Freezer Cooking for One or Two

I post a lot of my freezer cooking on my Facebook page, and invariably I have people talk to me at church and remark how they could never do freezer cooking. It's usually a single person or an older couple, and many of them remark that they don't cook at all – it's not worth their time to cook for "just me." I understand completely where they are coming from. In my single days, it was so simple to buy a week's worth of frozen meals or just make a small pot of spaghetti or have a bowl of cereal for dinner (but I love to cook, so I ended buying "cooking for one or two" cookbooks at secondhand stores). If I had only realized then that freezer cooking would be just perfect for me….and for them now!

While we are a numerical family of 3, DD is very picky about what she eats, and most nights she has only a portion of whatever meal I fix (ie, sweet potatoes that were fixed as a side dish). So I truly only do freezer cooking for 2 – DS and me. Some recipes we love so much that we look forward to the leftovers (if they last that long! haha). Some recipes we really like, but to make the full "serves 8" recipe would be way too much. This is where freezer cooking comes in. As an example, the last time I had a freezer cooking night, I made lasagna, only instead of making an 8x13 pan, I made 2 loaf pans. Last week I took one from the freezer, partially thawed it and stuck it in the oven. It was the perfect size. DS and I each had generous portions, and there was plenty left over for my lunch for several days. If I had wanted, I could have refroze the baked lasagna in single servings on microwavable plates for my own homemade frozen dinners. I do the same thing with marinades. I make the full 8-serving marinade but divide it into 2-serving portions, usually in quart-size bags, and add 2-serving portions of the meat and freeze. Do this for 3 or 4 recipes, and you already have quite a stash!

Most recipes can be divided and/or be made into multiple different meals. Have a favorite meatloaf? Make mini loaves, make up leftover meatloaf sandwiches for lunch or to freeze, or make your own "TV dinner" – put a slice of meatloaf and a serving of your favorite vegetable on a microwavable plate, wrap with a layer of plastic wrap and then foil, label and freeze. Love chicken? Roast a whole chicken, slice some for dinner that night, make sandwiches, shred some for other recipes, cube some for salads, and make a few frozen dinners. A single person could easily get 8-10 freezer meals from a whole chicken with only an hour's work.

Don't have the energy or physical health to spend a big chuck of time in the kitchen? Spread the cooking out. Roast a chicken Monday and divide up meals on Tuesday. Next week, cook a beef roast on Monday and divide up on Tuesday. Within just a few weeks, you'll have a wide array of homemade meals in your freezer.

Freezer cooking can be adapted to nearly anyone's situation. It's all about finding what works best for you to save you time and money without sacrificing quality.