Since the weather has gotten warmer SJ has a newfound fascination with sitting in the freezer/refrigerator. Have you ever seen a cat run into the room when you get out her food? That’s how this is. All you have to do is open the door to the freezer and SJ comes running in as quick as her little baby legs can carry her just to plop down on the bottom ledge and chill out. Although it is adorable, it’s one of her more expensive habits, so it is quickly interrupted by an energy efficiency talk from me and tears from her as I remove her from the ice box. What can I say? Our family just loves to chill, maybe that’s why I’ve been so into freezer cooking. Speaking of which, I just wanted to finish out this series with a few links that go along with the information that I have shared this week.

Money Saving Mom- How To Plan Bulk Cooking

The first time I made this I put 2 Tablespoons of Cayenne pepper instead of chili powder. Oops. Way too spicy! However, as long as you don’t do that this meal is DELICIOUS and makes a great freezer entree’. If you like mexican, then give this one a try!

And if you just can’t get enough links go click on some Saturday Stumbles at SimplyStaci.net.

Makes 4-6 large sandwichesIngredients2 strip steaks, about 1 inchthicksalt and pepper2 tablespoons olive oil1 onion, sliced thin1 red bell pepper, seeded ad sliced thin1 tablespoon stak sauce1/2 teaspoon dried oregano4 (6 inch) sub rolls6 ounces thinly sliced deli provolone cheesePat steak dry with paper towels and rub saute spice liberally into each side. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium high heat until rippling. Cook steaks until well browned, 5 to 6 minutes per side (this is all the cooking time the steaks get so cook them according to your preference). Meanwhile, add remaining oil, onion, bell peppers, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to empty skillet and cook until vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes (you can cook them longer if you are not going to freeze them). Off the heat, stir in steak sauce, oregano, and sliced steak until well combined.Keep in an air tight plastic bag in freezer. Thaw overnight and reheat in frying pan until warm all the way through, about 8 minutes.Divide steak mixture among rolls and top with cheese. Arrange sandwiches on rimmed baking sheets and bake until cheese is melted and rolls are golden brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Linked up with Food on Fridays at annekroeker.com

This week I am talking about my experience with freezer cooking. We don’t only eat meals prepared and frozen ahead of time, but we are starting to eat about 12 meals a month this way and it has been working out great. But what is the point? Well, I am glad I asked. Here is my list of top ten reasons for bulk cooking once a month.

1. It takes the guess work out of your meal planning. Instead of worrying what is for dinner tonight or this week you plan it all out once a month, and then you are free to think about other things.

2. It saves money because you can buy some things in bulk, and our family tends to eat out less when we have the meals already prepared and waiting in the fridge.

3. It saves a time because you get all of your rinsing, chopping, baking, grilling etc. done at once, instead of making trips to the pantry and measuring and stirring every night for every little recipe.

4. It is less clean up (this goes hand in hand with #3) you use the same knives, spoons, or cutting board and get it all out of the way. The night you actually heat the meal up there is very little cleaning involved afterwards.

5. It is a great backup plan to have in case of an emergency. The first month we did this we were iced in for several days. Another time we had a bit of a financial crisis, but at least we didn’t have to worry too much about groceries. It was SO nice that we had already had all of these meals stocked in the freezer.

6. The buddy system keeps you going. Because a lot of people do their freezer cooking with a friend it gives you a date that you have to have your cooking done, and this kind of accountability means you are more likely to actually follow through with making your home cooked meals.

7. It motivates you to try new things. Before the freezer meals I was in a little bit of a cooking rut, but now I am trying new recipes to have ready for the big cooking day.

8. It can be healthy. It depends on the menu you choose, but most likely if you are eating out less and cooking meals mostly from scratch you tend to eat healthier.

9. There is a rewarding feeling of satisfaction that comes when you have a freezer full of tasty meals. It leaves you with a sense of accomplishment.

10. It’s fun to cook with a partner, and also to see what others online are doing with their freezer meals. It’s like being a part of a little community.

Those are some of the reasons I have come to like it, and tomorrow I will be posting a home video I made that I even “scripted” and “directed” that shows some of how I execute a month of meals. It should be all kinds of cheesy fun.

Oh, yeah, and check out Oh Amanda too for many more top ten lists!

Disclaimer: I am not a frugal blog, and so these posts will probably not make sense and will seem pretty random to my regular readers, if that’s you, you can just ignore these weekly updates. But, when I did this 3 years ago I saved hundreds of dollars. So if, documenting my deals and posting pictures of pads and oatmeal is going to be the motivation I need to get a truckload of free stuff then count me in. Week 1

The library in our town may be a little old fashioned, but I absolutely love it! The floors creek, the books smell, and the librarians wear bifocals. Sims is everything I could ask for in a library and it’s only 1.4 miles from my house.

He got Hero of the Rails (a Thomas book). I checked out Hamlet’s Blackberry and I am really looking forward to this “Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age”. J got a book called The Family Kitchen Garden about “How to Plant, Grow, and Cook Together”. I admit it melts my heart that he would choose a book like this!

We spent a good bit of time at Sims yesterday and everyone had fun. Although, don’t let the cute photos fool you, Z got into trouble for running! I was trying to catch up with him and correct him without yelling when one of the librarian’s graciously, but firmly, got to him before I did. I was actually relieved. I knew if he heard about the library rules from one of the employees he would be more likely to adhere to them than if he heard it from me. It’s sad, but true. Sometimes I wonder if I sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown “Wha wa, wa woo wha wa“.

It was still a positive experience though and I am sure we will be back again soon, and it better be before April 4 or we’ll have some overdue fines to deal with.

{This post is linked up with Things I Love Thursday over at The Diaper Diaries.}