I’ve been working on filling up our freezer again.  Over the holidays we used up most of what I had stored.  I enjoy having meals ready in the freezer for busy days or when I’m not feeling well.  My favorite way to do that is just to double recipes (like casseroles or soups) while I’m cooking meals and put the extra in the freezer. 

 

Another thing I like to prepare for the freezer is cookie dough; a trick I learned from one of my favorite authors, Sally Clarkson.  When making cookies, I double the recipe, spoon the extra dough balls onto a sheet pan, freeze, and then package into a ziploc bag for the freezer.  When the kids have friends over then I can quickly make a few or a dozen frozen cookies by just adding a few minutes of bake time.  Such a huge time saver. 

 

 

Following the example of my friend, Monica, I also like to buy extra loaves of french bread, slice, store in a ziploc bag in the freezer, and we have bread ready for french toast.  Or, freeze the loaf whole and along with a frozen soup, you have a meal.  When I make sweet breads or muffins I almost always double or triple the recipe and freeze the extra.  Sometimes I make scrambled egg muffins (pictured above) or breakfast burritos for quick breakfasts.  It is so handy having those things ready to go in the freezer.  

 

And lastly, I like to purchase meat when it’s on sale (if I pay attention to the sale ads that randomly come) and refreeze into amounts we’ll use for meals.  For example, awhile back I bought about $50 worth of meat on sale – ground burger & turkey, chicken thighs, salmon, and pork chops – and repackaged it for 10-12 different meals.  I also love buying family packs of chicken breasts, pressure cooking the whole pack in the Instant Pot, chopping it up, and freezing it into portions for meals.  We use a lot of cooked chicken in recipes – soups, casseroles, pizza, pasta – and this is a great way to make those meals quickly without cooking chicken all the time.  

 

There is something so satisfying about having meals ready to go in the freezer.  What are your favorite foods or meals to freeze?

 

I snapped this picture recently from the chair in my bedroom where I sit for my quiet time every day.  It was a cold, windy, wintry day and as I sat watching the bare trees blowing, I was reminded of the stark death that must happen in our own hearts in order to have new life. The hope of spring and green leaves on the trees is only present because of the death that happens in the fall and winter. The same is true of us. As we seek Jesus more and more, we seek less of ourselves – we die to self (Matthew 16:24) – and in turn, new growth begins in our hearts and minds (2 Corinthians 5:17). Left to ourselves we are miserable, selfish people. But the hope and light of Christ in us produces fruit that we could never generate on our own: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-23).  Am I willing to surrender and let Christ rule my life? Are you willing?  Ask the Lord to help you relinquish control in the areas you are still holding with a tight fist.  This is something I have to do regularly.  Let go. Let God guide you. And may the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (Colossians 3:15).