Nothing like a power outage to make you clean out your freezer!

Winter storm Alfred not only left its mark on CT - it left its mark on my freezer! Thank goodness I didn't have the thing stocked to the brim as I normally would this time of year. Since I packed my kids up and went to Cape Cod for the week during the power outage (leaving my husband alone in the cold and dark) I also packed two coolers full of my most expensive freezer items - roasts, steaks, ribs, etc. Happily, not a lot went to waste, and we ate really well that week. However - now I'm tasked with restocking not just my fridge, but my freezer as well.

Yesterday, I made a double batch of pancakes to celebrate our being together again as a family eating a hot meal in our own home. I had 8 pancakes leftover, so I wrapped them individually and froze them - and now Jonathan & Delci can have their pancakes any time they want by just popping them in the toaster.

Today I started with a few small convenience foods for Igor and for Glen. Igor loves baked oatmeal, so I made a batch for breakfast and froze 2 containers (Gladware soup/salad sized) for him to thaw and reheat another day. The recipe is here, and it's worth making just to keep smaller portions in the freezer for later convenience.

For Glen I made a lunch of chicken noodle soup that we had for dinner the other night, and also a lunch of spaghetti and meatballs that we had for dinner last night. I froze both of these in entree-sized Gladware containers. He eats well at work, and we save a boatload of cash when he does. Win-win!

See - not every freezer cooking session has to be a big to do. Start small and freeze smart. Every little bit helps, and in no time you'll be filling your freezer with foods that your family loves and will enthusiastically eat on a regular basis.