Cold weather and fancy dinners sum up Valentine’s Day and the month of February. Plan ahead with this seasonal freezer cooking plan.
Near the beginning of each month I spend some concentrated time filling the freezer. It might be a few hours to prep breakfasts for the coming weeks, or a full day to really put up some solid meals.
My freezer cookbook came out in October; it includes ten cooking plans including grocery lists to help you pull off a batch cooking session with ease. Since the book’s release, I’ve shared a new cooking plan each month. If you’ve missed them, download them now for easy freezer cooking.
- Cozy Winter Breakfasts – stick-to-your ribs oat dishes, granola, fruit-filled energy bars, and a variety of baking mixes
- Holiday Baking – a plethora of cookies and quick breads as well as a Pretzel Berry Cheesecake
- Busy Nights – lots of casseroles and one-dish dinners to make supper times easy on busy nights
This month my sister and I chose recipes that would be appropriate for cold weather and fancy dinners. That pretty much sums up February with its chilly temps and Valentine’s Day thrown in the mix. This month’s plan features two soups, lots of pasta sauce, a boatload of meatballs, a few fancier chicken dinners, and some sweetheart desserts, like berry pie and thumbprint cookies.
Here are the recipes we’ve included in the plan:
- Stuffed Chicken Parmesan, page 126
- Chicken and Wild Rice Bake, page 129
- Best-Ever Chicken Pot Pie, page 121
- Easy Chicken Gravy, page 110
- Baked Manicotti with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Thyme, page 198
- White Bean Soup with Vegetables, page 215
- Not Your Mother’s Chicken Noodle Soup, page 210
- Herbed Meatballs, page 97
- Slow Cooker Red Sauce, page 205
- Herbed Vinaigrette Dressing, page 130
- Jamie’s Spice Mix, page 90
- Versatile Buttery Pie Crust, p. 356 (see variation for Berry Pie)
- Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies with Cassis Jam
- Mixed Berry Pie with Cinnamon and Lemon, 2 pies
So, you can guess what I did over the last week. Yep, I cooked up a storm.
I cooked most of this plan last Friday night and the bulk of Saturday. You can easily break it up over a few days. As I cooked, I took mental notes about what I think will make this cooking plan go smoothly for you.
1. Set the atmosphere for fun.
This cooking plan is a fair amount of work. It’s not difficult, but it may take some time. So, set yourself up for fun.
Your definition of fun may depend on your personality, your mood, and the size of your family. 😉 Put on some good music (I enjoyed the Beatles and Andrew Peterson channels on Pandora) and grab a drink that makes you smile. Make the process fun and that’s half the battle right there.
2. Do your prep work.
I’ve talked before about the beauty and ease of mise en place. It’s the idea of having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. This is essential for a bulk cooking session to go well!
It will add to the fun atmosphere. Trust me.
I did the prep work for this plan on Friday night while listening to the Beatles and sipping a glass of Merlot. Quite nice, if I do say so myself.
3. Keep going.
One of the tricks to accomplishing a largish cooking plan is to stick with it. It can be tempting to stop. Just push through. You’ll be so glad you did.
4. Send the family away.
I didn’t say that, did I?
Honestly. My family is so interesting that they distract me from the task at hand. I was so thankful when FishPapa took all six kids for bagels, cocoa, and shopping. I had several hours to work quietly on Saturday morning. It helped my productivity immensely.
5. Plan simple meals for cooking day.
I basically told my husband on Friday and Saturday that he was in charge of meals. He was totally fine with that because he’s the type that just needs to know the plan. If the plan is that I have no plan and he gets to make one, he’s cool with that. Yeah!
With a little planning and concentrated effort, you can fill your freezer with great meals to enjoy over the coming weeks.
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Why, yes I have — from your cookbook! Last night, I made up a double batch of Cranberry Pork Chops and also whipped up a bunch of Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes. The day before that, it was Tandoori Chicken. I’m loading up the freezer in preparation for the arrival of Baby3 next month. Thanks again for putting out your cookbook — everything has worked so well.
I’m so glad to hear it. Thanks for your support!
I sure have. Last week I made a few different recipes each day and have my freezers stocked. Most everything I made is from your book! LOVED the pepperoni calzones and slow cooker red sauce!!! My 12 year old daughter made these. It was fun to cook together. Plus, since she is taller than me, I used her reach to get high items down. No step stool needed:)
I want to thank you for the book, cooking plans and your blogs! They have made life MUCH easier for me and my family! I started cooking with your book/blog in Nov and it has been so yummy and a huge stress relief when 6pm rolls around.
Thanks again
Sarah
PS
Were having crumb topped fish and a twice baked potato tonight. Can’t wait…
Wow! What wonderful feedback. Thanks for sharing!
Great post! We were freezer cooking on the same days…I did Everything Plan III on Fri/Sat. It was fun and the ingredients were awesome. We have inhaled every.single.thing I’ve made from your book. It is seriously rocking my world! Not only is the food fresh and delicious, but I am treating myself so well with prepping freezer meals and low-to-none dinner time stress. It feels like a great investment for my family’s happiness (we ? the great meals) and in my own sanity! Thank you…your book is amazing, just like you!
I saw your instagrams. How fun! Tonight we had the meatballs and pie. It’s like a fancy dinner without all the work. love it.
Thanks for your kind words.
Yes, but in very small amounts! I received your cookbook for Christmas and I’m loving it! It’s just my husband, 1 year old daughter, and myself, so I’ve been making the full recipe for supper, and freezing half. If only they stayed there:)
Ha! Tell me about it. Glad you’re enjoying it. So good to hear!
Thank you so much for these freezer meal cooking plans – I purchased your cookbook about a month ago, and have your plans downloaded. Look forward to using them! I have done quite a bit of freezer meal cooking in the past, and have had freezer meal days together with my grown daughters. Your plans will be helpful for us in the future. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
I am in dire need of doing freezer cooking again!!! Have been back at work with no time to even think and I’m going nuts. It is so valuable. When I got pregnant with our second, I figured it would be as bad of a pregnancy as with our first so I IMMEDIATELY went to cooking and got 90 meals into the freezer! WOOHOO!!! Hubby didn’t “really” have to cook the whole pregnancy since I didn’t eat anything! 🙂 Next week I finish my assignment and I think I’ll throw myself into cooking! 🙂
Just did my very first freezer cooking plan last week. I planned meals for the next 2 weeks. I ordered your book too (which has already arrived)! Then I got sick so had to postpone the actual doing the plan til Monday night. However, I now have 3 freezer meals in my freezer, and we stuck to our meal plan this week! So today I’m working on a grocery list to make sure I have all the fresh stuff I need for this next week. I’m also going to start working on the following 2 weeks plan, but first I have to sit down and read your book!
Just downloaded your book company coming and I didn’t see any recipes for the meals. Are they on the website or did I just miss them?
Where to find the recipes is specified in the cooking plan. It’s either linked online or in my cookbook.
Hi. Inspired by your plans i bought your cook book and had my first big batch freezer cooking weekend. It s great. The most i like the nym chicken noodle soup. Soo yummie.. I have one question. If i need to thaw something very fast..maybe brcause there are unexpected guests coming, how can i do that? I have no
Microwave. Thanks for the recipes..the plans and a tip.
Elke Dederichs
Thanks for your purchase. Check the list on page 148 for quick-to-thaw items. That’s probably your first line of defense.