Freezer Meal Party
The point of a freezer meal party is to diversify your meals, share costs and spend time together. There are a number of ways to accomplish this:
- One woman plans the recipes and does the shopping. This yields the best opportunity for cost savings, since the planner can optimize the recipes around bulk shopping. The women pay a certain amount to participate. Everyone shows up and cooks.
- A committee decides on the recipes and assigns various women to purchase the ingredients. Everyone shows up and cooks and contributes to the cost of the ingredients.
- Don’t cook—just swap! Ahead of time, determine the number of women who want to participate and what they will bring to exchange—burritos, frozen chili, lasagna, baked goods. Ask them to include a list of the ingredients (because of possible allergies) and instructions for heating the meal.
A Checklist for a Freezer Meal Party
In the regular meeting decide how many people are interested in participating and which method of preparation interests them. Method number three, “Just swap,” could be handled in a regular meeting and there is no limit on the number that can participate. However, decide ahead of time the rules for swapping. The other two suggestions require additional time and preparation space. Decide on the recipes, who will handle the shopping and the estimated time needed to prepare the recipes.
The kitchen and prep space available will determine the size of the group that can participate. In addition to the end product of delicious meals, cooking together is a chance to spend time together. As the food needs to be refrigerated or frozen fairly quickly, you will need an empty refrigerator/freezer. Create workstations with cutting boards, bowls, knives and preparation instructions.
Planning the Recipes
Look for recipes that freeze well and have common ingredients. Also consider making recipes that take little prep time, but just need to be assembled. Check the following websites for recipes:
Supplies Needed
- Bowls
- Cooking pots
- Disposable pans for the completed recipes
- Freezer bags
- Paper towels
- Labels for the completed dishes
- Ask the women to bring:
- Cutting boards
- Knives
- Aprons
- Dishtowels
- Cooler with ice packs
Safety First
Be mindful of food safety when cooking in big batches:
- Wash hands before and after handling ingredients.
- Keep ingredients cold until needed.
- Cool cooked food quickly in the fridge or freezer.
- Freeze finished food promptly.
Games
Mystery Taste Test
The object is to identify a variety of foods by taste only. Allow each blindfolded player to take a predetermined number of turns. Award one point for each correct guess. Some suggestions: peanut butter, cheese, olives, pickles, applesauce, diced fruit or vegetables, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, flour, cornstarch. A variation would be to allow the players to touch and smell the food, but not taste it.
Food Themed Musical Chairs
Place the chairs in a circle with one less chair than the number of players. Assign each player a type of food from a certain category (fruits, vegetables, baked goods). When the person in the in the center calls out the name of a food, all the players designated with that name must change seats. Each time a chair is removed. The last person remaining wins this game.
Recipe Mix Up
Divide the women into teams. Give them the same recipe with all the ingredients and directions on separate slips of paper. The goal is to arrange all the ingredients and directions in the correct order. If you wish, provide the ingredients and let the teams make the recipe, which could be a part of the refreshments.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Read Genesis 1:29–31, Psalm 107:9.
For many years people’s diets depended on the food available where they lived. Today in America we have an abundance of choices and our diets have changed according to likes and dislikes.
Scripture tells us that on the sixth day of creation God, in His long–term plan for His ultimate creation, provided plants and trees that would produce all the food mankind would need to survive. We have more than we could ever imagine needing to the point of immense waste. In the United States alone 30 to 40 percent of food is wasted, equaling approximately 133 billion pounds and nearly $161 billion dollars. I don’t think that this meets with God’s approval.
Working together to prepare and share healthy meals has many benefits. These days we are always looking for a way to spend less and still have nutritious meals. In a meal swap we can save money and time with less waste. We also share the benefits of ready–to–go meals that last longer and are easily available to prepare at the end of a long busy day.
What does the Bible say about food? God made provision for the nutrition needs of mankind. He created plants and trees to produce fruits and vegetables and grains. After the flood (Genesis 9:1–3) meats became a part of man’s diet. There were restrictions and religious regulations concerning foods considered unclean and not to be consumed. God knows what is best for us, and yet so often we ignore what has been proven to be His best way.
The Bible tells us that our bodies are the Temple of God (1 Cor, 6:19). We are not our own. We must take care of our bodies and keep in step with God’s perfect plan for us even in the way we eat. In the Bible we can find what kind of food we should have—a healthy diet with fresh food, not adulterated and processed. And there is no need to hoard or purchase more than we need. In Exodus we see that God forbade the people to store the manna and when they disobeyed, it rotted and was inedible. Let’s not be a part of those waste percentages. “If therefore, you eat or drink, or do otherwise, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). The nutrition directions given by God are the best. Following them guarantees long life and better health.
Consider the food experiences you have had in your lifetime. Some have been good, others so bad we try to forget them. (Have a time of sharing.) Ultimately, when we eat healthy meals, we honor God (1 Cor. 6:20).
