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In times of financial trials, I’m finding the GREAT benefit of having a full freezer. One thing I LOVE is to be able to provide a meal to those in need: either those in financial need or those with physical trials. But when I cook from paycheck to paycheck I find that I am often limited in this sphere.
God doesn’t bless us JUST so we can experience His blessings. He blesses us so that we can SHARE that blessing; to be the hands and feet and love of Jesus to both the church and to the unsaved.
So, even though we are struggling ourselves right now, I’m praying and looking to see how I can do some filling of my freezer, both for our own lean times as well as to be able to bless others out of our bounty.
So, for the next 6 Fridays I’ll be seeing what I can do to put at least 2 meals in our freezer. That will give me 12 meals at the ready. The weeks I can do more, I will. This particular week I won’t be adding any meals (since I’m at the end of the week with no opportunities). BUT this is the week when I’m asking if you’d like to join me in this project!
Can you, in each of the following 6 weeks, perhaps double 2 of your suppers and freeze half? I know that many of you are as strapped as I am, but I also know that it really doesn’t cost much to double a recipe. And just think of the blessing of being able to take a meal (with perhaps a sweet note) to someone in REAL need!! Or to be able to manage on those weeks when the grocery money just isn’t there.
I’m going to do this as a link-up for these few weeks, you’ll be able to link up the meals you are putting into your freezers to encourage all of us! I’m giving you a heads up so you can think and plan (because, anyone who has read my e-book knows you SAVE $$ WHEN YOU PLAN!) If you want to join me in this, comment below to let me know and use my button above on your blog posts when you prepare freezer meals. I’d love to spread the word to encourage others to prepare Faithful Freezers.
Blogs I might be linking to:
Menu Planning Monday, On The Menu Monday, Marital Oneness, The Better Mom, Multitudes on Monday, Hear it On Sunday, Sharing His Bounty, What Joy Is Mine, Playdates at the Well, Back to School Monday, Domestically Divine Tuesdays, Time Warp Wife, Funky Planet Frequent Flier Club, Encourage One Another, Living Well Wednesdays, Legacy Leaver Thursday, What’s Up Wednesday, Raising Homemakers, Thought Provoking Thursday, Hearts 4 Home, Thankful Thursday, Raising Mighty Arrows Thursdays, First Day of My Life , Thankful Thursdays, Thankful, Thankful Thursday Brown-eyed Bell(e), Big Family Fridays, Faith Filled Fridays, Home Focused Friday, Feasting In Fellowship Friday, Homemaking Link-up Week-end
Oh! I already do this with 4 meals a month, making my last week of the month come from the freezer so I can use grocery money to stock rather than feed. If I doubled it again… well, I’m not sure my freezer is big enough, but how lovely that would be! I’m game.
Stacey, how GREAT that you do this already!! I used to but have completely gotten out of the habit…so this is my way of Jump Starting my freezer again!
Now I’m in a quandary. Will you be SHARING what your meals will be? For instance I make a really nice creamy Chicken and Rice. I have no clue if you can free cooked rice without losing it’s integrity? Help sister? I make excellent chicken & dumplings (most of the time – there’s always that one time that messes up your flow). But how well will it freeze? I have another soup with noodles…how well will cooked noodles freeze.
The bigger quandary is that I just started a “7″ challenge. As a diabetic I could do Jen’s 7 so we are doing 7 dinner meals repeating every week. And they are simple whole foods. Like Salmon & steamed veggies. Not exactly comfort food to take someone in crisis.
So what about a post on casseroles that freeze well…or foods that WON’T freeze well. I would love to add freezer stuff like this, but I’m also not sure how long something is good…how long will you keep a frozen meal before using it? I don’t want to take a frozen dinner to friends and have them find it freezer burnt. I love all my friends who brought us meals while I was doing chemo. I love them, but some of their meals not so much. lol
Tina, yes I will be sharing what my meals will be, along with recipes and photos. I will also be looking for question on Fridays that I hope to answer so we can support and encourage one another!
1) Freezing rice or pasta (do not freeze a pasta dish that has eggs in the sauce) is fine, so long as you UNDER COOK the rice and the pasta…otherwise they turn to mush (yuck). You would make the casserole (undercooking the rice) and put it into your freezer safe casserole pan. If I’m using one of my many 9X13 pans, I’ll put it into a 2 gallon freezer bag with the name and cooking instructions on it.
I tend to NOT put my noodles in my soups before I freeze them. I put them into a ziploc bag and mark them for the freezer recipe. When I send it to someone, I’ll send a note to add the raw noodles to the soup as they heat it and let them cook for the last 5 min or so.
2) Most casseroles will last up to 6 months in the freezer and most freeze well. Since doubling your meals might not work, it might work for you to simply plan a casserole meal to double all on its own and THOSE would be your 2 meals for the week!
I’m including links to 2 different posts of mine that might get your creative juices flowing.
Stocking the Freezer
Recipes for the Freezer
I love this idea! Doing it little by little. I tend to get overwhelmed with doing a big monthly freezer meal bash…especially with two very little ones…I end up taking so many break through the day to change diapers, feed, nurse, comfort, etc that by the end of the day I find I didn’t get half of the stuff done I needed to and I’m too discouraged to do it again next month.
I wont be joining right away – since we’re moving in 2 weeks – but after we get moved in, I will totally be joining with you. What a great idea to double a dinner and freeze half of it.
I would LOVE for you to link this post up on my blog. I know my readers would love to join in as well. http://www.littlerandr.org/2012/09/new-house-new-yard-and-week-alone-with.html
Great idea! I do this little by little as well! I did this once to plan for a maternity leave for myself, and then I loved it so much I thought, WHY don’t I do this ALL the time!?
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