Want more time to sew?

 

Stock your freezer.

I spent about 4 hours Sunday preparing freezer meals.

I started with a pot of spaghetti sauce and let it cook while I prepared my other meals.

I made enough sauce for three separate dishes - spaghetti, lasagna and my go to meal, ziti.

Mmmmmm....

 

 

Next, I got out my pressure cooker and filled it with boneless chicken breasts.

Twenty-five minutes later my chicken was done.

 I shredded the chicken and divided it into 4 packages (3 cups each) for the freezer to make chicken and yellow rice, chicken and pasta, chicken salad etc.

  I set aside the rest to make the filling for two chicken pot pies.

 

 

 I usually put all the filling into the uncooked pie crust and freeze until I am ready to bake.

This time I decided to try something different.

I froze the filling and pie crust separately.

 It actually takes up less room in the freezer too.

 

 

When I'm ready for chicken pot pie it will only take me a couple minutes to roll out the pie crust, put it in a casserole dish, dump the filling in and top it with another crust.

I made enough homemade pie crust for 2 pot pies and a couple quiches.

 

 

Up next was the ground beef.

I package my ground beef in one pound packages and roll them out flat.

Rolling them flat makes it quick to thaw and easy to store in a small freezer.

 

 

What I didn't freeze into one pound packages, I made into meat loaf.
I like making little individual loaves - one for each of us.



 I made enough for 3 separate meals for my family, but if someone stops by for dinner, I just take out an extra little loaf.

 

 

Again, these thaw quicker and it only takes a minute to mix together the yummy topping for these babies and pop them in the oven.

 

I like to plan my meals a month ahead. You can read about that here.
Planning ahead, I not only know I have all the ingredients I need, but I know every morning what I need to take out of the freezer or prepare in the Crockpot for dinner that evening.

I hate trying to figure out what's for dinner at 4pm every day.

 

I didn't have time Sunday, but I usually put together a few casseroles and freeze them uncooked so I can literally just thaw them and pop them in the oven - no prep time at all.

 

See how stocking the freezer can give you more time to sew?



No unnecessary trips to the grocery store and it only takes 5 minutes to prep for dinner each night.

 

Now go sew while dinner is cooking!