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I find great joy in hosting company and strangers. I’ve learned to be more relaxed, serve food more effortlessly, and create an inviting and warm atmosphere for good conversations. Here’s what I learned about serving my family (that’s where we start, don’t we?)
Freezing Snacks & Desserts
Having desserts or freezer meals in the freezer can make a big difference! I love keeping cookies, bars, homemade pie crusts, granola bars, and energy balls on hand! They are so handy on host evenings because you can focus on other things. Let’s face it, when you are preparing the main course meal from scratch, it’s so nice to have the dessert already taken care of!
And even if you don’t have company, you can happily serve them to your children! This is true for freezer cinnamon rolls and freezer crescents.
Some Pantry Staples
Having a pantry well-supplied with crackers, chips, or canned fruit can enable you to make a charcuterie board, cheeseball, or dip in a cinch.
Although freezer meals are nice, they need time to thaw and call for a little extra planning. Therefore, it is nice to count on canned foods or pantry staples like rice to quickly prepare those meals in spur-of-the-moment situations. Having a well-stocked pantry with potatoes, buckwheat, or canned beans can be a step away from a hearty meal. So, keeping pantry staples is no small thing when it comes to batch cooking.
Having Freezer Meals For Backup
My family can be a little picky when it comes to freezer meals. I have collected freezer meal recipes that work for my family and ones that my family will actually eat, because let’s be real, not all freezer meals are appetizing, and who wants to waste their time on all this meal prep to then throw it away? I know I don’t.
Having freezer meals makes serving guests so easy and stress-free. And if we have a really busy week, I can thaw one out and serve it on a busy weeknight.
The same is for freezer breakfast casseroles; they can save you time on mornings with a little prep beforehand.
Batch Prepping Dry Mixes
If you’re not into freezer meals, making dry mixes can be for you. One of my friends makes a bunch of favorite dry mixes all in one day using fresh milled flour. These include a pancake mix, scones, brownies, muffins, and cake mixes. She takes regular recipes, mixes the dry ingredients in a freezer bag, and freezes them until she wants to make them fresh.
I like to do this with homemade salad dressings and spice blends, where I’ll set aside a few extra minutes to get those made. This is what makes cooking convenient, and it can be done in so many different ways!
Making the Best Freezer Lasagna
Since lasagna can be a little labourious, it’s wise to make two casseroles while you’re at it. Freezer lasagnas have been the only way I make them now. It feels good to fill your freezer with delicious meals you know your family will eat. I’ve tested these recipes enough to know that they work and they’re always a hit with family and guests. No one will know these were even frozen!
Freezer Chicken Alfredo Casserole
Another freezer casserole I love to make (and one that’s easier) is Chicken Alfredo Casserole. Alfredo casseroles freeze and reheat wonderfully (hence Costco even sells Chicken Alfredo casserole because it’s easy to prep ahead).
I personally like to scoop the cream off our fresh raw milk, and the cream cheese in this recipe makes it freezer-friendly and extra creamy. It really does taste like it came from a five-star restaurant. When I have frozen Italian bread, I’ll thaw that and slice it up to make garlic bread.
How Do I Find Time?
How do I find time to make them? I like to set aside a few hours on Saturday morning for batch cooking. This is even better if you start before your children wake up! Saturdays are also the days I figure out what we’ll be having for Sunday company, so that motivates me to get things going. If I start early, by noon, I can have two lasagna or Alfredo casseroles and a couple of breakfast casseroles assembled and ready to go in the freezer.
The key is to make sure you have all of the ingredients on hand before batch prepping. Batch freezing meals is what gives me more confidence when inviting guests because I know I have something to give. Equipping yourself with backup meals and desserts will give you more courage to invite that stranger, so do as much as you can in preparation so you can enjoy your time.