Beginner's Page

NEVER freeze your macaroni or rice in a cooked soup or sauce. They will continue to absorb the moisture even after you place them in the freezer. Unless you like mush, try to avoid this at all costs. You could try using barley instead of macaroni if you need to freeze everything at once. For soups, add the barley as the soup cools.

Clams don't freeze well. Trust me! :(

Potatoes don't freeze well either - they get mushy, unless they are pre-mashed. You can make your mashed potatoes ahead of time and freeze them.

When we had four people doing this and swapping meals, we agreed that each family was responsible for staples like pasta and rice. This saves a lot of time and headaches with the meals, as well as space in the freezer.

I try to select 14 meals and double the recipes for the month. There are some that you simply need to dump in a bag and freeze for cooking later, and these are my favorites! The less prep cooking I have to do, the better!

Try freezing your favorite recipes. You may be surprised at how well they do!

Cooked meat does not last as long in the freezer as raw meat.

Once you thaw your meat, don't freeze it again without cooking it. You might not be able to enjoy digesting your meal if you do!

To cook a lot of ground beef: Crumble ground beef onto a cookie sheet or baking pan. Bake, using a spatula to stir often, at 350 degrees until browned through. I can do about 10 pounds at a time, 5 pounds per cookie sheet.

To cook a lot of chicken: You can bake chicken on a cookie sheet like the hamburger, or place the raw chicken in a stock pot and cover with water. Boil the chicken until cooked through (cut a piece and check for pink spots). Remove from the water, and use the stock in recipes needing chicken broth or save for soups.

Don't get overwhelmed! I try to take two days to finish my cooking. On the first day, I put together the recipes that use raw meat or that just need to be dumped in the bag. This is easy to do, and I usually do it the night I get back from doing the shopping. The second day, I brown all of the hamburger and cook any chicken that needs to be cooked, then assembe my recipes. The second day is long (about 6 - 8 hours), but well worth it when I pull out dinner each night for the next day!

Group swap! We started doing this with women from my ward, and it has really expanded. The idea is to bring your "extra" meals and swap them for different meals. This takes some of the monotony out of having the same meals throughout the month. Basically, if you come in with 6 meals, you leave with 6 meals. That way, you can do as much or as little as you want!