10 Reasons To Start Freezer Cooking

1) Save money by buying in bulk: When I go "BIG" grocery shopping, I make my list of meals by looking at what's on sale when I go shopping. If chicken is on sale, I use more chicken recipes for that month. Buying the chicken in the biggest packs costs less per pound than buying smaller packs.

2) Spend time with family in the evening instead of standing over a hot stove EVERY NIGHT: My husband gets home around 5pm. Instead of trying to rush getting dinner ready before he gets home during the "witching hour" when my kids get a little clingy or missing out on spending time with him once he is home, I can just take a thawed dinner and toss it in the oven. Then I can focus on him and our family. I find it easier to spare several hours ONCE a month, than finding an hour EVERY NIGHT to get dinners ready.

3) On the days you're sick or injured, dinner is taken care of: I threw my back out a few months back, it was so nice to not have to worry about dinner. Freezer meals are easy enough, that even my husband can cook them.

4) In times of great stress or grieving, you don't have to worry about dinner: Freezer meals were especially helpful when I brought my second child home from the hospital. I had an 18-month daughter and a newborn. The last thing I had time to do was cook. I had breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ready to go before I gave birth to her. I didn't cook anything for a month, yet we had home-cooked meals at every meal.

5) When you are out of town, your family can still have home-cooked meals: If you are called away on business, or a family emergency, you can take comfort knowing your family is eating nutritious meals and not McDonald's every day.

6) When a loved one is sick or stressed, giving a home-cooked meal is as simple as taking one out and handing it over: When a friend is injured or coming home with a new baby, or just needs a little comforting, you can take out a meal and hand it over with instructions on reheating. They can put it in their freezer for use at a later date, or reheat that day for a warm, loved-filled home-cooked dinner.

7) Destroy your kitchen once or twice a month, less dishes to do each night: When you think about it, the majority of the dirty dishes are from preparing the meal. Dirty a bunch of dishes at once, and then each night you use a freezer meal, you'll only have to wash the baking dish and plates. Less work for you after a busy day.

8) Cut down on weekly (or daily) trips to grocery store and don't come home with unnecessary purchases: It's very common to run to the store for groceries and without meaning to, you come home with a ton of ingredients and no "meals" then you end up going to store to pick up extra groceries and coming home with stuff you don't need.

9) After a vacation, coming home to a stocked freezer means you can take your time unpacking without running to the store for groceries: After our 10 day trip to Florida, I was so exhausted from the long car ride and well, the vacation with two small children, that I was happy to come home and have meals ready to go. I DID NOT want to get back in the car to go to the store. Ever.

10) Invest in your families health, cut down or eliminate the need for processed frozen foods and fast food/take out: When a meal is as easy as "take out to thaw in the morning, throw in the oven in the evening, and eat" it's hard to justify the high prices and high calories of "convenience foods" at the local grocery store and fast food joints.