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By admin | Published: September 7, 2012

This is going to be a unique year for me as a parent. It?s the first year that both of my children are going to be involved in activities that occur basically every night during the school week. I have dreaded this moment and hoped to delay it as long as possible, but alas it?s here. At first, all I was focused on was the fact that I was going to be driving somewhere everyday whether I wanted to or not.? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. What about dinner? Crap!

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I?m finding that I?m still one of those rare souls that enjoy the family dinner. We all eat at the table together and talk about our day before starting homework or practicing instruments. We have dinner at 5 or 5:30. Of course, my husband is usually only part of this ritual on the weekends, but in order to have my boys to bed at 8 this is my schedule. Life is going to be changing for us, but I think I have come up with a solution: Freezer CrockPot Meals and Freezer Meals.

I began by researching freezer crockpot meals. I figured these would be the best fit for my family. I like the idea of crockpot freezer meals because you can mix all the ingredients together, freeze and then cook fresh. Freezer meals are usually cooked and then reheated. They also have their place, but with a crockpot I don?t need to be home. Once I picked a few recipes I started my plan. First I purchased gallon size freezer bags. They are disposable and you can write on them. I mixed my ingredients and before bagging them I wrote the cooking directions on the bags. Then I sealed them flat and froze. I?ve already used a few of these in moments when I?ve known that the day would turn into a take out run.

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The advantages of freezer meals are many:

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1. They save you money.
2. They are healthier than pre-packaged frozen meals.
3. They give you time back with your family.
4. They decrease the stress that can come around dinner time.

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Some people? think that preparing freezer meals takes up a lot of time, but that?s up to you. If I make something for dinner that I can freeze ,I?ll double the portion. Then I have dinner for the night and a meal for another night. The crockpot freezer meals are easy. When I come home from shopping I mix the ingredients , bag and put them right into the freezer.? It literally takes minutes.

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Other Back To School Freezer Tips:

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1. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches freeze well. Making a few can save you in a morning the rush. They defrost by lunch time.
2. Cutting up fruit and placing them in mini containers for school lunch and snacks can also be frozen. Grapes, berries, bananas and even apples freeze well.
3. For breakfasts: Making large batches of pancakes, waffles and even French toast on the weekends can easily be frozen and popped into a toaster oven.

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Good luck and happy freezing!

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Author Bio: Milena Barrett is a stay at home mom of two boys.? She is also a writer at BeYourBesMom.com where she offers her readers giveaways, product reviews and a smidge of? real life parenting? stories from her life. She enjoys photography and has a love/hate relationship with exercise. She lives in New York?s Hudson valley with her husband, sons, neurotic cat, and two hermit crabs.

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Source: http://thejoyfulorganizer.com/2012/09/07/meal-planning-for-back-to-school/

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