Has anyone tried the freezer cooking method?  I learned about it many years ago, and I have used some of the concepts, but only in minor ways like making extra and freezing, or cooking ahead for comany.  I found 30 day gourmet, and they have some cool software called advantage cooking ($34.99).  It comes loaded with 80 recipes that have been tested and proven freezer worthy.  You can then add your own recipes.  After that, you simply pick the recipes you wish to make and it automatically generates a grocery list for you as well as other items that are more specific to freezer cooking.  I have requested this for my birthday gift this month and I can't wait to get it and enter my own recipes.  If anyone is interested in checking out their site, they have a free 30 day download of this software as well as tons of good information.  I really like getting their monthly newsletter.  It comes with recipes that automatically download into the advantage cookware.  www.30daygourmet.com

Try www.savingdinner.com , she has freezer menus with all the ingredients, shopping lists etc. She has ones for 20 different meals and then came out with 5 meals ones like chicken if you got a great buy on that you can whip those for the freezer. Plus sides etc. I bought the first 20 meal one. They are formatted to print out so it fits in a reg. binder.  very reasonable prices. She lists all the recipes. always adding to them too. now has veggie and low carb.  She also has free newsletter and articles about making your own mixes etc.

 Please let us know how you like it.  ; )  I am anxious to hear about the menu listing(no need to post recipes)and the variety.

Borrow the book Frozen Assets by Debra Taylor Hough--the cook for a day, freeze, eat for a month bible--if your local library doesn't have it they can inter library loan it for you.  

 Thanks for all the tips, I'll check them out soon.  I've heard that freezer cooking is supposed to save money due to efficient use of ingredients.  Acually, I'm more excited about the software than anything.  There is even a place for you to put where to buy each ingredient including store and isle.  There is other similar software available, but they were more expensive and this one gives you 30 days to try it for free by downloading it offline.  One thing I have learned from my minimal freezer experience is that freezing cake makes it more moist when thawed.  Years ago I asked my mil how she got her cakes so moist, but she didn't knw.  She used a store brand cake mix and simply followed the directions..BUT having worked for years in a bakery, she froze them to aid in decorating.  I tried it and viola! moist cake.  Thanks mom. 

I will go to the saving dinner site asap.  I like the idea of making several meals out of one meat source.   

I have found that when a recipe says, "Serve immmediately," it won't be able to freeze.  Someimes, though, like with the vegetarian tacos I just made (cabbage, black beans, & onion/garlic & salsa & cheeze), it WILL freeze so long as you don't try to freeze it IN the taco shells -- just leave them wrapped in teh cupboard.  Other than serves immediately recipes, anything is game for me, & almost always comes out right, from the freezer.

 Wow Deborahmichelle, your tacos sound yummy!  Is there a formal recipe that you would post?

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The nice thing with saving dinner is that she has the free menus so you can try it without investing any money except printer ink and paper :) Often with her newsletters she has recipes too. When the kids are older I am going to use a lot more recipes!

You are absolutely right, this is a great website!!!  I can't wait to have some extra time to dig into it farther.  Thanks! 

I pre-cook as much as I can. I'm lazy at the end of the day and the last thing I want to do is mess up my clean kitchen and slave over a hot stove for hours!

The best freezer staple is pre-cooked ground beef. I make about 10 lbs at a time. Just brown with a little salt, pepper, onion and green pepper. I use this for anything Mexican, hamburger helper, spaghetti and other Italian dishes, sloppy joes, etc., basically anything you'd cook up fresh GB for.

Another time-saver is cooking double and freezing the rest. This is really easy with large pieces of meat, like whole turkeys, roasts, etc., as well as Italian dishes like lasagna. Even making an extra roasted chicken makes getting dinner on the table faster.

Sometimes just having an entree on hand makes dinner easy. My DH likes to smoke meat and we have a nice stock of smoked brisket, chicken and ribs, all ready for an instant dinner. I just add a couple of easy sides like baked potato salad, cole slaw, beans or pasta salad. Even my DD4 likes these dinners!

Another tip is to freeze leftovers in taste-specific freezer bags. I have one for Italian, one for Mexican and another for chicken. Leftover beef roast and pork products usually land in the Mexican bag, and broth from canned veggies goes in the chicken bag. Kind of like garbage soup, but without too many mixed flavors. These turn out really well, and are amazingly easy to use. The Mexican and Italian usually end up as Mystery Casseroles, and the chicken one gets turned into soup.

Thinking about what is available in convenience foods in grocer's freezer section will help you find recipes that freeze well. For example, take pre-cooked hamburger patties. While not particularly appealing, I do have some waiting in my freezer (homemade of course). The last time my DH fired up the grill for steak night, he cooked 8 hamburger patties just for the freezer. Cold fried chicken discounted at your grocery's deli also keeps well in the freezer.