Have you heard about Freezer Meal Club?

Freezer Meal Club or Freezer Club is a small group of friends (anywhere from 2-8 people) who commit to cooking freezer-friendly meals (Casseroles, certain soups, marinated meat, etc.) for one another each month. Three of my friends and I formed a Freezer Meal Club in August this year and let me tell you: We are LOVING it! I should point out that two of the friends had been in different Freezer Meal Clubs for years before they moved to CF a few years ago.

We love Freezer meal club for a few reasons. First of all, you always have healthy wholesome meals on hand for those nights that you are too busy/tired to cook. Instead of retreat to fast food or processed junk, you can still provide your family with nutritious meal. Second, it saves time since you only have to prepare one dish in multiplications and you get several different dishes after exchange. Third, it saves money by buying in bulk and planning ahead. Last but not least, you get to hang out with your friends regularly even though it may be brief. Our hostess always provides snacks and drinks for the exchange which is a nice little break for us busy moms.

Here is a quick rundown on what we do as a Freezer Meal Club.

We meet once a month to exchange prepared meals and decide if or not we are doing a theme for next month’s food. Most of the time, we don’t really put cap on our creativities (your imagination is your limit!). However we did comfort food (soups, lasagna, and chicken pot pie) for October when the cooler weather settled in. And we are going to have breakfast/appetizer/snack theme for December since you know, all your energy will be drained by creating one perfect Christmas feast for the whole family and breakfast/appetizer/snack food will save you during the rest of the holiday time when you want to do nothing but cuddle on the couch and read (or watch).

After deciding on theme or non-theme, our Google doc is ready to be updated with what we will make for the month to avoid duplicates. We usually include links to the recipes if possible and cooking instructions if applicable. We each do our own grocery shopping and cooking. However there is an alternative way of running Freezer Meal Club which is everybody chips in to buy all the materials needed for the month and people gather at one place to prepare meals together. There are pros and cons for both way, we chose the way that fits better with our life styles and schedules.

To give you some examples of the food that we’ve made, Zuppa Toscana, Crock pot BBQ pulled Chicken, Broccoli-Chicken-Rice Bake, Pork Green Chili, Chicken Pot Pie, Cheesy Cauliflower Broccoli Potato Soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu, etc. We limit meat sources to chicken, turkey, pork, and beef due to possible allergy concern.

If you are interested starting a Freezer Meal Club with your friends or fellow CF Food Co-op members, why don’t you leave a post on the Co-op Facebook page? We have the Google Doc and other helpful resources to share and to help kick-starting your Freezer Meal Club!

A few useful links on Freezer Meal Club and Freezer Meal Preparations/recipes:
https://thrivinghomeblog.com/
http://freezercookingclub.blogspot.com/
http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/

 

Guest article by member owner and co-op volunteer Jie Liu.
Are you interested in writing for the Garlic Press? Contact us at info@cedarfallsfood.coop for more information!

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