To make freezer meal plans, schedule a number of meals, and cook or buy them in advance to store and eat later. Freezer meal plans come with a number of benefits -- as long as you remember to label the foods. Include the contents, portions and the date you cooked the food to keep everything in order. This also ensures you won't be eating baked beans when you really wanted lasagna.
Basics
Plans can last one week, several weeks or one month or more, depending on the size of your freezer. For the best results and for safety, don't store your homemade meals for more than three months.
Prepare a number of homemade meals and freeze them, shop for prepared frozen meals and foods, or mix it up with a variety from both options. To add even more variety, join or start a freezer meal plan exchange in which you can trade prepared frozen meals with other freezer meal plan followers.
What You Eat
Good frozen meal choices include casseroles, lasagna, enchiladas, roasted or sautéed chicken and meat dishes, and even sandwiches. Store-bought meals include a lot of the same entrees you make at home, as well as pizzas and panini.
In addition to main entrees, freezer meal plans can include snacks, desserts, breads, soups, pasta-and-meat salads and breakfast items such as muffins and waffles. Food items that don't work well in the freezer include raw vegetables, sour cream, mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs.
Benefits
Following a freezer meal plan can save time and money. Rather than cooking every day, you can cook several dishes in a single day and freezer the extras. Buying ingredients in bulk or when they are on sale can add to your savings, as can skipping restaurants or take-out when you don't feel like cooking. You also won't have to wonder what's for dinner since your meals are already cooked, wrapped and waiting for you to eat. Freezer meal plans can work especially well for singles or couples, since you can bake an entire lasagna, for instance, and freeze it in individual containers for future meals.
Quick Freezing
Quick freezing food is the best way to preserve your meals. To quick freeze a casserole, for example, place the casserole dish in a shallow pan of ice water to speed up the cooling process. Once a food is cooled, use freezer bags, freezer wraps, heavy-duty foil, freezer paper or special freezer containers to store it. Keep ice crystals off your food by wrapping it tightly so no moisture can get in. If you're using freezer containers, leave a small amount of space so the food can expand but not excessive space that can lead to ice crystal formation.
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