A Foray into Freezer Cooking

I've read quite a few blog posts that explain freezer cooking: what it is, why to do it, and how to do it. It has always sounded like a great idea (basically, spend a lot of time cooking several meals at once, freeze them, and then just pop in the oven or slow-cooker and voila, a freshly-made meal).

But it also sounded cost-prohibitive: do I really have to buy a whole month's worth of groceries at once? (We usually shop for groceries twice a month, after each payday.)

It also sounded exhausting--spending a whole day cooking and cleaning up. I have a small kitchen, and it doesn't take much to turn it into a disaster. Plus, with no dishwasher, I'd have to be doing dishes as I was working. I usually don't have a whole day to set aside to just cook.

Plus, we have a tiny freezer. Our fridge and freezer are side-by-side, and the freezer is so narrow I can barely fit a 9x13 pan in lengthwise. It doesn't have a lot of room for storing several frozen meals.

But this school year, I wanted to make preparing meals a little easier. So I started cooking some things in bulk: chicken. Beans (of the black, white and red varieties). Stock. A friend graciously gave us a lot of corn, which I helped her cook and prepare for freezing.

courtesy Jami Balmet, www.youngwifesguide.com

To my surprise, I discovered that it was easy to, if not prepare several meals ahead of time, at least get ingredients cooked and portioned into meal-size containers (or plastic bags). My freezer is now full to bursting, and I'm looking forward to less work preparing meals for the next few weeks.

I took inventory of the contents of my freezer. It's way more than I thought I could make:

Chicken stock, 6 bags, 2 cups each

Mixed cooked beans, 12 bags, ~2 cups each

Cooked corn, 8 1/2 bags, ~2 cups each

Cooked chicken, 4 bags, 1-2 cups each

Tomato paste (homemade), 1/4 cup

Saute'ed mushrooms/onions/garlic, about 1 cup

White rice, 6 bags, 2+ cups each

Plus

1 lb ground beef

a variety of frozen vegetables

a bit of pepperoni

ice cream

flax seed

wheat germ

bread crumbs

It's amazing what my little freezer is currently holding!

And it really wasn't hard to make any of the items I cooked in bulk. For the rice, I just cooked two pounds in my biggest pot. I cooked some chicken in the oven and boiled the rest, and then took the meat off the bones. Then I used the bones to make stock, in my slow-cooker and in a pot on the stove. The beans were also cooked in the slow-cooker and a pot. The mushrooms are leftovers from a meal a couple weeks ago. The tomato paste was an experiment I tried yesterday; I'll share more about that another time, but it was easy and very successful.

My point is, anyone can freezer-cook. It doesn't matter how much time you have, how much money you have, how big or tiny your freezer is, or how good a cook you are. The things I've prepared ahead of time are SO easy to do!

My friend Jami has shared a wealth of information on freezer cooking in our new cookbook, Real Food for the Real Homemaker. There's a huge, detailed chapter on freezer-cooking, as well as recipes for making things like slow-cooked chicken, cooked beans, and chicken stock--all things that are in my freezer right now.

Currently, the cookbook is on sale, including all the things shown above for only $9.99. But this deal only lasts till MONDAY, August 26, at midnight-- so don't wait to take advantage of this! After Monday, the price will go back up to $12.95.

Find out how to do freezer-cooking, how to save money at the grocery store, how to plan meals (and get an electronic meal planner, too!), and SO much more. Plus, the cookbook contains nearly 80 recipes that your family will love.

What do you think about freezer cooking? Is it something that would save you time, work and money? What kind of things would you put in your freezer? What should I add to mine?

The Four Meal Planners

Meal planning, while it takes some time and a little effort, can be one of the biggest time-savers for a busy wife, mom and homemaker. I'll admit, I don't do it as often as I'd like, but when I do, I find myself less stressed because I don't have to figure out meals at the last minute. I also use foo dmore economically and efficiently because I have a specific plan for how to use each item in the fridge, freezer and pantry. Often I have to arearrange my meal plan, but usually that results in the meals lasting more days than I'd anticipated (for example, Hubby and I might decide one night that popcorn and some fruit is enough for supper, so the chicken stir-fry I had planned can get scooted to the end of the week, extending my meal plan another day).

There are a variety of ways to meal plan. I'll give you a few ideas, and then tell you what I do and why. Maybe you're already a pro meal-planner. If so, you're doing way better than I am: way to go! But keep reading anyway; maybe I can provide some ideas and hints for you, too.

Meal Planner #1: The "What looks good?" Shopper
This person goes to the grocery store without a set plan--maybe without a shopping list--and buys whatever food looks good and what they feel like eating. Later, they'll make meals out of what ends up in their fridge.

