I am blessed to have an abundance of freezer space…at this moment. It won’t be abundant when we do go and purchase our organic meat and need to store huge quantities at once. But for now it is enough space that I don’t have to worry about how I store my freezer meals unless I start putting too many containers in the freezers.
Storing your meals in a limited space forces you to be creative. I have a few helpful tips.
1. Do not keep the baking containers in your freezer. Place all meals that will be baked in containers into storage bags. Freeze them initially in the containers so they get the shape, then pop them out and stack. You’ll save a lot of room this way. When you go to thaw your meal, place the storage bag into the baking container again and thaw in fridge.
2. Use freezer storage containers. I’m big on my Tupperware. Sure people like to make fun of me about it, but they sure are jealous of my freezer full of food I can easily find. Freezer containers from Tupperware come in many different sizes and options. From those that are storage only, to those you can cook in the oven in. But don’t use containers larger than you need, then you are just back to #1′s problem again.
3. Store sauces and meats separately if recipe permits. You can freeze in sauces in much smaller containers or bags.
4. Clean out your freezer before you cook for the month. There’s no room when you cook for frozen treats or other non-essentials.
5. Not a favorite, but if space restraints are at a true minimum…cook twice during the month instead of once. This is a big reason why once a week cooking works well for small spaces. Everyone can fit one weeks meals in the freezer. The majority can double the recipes and have two weeks loaded. Use one weeks worth of meals and add another 2 weeks. You’ll then have your full months meals completed.
Small spaces takes some creativity in what you cook and how you pack. Always remember to label your meals well and include the date you created them in case they keep getting shoved to the back of the freezer.
Thanks for this. I do use bags to freeze my meals. I would not have been able to get them in if I hadn’t this time. I need to figure out what’s all in there and make a plan for it, or toss it.
I like to keep a list on the fridge with meals listed on it. Then as they are used we just cross them off. It also makes it easy for one of the kids to pick the meal for the next night