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34 Freezer Meals in a Day

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Have you ever heard of people freezing meals, cooking ahead of time and freezing them for later?  A few years ago I had heard about  freezer meals, and freezing a whole bunch of meals that you make in one day.  My sister and her friends did it and I wished I lived by her so that I could participate in this blessed event, but then I moved away :(.   I talked to a few friends about doing it, but it just seemed kind of overwhelming and we never got to it.  I didn’t really know how to go about it or even where to start.  A couple months ago I found a website selling a cookbook for lunch and dinner freezer meals and also a software that you could have on your computer.  I decided to test it out and actually really do it this time, instead of just talk about it!  The great people from 30 Meals in One Day sent me the entire program to review and to sum up my experience in one word(s)….AWESOME, AMAZING, EXCELLENT!! 

This program is awesome, and really easy to understand.  I got started and read through the book and got really excited.  I asked a friend if she wanted to help me test it out and she hopped on board with her excitement!!    We read though the books {very quick reads} and looked over the software and were SO impressed. {I seriously wondered why I had never heard of this!?!}  It all looked so easily done and was written very well, and the recipe’s were nice because they were quick and easy to make {most of them, some took a little bit longer}, but all healthy, delicious recipes.  We decided to do this the week before school starts so that I could have a bunch of meals on hand. Great for those hard days where I don’t know what to cook!  We also decided to just start with making 15 instead of thirty each, and doubling each recipe so each of us would have 15 meals!! 

books&CD Let me tell you a little bit about their software program.  Now the books are great, and definitely nice to have on hand, but I’m telling you this software program is so AMAZING!  They have 3 different CD’s, one for each of these books ,or one CD with all three {which is a little more expensive, but WAY worth it}.  You can either download it straight to your computer or they will mail you the actual CD.  It has all the recipes and you can also adjust the recipe if you want to double or triple or even quadruple it!!  The other cool things is, is that you can add your own recipes that you like to the program.  They don’t even have to be freezer worthy.  That is probably my most favorite thing about this program.  Weekly I am going through my recipe book and planning my menu, and then I have to pull each recipe out and copy the ingredients I want onto another sheet of paper.  This whole program will do that for you! Then it will print of a shopping list, recipe card and a meal plan list!  It will print off labels to put on your meals with the name of the recipe, date made, and how to prepare it once out of the freezer!  Not only do I wonder why I never had this program for freezer meals, but just to make my weekly meal plans. 
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So my friend and I got together and decided on what meals to make, Then we split up the shopping list, bought what we needed and got it all ready the the night before the big event!! family pics 004

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The next day she came over at 9:00 with her kids and the kids played together all day, while we cooked!!  It was very tiring, and took us a lot longer than expected, but it was very rewarding and I am so excited to have 17  meals in my deep freezer!!  We ended up making 4 extra meals because some of them being doubled turned out really big,  So both of us got 17 instead of 15!
A few things we learned and would do different were…
  • The book tells you how many of what kind of meal to make.  They suggest 2 Oven, 2 Slow cooker, 2 Stove top and 9 Assemble.  We did that, but something we didn’t do was prepare anything a head of time so we spent a lot of time thawing out meat that didn’t completely thaw in the fridge the day before, boiling or frying meat, or most of our time was spent mincing onions and garlic. 
  • We wished would would have taken the advice from the whole chapter in the book about Pre-preparation the day before, but we learned our lesson and next time know better!
  • Start the Crockpot meals the night before or early in the morning so you have the counter space for all the other meals.
  • Also buy canned minced garlic or mince it way in advance! 
  • We also learned to take breaks and go outside for a min and watch the kids or eat lunch! 
Our kids actually did really well together.  My daughter spent most of the day in her room crafting {her own little piece of heaven}, and the little kids watched shows, played with toys and had a lot of fun running around being silly! family pics 015It was a great success.  I really have no complaints except I had run 3 miles barefoot that morning and then was in my kitchen barefoot for 12 hours after that, so my poor feet were really sore the next day!  But well worth it. 

Look at all those delicious meals…family pics 021We were SO excited about how everything turned out and even some tasted {not that we ate it all, but we did try the Teriyaki Chicken, best recipe ever}!  The aroma in the kitchen was SO yummy!!

