September Mom's Night Out: Freezer Cooking

Please read the details of freezer cooking below, VERY carefully, before you sign up (at the bottom of this post). I hope LOTS of ladies will be able to join us for a fun and productive night!

What Is It?
A chance to get together with other moms for an evening of fun with the intention of filling our freezers with delicious, homemade meals for our families, thereby reducing the dinntertime-induced stress that is so common among moms of preschoolers.

Time, Date & Place

Wednesday, September 14 at 7:00PM
Derwood Bible Church, lower level

Meals (recipes here):
It's not a perfect list, but we have tried to choose a variety of kid-friendly meals to accomodate the wide variety of families we represent. Every meal will not fit every family, we hope there are a few things that your family will love.

Chicken Supreme (cheesey chicken and macaroni dish)
Chicken Enchiladas - a mild, creamy enchilada dish with chicken, cheese and spices
French Toast Casserole - a nice casserole that can be served topped with fresh fruit for breakfast or dinner
Manicotti - shells stuffed with cheese and covered with sauce
Meatloaf - delicious comfort food with a mixture of ground beef and ground turkey

**If you are a gluten free family, please email me. We may be able to work together to make some simple substitutions on some of the meals to allow you to participate.

Meal Selection:
Each mom can select up to 10 meals. Any combination, up to 10 meals, of the 5 designated meals (above) is acceptable. You do not have to have ten meals and you do not have to choose every meal on the list.

All of the following options would be acceptable:
2 chix supreme, 2 enchiladas, 2 french toast, 2 manicotti, 2 meatloaf
OR
2 chicken supreme, 1 enchilada, 1 french toast, 3 meatloaf
OR
1 chix supreme, 1 chix enchilada, 1 french toast, 1 manicotti, 1 meatloaf
OR
3 chicken supreme, 1 french toast
OR
Any collection of available meals, up to ten, is acceptable.

To read through the recipes for each meal, click here.

Cost:
Below is a list of approximate costs/meal. The estimates below are based on the cost and availability of groceries at the time of writing, and include all food, disposable pans, foil, labels and all other needed supplies. The cost for actual meals may vary based on the cost of groceries at the time of purchase. We will do our best to meet or beat the prices listed below and you will only be charged the price paid for groceries. Final meal costs will be published once calculated after purchasing groceries. Each mom will be expected to pay for her chosen meals in full at freezer cooking.

Approximate cost per meal (includes foil, disposable 9x13 pans and all ingredients) is as follows:
Chicken Supreme - $9.36 ((a full 9x13 – 2 meals for my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 preschoolers)
Chicken Enchiladas - $11.39 (a full 9x13 – 2 meals for my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 preschoolers)
French Toast Casserole - $4.49 (a full 9x13 – 2 meals for my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 preschoolers)
Manicotti $11.45 - (a full 9x13 – 2 meals for my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 preschoolers)
Meatloaf - $7.00 (usually 1 meal for my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 preschoolers) with 1-2 pieces leftover

Mom Responsibility:
Each mom participating is responsible for the following:
1. Choosing and entering meal preferences for your family (up to 10 total) on the blog form by September 1, 2011. Grocery lists are created from the meal sign ups, once you sign up for meals, you are committed to freezer cooking and your meal order cannot be changed.

2. Selecting one area to help in: Prep work (prepping food, printing labels, food transport, etc.), Set-Up (arriving early at the church to set up stations and tables, some food transport possible), Clean Up (Cleaning up at the end of the evening). Expect to spend 1-2 hours in your chosen area. Time will vary based on how many moms are participating.

3. Arriving ON TIME, the evening of freezer cooking and participating in meal prep for the ENTIRE evening (2-3 hours), regardless of number of meals your family will receive.

4. Full payment for selected meals on the evening of freezer cooking.

5. Clearing your freezer before hand to make room for your meals.

6. Flexible, cheerful attitude.

Other items to note:
1. If you sign up, you are committed to freezer cooking. This means we are purchasing food based on your sign up and counting on your help to complete the cooking. Please only sign up if you truly intend to participate.

2. A general overview: We will have five stations. One for each meal. Each participating mom will be assigned to a station for the evening where they will help to prepare all of that particular meal for the moms present. Example: Judy is assigned to the “Meatloaf Table.” All night she works with a team of other moms chatting, laughing, while carefully preparing and packaging 25 delicious meatloaves. At the end of the evening, Judy collects all of her meals (not just meatloaf) and heads home tired, but happy to fill her freezer and enjoy many nights of reduced dinner-hour induced stress. While you won’t get the opportunity to prepare every meal, we do have recipes available for your future use/reference.

3. After September 1st (final day to sign up), I will use the collected data to make grocery lists, assign tasks and coordinate our night of cooking. I will be in contact with you about what to expect before/during/after freezer cooking on the 14th of September.

4. Even if you’re skeptical, you should try it! Choose just a meal or two.  It’ll be fun, easy, and you might find you really like the idea of ready made food in the freezer.