my freezer inside ... and out

The other day while making a grocery list this realization came: This would be impossible without the calendar and the freezer. Really and truly, we couldn’t regularly sit down together if I didn’t have a month’s worth of life staring at me every time I reach for an ice cube. Nor could I cook if I didn’t stock my freezer with items as they are on sale. And so, with my new camera crying out to be used, this post took shape in my mind.

Every month I update the dry-erase calendar and list the places we have to be. Every Wednesday I look at what I know about the upcoming week and figure out if I’ll have time to cook and whether the five of us will be eating together. If we won’t, I usually mark the day LO (leftovers). Sometimes, though, I’ll mark it with something I plan to cook for hubby and me. The kids then get the hot dogs (which were buy one get one free) you see on the freezer door … or the Red Barron’s they cleared out of this space Tuesday. (Those were 4 for $10.)

On the days where I can cook something for us all to eat together I try to make a little extra. These leftovers might be served to the kids the next day. I might save them for hubby and me so as to save ourselves from the hot dogs. Or I might freeze it and save it for a similarly busy day when there’s just nothing else to heat quickly. In this picture there’s some Tuscan Vegetable Soup as well as some lasagna (Enough for two … guess who gets that!) and some chicken enchiladas (tucked in the back).

My only other trick isn’t shown here … it’s the grocery ads. I usually only go in for what’s on sale. I never pay full price for meat. I get the easy frozen fun (such as the Louisa’s) when it’s on sale (3 for $9.95), throw in a salad and call it a meal that feeds five people for less than $15. The ground beef comes in at about $1.39 a pound, usually about 10 pounds at a time (five meals). The chicken came in at 3 pounds (two meals) for $4.95.

And that’s my secret weapon, inside and out. Some weeks I pick one day where we can cook together and sit down and have more of an old-fashioned family dinner. Other weeks I pick one day where we can bring in some take out, put on our jammies and watch a movie after dinner. I’d love to know what works for you. Happy Weekend!