When you are heading out of the country for a few weeks and your family still needs to eat, you cook for a month in advance. One mom covered her entire kitchen island with food, labeled it all, and handed her husband a freezer full of dinners.
Mom and creator @nataliefedinchik walks through everything she made.
@nataliefedinchik
Breakfasts ready to grab
She starts with 24 bacon, egg and gouda sandwiches and another 24 sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches, each wrapped in foil. Sourdough muffins and blueberry cheese danishes, also made with sourdough, join them as quick breakfasts before school.
Soups, dumplings and family favorites
Glass jars hold a whole ton of red borscht and chicken noodle soup made with homemade chicken broth. Bags in the freezer hold sweet cheese vareniki, blueberry vareniki, pelmeni and sweet cheese crepe rolls. She also made three frozen lasagnas, two chicken Alfredo pastas, a pan of lazy cabbage rolls, which are a deconstructed version she had never made before and says turned out great, and a tray of sushi bake. Meat patties called kotletki come with prepped buckwheat and rice, and jars of jambalaya are there because her kids love it.
Snacks, bread and instructions
The kids’ lunch box favorites are covered too, with a big batch of homemade crustless sandwiches in peanut butter and jelly and Nutella. Then, she says, she “went crazy” with the bread: sliced focaccia and eight loaves of sourdough.
Reheating instructions are written right on the foil trays and bags, so her husband will know what to do with each one.
Tips if you want to prep ahead
- Label everything. Write the dish and the reheating steps on the container.
- Choose freezer friendly foods. Soups, casseroles, dumplings and sandwiches hold up well.
- Include breakfasts and snacks. Mornings and lunch boxes are where families usually struggle.
- Mix easy sides. Prepped rice and grains make a quick meal out of anything.
- Use sturdy containers. Foil pans, jars and zip top bags stack well.
Freezer meal basics every family can use
Cooking ahead is a gift to anyone who will be stepping in to feed the household. A few simple food safety habits help make sure the meals taste good and stay safe.
- Cool food quickly. Do not leave cooked food out for more than two hours before it goes into the fridge or freezer.
- Pack in portions. Meal-sized containers and bags freeze faster and thaw more evenly than one giant batch.
- Remove extra air. Pressing air out of freezer bags helps protect flavor and texture.
- Label and date. A marker and tape save a lot of guessing later.
- Thaw safely. The refrigerator is the safest place to thaw food, and it takes some planning.
- Reheat thoroughly. Reheat leftovers and frozen meals until they are steaming hot all the way through, to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Common questions about cooking in bulk
What freezes well? Soups, stews, casseroles, dumplings, cooked grains and breakfast sandwiches all hold up nicely. Foods with a lot of fresh, crisp ingredients, such as salads, do not freeze well.
How long can I keep frozen meals? Frozen food stays safe indefinitely if the freezer stays at zero degrees Fahrenheit, but quality slowly drops over time. Plan to eat prepared meals within a few months for the best taste and texture.
How do I keep sandwiches from getting soggy? Wrap them tightly in foil or freezer-safe wrap. Fillings that are not too wet freeze best, and thawing them in the fridge overnight keeps the bread from turning mushy.
Try this at home: a two-week head start
- Pick five or six recipes your family already loves, so nothing feels like a surprise.
- Write a shopping list by recipe, then shop once for everything.
- Cook in an assembly line: browning, chopping and baking in big batches at the same time.
- Let everything cool completely, then portion, label and freeze.
- Make a simple chart of what is in the freezer and tape it to the door.
Making it easy for the person doing the heating
Clear notes make all the difference. Put the name of the dish, the date and the reheating steps on every container. If you can, write whether it goes in the oven or the microwave, how long it takes and what temperature to use. A one-page guide on the fridge, listing what is for breakfast, lunch and dinner, takes the guesswork out of busy evenings.
Pairing every main dish with an easy side, like rice, fruit or a bag of salad, rounds out the meal. And if there is room, a few comfort foods for the days when everyone is tired are always welcome.
Batch cooking takes a big block of time, but it pays off in calm evenings. Whether you are traveling, welcoming a new baby or just trying to survive a busy season, a stocked freezer is a quiet kind of care.
Credit for the original post goes to @nataliefedinchik on TikTok.