This is the most expensive way to shop: without a plan or list. If you have an unlimited grocery budget, and if this sounds like you and it works for you, great! Do what works best for you and your family. But with just a little planning, you could save money at the grocery store and have a game plan for future meals--both great things.

Meal Planner #2: The Coupon-Clipper
This person buys groceries based on what they can get 50 cents off, two-for-one, or free with purchase of ___. While this person might end up spending less money than their fellow shoppers, they'll probably end up with a cart of food that's not easily made into a week's worth of meals.

A knack for couponing is best when combined with some planning. Use coupons for the items you normally buy anyway--that's the best way to save money.

Meal Planner #3: The Cookbook-Peruser
This person sits down with a stack of cookbooks each week, picks out recipes they want to try, and then makes a shopping list based on the ingredients they'll need to make those recipes. While this is a wise method of planning, it can end up being expensive depending on what ingredients a recipe calls for. However, for someone who likes having clear directions to follow when cooking, or who doesn't have a lot of experience cooking, this method can be very helpful and time-saving.

Meal Planner #4: The List-Maker
This person writes out their grocery list first, filling it with basic ingredients that can be used for a variety of recipes. Then they figure out what meals can be made with the food they buy, and write a meal plan with those meals. This can be the cheapest way to shop, but it can be tricky to figure out meals based on what's in the fridge and pantry.

I'm most like Meal Planner #4, with a little bit of the others thrown in. I have a "recipe repertoire" of about 40 dishes (covering all 3 meals) that I can make with some basic ingredients. I get those basics every time I shop, and I can make quite a variety of things with the food I try to keep handy. I also don't buy much at all of pre-packed foods--I buy more ingredients than ready-to-eat items. To give you an idea, here's what a "typical" grocery list for me might look like:

• milk
• eggs
• butter
• cheese
• potatoes
• carrots
• celery
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• frozen broccoli
• frozen green beans
• bananas
• peaches
• apples
• grapes
• flour
• cocoa
• brown sugar
• baking soda
• spaghetti
• macaroni noodles
• canned tomatoes
• tomato sauce
• 2 cans tuna
• 10 lbs frozen chicken quarters
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 4 lbs tilapia fillets
• coffee
• tea
• rice
• salsa
• barbecue sauce
• ice cream

I don't always buy all these things, because some things only need to be bought once a month or less. Things that last us quite a while are, for example, honey, spices, onions, tea, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, etc. Right now people keep giving us fresh produce and herbs from their gardens, which is great because I've been able to buy less plus I'm getting things I don't normally buy, like fresh parsley and basil.

My point is, with the things I do buy and usually have on hand I can create a lot of different meals. I have a mental list of what I can make and looking at my grocery list I know what meals can come out of it. This is the easiest way for me to keep to a budget, because I don't have to buy fancy ingredients for new recipes, and I can spend about the same every shopping trip because I get basically the same things each time. That's not to say I don't ever use my cookbooks, but I use them more as reference books. If I want to make something specific, I'll look up a recipe for it so I know how to make it.

This is what works with me. I realize everyone has a different lifestyle, budget, and eating preferences, so what works with me might not work with you. But I hope I've given you some ideas that will be useful and might help you save some money.

What kind of meal-planner are you? What method works best for you and your cooking style?

I'm experimenting--with homemade liquid soap!

So, blogging friends, I'm embarking on a new homemaking, home-made adventure: making liquid soap!  I've been wanting to do this for a while, ever since I happened on this recipe.  My mom gave me a couple bars of nice Yardley's soap for my birthday, and I bought a $7, six-ounce bottle of glycerin at the drugstore the other today, and today I decided to go for it!  I also referred to this post , and I read somewhere else (forgot to bookmark that one) that including isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol added antibacterial qualities, so I mixed in that too.  Here's the final recipe that I used:

10 1/2 cups water
1 cup grated soap flakes
1 tablespoon glycerin
2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol

I sanitized my grater, measuring spoons, cutting board, whisk, and glass measuring cup with boiling water.  Set the 10+ cups of water to boil while I grated the soap.  (If I do this again, I'll use a food processor--it was tiring and I think I breathed in some soap dust.)  The soap melted almost instantly, and the mixture foamed a bit when I poured in the alcohol.  The fumes were a bit strong, but now the entire apartment smells nicely of lavender soap!  I'm going to let the mixture cool in the pot until it reaches the consistency I want.  If it turns out too runny or too "snotty" (that's a word a lot of commenters on both those posts used to describe their soap), I'm going to try whisking it or using a hand beater to incorporate air.  We'll see if that works.

If it's too thick (which I doubt will happen) I'll probably heat it up again and add some more water.

