This past weekend, we did something a little different for date night! My friend McCall from The Average Daters invited us to join her and her husband Collin and a few other couples to a freezer meal session with Dinner Crafts in Pleasant Grove. I was excited to stock our freezer with some new meals and I knew we’d have fun, but I didn’t expect the afternoon to be as fun as it was!
I’ve made freezer meals on my own at home and attended sessions hosted by other companies. The freezer meal prep sessions at Dinner Crafts are far more exciting than anything I’ve ever done before! My husband and I spent an hour and a half working side by side, at our own pace, following the instructions provided to put together our meals. The menu included a variety of options, and everything we prepped sounded and smelled delicious! The hosts and owners of Dinner Crafts worked hard to set out all of the things we would need to assemble our freezer meals. And there were treats and drinks set out for us to enjoy while cooking as well.
The one thing I loved about this activity for date night was how it exercised our teamwork! We had to stay on the same page, split tasks, and work together in a small space. By the second meal we were putting together, we’d each found our footing and the tasks we would take care of for each meal. I took over onion and bell pepper dicing, my husband minced garlic, dumped sauces, and manned the cooktop when needed. And because we were both involved in the prep of the meals and are familiar with what went in them, deciding which ones to add to our meal plan each week will be a joint effort as well.
Dinner Crafts has two locations and both of them are in Utah County. It was about a 40 minute drive, one way, from Farmington to the Pleasant Grove location. We had such a great time, and love the meals we prepped so much that I will be making that drive once or twice more this year for more sessions when our meals run low!
If you aren’t able to make it to Dinner Crafts, Citrus Pear is a great alternative, although they only allow one person to prep, per set of meals. You could also search for freezer meal recipes online, create your own menu of meals your family would enjoy, and make a date of putting them together at home. Sit down together and make a grocery list of all the ingredients and supplies you would need to make your meals. Spend an hour or two at the grocery store purchasing those things, or put in a grocery pickup/delivery order to take that task off your list. Turn on music, set up your own snacks, and work together one afternoon or evening to prep all of your freezer meals. Make sure you have the instructions for cooking those meals when you’re ready to pull them out of the freezer and use them.
Work as a team, make it fun, and use those meals to save time and energy for yourselves in the future! They are also great to pull out and make when someone near you needs a meal brought in. Or to gift someone to make on their own when they need a meal in the future. Freezer meal prep isn’t my normal date night idea, but it’s one you won’t regret doing if you plan in!