My Challenges with Freezer Cooking and How I’m Moving Past Them

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I’m a huge fan of freezer cooking, but lately I feel like I’ve been having a hard time stocking my freezer.

After putting some thought into this dilemma I’m facing, it seems like I can attribute this challenge to two constraints I have: time and money.

I bet you could’ve guessed that. Both time and money are constantly the excuses I use for things like not blogging enough, not having enough time to myself and it’s probably also the reason for all of my mom-guilt.

Doing freezer cooking the right way takes time! Time to plan, time to shop and time to cook! I find that since I don’t have so much time to cook, I don’t spend the time planning either. And if I don’t plan, then I definitely don’t remember to defrost. It’s like a horrible domino effect.

And when it comes to money, I am not a big spender.  No matter how much money I save in the long run, I still hate laying out large sums at one time. I just don’t like doing it, but realize that it is worth it.

Making Changes

So now I am ready to ditch these excuses and hop back into freezer cooking. The benefits far outweigh the cost and time it takes to do it and I’ve been missing out!

I know I can’t spend an entire day cooking like I used to, so I have to start smaller. Smaller cooking plans mean less time and less money laid out, which will be a good start.

So, now that I’m motivated, here’s the plan:

Items to cook:

  • 2 unstuffed cabbage
  • 4 broccoli kugels
  • 4 cups of plain cooked brown rice (perfect for chili, meatballs, or stir fry)

Items to buy:

  • 6 packages of chicken-less nuggets from Trader Joe’s (not as good as the old ones they used to have, but good enough for us)
  • 6 packages of frozen veggies

Additionally, I want to be better about menu planning. I haven’t been good about this, but I think if I spend some time setting up my account on Bigoven then it will be something I can do in just a few minutes.

So, wish me luck as I press the refresh button on freezer cooking and menu planning. I know it’ll take some effort on my part, but I think I can do it and I hope that this post encourages you to put some effort into something you’ve been wanting to do in your life.

Here are some resources that will help motivate you to stock your freezer:

What is your freezer stocked with? How do you find time for freezer cooking? What motivates you to menu plan?

Until next time,
Shaindy