March Freezer Meal Shopping List
Tomorrow is shopping day for our freezer cooking this weekend! I have prepared the shopping list. We are cooking for 4 families this month instead of 6. So if you are shopping for 6 families just multiply my number by 1.5 to get your list for 6!
Below is a key for my spreadsheet in case it confuses you. 
A: Ingredients
B: Amount needed to make all of the meals.
C: Amount we have on hand from last time we did freezer meals.
D: Amount that is going to be donated to the group. This is a great way to decrease costs. We each look through our pantries for items we already have in our stockpile and them “sell them to the group” for our coupon deal price. So in this column each member will list how much they are willing to “sell” to the group and leave their initial by it so we know who is bringing what. As this months hostess I have a lot of things on this list because I have been looking for deals for the ingredients and buying them during double coupons or good sales.
E: My final shopping list after we deduct what is on hand and what people will be bringing.
F-T: The meals we are making and their individual ingredients.
Now you can view and print the entire spread sheet! Web Page or PDF or Excel!
See the menu and join the virtual freezer cooking group!
Ritzy Poppy Seed Chicken
Start by learning why we do freezer meal cooking!
How it works:
1 FAMILY
2-3 Breasts of chicken
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 Sleeve Ritz crackers (36), crushed
4-6 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter/margarine, melted
6 FAMILIES
12-18 Breasts of chicken
6 c. sour cream
6 cans (64.5oz) cream of chicken soup
6 Tbsp poppy seeds
3 Sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
24-36 Tbsp (3 sticks) butter/margarine, melted
TO FREEZE
Cook chicken and cube. Mix with sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and poppy seeds. Place in gallon-sized bag. Each person gets 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers.
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING
Thaw and put chicken mix into casserole dish. Melt butter, combine with crackers, and sprinkle over chicken mixture. Cover in foil and bake @ 350 for 25 min, uncover and bake additional 5-10 min, or until bubbling.
Freezer Meal Cooking with the FabFruGals
Freezer Meal cooking is a fabulous way to save MONEY and TIME!
The fab five get together every other month and put 15 of our favorite meals together. Assemble, bag and freeze. Then when it comes time to figure out what is for dinner we simply check out freezer cooking menu, choose something fab, pull it out of the freezer, let thaw and heat!
We wished we could have all of our readers over and show them how we do this, but we can’t. 
So we have put together everything you will need to do it at home with your fab friends!
Start by learning why we do freezer meal cooking!
How it works:
So now that you know how to start a freezer cooking group, and all about shopping for freezer meals, and how to assemble meals on cooking day, YOU ARE READY TO GET STARTED!
We have put together virtual freezer cooking including a menu, and a shopping list!
Amber’s Menu
AJ’ Menu
Kearna’s Menu
Monica’s Menu
- The Menu
- Shopping list (done for 4 families of 4)
- Prep Work Assignments (also for 4 families)
- Fridge List
- Final Cost (coming soon)
Chicken Ole
ONE FAMILY
2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup (can also use 1 can of Cream of chicken and 1 can
of cream of mushroom if preferred, tastes great both ways)
1 7oz can green Chile salsa
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs grated onion
4 cups boiled, shredded chicken
12 corn tortillas cut into 6 strips each (large tortillas)
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
SIX FAMILIES
12 cans Crm of Chicken (or 6 crm chicken, 6 crm mushroom)
6 7 oz can green Chile salsa
6 c. sour cream
12 Tbsp grated onion
24 c. boiled, shredded chicken (~8-9lbs)
72 corn (large) tortillas, cut into 6 strips each
9 c. cheddar cheese
TO PREPARE FOR FREEZING:
Combine 1st 5 ingredients and place in freezer bag with stack of tortillas on top.
TO COOK AFTER FREEZING:
Lightly grease crock-pot. Arrange alternating layers of tortillas & mixture, finishing w/ chicken mixture on top (do not leave any of the tortilla pieces exposed because they dry out)
Cover and cook on low 5 hours. Sprinkle w/ cheese and cook for 10 more minutes.
