Moms Save With Freezer Food Club - KOMU 8 News - Chance Seales

COLUMBIA - Darcie Putnam and six of her friends meet at the beginning of every month to sip coffee, swap parenthood war stories and plan next month's meals.

It's called a freezer club.

There are seven members: Darcie Putnam, Jen Garrett, Kelley Wampler, Rachel Tiemeyer, Carla Fletcher, Shelly Mayer and Amy Neal.

Each mom cooks two all-natural meals, usually with ingredients from local sources. Each meal has four to six portions, so the members don't have a problem feeding their big families. Two of the ladies split responsibility into "halvsies," cooking only one meal and taking home half as much as the others. Most meals are made to be stored in the freezer, although some are made with fresh ingredients, like salads.

Putnam says she likes the club because it frees up time to spend with her husband, Josh, and six-year-old John Caleb, three-year-old Will, and two-year-old Myles.

When the women meet, they vote on last month's meals and decide on those for next time. One meal comes from the proven favorites list, known as the "home run list." The ladies then pitch other meals they find in magazines, the Internet and cookbooks.

With seven cooks and many more culinary critics at home, the moms have other suggestions for a successful freezer club:

Find families with similar food sensibilities. If you feed your kids organic health foods, choose cooking partners who use similar ingredients.
Share tastes, if possible. Onion lovers unite...or be spurned by bitter club mates.
Be honest. If your BFF made a beef wellington that tasted like it came from a drive-thru, tell them so you don't have to taste it again. That way, everybody wins.
Be open to feedback. You might have made a masterpiece, but if the group likes chimichangas more than your seafood bisque, go with it.
Darcie's Lemon Chicken Tortellini:

(From Taste of Home magazine. Sept. 2009)




Prep time: 15 minutes Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 servings


1 pkg (19 oz) frozen cheese tortellini

1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in to 1-inch pieces

2 TBSP butter *I substituted olive oil

½ small sweet red pepper, julienned *I used one full red pepper

3 cups chicken broth, divided

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 tsp. Grated lemon peel

½ tsp. Hot pepper sauce, optional

1 pkg, (6 oz) fresh baby spinach *I thought it was way too much used approx. 4 oz

6 TBSP shredded parmesan cheese


Cook tortellini according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté chicken in butter until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. In same pan, cook red pepper until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add 2 cups broth; bring to a boil.

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and remaining broth until smooth; gradually stirring into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chicken, lemon peel, and pepper sauce (if desired). Add spinach; cook just until wilted. Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

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