Stay at Home Saturday: Fix and Freeze~Part 3

The past couple of Saturdays have been devoted to a special Savory Smackerel Series on the topic of Fix n' Freezes...what they are, our insight gained through trial and error and maybe a freezer friendly recipe or two. If any of you are experienced at FNFs we would love for you to throw in your 2 cents! Feel free to comment on this post, email us at roofwithaview (at) gmail (dot) com or join our Facebook group here.

So far, our FNF tips to ensure FNF success and harmony have been:

• Select friends that have roughly the same size family as yours.
• Be sure the people you do it with have similar "taste" as you and your family.
• Be honest with one another about preferences, likes, dislikes (ex.-no grizzle, dark meat, mayo, peppers, etc.).
• State expectations of portion size and # of servings from the onset to prevent assumption and the feeling of getting jipped. :)
• Select your recipes.
• Do not select a recipe that you've never made or perfected.
• Share your recipe that you've selected with your FNF partners to make sure they give an A-OK and aren't repulsed.

Today's FNF tips are focused on how to balance the cost so you can justify the convenience without it costing an arm and a leg.

• Schedule your FNF exchange date far enough in advance (all the while collecting coupons)-- preferrably 3-4 weeks out so you can work the sales and coupons accordingly.
• Even if you aren't a couponer, keep an eye on the sales, particularly meat (a department which doesn't usually have many coupons). Meat will most likely be your most costly FNF item so Buy One Get One or significant cost reductions will be your time to stock up.
• Select your FNF friendly recipe based on the sales you have hit and the stockpile of groceries you already have. It will be more costly if you buy your items based on need because you will most likely be paying full price.
• So far, my most favorite budget saving meat trick is in regards to chicken. I only dig white meat and white meat errs on the expensive side. Awhile ago, Amy A. posted a white meat chicken tip here that is KEY to keeping cost down for FNFs. Note: NOW is the time to take her up on it b/c the particular chicken needed (split chicken breast) for this savings is on sale NOW at Harris Teeter for .99/lb. I stocked up this week on 5 packs of those bad boys at $2-$3 something a pack (normally would've been $8-$9 a pack) and had two crockpots roasting it up in my kitchen yesterday. Half I'll use for a next FNF and the other half will go in the freezer to save bookoos of time. It's inexpensive, easy and saves time in the long run so it's a win win.

Here is an oh so fabulous recipe for which you can use your new batch of homemade roasted, flavorful, white meat chicken~ Chicken Divan and to quote a fan, "Chicken Divan is chicken divine!" The jury is out on how it will freeze but Passionate Homemaking freezes it (even though our recipes differ. can't speak for hers so use the one I just gave you but you should still be able to freeze it) and she also gives you a homemade Cream of Mushroom substitute if you have a prob using the canned version. Check it out here.

What are your fav Freezer recipes? Do tell!

Happy Saturday, ya'll!
HPS