Fabulous Freezer Cooking- Aug 20
Have I told you how much time freezer cooking saves me? I love, love, love it!
You can learn how to start a freeezer cooking group too! Read why Freezer Meal cooking works for us!
Want to join our virtual freezer meal group? You can gather up your friends and duplicate what we’re doing! Our next freezer meal cooking day is Friday, Aug 20. Even if you have a group but don’t do it the same day, you can follow our virtual freezer cooking for help anytime you do it!
Here is the Freezer Cooking Menu and Recipes:
Cafe Rio Burritos
Tex Mex Casserole
Pineapple Pepper Chicken
Pasta Carbonara
Chicken Ole
Cream Cheese Chicken
Navajo Tacos
Garlic Herb Burgers
Italian Pork Chops
Meat Loaf Minis
Taco Braid
Southwest Chicken Wraps
Hot Chicken Salad
French Dip
Parmesan Chicken
Be sure to read our post all about Getting Ready for the Big Day!
Parmesan Chicken
| One Family
4 chicken breasts 1/2 c. melted butter 2 c. seasoned bread crumbs 1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese 1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes 1 c. Parmesan cheese |
6 Families
24 chicken breasts 3 c. melted butter 12 c. seasoned bread crumbs 9 c. mozzarella cheese 90 oz. can stewed tomatoes 6 c. Parmesan cheese |
Mix together Parmesan cheese and crumbs in a bowl. Mix eggs and butter in another bowl. Dip breast in egg mixture. Repeat with each breast. Sprinkle mozzarella over breasts and top with tomatoes. Cook frozen and covered with foil at 400 for 1 1/2 hours.
FM Prep: 6 foil pans, foil.
Fabuless Freezer Cooking: Four Cheese Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
1 Family
12 jumbo pasta shells
1 15 oz. container low fat ricotta cheese
1 c. shredded provolone cheese
¼ c. grated Parmesan
1 egg
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. dried basil leaves
¼ t. minced dried garlic
Dash of salt and pepper
1 ½ c. spaghetti sauce, divided
½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
6 Families
72 jumbo shells
6 15 oz. containers low fat ricotta cheese
6 c. shredded provolone
1 1/2 c. grated parmesan
6 eggs
11/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
6 t. dried basil leaves
1 ½ tsp. minced dried garlic
Salt and pepper
9 c. sauce, divided
3 c. shredded mozzarella
To Freeze
Cook shells and set aside. Combine ricotta cheese, provolone cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, basil, garlic, salt and pepper in bowl. Stir until well mixed. Fill shells with cheese mixture and then place in freezer bag for storage. Put sauce and cheese each in their own separate freezer bags to store.
To Prepare
Thaw filled shells, sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Spread ½ c. sauce on bottom of 8” square baking pan and place shells inside. Spread remaining sauce over shells.
Bake, covered, for 30 min. Uncover and continue baking 15-20 min. until sauce bubbles. Remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzarella. Return to oven 1-2 min. until mozzarella is melted.
Fabuless Freezer Cooking: Tater Tot Casserole
For 1 Family:
1 ½ lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup
About 1/2 c. milk
1 package Tater Tots
About 3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
For 6 Families:
9 lbs. ground beef
9 cans cream of chicken soup
About 3 c. of milk
6 packages Tater Tots
18 c. shredded cheddar cheese
To Freeze:
1. Brown the beef.
2. In a microwaveable bowl, mix 1 1/2 cans of soup and fill the empty can 1/3 full of milk. Mix the milk, soup, and 2 handfuls of shredded cheese. Microwave about 2 min. and stir.
3. Put the beef mixture in a freezer bag. In a separate bag, put 1 c. of cheese. You will also have 1 bag of frozen tater tots you won’t open until you’re ready to cook it. You can either put all three bags in a grocery sack and mark it as Tater Tot Casserole or you can mark each one separately.