A lot of people were complaining that the soap didn't lather.  Plenty of others explained that lather doesn't equal cleaning.  I know it's soap, and I know it'll do the job whether it lathers or not!

Others were concerned about bacteria growing in the soap if purified water wasn't used to make it.  I'm not worried about that, for these reasons:  I boiled my water, for several minutes, before I added the soap, and boiled it some more after the soap flakes were mixed in.  I sanitized all my utensils, and I'm going to sanitize my storage containers before I put the finished soap in them.  Also, again-- it's soap.  It already contains ingredients that kill germs.  Plus, that's why I added the rubbing alcohol.  If the boiling didn't already kill off any bacteria, the alcohol will!

Finally, if this experiment turns out to be a complete flop, I'm not going to fuss.  The soap didn't cost me anything since it was a gift, and I wrapped the leftover bits in a piece of cotton fabric and tightly rubber-banded it shut, and I plan to use that in the shower.  And I still have most of a bottle of glycerin, which I can use as a skin moisturizer mixed with water.  So even if I decide that I can't use my homemade liquid soap, it's still not a loss--and maybe I'll try again with a different technique!

In the meantime, I'm baking bread (a combination of white and whole wheat flours), and I finally figured out how to get the loaves to rise properly and avoid having the dough stick to the towel covering it.  Cover the dough first with a well-greased piece of plastic wrap, and then put the wet towel over that.  Also, the second and third risings were on top of the warming-up oven, not in it, so that I wouldn't collapse the dough by taking it out of a very warm oven into a less-warm kitchen.

I'm so proud of myself.  And feeling so very domestic. :)

How I'm Frugal at the Grocery Store (8 Tips and Ideas)

Otherwise known as, "How To Save Money at the Grocery Store and Still Get Lots of Good Food."  :)

I'm not nearly a professional at this yet, having had only a little over a year of practice.  However, I have developed some tips and tricks for saving my family money at the grocery store.  I'd like to share my new routine with you in the hopes that it will prove helpful for you as well!

1) Divide items on grocery list by category. That way I don't make multiple trips across the store.

2) Check weekly store fliers. If a store has a sale on something that I'll be buying anyway, I'll get it at that store (but I only ever go to two or three).

3) Note on shopping list which stores have which items.  If milk is $2.50 at one store and $3 at another, I'll get it at the first.

4) Include rough estimate of what each item will cost, on grocery list. 

5) Round up costs on everything.  That way, if I accidentally round low on something (since I don’t know exactly how much everything is) it mostly evens out.  It helps me avoid going over-budget.

This week I have a bigger grocery budget than usual, thanks to a bigger-than-usual paycheck—God is good!  However, there are a few extra things I need that I don’t usually buy, like plastic sandwich bags, plastic wrap, a pork roast for when my family comes for dinner on Monday, and toilet paper.  Those are things I don’t often buy, however, so they don’t need to be regularly budgeted into my groceries.

6) Add up estimated costs on all items, including things not absolutely necessary.

What I like doing to myself is putting things on the list that I would like but don’t necessarily need, like more vinegar for cleaning (I still have over half a gallon), coffee, which is a would-like-very-much-but-don’t-absolutely-need, and ground beef, which is expensive and not the healthiest meat out there.

7) Cross off like-not-need things if total cost is over budget. I might end up being able to get them anyway, if I come under-budget with the necessary things..

This week, after adding up my grocery list, I came out about $50 over budget.  I’ll cross off things like lemonade ($5 for 5 cans), Reese’s Cups (which I was going to use in a dessert but don’t have to, $5), elbow macaroni and Velveeta (Velveeta is expensive, $6), and other things.  I ended up crossing off about $48 worth of items.

Now, most of my crossed-off items probably won’t be as much as I estimated, and the other things on my list probably won’t be as much as I expect.  So I might be able to get a few of the things that I crossed off anyway.  (Coffee is top priority!)

But, the thing is, they’re all non-essentials.  We’ll have plenty of food without them; most of the things I crossed off were “extras.”

8) Take a calculator to the grocery store.  For littler trips, I just add mentally. When I add, I'll round everything up to the nearest 50 cents or so. Then, when I have everything on my list, if I’m under budget at all, I can get some of the “extras”…

and, since I will have rounded up, I’ll still come out under-budget at the cash register!

Maybe I'm weird, but I find this sort of thing fun.  I hate spending money, so anything I can do to save money is great!

It's important to not make saving money all-important, of course.  What's my real reason for doing all this?  Am I honoring God and serving my family?

I think the answer to that is YES.  I'm doing my best to be frugal, to be a good steward of what God has given me, and still to provide good food for my family.

What are your ideas for saving money and time at the grocery store?  I'd love to have you share in the comments!