On December 27, 2023 by Once a Month Meals

When each new year comes around, how often do you keep your resolutions?

Statistics show that only 8% of people who make New Year’s resolutions keep them past the first month. Less than 5% are still on board after the 6-month mark (source).  Part of meeting a big goal is identifying the smaller steps that you need to make it happen. You see the forest, but now you need to mark your way through the trees. You are probably wondering, “What in the world does freezer cooking have to do with New Year’s Resolutions?”

We recently read the book Better than Before, by Gretchen Rubin, and one of our big take aways was this: “Habits make change possible by freeing us from decision making.”

Freezer cooking is a simple routine that can help you to form good habits in more than one area of your life.

It is one of those smaller, but measurable steps that can truly put you on the path to reaching your BIG goals.

These are some of the Top New Year’s Resolutions each year, and how you can use freezer cooking to meet your goal!

#1: Eat Healthy

Freezer cooking is an invaluable tool when it comes to sticking to new eating habits. When you have all of those delicious, guilt-free meals stashed and ready to go, you aren’t as tempted to stray from your meal plan. You can easily create single-serving meals if the rest of the family isn’t keeping the same diet or if you need to bring lunches to work. Wherever you are on your health journey, we have recipes to fit – Paleo, Keto, Diet, Real Food, and even Allergy or Diabetes-Friendly.

#2: Eat at Home

Most people eat out, hit the drive-through, or shop the freezer aisle because it is convenient. Cooking a meal from scratch can seem like such a chore, even though we know it is healthier (for body and mind). Another tip I learned from Gretchen Rubin’s book was the strategy of convenience. Make it convenient to [fill in the blank with your new habit or goal] and you are more likely to stick with it. Freezer cooking makes eating at home simple, easy, relaxing, and of course delicious, which means you will actually do it!

#3: Save Money

Buying in bulk, having a meal plan, reducing grocery trips, shopping with a grocery list – each of these help to reduce the amount spent on food, and each of these is accomplished by freezer cooking. Each of our freezer cooking meal plans is based on seasonal produce and sales, which means you will find even more deals! Check out these resources for saving even more:

• Save Money with Freezer Cooking
• Grocery Budgets and How to Save Money on Real Food
• How to Cut Costs Using Freezer Cooking

#4: Manage Time Wisely

If you think you don’t have time to freezer cook, think again. You may spend one long session preparing meals, but you will save time in the long run. You may spend 12 hours in the kitchen one weekend, but you will be giving yourself at least an hour of time back each day. That is up to 30 hours, maybe more! When you don’t have to think about what is for dinner, you free up a lot of time and energy for other more important tasks on your to-do list.

#5: Organize a Meal Plan

Most of us realize that failure to plan means planning to fail. Whether you are trying to eat healthier, quit eating out, cut your grocery bill, or simply spend less time in the kitchen, the experts will all tell you that organizing a meal plan is your first step. You can always compile recipes to create your own meal plan, but this can be labor-intensive. Let us make it simple! We have created hundreds of meal plans for our members to use and customize.

#6: Make More Time for Relationships

You’ve already seen how practical and helpful freezer cooking can be, but remember that the reason why we need to establish healthy routines is to free up time and energy for loftier goals – changes that truly matter. One of the top resolutions made each year is to improve a relationship. Whether it is making new friends or reconnecting with old ones, more date nights with your spouse or significant other, or more quality time with your children or someone else you care about – freezer cooking gives you extra hours in the day to focus on the people you love. And it can even provide something practical, such as a meal to gather around or a task that you can tackle together.

And Many More…

I’ve noticed that when I get organized and on track in one area of my life, it starts to bleed over into other areas as well. For example, when I have my freezer stocked with meals, it gives me that extra hour that I need in the day to make it to the gym! I’m usually more motivated to eat well when I’m exercising regularly and vice versa. Here are a few more habits you can encourage in your own life by first taking control in the kitchen.

• Reduce stress
• Improve sleep habits
• Improve self-care (spiritual and emotional health)
• Keep the house clean
• Learn something new – cooking!
• Travel more
• Read more
• Exercise more
• More time/money for charity (or just gift your freezer meals!)
• More time to enjoy what matters most and enjoy life to the fullest

Good luck this year! Visit our How it Works page for more information and check out membership options to see what works for you.