How to Start a
Freezer Meal Exchange
Club
By: remodelaholic
If you are anything
like me… dinner time is NOT your favorite time of the day, let me rephrase that
“cooking” dinner time… I don’t know about you but time and tempers are ALWAYS short around here,
when it is time for me to cook dinner. 5:00 is like the
worst time in the world. Maybe I should change that bad attitude?
Well, one thing
that has REALLY helped my attitude, my budget, my waistline, and having dinner ready
in a flash…is that a few friends and I have been doing a monthly Freezer Meal Exchange. I
come home once a month with a trunk full of Homemade
with Love Main Dishes! I am not gonna lie, I am giddy about it.
I thought it would
be a fun thing to spell it out for any of you that are considering doing it.
Because YOU REALLY SHOULD! And there should be some guidelines set from the
beginning just to keep everyone going.
How Does a Freezer
Meal Exchange Group Work?
ü First you need decide how many people you want in the
group. Right now there are 6 of us total in my little circle. I
feel like it is a perfect number, any bigger and it would be REALLY difficult
to be able to do all your cooking in one batch.
ü The families should be a similar size, like a couple
and a family of 7 would always be frustrated and the amount or lack of food in
the exchange. Keeping the numbers consistent, helps to make sure
that you can feed your whole family, and that you don’t have to make a ton and
only get a tiny bit back… it is the equalizer.
ü Choose a date to get together and prior to meeting you
make one freezable main dish, 6 times (1 for your family 5 to exchange). Then
meet up with the group, take 5 of those prepared meals and exchange one of your
meals with a meal from each of the 5 other participants. And
when you leave you will have is 5 different freezer meals.
ü Believe it or
not… I am pretty low on freezer meals in the above picture.
ü Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY (why
else would I write this post!?!)! I should clarify
that buying all the ingredients for 6 main dishes can be a little expensive
depending on the meal $50-$75 bucks is what I seem to average… but so is
buying, and making a different dinner every night! If you tend to eat out a
lot, you will save a ton of cash… and eating better food.
ü The biggest savings is time and let’s be frank… Sanity! At
least one night a week, if not two, I grab a freezer meal and stick it in the
oven at 3:00 or 4:00 on time bake and let it thaw for an hour and then the oven
kicks on and I have a nice piping hot dinner ready at 6:00 with no more work
than that… except adding a
veggie or bread.
LOVE this Idea…
Keep track of what is in Your freezer!!
ü I like to keep track of what’s in the freezer so I know
exactly how much of everything I have inside… without having to
open the door. I do this by keeping a list of what’s inside on the front door
written in dry erase marker.
ü When I remove something, I update the total for that
item. This is a quick and easy way to keep track of what’s in the freezer.
ü I organize my list by type of food/dish. You could also
write on the area of the door that corresponds to the shelf inside.
Other
Benefits
ü Your kids learn to eat a variety of foods they might
not have tried.
ü You get to try out 5 new recipes a month without any
extra work. And I promise you that there will be A LOT of new family
favorites!
ü I usually end up with 7 meals per month! Here
is my tricky little way to add another meal to the exchange. When
I cook I make one for dinner that night and another
freezer meal of my own dish to save for later in the month. That
way I have closer to 2 meals a week with no effort.
ü If you are due to have a baby, surgery, or know that
you are going to be super busy… then this is a great way to help yourself get
ahead and still have dinners ready when you are occupied by whatever is going
on in life.
Some
Tips…
ü It is a good idea to work with families of similar size
(like I mentioned before.) This keeps the meals about an equal size.
ü Remember that you are not required to make enough for
everyone to have leftovers. If I am going to the effort to make a nice dinner at
home I usually like to have left overs for lunches, or a second freezer meal. DON’T stress yourself
out! It is a dinner…not a dinner with extras!
ü Costco (and probably Sam’s) have the most inexpensive
disposable casserole dishes. 35 for about $6- $7 dollars. MUCH better deal than
the Dollar Store or Walmart at a $1 –$2 apiece.
ü I have seen some groups that assign out recipes. But
I would suggest you don’t do this. Your
friends will have some great recipes that you have never considered.
Setting up Some Guidelines
ü Make it a rule that a recipe must be included with the
meal. I keep mentioning
this, but I promise you are going to want a few of these recipes if not all…
ü The meal must be a complete main dish. Meaning
if you can eat that dish without preparing anything else (sides,
rice or noodles) and pretty much call it a dinner then it is a complete main
dish. This may sound self-explanatory, but when one person
makes freezer cookies, and you just spent $70 bucks and 5 hours making homemade
freezer lasagnas, I am pretty sure you aren’t going to be super happy about the
exchange.
ü Take turns being the one to remind each other about the
event. So this month it is my job to send out a reminder
email to everyone that we are doing the meal exchange. That
way one person doesn’t have all the
responsibilities month after month.