And as crazy as you may think this sounds I am excited to get this started again in 2 months.  I have a small, small kitchen and don’t have room or time to make 30 meals in a day.  My sister gave me some fun advice if you want to do it with a group.  This is for a group of four.  Each person cooks 4 meals 8 times and one dessert 4 times.  So I would make 8 Teriyaki Chickens, 8 Lasagnas, 8 Cream Cheese Chicken, and 8 Almost Raviolis, and 4 Snicker doodles {bags of frozen dough balls} and then everyone else would do different ones and then you trade.  Each person getting 4 meals, but doubled so they really get 8 from each person including themselves, so you end up each with 32 meals and 4 desserts!  Make since?  You total up how much you spent and work out how much you owe each other.  My sister says she usually spends right around $200.  Which for 32 meals and 4 desserts is WAY good!!  That is $5.55 per meal/dessert!  Not Bad huh? That is pretty inexpensive and can save you lots of money!!

So all in all this program is EXCELLENT! Nothing bad to say except maybe add some dessert recipes, but most desserts you find can freeze!  I am really excited to add some of my recipes to the program and start making my meal planning way easier!  Go over to 30 meals in one day.  They have some recipes that you can try out right on the site, but I am serious when I say you are going to want this program not just for freezer meals but for your everyday life.  {and they aren’t even paying me to say this, I like it that much} 

Comments

  1. I would absolutly love this!!! I don’t have a lot of time to make dinner since I don’t get home from work until 5PM. This would make it easier to spend more time with my kids.

  2. Entry #2

    I am making freezer meals for RS tomorrow and can’t wait. We are making beef tamale pie and chicken stuffing casserole. It will be a lot of fun.

  3. I would LOVE to win this! Seriously, words can’t express how much:-). Cooking is a weak point of mine and to have meals tucked away in the freezer would be a blessing! Awesome giveaway, enjoy your meals, and have a super first week of school next week:-)!!

  4. Oh Kendra, I HATE COOKING! Seriously, hate it! I was just talking to Alan that I need to do something like this. I have wanted to do this for such a long time but the recipes I’ve seen from other places weren’t all that good. I did a little test-run with a friend and we just made about 8 meals each and they were gross and sat in my freezer! Ick! But if you like this then I am certainly going to give it a try!! You had such great things to say about the program! Way to go on this blog! You’re amazing!

  5. Oh, here’s comment #2…I would TOTALLY agree with you about cutting up things the night before and cooking all the meat and stuff. If you watch cooking shows they have everything put together in those nice little dishes, all cut up and ready to go. That is key! That’s what gave me my success in making the meals before…too bad they just didn’t taste good after all of that!

  7. This sounds absolutely AMAZING!!! I wish I could cook and come up with “good” meals that my family could eat! 🙂 It is always so stressful for me to try to come up with dinner every night. I would LOVE to give this a try! I know my husband and kids would appreciate it too! 🙂

  8. Comment #2 – I think the idea of cooking as a group and even with a friend to split things up is brilliant! I would definitely be trying that method! Thanks for doing this giveaway!

  21. This would be so wonderful. I am a full-time working mother of 4 and a graduate student. My husband also works full time. I could pull out a mean in the morning, and have it ready to cook when one of us got home. It would save the “what do you want for dinner game.” In our house, we compare it to the vultures in Jungle Book. “What do you want to do?” “Now, don’t start that again!” What a wonderful time saver this program could be.

  25. Okay. I LOVE freezer meals! I am always looking for more ideas. My cupboard is stocked with tin pans and freezer bags ready to be used, but not very many ideas, so I would LOVE to win this book!

  26. Freezer meal ideas: (the ones I have made, and loved.)

    Chicken gravy (like pot pie filling, but you pour it on mashed potatoes…YUM!)
    Thanksgiving casserole (chicken, green beans, stuffing. You know.)
    Stuffed shells
    taco soup (this works great for navajo tacos too!)
    White bean chicken chili
    Rice–white, fried, and spanish
    Mashed potatoes

    Ooh! I’m hungry now!

  28. Comment #2
    Question for you….were any of the meals gluten free? That is the hard thing for me is finding gluten free meals for my family. I would love to know more information about it if they have a good variety of meals.

  30. I have actually been looking into this! It would be so awesome to do! I would love to win! I just found your blog today! totally cool! Thanks!

  31. This sounds sooooo awesome….. I have been reading all these blogs about freezer cooking and trying to figure out how to get started. It is really overwhelming trying to figure it all out. My husband is laid off and we are not eating out at all, so trying to come up with home cooked meals every night is exhausting to say the least. This would be soooo great to help out.

