How to Throw a “Fill Your Freezer” Party

Last month, a genius girlfriend of mine threw a “fill your freezer party” with a small group of our mommy friends.  I prepped for about one hour in the kitchen, spent $47 on supplies, and went home from the party with SIX different freezer meals that included everything I would need to cook a meal for my family.  Not to mention, we got a moms night out with pizza and wine included!  Win, win! 

Here are all the details, so you can throw a freezer party of your own and come home a happy mama! 

#1 – Gather Your Girls

You’ll need a group of 5-8 women to party with, if you want to have a larger group then split the women into two swap groups – that way each person is prepping a manageable number of meals.  Choose a date to put on the calendar, and include plenty of time to shop and prep the meals, as all the prep work will be done before the party night.

#2 – Pick Recipes

Work out who will be making what – you’ll want a wide variety of meals so your family isn’t stuck eating the same thing every night.  At our party we had four different proteins used across six different meals.  We also had a nice variety of types of meals – Mexican, Asian, Italian and Cajun were a few of the choices.  I found my recipe for creole chicken and sausage from Pinch of Yum.  If you’re looking for a new go-to recipe site, bookmark this one!

All of our meals were both freezer and slow cooker approved. 

#3 – Buy Supplies

Please tell me you’re using Kroger Clicklist?  It’s amazing!  Just add your recipe ingredients to your usual grocery list, don’t forget to multiply based on the number of frozen meal bags you’ll be making.  I spent $47 which is pretty incredible considering I fed 6 families, $8 per meal for the whole family.  You’ll want to purchase heavy duty freezer bags and any “extras” that go along with your meal.  Remember you can freeze things like shredded cheese and tortillas or choose pantry items like rice or pasta to accompany your freezer bag — this way you literally have everything you need for each meal. 

#4 – Prep Meals

I spent nap time one day assembling my bags, it took about an hour to make all 6 bags.  Keep in mind, I wasn’t actually cooking anything just opening cans, chopping and dumping things into each bag.  Before you begin filling, use a sharpie to write instructions on each bag or get fancy and print out labels that include how long to cook and at what setting.  If you want to skip the chopping (I was crying over the onions), purchase frozen chopped onions in the freezer aisle or pre-chopped veggies in the produce section.  I’ve seen these stands recommended for freezer prep, but I personally didn’t have any problem leaning my bags against each other while filling them. 

#5 – Paaaaaarty

Moms night out with a bonus!  Our gracious host had pizza, salad and wine waiting on us.  We each brought our meals (already frozen) in a small cooler or freezer tote bag.  We sat down for a relaxing meal, chatted for an hour or two and then swapped frozen meals and “extra” items.  We all went home happy knowing we didn’t have to think about shopping/prepping/cooking for the next several days or weeks, depending on how long you can stretch your meals. 

How else are you making dinner time quick and easy?  I would love to hear your creative solutions!