Are you looking for something that has the ability to make your life a little bit easier? What if I told you I can tell you exactly how to do just that. Listen and repeat after me – Freezer Cooking.

Yes, that’s right. Freezer cooking can save you hours and hours of kitchen time each month and if you are a busy parent like me, those hours saved can make a huge difference in your life. Freezer meals, or, as some like to call them, ready-to-heat meals can be a lifesaver for those busy nights.

Home Cooked Dishes that Freeze Well

How Does Freezer Cooking Work?

Freezer cooking can be done a couple of ways, it’s up to you how you want to do it and what works best for your family.

Freezer Cooking Days

One option for freezer meals is to block out one day per month where you cook, cook, and cook some more. This can easily give you 30 days worth of food for the coming month. You prepare and cook the food and then each morning you take the meal out of the freezer to pop into the oven later.

Yes, that is a lot of time cooking for one day, but it also cuts out the prep time every other night of the month. I like the sound of that!

Cook Extra Each Night

For a couple of weeks, you can cook a double batch of your meal each night. At the end of the night, place the leftovers in a freezer-safe dish and put it in the freezer. After a couple of weeks, and without very much extra work, you will have a good month’s worth of food prepped and ready to heat and eat.

Alternatively, you can cook extra each night for one week, then enjoy the extras the next week. This basically means that you would only be cooking every other week.

Why Is Freezer Cooking Beneficial?

We have talked about how much time and work you can save for yourself by doing freezer cooking, but we haven’t talked about how much money you can save by doing it. By cooking in batches like this, you are able to buy in bulk which often saves money. Plus, if you are shopping the day of, or the day before a freezer cooking day, you can stock up on last chance deals in the meat and dairy departments of your local grocery store.

What are some home-cooked dishes that freeze well?

Here are of my absolute favorite home-cooked dishes that freeze well:

Pancakes 

First and foremost, my family loves enjoying breakfast for dinner so I always create a breakfast dinner during freezer cooking days. Pancakes are great because with a griddle, it is extremely easy to cook a huge bunch at once. The trick with pancakes though is that you need to first freeze them on their own, that way it won’t be just a frozen clump of pancakes. These are great for rushed mornings. The kids can easily grab some frozen pancakes and put them into the microwave.

Egg Muffins (or loaf)

I love this Egg Muffin recipe. It is packed with protein and flavor and perfect for breakfast or dinner. We typically make it in loaf form using the Handi-Foil Cook-n-Carry pans. They are the perfect size to feed my family a hearty meal.

Orange Ginger Chicken

This Orange Ginger Chicken is always a family favorite! Prep them and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes and you have a delicious meal that everyone will rave about. The Cook-n-Carry pans are really great for this meal too.

Let’s face it, there are actually very few meals that you can’t make ahead and freeze. Some require a little more prep than others, but overall, freezer cooking will do wonders for your time management and your state of mind.

Happy cooking, friends!