"Five for the Freezer" (or FFF) is a PDF document you can order and download from the Saving Dinner website. You can choose from different main dishes and different cooking techniques. Each FFF includes menus, recipes, instructions, and assembly guidelines for five different meals that you make ahead and freeze. A free sample is available at www.savingdinner.com. I reviewed the FFF called "Chicken Breasts Volume 2," which features five chicken breast recipes that you cook on the grill.

This document is far more than a collection of recipes. The author breaks down the whole freeze-ahead process into simple instructions and manageable steps. She tells you specifically how to store the food that you've prepared as well as which tools you'll need to have handy in your kitchen. And she gives you a shopping list organized by areas of the store (produce, dairy, etc.).

The serving suggestions are a helpful feature, listing possible side dishes for each chicken recipe. These suggestions are nutritious items, appropriate to the ethnicity and flavors of the main dish, Of course, nutrition information is provided for each recipe. I tried the Red River Chicken recipe. My whole family loved the spicy flavors of the grilled chicken, and it was easy to make ahead and thaw out to grill on a sunny afternoon.

This reasonably priced menu mailer would be a great introduction to meals in a freezer for a homeschool mom. You can spend one day a week assembling these meals; then you'll have healthy dinners that can be cooked quickly at the end of a long school day. The FFF could also be used as part of a life skills class, to teach a student how to prepare nutritious meals for the family, with each of the necessary steps spelled out. Because there is such a variety to choose from, you can order the types of menus that you know your family will actually eat and enjoy together.

Product review by Cari Young, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2008