Freezer Meal Guidelines

Welcome to Freezer Meals 101. We all have busy days, and with out planning ahead, well, dinner goes by the way side. So, get yourself a group of ladies together, whom you trust as friends AND as chefs (c'mon, who wants to get food poisoning from one of your best friends...cause she's not in the kitchen a whole lot?) Go over these rules, you can change them to your group's needs and....Viola! Dinner is served!

Guidelines:

·         Make and Freeze 10 Meals to exchange with our group. (or how ever many are in your group)

·         Try to spend around or below $80-$100 for all costs. If you shop sales, you may be able to spend substantially less.

·         Your meal should feed 6 adults. Please measure out AT LEAST 8-9 CUPS of food when dividing it into the ziplock bags, 9x13 pan, or whatever container you are placing your food in. This will ensure equal distribution and help keep the meals fair and equal. I know some recipes will be difficult because certain meals require a different type of assembling food. But we all want to make sure we are keeping it fair, and that we can enjoy some leftovers if our hearts desire it.  For example: If you have a main chicken dish, please use 6 breasts in each entree.

·         You will need to package your meal in either freezer bags or disposable aluminum pans.

(If your item is in a pan, please use a 9x13 disposable pan.)

·         Write on your package with permanent marker what the meal is, the basic instructions, and the date. Most meals will need to be pulled out of the freezer ahead of time so that it can thaw. Write the cook time that should be used once the meal is thawed.

Example ·         Name of your Recipe ·         Page # (if it’s in “girlfriends on the go”) ·         Cooking Temp ·         Cooking Time ·         Raw Ingredients enclosed (if there are) ·         Prepared by:_________, on (02/15/2010) ·         Serving Suggestions (side dishes or complimentary items)

·         Please only make meals that you and your family have tried and enjoyed.

DO NOT experiment on the group! Recipes in the “Girlfriends on the Go!” Are fine to use, they have been tried and proven.

·         ALLERGIES in our GROUP: NO Nuts. NO Fish or Seafood.

·         PLEASE Practice Proper Hygiene / Kitchen etiquette while preparing these meals, Clean Kitchen=Happy Tummies!! Keep Children and Pets away while preparing your meals, Clorox Wipes are good for Raw Meat spills and drips, wash hands consistently during your cooking time, keep hair pulled back if possible, etc….

·         If you are stumped about what to cook and what freezes well, consult “Girlfriends on the Go” Cookbook, there are MANY tips and tricks.

·         If you are making a Family Favorite (not from the book) Please type up your recipes on a full sheet of paper as well as suggestions for what vegetables or side dishes to serve with the meal, and your name on the recipe. We will be placing it in our binder.

·         We want everyone to have fun. Obviously your family is not going to love every meal, but hopefully they will enjoy the majority and that will make it all worthwhile. The most important thing is to take some stress out of your day so that you can spend more time with your family doing fun things, not cooking and cleaning!

·         Please bring your meals ALREADY FROZEN. Plan Ahead!! If you cannot make it to the exchange, please drop off the meals in a cooler (with ice) prior to the exchange. If you are not prepared, each person will keep their meal until you deliver your meal and pick up theirs from each group member. When we exchange we will tell about our dish. It shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes.

Good Luck on your freezer meal success. Now you can start enjoying your family more, get out of the kitchen, stop buying fast food for every meal, and heck, your bank account will thank you.