So these freezer meal workshops from Pampered Chef…. Yes, I went to one last night and let me tell you, I was a bit surprised, stressed, excited, and exhausted. Here’s my honest, no holds barred assessment. I’ll even shatter some of the selling points that you’ll hear about them, plus give you recommendations at the end with alternative resources in case you want to go renegade and do freezer meals on your own. It’s long so go grab a drink and come back.
But before I launch in, let me back the bus up in case you’re not sure what I’m even talking about.
The Pampered Chef freezer meal workshops work like this: Purchase your Pampered Chef spices, plan to attend the freezer meal workshop that’s usually at someone’s house. If you’re the hostess, you get the hostess benefits AND you get to pick the menu. The Pampered Chef rep sends you a list of things to purchase from the grocery store and the list is all neat and organized by department so you can shop quickly. (It really was one of the fastest trips to the grocery ever.) You pack all that in a cooler to bring to the workshop. Leave the workshop with 10 ready to cook meals.
But here’s where I was a little disillusioned with some of the benefits that you’ll hear about the freezer meal workshops.
Myth #1: It’s cheaper to eat this way!
Honestly, I don’t know how much each meal that we eat in our house actually costs. Yes, you’re saving money if you eat out a lot, but then no if you’re feeding your family a box of 99 cent mac and cheese for dinner. I happen to be in a rut and am guilty of grabbing a package of frozen fish fillets or princess soup in a can several times a week. We won’t talk about how much peanut butter we go through. So… it’s relative. I’m not saying it’s not a good deal, and it’s certainly a gigantic time saver, but I don’t know that it’s actually cheaper.
Here’s why: you buy roughly $70 of spices from Pampered Chef which I know sounds like a lot, but c’mon, you know spices are seriously expensive and you do have some left over, plus you have to consider what all you get with the whole freezer meal workshop experience as well, which has considerable value. Not to mention I got a free ice cream scoop.
The grocery store trip costs about $100 – $120 dollars depending on where you shop, if you get organic, and if you over-buy like I did. I always over-buy. It’s my curse. I over-buy at the expensive grocery store. That’s my husband’s curse.
I can hear you doing the math. Keep going:
$70 + $100 = $170 for 10 meals which = $17 per meal for 5 people, or roughly $3.50 per person per meal.
Remember, you’re coming away with TEN meals. I actually made 12 because I had way too many chicken breasts and ribs so that actually brought my cost per meal down even more. Because there’s only 3 of us, we’ll have leftovers for lunches too.
Now when you’re thinking about the cost of the spices (yes, that was hard for me to get past too but I’m telling you to just get over it), I reminded myself that the Pampered Chef rep was bringing ALL the tools we needed to use AND doing all the clean up. That last one was a clincher for me. She was cleaning up!
Myth #2: It’s a complete meal!
It’s not a complete meal. Seriously. They should call it freezer entrée workshops because it’s only the entrée. BUT… I will say that our rep (Tiffany Culbertson, who was fabulous by the way)
provided side suggestions and because I am still the lazy chef that I am, I can horde a stash of the steam fresh pouches of vegetables or bagged salads to accompany the entrée, allowing me to maintain my effortless approach to meal “planning.” In fact, I’m fairly certain this is why COSTCO was invented.
Myth #3: This is a party with girlfriends!
Uh… no. Not a “party.” I was looking forward to meeting some new friends and bonding over dance mom stories but I don’t even think I can remember their names since I didn’t have a chance to use them. There was no chit chatting. This is business. This is no-nonsense fill your freezer boot camp. The only talking is about how to remove avocados that are too hard or if you have extra honey to share. FOCUS! You’re making 10 meals! There’s no time for niceties ladies, and by the time I grated my hand instead of the cheese I was definitely wishing for a little whine and social hour. I mean, I couldn’t even post to Instagram while this was going down.
Myth #4: Just show up and you’ll leave with a full cooler of meals!
KINDA yes, kinda no. It’s not that easy breasy. It’s the period of time between showing up and leaving that you’re busting a move. Our workshop went lightning fast. Think about it, 10 meals in 2 hours? I can’t make 3 meals at home in two hours and that’s why I went right? I’m okay with the speed, I just didn’t really comprehend how fast we would need to go to get it done and I should have been better prepared. Or maybe just a little less elated to be out of the house.
