My Freezer Setups For Successful Meal Planning

 

One of the things I really enjoy doing these days is designating an hour or so each weekend to do some meal planning and preparing.  It is super easy to make two or three meals that I can divide up into food storage containers and then have meals for the week ahead as well as meals to freeze for later.

 

Frozen future meals

The freezer attached to my refrigerator is the one I use to store my future meals as well as any open bags of frozen fruits and vegetables or any frozen items I want to make sure I use next time I cook.  I will also use it as my “staging area” and put meats or vegetables I’m planning to use in my next meal prep session.  I often squirrel away any leftover items that I know won’t get consumed before they spoil into the kitchen freezer as well.  In a nutshell, like my refrigerator, this freezer is my short term frozen food storage area.

 

My deep freezer for long term food storage

The deep freezer is where I keep my longer term storage, mainly meats and vegetables.  New stuff comes in and the older items are rotated out for meal prepping.  Through trial and error I’ve been able to come up with a good system now to keep my food fresh and avoid any freezer burn or food waste.  This has been a very important part of my process and one I’ve worked hard to master.

 

I now freeze meats in smaller individual size portions

Every week I take an inventory of my kitchen freezer to make sure I’m using up those items inside within a few months so I don’t end up with a bunch of stuff taking up residence and not being eaten.  I find leftovers and prepped meals just taste better if I used them up in a shorter timeframe so I try not to keep anything in there longer than three months.

 

Meals for one or two people

I take an inventory of the deep freezer about once every three months so I not only know what is in there, but to also make sure I’m rotating and using up the older items before they get a chance to freezer burn.  It also helps me to make sure that what I’m stocking in there is of a reasonable amount so I don’t overbuy things and that I’m not buying any additional items I already have plenty of.

 

I make a lot of mini sized meals now

Downsizing from a family situation to a retirement lifestyle with an empty nest has definitely taken some adjusting, but through trial and error I’ve been able to make those adjustments.  It did take me a couple of years to truly figure it out, but now that I have I’m far less overwhelmed by what I have on hand, I’m only stocking the foods I enjoy eating and have kept my food waste near zero.  In the process I’m also spending a lot less money.  I don’t mind that at all!