To Prepare After Freezing:
Remove the beef mixture and cheese from the freezer and let thaw. Pour into a 9×13 glass pan and then cover with frozen tater tots. Cook at 400 for 30 min, or until hot in the center. Remove from oven and sprinkle the top with shredded cheese. Return to oven for about 5 min., or until cheese is melted.
Freezer Cooking w/ the FabFruGALS: Prep Work
Tomorrow is our big shopping day for our upcoming Freezer Meal Cooking day this Saturday (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, go HERE). You now have the menu and the shopping list, so the next step is to divide up the prep work in preparation for distribution after you have shopped (pictures & info on our trip coming tomorrow!).
While having all of the freezer meals in your freezer will save you a ton of money AND time, getting them there requires a bit of preparation. The actual day your freezer meal group meets to assemble all of your meals, you should set aside at least 4 hours to meet. In order to stay within that time frame, it is best to get some of the prep work out of the way before hand. Expect about 2 hours of prep work in the 2 days before you meet. Learn more about Prep Work HERE.
Tomorrow we will shop. Plan on 3-4 hours if at least 2 members from your group are shopping together (we have the host & the next host shop together). When the shopping is done & you have returned to the host’s house, separate the necessary grocery items each group member will need for their individual prep work and include a note card with their prep work instructions. Then call all of the members in your group & have them stop by to pick up their items/list. Keep in mind a majority of the food stays at the host’s house, so clear some space for it! Learn more about shopping HERE.
Based on our menu & shopping list, here is the prep work I have assigned (we usually try to keep the host’s prep work light because they do all of the organizational work!).
Prep Work:
Amber (me!): Shred 6 cups carrots. Chop 3 cups onions. Brown 6 lbs ground sausage. Add carrots & onions to sausage for last few minutes of cooking.
Monica: Make Meatloaf Minis. Seems like the easiest prep work, but it is EXTREMELY time consuming & will turn out to be the hardest (sorry Mon!)
Cathy: Cook & shred or chop 24 chicken breasts (I either slow cook my chicken in the crock-pot or boil it & then shred it using a hand mixer!). Brown 6 lbs hamburger meat with 3T minced garlic.
AJ: Cook & shred 24 chicken breasts. Brown 6 lbs hamburger meat with taco seasoning.
Kearna: Chop chicken, steak, peppers & onions into large chunks for shish-kabobs & bag separately. Julienne 6 green peppers. Chop 2 red onions. Slice 12 bunches of green onions.
And there you have your list of prep work. If you choose to buy block cheese, you will have to have a group member shred cheese as a prep item. Also, we buy Hormel bacon bits in bulk, but if you choose to cook the bacon & chop for bacon bits, that would be a prep item as well. Also keep in mind that you will need to send Ziploc bags with each member so they have something to bring their prepped items back in!
Now you are all ready to shop. Get your coupon binders ready & let’s hit the store!
Freezer Cooking w/ the FabFruGALS: The Shopping List
Remember how we told you about the Fab FruGAL Freezer cooking night coming up on April 24th (that is THIS Saturday!). Here is the first post where we tell you how you can get started, and what part of the process we are going to do for you! Here is the list of all the recipes we’re doing. Remember that we are doing 15 meals… and we will use these over the next 6-8 weeks. You will still do your regular cooking… these freezer meals are for those nights when life is too busy and the “old you” would have gone and picked up hamburgers. NOW you can pop one of your freezer meals out of the freezer and cook it instead! This is just another way we are cutting our grocery budget and saving money by not eating out.
The shopping list is complete! It might look a bit overwhelming, but that’s why we do it with a buddy!
Be sure to email the list to your groupies so you can coordinate what stockpile items you each already have on hand.
The excel file of the FabFruGALS shopping list is here. Here is the HTML version (If you don’t have excel). And if you really want it on pdf (although you won’t be able to edit it), you’ll find it here.