  35. Comment #1 Let me just tell you how much I would love this. I am a brand new single mom (I know, not fun) and I can’t tell you how much it would help to have my meals pre frozen. I am looking to go back to work for the first time since my kiddos were born and having something to come home to would be the best treat ever.

  36. Comment #2 I have done freezer meals once. My favorite tip is to find what you love and freeze it. OR better yet, find what your kids love and freeze it. Also, if you let them help out making it, they will be more excited when they get to thaw it out and eat it! Working with a few friends makes it go by so much easier and faster.

  37. Oohhh SO EXCITED! This sounds awesome. I usually plan a week ahead on meals and with this I could just plan one or more days that week to be freezer meals and actually ENJOY my afternoon (I like cooking but it does get overwhelming sometimes). Very interested in this program thanks for sharing. 🙂

  38. I have looked at buying this before. Your review was awesome. I have tried doing freezer meals but never on a large scale.
    The thing I always forget is to CLEAN THE FREEZER out first! When I have done freezer meals, I go to put them away and have no room. I’m determined to do better and organize the freezer first next time.

  40. Almost forgot #1. So excited. 🙂

    Also, kudos to you and your friend for doing this in the town home kitchen. I lived in Pine Valley Town Homes for 4 years so I know how tiny those kitchens are. That tells me there is hope for my current tiny kitchen.
    (I found you from Shelly Harris’s FB post)
    hirschifam@yahoo.com

  41. I am soooo excited to try this. I work everyday until 6pm and have 4 kids with one on the way!!! To busy to cook meals EVERYNIGHT!! Would love to win this software and give it a try!! Thanks for all your wonderful ideas!!
    ALICIA

  42. Love freezer meals. It is the only way to make it through a pregnacy and the first few months of having a baby for sure!
    The prep is the key. We also have a group and we split the cost of everything right down the middle. Has worked out great for us!

  43. I have been thinking about trying something like this! Especially since school is starting again and I will be crazy busy.

  45. I am having a baby in a month and will definitely be relying on some freezer meals when he arrives. I’d love to get a head start, and have some ready to go when the big day comes!

  47. Comment #2: I do prepare freezer meals but have a limited amount of recipes that work. My families favorite: cheesy manicotti!

  48. I have done freezer meals before but I am always open for new recipes on new ones to prepare and share for freezing. So much easier on appointment days, etc. to pull out a meal that is prepared and put it in a pot or oven to save time. Thanks for sharing this with me and I will share with others. Best of luck in your new adventures!

  49. I’ve never done frozen dinners because I never needed to. I love cooking and I love eating. However, now I have a 1 year old son and I’ll be starting back at school full time this fall. Being able to pull a meal out of the freezer would help me so much once school starts. I also loved the idea of only spending $5.52 per dinner. That would help my budget considerable! Thanks for blogging about this!

  50. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I am a full time mom, student and now babysitter! I don’t know when I’m going to have time to do meals anymore and this would be FABULOUS!

  51. I have done frozen meals before, but havent’ since because my freezer is so small. I keep begging my husband to get me a small deep freeze so I can do it more!

  52. This sounds SO great!!!! I have actually been contemplating doing this since I work part time and (mom full time of course). This would be ideal for me.

  53. By the way, I have not made a freezer meal, but I actually have a crock pot recipe for the Cream Cheese Chicken with a slight variation in some ingredients and it’s fantastic!

  55. Hey I just found your blog today and i have to say I may become a stalker… 🙂 I LOVE it! I was wondering if this giveaway is still open?!?!?!?!? I couldn’t find anything to say it was over. I have been wanting to try this forever now! we have 3 kids 6,4, &2, and one on the way and things are tight and crazy. how great to do this and not only save time but money as well 🙂

  56. It is closed, but go to the site! It is an awesome product! Glad you like my blog! Our kids are the same age {well my oldest just barely turned 7}and yes I know how things get tight!!

  57. We have a similar business close to where we live called Dream Dinners that does the same thing. I love it! It’s so helpful when I just don’t have enough time for dinner. Much like FHE on DVD, it’s a time saver.

  58. I used to freeze meals ahead when my children were little and loved the time it saved me and I felt that I spent less money at the market because I used everything purchased for the cooking day.
    I am so excited to try out this book and software. The time savings will be enjoyed pursing my hobbies.