We have a standard size fridge with a standard size freezer, then a small snack fridge for the kids. The top part of our freezer looks like this: 
It is made up of containers for frozen fruit and kale for smoothies which the kids and I have for breakfast most mornings. Then with egg and bacon muffins for Mr I, beef stock and some more frozen veggies, we are not left with a lot of room in the freezer after that so I don’t have a stock pile of meals in the freezer for us to draw from on a regular basis. A separate large freezer is on my wish list!
When I know I have period coming up, which will require me to have meals in the freezer to draw from, I will work to clear the bottom shelf of the freezer of most other items so I can store some meals. I will then create a menu plan that allows me to cook food in bulk so we can have one meal to eat and one meal to freeze.
Cooking in bulk family menu plan
Below is a pretty standard menu plan for me when I have a week when I cook in bulk. I don’t make the sides like the rice salad or green veggies in advance, but the rest of the meals I can cook in double quantities.
I use a combination of containers and freezer bags to store all the food. They all freeze well including the lunch box items. I freeze the biscuit dough before baking and and the egg muffins I freeze in a large container separated by baking paper so they don’t stick together.
I will take the meals out of the freezer the night before and place them in the fridge to have ready for the next day. If I forget, I will then defrost them in the microwave.
Day | Bulk Cooking Weekly Menu Plan |
|
|---|---|---|
| Sat |  | Chicken lasagne |
| Sun |    | Zucchini Slice 100s biscuits Gluten free egg muffins |
| Mon |  | Spaghetti and Zucchini Bolognese |
| Tue |   | Slow cooker butter chicken with Green veggies |
| Wed |  | Shepherd's pie |
| Thu |   | Greek meatballs with Greek rice salad |
| Fri |  | Pumpkin soup |
| Shopping List | Cooking in bulk weekly menu plan shopping list | NOTE: The shopping list only has the ingredients listed to cook a standard sized meal. I simply double the ingredients when cooking in bulk. |
The kid friendly menu planning app allows you to:
- Create weekly menu plans quickly, choosing as many meals per day as you would like to plan for.
- Generate the shopping list for all the meals selected.
- Modify the shopping list to check off items you already have at home.
- Email the shopping list to yourself and/or others.
The most popular recipes from the blog have been included and more will be added on a weekly basis. The app will notify you when new recipes have been added, so you will be able to deliver plenty of variety in your family’s menu plans. Each recipe lists the ingredients required, easy to follow instructions and a photo from the blog.
What meals do you cook in bulk to stash some extra away in the freezer?