Well, you asked to see my freezers. I decided to go ahead and show you, even though they aren’t as organized as I’d like them to be, therefore likely not as impressive as you might have hoped. As you will see, they are very full after our work to prepare lots of extra food last week. This is a huge blessing, and with all the busyness of the upcoming weeks, I will be continually thankful we spent time when we could to make healthy food ahead of time!
Here is freezer number one. This is the freezer that holds many of the prepared foods we made last week. Sloppy Joes, casseroles, muffins, frozen fruits and veggies…
Our bigger freezer (below) holds much of our frozen meat, along with all kinds of random items. I have some white plastic baskets that help keep some of the food organized and categorized, butter and cheese go in the door, and any overflow of prepared food goes wherever I can fit it.
I am thankful to have these two big freezers, which helps so much in my efforts to get ahead and save money. If you don’t have an extra freezer, I highly recommend looking into getting one (or two?!). We bought ours used (and ugly), so they were very inexpensive. I’m sure the investment has saved us thousands through the years!
Here’s our menu for this week:
Sunday, August 4
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, raspberries
Cheesy chicken and rice, peas, grapes
Nachos, watermelon
Monday, August 5
Quick mix pancakes, blueberries, whipped cream
Meat and cheese burritos, baby carrots, cantaloupe
BLTs, sweet potato fries, watermelon
Tuesday, August 6
Peanut butter chocolate chip muffins, scrambled eggs, clementines
Sloppy joes, baby carrots, grapes
Salmon patties, potato wedges, peas
Wednesday, August 7
Cranberry white chocolate chip breakfast cookies, creamy orange coolers
Hamburger patties, steamed broccoli, grapes
Chicken stir fry with asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots
Thursday, August 8
Homemade grape nuts cereal, blueberries, strawberries
Homemade pizzas, pineapple-mango smoothies
Crock pot baked potatoes for taco potatoes, nectarines
Friday, August 9
Easy breakfast casserole, peaches
Corn dog muffins, green beans, watermelon
Alfredo sauce with pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots, tossed salad
Saturday, August 10
Whole wheat donuts, raspberries
Leftovers
Lamb chops, asparagus, tossed salad, corn on the cob
Do you have an extra freezer so that you can stock up?
MarshaM says
I love looking at other people’s refrigerators and freezers! When my cheap used chest freezer dies I think I will have to upgrade to an upright one…we only have two small kids but I love to cook ahead and have food in the freezer. Unless you have access to great real food resources that you can afford to buy on a small scale the only way to really afford real food is to buy bulk and store it.
Bethany W says
Thank you! This was a blessing to peek into your freezer. :) I actually gained some storage ideas. :)
JS says
Do you keep any type of sensors on your freezers in case they stop working? We bought a craigslist freezer and it broke in less than a year. We lost several items. I was out of town and my husband didn’t catch it in time to save much. Now I am on the hunt for another freezer. I’m wondering how I can keep this from happening again and if it is better to buy new since a used freezer would have less life left. I’m thinking maybe two small/medium freezers would be a better plan than one large. I would love some suggestions.
Laura says
We don’t, but really should, huh? :)
Cindy says
We do have a deep freeze, in addition to our fridge-top-freezer. We don’t have good meat sales around here, nor easy access to 1/4 or more of a cow, so I just buy beef somewhat in bulk to last us a couple of months. I do buy chicken breasts when they go on sale, and stock up. I also make muffins ahead (different types), as well as waffles (we made a triple batch yesterday), and extra casseroles. Tonight we are making 2 meatloaves, and will freeze one for a busy day. I love stocking up!
deborah says
I greatly appreciate my freezers too! We had a big chest freezer when we were first married that we got used. It quit a few years ago and we bought a nice-sized upright and later on got a small chest. I love them! My meat goes in the chest along with various other items and the upright stores our corn and jam and fruit and works great for casseroles, pie crusts, breads etc. whenever I have extra or do freezer-food cooking. This system works great for me. Very thankful!
kelly d says
Hi Laura..just found your blog today and LOVE it!!!!love that you are not for any comparisons..just trying to let women help each other!!I made 2 of your recipes today and plan to make many more!!I have 7 children and they all loved the chocolate chocolate chip muffins(all gone)i made a banana cake too, but saving that for dessert when my hub gets home from work!!(i licked the frosting bowl after my 14 year old mixed it together..yum!!thanks for this great site!!
kelly d says
oh, by the way..have a big freezer, which is kind of empty right now, so I will be reading you some more to find some good ideas to fill it!!
Heather says
So do you keep a written inventory of what’s in your freezers? I have a chest and upright freezer and as life got extra hectic, I started getting a little sloppy with them. I now need to pull everything out and reorganize them. I’m trying to figure out how I want to organize them. This is a great post, I’m looking forward to more freezer organization ideas and tips.
Birdie says
Hello Heather. I make sections in my freezers. One area chicken, one area beef, one area vegi, ect.
Birdie says
p.s. I use pieces of cardboard to make sections. Nothing fancy.
Joy says
Freezers are great – we stock up a lot this way, too! Just have to be soooooo careful about making sure they are closed tight! I’ve heard too many heartbreaking stories about doors that were left ajar on a stocked freezer and all of the contents spoiling. I hope his has never (or will never) happen to you! I’m always a little nervous after a huge meat purchase or when we’ve just done a ton of work (as you have) to restock the freezer. I’m sure the kids tire of my calling to them, “Did you make SURE you closed the door tightly?”, but I can’t help myself! (-:
Missy says
Thank you for letting me know that it’s OK to have a messy freezer. Messy freezer users UNITE!!:) We have a large upright freezer that is full most of the time with baked goods, chicken, beef, butter, breads, soups, marinara sauce, etc. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have my extra freezer. :)
Birdie says
Hello Laura. We are sooooo blessed by God. We raise our own beef, have access to delicious chicken, grow a huge garden with fruit, and have access to wild berries. When everything is full we are bursting at the seams! We have a total of three freezers, three fridge and a cold room.
Misty says
We’ve got a messy extra freezer too and are SO very grateful for it!
Barbara says
You can buy freezer alarms very inexpensively. They really saved us when a breaker blew and we didn’t know. Check Amazon.
Kristie says
I noticed some things in your freezer that were not organic. I know that you try hard to feed your family healthy foods and whole foods as much as possible, but I was wondering what do you focus on purchasing organic? I ask because I’d like to buy more organics, but know that I can’t afford to make a big switch, so I’m wondering where to start. I have been being much more cautious about ingredients and purchasing more “real” stuff and avoiding preservatives and things I can’t pronounce as much as possible. Thanks for any input you may have.
Laura says
Some of the non-organic food you see is meant for the soccer team I’m feeding this week. Otherwise, most of it is for our family. I’m okay using non-organic orange juice (we don’t drink it often), and using the occasional non-organic, but still real food ingredients. It all depends on what I can find for a reasonable price where I live! :)