ü When you get your email reminder, it’s a good idea to have everyone respond back with
what they plan on making. This
way you don’t get 5 lasagnas. Even
if not everyone responds… if you get about
half of the group to reply back (to all), odds are you won’t have a double.
ü Create a pin board for
freezer meal recipes that have been made.
BEST
TIP…
ü One person a month doesn't cook – she just brings money
and pays for her meals. It avoids burnout, and it’s fabulous to go home with a
bunch of meals.
ü We bring meals in a cooler, exchange meals, money, and
recipes, and then eat dessert and hang out.
Read more
at http://www.remodelaholic.com/2012/02/how-to-start-a-freezer-meal-exchange-club/#UytUKoZBA2qjFmVL.99
Best Ever
Chicken Pot Pie
Comfort Food… Easy and Delicious!
You probably have everything to make this
“One Pie Pan Meal”…
so Make It!
Having one or two of these in your freezer for those days when Toast might be what you feed your family for dinner… is a good thing!
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (or Turkey)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup diced carrots, cooked
- 1/2 cup diced potatoes, cooked
- 2 cups Chicken (or Turkey) Gravy
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
- pie crust (I used a store-bought crust)
When ready to serve… you will need
- Milk for brushing crust
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, peas, carrots, potatoes, gravy, sage, and tarragon; chill the filling until cool to the touch, about 20 minutes.
2. Line the pie plate with one of the two crusts. Pour in the chilled filling. Position the second crust to cover the filling and crimp the edges to seal.
Freezing instructions
Wrap the pie tightly with foil and freeze, making sure that the pie lies flat in the freezer.
To serve
Unwrap but do not thaw the pie before baking. Vent the top crust by slashing an X in the frozen crust. Brush with milk. Bake the frozen pie at 450 F for 15 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 375 F and bake until the crust is browned and the filling bubbles, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Bacon and Spinach Quiche
Quiche is so… French
Since I have yet to go to France...
I will have a little bit of France in my Freezer! This is a favorite Egg Dish of mine.
Breakfast or Dinner… this Pie is a Winner!!
Ingredients
· 9 inch pie plate and heavy duty foil
· 1 unbaked pie shell
· 1/4 pound grated Swiss cheese (about 1 cup)
· 1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
· 2 Tablespoons crisp, crumbled bacon (more if you like)
· 3 large eggs
· 1 1/2 cups cream or half-and-half
· 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle cheese, spinach and bacon over the bottom of unbaked pie shell.
2. In a mixing bowl… beat eggs with the cream and pepper. Pour egg mixture into pie shell.
Freezing Instructions…
Place the Pie plate flat in the freezer. Freeze until firm. Cover the frozen quiche with foil. Return to freezer.
To Serve…
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unwrap the frozen quiche and bake it (no need to thaw) for 30 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Mint Chocolate Fudge Ice-Cream Pie
Ice-Cream pies… nothing like them!
This Pie… there are no words.
Just look at the picture. Keep looking until you are in a Pie type trance.
Now, go gather the 6 ingredients and make this little piece of Heaven!
Ingredients…
· 8-inch pie pan, heavy duty foil, gallon size freezer bag
· 1 ½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs
· 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
· 1- 5 oz. can evaporated milk
· 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
· 1 tsp. peppermint extract
· 1 pint chocolate ice-cream
When you are ready to serve…
· 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions…
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Pat this crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool on a rack.
3. In a small sauce pan, combine the evaporated milk and chocolate chips. Heat over low heat, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
4. Pour ½ cup of the sauce into the bottom of the cooled cookie crust, spreading to cover the bottom of the crust. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the ice-cream from the freezer to soften slightly at room temperature.
6. Spoon the softened ice-cream into the frozen pie shell, spreading to distribute evenly.
7. Pour 1 cup of the remaining cooled sauce over the ice-cream and place the pie in the freezer. Reserve any remaining sauce for another recipe… or eat it yourself with a spoon.
Freezing instructions…
Wrap the frozen pie with foil, slip into the freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to a month.
To thaw and serve…
Unwrap the pie. Let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. While the pie is softening… whip the cream according to carton directions. Top each serving with a dollop and enjoy!!
Freezer Caramel Drizzle Pie
This Gem comes together in minutes… and that is about how long it will take for this Drizzle Delight to disappear… and it is very impressive!
· 2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts
· 6 tablespoons butter
· 1 (7 ounce) package shredded coconut
· 1 cup chopped pecans
· 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
· 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
· 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
· 1 (12 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
1. Place butter in a medium skillet and melt over medium heat. Add coconut and pecans, stirring to coat. Sauté until coconut and pecans are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whip together condensed milk and cream cheese until fluffy. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon 1/4 of cream cheese mixture into each graham cracker crust. Drizzle each with 1/4 of caramel topping. Repeat layers with remaining cream cheese mixture and caramel. Top each pie with coconut and pecan mixture. Freeze overnight.
3. Wrap frozen pie in heavy duty foil and place in gallon size freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
4. To serve… unwrap the pie and let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
No comments:
Post a Comment