Having been a freezer meal workshop virgin, I didn’t think to do some basic organization before I got there and that led to some unnecessary stress on my part. Then when my chicken package had a hidden juice bombs in the bottom that dribbled all over the hostesses kitchen counter, cabinets and floor — more than once — I was horrified and started drenching everything with the Fabulouso I found under her sink, my short dress flashing everyone in the process (this is why I never wear dresses), which then set me further behind and probably scared them for life. All I could think of was, “When I have this at my house, there will be salmonella all over my kitchen!” {{{SHUDDER}}}
All in all, I’ve had time to reflect on how it all went down and I’ll say that YES, I am a convert. If me peeking into to my freezer repeatedly to admire all my pretty pre-made dinners is any indication, then I’d recommend going to one of these workshops and getting your meal planning on. Before you go though, take these five tips from me to heart so your first time is not as bumpy as mine:
One: Don’t wear your heels from work that day, or a short skirt for that matter. You’ll be flashing everyone as you bend over repeatedly to get stuff out of your cooler and you’ll be moving so quickly and with such purpose you won’t think to hide your thong. Change before you go, wear your yoga pants and tshirt and prepare for a workout. And for gosh sakes, put your hair up.
Two: Bring a cooler on wheels. Carrying a chest cooler full of food while wearing espadrilles is teetering on the brink of insanity. Lest we not mention how they got sticky in the salmonella puddles that I left behind. Wheels ladies. Your back will thank you later.
Three: Have your ingredients organized and divide up your meat into the big baggies ahead of time. I was immediately “that mom” who was falling behind because I still had to unwrap and cut apart our meat.
Four: Speaking of cutting apart meat, someone forgot to tell the Pampered Chef rep that I don’t touch raw meat.
I’m one slimy chicken breast away from full-blown vegetarianism and I must have been bonkers when I thought I wanted to do this. I mentally can’t eat anything on the bone or that’s the same color as when it was alive (example, ham steaks.. pink… all I see is cute little piggy) so this was REALLY mind-bending for me. This is exactly why I’ve never bought ribs to make at home. Ever. Furthermore, having to scrape raw meat out from under my fingernails makes me wretch and my OCD was on hyper drive as I wanted to wash my hands every 2.5 seconds, which of course, put me further behind.
Next time – and yes, there will be a next time – I will have the hubs cut all the meat up for me and put into the baggies as his contribution to this cause AND I will bring disposable gloves.
Five: Bring a kid with you. The Princess Cupcake abandoned me minutes before I left for the workshop and I was seriously wishing she was there with me, if only to help carry the cooler. She is six and loves to concoct things in the kitchen. She could have been doing the measuring and dumping of the spices to keep us on pace while I was trying to hack apart the meat with my one contaminated hand. Kids younger than 6 would likely be a distraction but at six, I’m confident she would have been Mama’s big helper and learned a lot, and she would have been more likely to eat the meals because she thought she “made” them.
I’m not going to go so far as to say the Pampered Chef freezer meal workshop was “fun” because that’s usually code for I had wine while I was doing it, but I will say it was rewarding and enjoyable. The gadget geek in me loved being able to play with all the genius tools from Pampered Chef. Everyone was soooo nice, and I am digging the fact that I now have a full freezer. I’m already eyeing a crock pot version of the Pampered Chef freezer meal workshop for next week. All of the ladies have agreed that we’ll rotating hosting throughout the year. I’m sure I’ll be a pro in just few months, and this time, by God, I will have clean fingernails.
Like the idea of freezer meals, but don’t have a Pampered Chef consultant? Here are a few cookbooks that you can try at home: (affiliate links)
Thank you so much! Your first hand experience was a huge help!
I just joined your blog because I went to my first Pampered Chef freezer meal party. I had a lot of fun, but it was a lot of work.
Enjoyed your story.
LOL, I totally agree! You’ll love having your freezer full too. Thanks for following along!
Thanks for the review. I’m going to be doing some freezer cooking on my own and this popped up. Interesting. I have to say, many of the Wild Tree consultants that have commented on this post are a HUGE turn off for me. Some were very nice but some have such a snide and snotty attitude. Wow, I love the ones that say they support other “consultant type” businesses. These ladies make me never want to go to a WT party!
