Thursday, August 11, 2016

Freezer Inventory


This summer, I've been wanting to get back to some freezer cooking. I love having entree items especially that are quick and easy to pull out and with school starting it is time to get back into some routines!

First, I wrote down a list of everything that I've frozen in the past and/or think would freeze well. I kind of have a usual mental list of things that I like to keep in the freezer and this is where that began.

Then, I started adding things to my freezer over the past several weeks. I did not do a big marathon cooking session, but rather put marinade in with frozen chicken and froze so it is ready to quickly pull out or cooked and cut up chicken, things like that.

When my Mom was here this summer she mentioned wondering if a freezer inventory would help me - I didn't really think it would at the moment because I thought I'd have trouble maintaining it. But the more I've thought about it, I decided to give it a try!


This is pretty much identical to the handwritten one only much more organized! There are various freezer item categories and then I've marked what we have on hand now and left spaces for adding things to the freezer in the future.

One thing I've been trying to do is make two and freeze one when I'm already cooking rather than try and do 25 or 30 freezer meals in one long day.

If this freezer inventory interests you, here is a shareable link to my document. It is so lovely to see what I have ready to pull out and also helps me to see what items I may need to stock up on during a sale or when I have time to make an extra dinner.


The hardest part of freezer cooking is I never want to use it because then I will have to start over again! Haha!

Do you keep a freezer inventory?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes! I love having a freezer inventory sheet handy. It helps me in those moments I can't decide what to make for dinner, reminds me what's left in the freezer when I grocery shop, and reminds me what I might need to purchase for fresh side dishes. I really need to get busy making freezer meals, too. It's just the two of us, but we bought an investment house that needs remodeling. There will be long, busy days that I won't want to cook, but we will want home-cooked meals.

Andrea L.

Unknown said...

What a great idea!im with you,i dont do a cooking marathon. Lol.
Christina

Tina Leigh said...

I looked at your freezer list. So those are the things you have and keep in your freezer? I've never been much on cooking things & freezing them. Maybe it's that the type of food we eat or meals are not real good after they've been frozen. I do keep a stocked freezer but ITS GOTTA BE COOKED! I'm thinking you will share more on your freezer meals....I'm hungry.

Mary Ann said...

Funny you should post this! I'm planning to defrost and organize my big freezer tomorrow and a freezer list is a must have for me to keep track of what I have! Back in the day, I was super organized with this and it was wonderful but some of my organized ways have fallen by the wayside in the past few years. I need to get back on track! Also need to get back to freezer cooking; hoping to reinstate a kitchen/cooking day each week which should help with some of the planning ahead.

As far as freezer cooking style, I've tried and do all of the methods at some time or another. What works best right now is mainly focusing on easy things to freeze like marinated meat or crockpot meals-in-a-bag that require no prior cooking so they're super fast to put together! Also some quick breads, pancakes, waffles for easy breakfasts. The quick breads are nice to have for hospitality as well.

Elizabeth said...

Oh yes! Even as a grandma I still have my freezer meals, just smaller portions. Now my daughter does it.

Jessica said...

Monica, I keep a freezer list of what I have as well. I do have a hard time keeping it updated - remembering to cross something off when I use it. But overall, it's pretty helpful while meal planning. And, I often cook double of a meal and freeze it. I love having meals ready to go in the freezer too. :) When I have more time, I'll cook even bigger batches of a meal - triple or more - and take meals to others. It seems there is always someone sick or with a new baby that could use a meal.

And, I must tell you this again too. This space - your blog - is such a place of peace for me. During my rest time each day, often I'm too tired to even pick up a book and concentrate. But reading your blog is a must for me. It quiets my craziness and really does instill peace. Thank you, my friend!

angie said...

I'm just trying to get into a routine of grocery shopping and cooking these days!! Too much time away this summer has rendered me completely out of practice. I think I will start with a similar approach to yours, except by making a list of meals that I (used to) make on a regular basis.

*carrie* said...

Great job, Monica. I've never been big on freezer cooking whole meals, but I freeze plenty of components, and I have kept an inventory of those in the past. Just today, I wrote down on my project list that I need to inventory the deep freeze sometime soon. It's very disorganized right now!

Mrs. Smith said...

You know how much I love this..... But now I wish I had ALL THE RECIPES! You are a terrific cook, my friend!