Hi there.. I’m Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife. Arika was kind enough to invite me to write on “They Call Me Wahmmy.com” on Fridays during the Month of October. I’m traveling from blog to blog this month to spread the word about living frugally and to raise awareness and funds for Breastcancer Research.

Today I’d like to talk to you about freezer cooking, why I love it and how it helps me out as a WAHM. I guess I should mention that yes, I am a work at home mom. I run Hillbillyhousewife.com as well as various other website. And I don’t have to tell you how crazy it gets sometimes when things go wrong, websites break, a project is suddenly due or you land a bunch of client work (which is great but doesn’t leave much time for things like cooking, gorcery shopping etc.)

On those days, I pull a freezer meal out, stick it in the oven and get back to work. An hour later dinner is done and all that’s left to do is set the table, sit down and eat.

I wrote an enire ebook on the topic (Called Freezer Cooking Made Simple), which both Arika and I highly recommend, but today I’d like to share some tips with you that you can start implementing right away to get your freezer stocked for those busy work days.

Meatloaf

When you’re cooking meatloaf, make a double or even tripple batch, cook one and freeze the other two. I bought two inexpensive loaf pans that I use just for freezing the meatloaf. You can also set the extra meat mixture in the fridge while you’re cooking your meatloaf for that night, then line it with wax paper, add the raw meat mixture and freeze it until it’s set. Transfer it to a freezer bag or wrap it tight in freezer paper. When you’re ready to make the meatloaf, remove the wrapper, pop it back in the loaf form and bake it.

Pancakes and Waffles

I don’t usually have time to make pancakes or waffles during the week. I make extra large batches on the weekends and spread anything we don’t need on a large cookie sheet and freeze it. After an hour or so when the pancakes or waffles are frozen solid, I put them in freezer bags.

The waffles go straight in the toaster on weekday mornings. The pancakes can be microwaved or defrosted and reheated in a warm pan.

Casseroles

Most casseroles (especially those that don’t contain pasta) freeze well. Again, make a double batch or spend some time one weekend cooking up several casseroles (I do that a lot right after Christmas and Thanksgiving when we have  a lot of leftover ham or turkey). Freeze them and reheat later.

Casseroles usually taste better if you defrost them before you reheat. I also leave off any cheese topping and sprinkle it on before I stick the thawed casserole in the oven.

Stay away from pasta casseroles when you’re planning on freezing them. The pasta tends to get very soft once frozen and reheated. The only exception would be lasagna which freezes fine for me.

Soups and Stews

Most soups and stews freeze really well. Chili is a favorite in our house. You can either defrost them in the fridge over-night, stick them in the microwafe to heat, or add the block of frozen soup or stew to a large pot along with a little extra water and slowly melt and heat it up.

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next week with some more frugal cooking tips. If you’re interested in Freezer cooking, I’d like to invite you to order my Freezer Cooking Made Simple ebook today. 20% of my profits in October will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

http://www.HillbillyHousewife.com

P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on freezer cooking. Is this something you do regularly? Do you make your own or do you buy frozen premade meals at the grocery store?