/veggie snacks to go use snack baggies to have them ready to grab - this will also encourage your kids (and husband too) to make healthy choices!

Step 3: Decide which meals you would like to prepare right away to keep in the fridge (meal for the next 3-5 days) and which you can prepare and freeze for later. When you are deciding, keep in mind which ones are better made fresh the day that you will eat them and plan to make them on days when you will have more time in the kitchen. With the others, plan to do as much of the preparation that you can to make them "ready-to-cook" - out of the fridge into to oven. Even breakfast items can be prepped early - batters can be made the night before for quick hot breakfasts and sweet breads frozen ready to bake. {sample prep day planner}

Step 4: Choose a plan of attack based on how much time you have available.

• Option 1 - Plan a cooking day to prepare everything for the next two weeks all at once (approx. 3-4 hours)
• Option 2 - Spend a little time preparing a few meals at a time over several days (after bedtime or during naps??)
• Option 3 - Prep as you go. Make extra while you are cooking one meal with the plan to use extras in future meals. (If you are cooking chicken - make enough all at once for several meals).

As far as recipes go for freezer meals here are the top 3 best-selling cookbooks on amazon.com

  

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!!

 

Meal Planning Day 1: {Kitchen Inventory}

Meal Planning Day 2: {Store Ads & Coupons}

Meal Planning Day 3: {14-Day Meal Plan}

Meal Planning Day 4: {Shopping & Keeping Budget}