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Contained: All the things you need to understand about initiating a freezer meal swap team. Decrease the stress of “what’s for dinner?” and enjoy with your acquaintances and locals.
It’s a weekday night. You’re worn-out and overwhelmed. Your family is famished.
And you don’t have any idea what’s on the menu.
You’re inclined to call and order take-out, but then you recollect the casserole nestled in the corner of your freezer.
You put it in the oven, collapse onto the sofa, and express gratitude to the you from three weeks ago for hiding that gem.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have that kind of protection each week?
Encounter the freezer meal swap!
A few years back, a neighbor invited me to participate in a freezer meal swap group. The way it worked: We all prepared two dinner recipes for every individual in the group. Every month, we gathered to socialize and exchange dinners. And everyone returned home with a cooler full of homemade freezer meals.
It was a fantastic way to meet more mothers in my area and expand our family dinner variety.
It also eradicated my dinnertime pressure–because twice a week, I could retrieve a homemade meal to reheat while I made a few easy side dishes. All of a sudden, meal planning became much simpler.
Sound appealing? Eager to develop your own group? Here are my top recommendations for a thriving meal swap group.
Arrange your meal swap group
Assemble your group: An optimal group size is 4-5 members for your freezer meal exchange. More than that, and it’s challenging to prepare so many meals at once. (And always consent to discuss with your entire group before inviting others to join.)
Make sure your cooking styles and preferences harmonize as well. What are your family’s beloved recipes? Do people in the group have similar preferences? Do your group members favor basic meat-and-potatoes meals–or more intricate dinners that might necessitate trips to specialty markets for ingredients?
Settle the specifics: Determine the quantity of meals you’re going to interchange. You could begin with each person preparing one meal for each individual, and increase to two if feasible.
Converse with your fellow swappers about their preferences and any special dietary requirements. Any allergies, intolerances, or other dietary limitations? Any ingredients families dislike? Are organic ingredients significant to group members?
Select recipes: Plan for an assortment of meals and a equilibrium between dinners like soups, casseroles, main course meats, and meatless recipes. It might be obvious, but avoid attempting a completely new recipe for the exchange. Test it at home first to ensure it’s effective and tastes good.
Finalize a swap date: We convened every six weeks, which gave ample time for everyone to use their meals between exchanges and not accumulate an excess of items in their freezer.
Create & package your swap meals
Don’t overlook yourself: While preparing recipes for exchange members, ensure to prepare enough for your family as well!
Pack them up: We packaged our meals in disposables like a freezer bag (pressed flat, to save space) for dishes like soups and spaghetti sauce. Disposable baking trays are perfect for lasagna, casseroles, and enchiladas. However, your group could also invest in reusable containers (glass or plastic) for the exchange, or you could return containers to each other every month.
For disposable packaging, inscribe the date and cooking/reheating instructions directly on the bag or foil with a Sharpie. Alternatively, you can maintain a group Google Doc or other digital file to share, so you can always access the instructions.
Tally your expenses: Compute the total amount spent on your meals, including the portion you prepared for your own freezer. Include any expenditure on items like freezer bags or containers. We didn’t include certain things, like a few teaspoons of salt, drizzle of oil, or a couple cloves of garlic. However, consider adding a small amount (like $1.00) to your total if you use a lot of your spices, for example.
Interchange frozen meals
Utilize a cooler: On the day of the swap, bring your meals packed in a cooler or insulated bag so they remain cold and frozen.
Reconcile: Bring a record of the amount spent on your meals. Compare costs and determine the average (download this complimentary cost sheet for a how-to), then reconcile so it’s balanced–cash, Venmo, or whichever method is most convenient for the group.
Maintain records: It’s advantageous to assign someone in the group to serve as a type of “club manager” and maintain a log (paper or digital) of the various meals prepared, which ones were favorable/unfavorable, and the average cost per meal. When the group is puzzled about what to prepare for the following month, you can review and see what was particularly well-received.
Plan for the future: Set a date for the next swap and determine which recipes you’ll prepare.
Bring your meals home and get organized: Here are my greatest suggestions for arranging a bottom drawer freezer and organizing a chest freezer. And here’s a free freezer inventory printable you can use to monitor your supply.
Meal exchange group suggestions for success
- Be truthful. If a swap meal wasn’t well-received, ensure it isn’t repeated.
- Keep your supply of swap group materials separate. If the group funds your pack of freezer bags, for instance, only use them for group meals.
- Be adaptable. The aim of the group is to provide assistance, not stress. Thus, if someone requires an additional few days to prepare their meals, go along with it. If the group wishes to pause during the holidays or other busy periods, take a break and resume later.
- Stay attuned to members’ requirements. For example, one person in our group desired a smaller portion and another desired more, so we made adjustments accordingly.
- Think beyond the casserole: You aren’t required to supply the entire meal. Providing a primary meal component is also helpful, like taco meat, spaghetti sauce, or grilled chicken strips–which can be utilized in various ways. Here are some concepts for this type of batch cooking.
Freezer meal concepts
These were some of our preferred meals from the freezer meal exchange group, along with additional ideas:
Soups
- Lentil soup (recipes makes two batches)
- Chicken taco soup
- Chicken chili
- Italian wedding soup
- Butternut squash soup
- Beef stew
Casseroles
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Lasagna
- Enchiladas
- Chicken pot pie
Meats
- Marinated pork tenderloin
- Pulled pork
- Sloppy Joes
- Meatballs
- Taco meat (recipes makes four batches)
- Marinated chicken for the grill
- Cooked, shredded chicken
- Marinated steak or chicken kebabs
- Filling for Baked Turkey Tacos
Various
For additional meal exchange ideas, explore my article 30 Healthy Freezer Meals and the publication Fix, Freeze, Feast.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Hey there! I’m Sally, a registered dietitian and mother.
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