I really enjoyed reading your post! I have attended six different pampered chef freezer meal workshops over the last 12 months, and I love having the end results in my freezer! I don’t like a lot of seasoning, so I now add only about 1/2 -2/3 of what it called for. I really like trying new recipes and not always having the same old thing for dinner! I also like having the organized shopping list provided, detailed recipes, the use of all the pampered chef kitchen tools to use at the workshop, and someone else cleaning up! I sometimes cook mine in the crockpot and sometimes I cook them in the pampered chef rock crock in my oven. I like not having to think about anything but just going shopping from the provided list, labeling my bags with the proper amount of meat in each, and showing up to work alongside others! It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done to prepare 10 males at a time! And… we always have fun!! Some recipes contain a complete meal, and I can add rice and a salad or veggie to complete other recipes. But that’s ok by me! As you can tell, I’m a fan!!! Thanks again for your post! I could totally relate!!
*Meals (not males!)
Ha ha ha ha! I am a new PC Consultant and I LOVED this post! You had me smiling the entire time! Thank you for your honesty and I will probably encourage potential Freezer Meal Workshop host to read this first! I think I’d do almost anything to have 10 entrees ready in my freezer… even if it means seriously working out with a bunch of other ladies… maybe we could all crash with a glass of yumminess afterwards. You’re awesome!
I wish the cost was upfront. I think you are low on the cost because there is actually 2 pages, you have the buy the rest of the ingredients later. I thought, how fun another demo and signed up. The the arm long list arrived. My spices were per-ordered so I HAD to pay for them…and I don’t like some of them. I added up the entire cost after having to buy the post ingredients. You better be prepared to spend at least $300-350 (minus what you have in PC spices) for this workshop. That is $35.00 per meal and it really only feeds about 4. I will do my homework next time. I guess we can chalk it up to a nice social event. I don’t like that I HAD TO BUY the spices. I would have thought that PC would make up sample packets for this event so you can TRY the spices first. I will never use 1/2 of what I HAD to buy.
Thank you for this post. I was just invited to this workshop and although it’s a great concept, I had a few worries. Your post confirmed what I was worried about – the whole meat/OCD thing that I have very badly – I would be absolutely miserable there. Thanks again for your valuable input.
Wildtree all the way! Know the ingredients you are putting into your body! And in regards to the raw meat issue, with a Wildtree workshop guests come with the meat already in their bags. There is NO handling of raw meat at the hostess’ house! That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Thanks for this! I took much of your advice to my first dinners done workshop and it was a BREEZE. She cleaned, served wine, provided labels and so much more. I’m going back in 3 weeks!
If you have a group of a few friends, you can put together your own meals workshop without having to buy all the very nice but super-expensive Pampered Chef spices! I organize a group that meets at our church so more of us can come than would fit in my kitchen. We make meals together, and yeah, it’s work, but we get away for under $70 every time, and it’s all natural, healthful choices! We buy spices in bulk at Costco and Sams, buy tomatoes and other things that come in BIG cans there, too, then measure them out. Our cost is about $2.50 per serving.
That’s what our meals come out to is $2.50-$3.00 per serving n in my case I opt for roast instead of brisket ect so it’s even cheaper. We give the client a choice so we give a $$ amount of the cost being from this $$ to $$ because where I may be ok with roast another person may opt for brisket. Same for organic verse non organic we can’t tell what a client is going to go to the store n buy we give them a list of grocerys n it can cost from $50-$300 depending on that persons preference of shopping, brand, place, time etc. 90% of the lady’s go right before they come or send a husband n they end up buying a bottle of ketchup when they only needed a tablespoon which u know they have at home. It’s all in what n how they shop. But we provide the receipues that have been tested, we provide the devices to chop, mix, etc and teach valuable things that at least one thing I say at everyone of my shows someone says they had no idea, we also provide the clean up, the mess is at our house n we do the dishes etc, you go home with the meals n other then the dish you cook n stir with all the mess is left with us. You save on your trash n reyclye space because it was all left at my home. So yes everyone can get together with freinds n do these we have been doing that for years, but I don’t know anyone that also brought in the items you need to use to chop, shred, measure, drain, mix etc then also do clean up. That’s the above n beyond as pampered chef consultant you will get.
I loved reading your blog on the workshop, I thought I would tell you about me. As a mother of 4 boys I use to cook every night except Friday nights we called fend for yourself night and sat we ordered out (pizza night). About 9yrs ago my health went down hill very fast. Mobility became very hard, I lost my ability to work, list my job, my home etc… Cooking as you know isn’t just about cooking but most of it is cleaning. I’ve always been very OCD n clean as I go. Start with a clean area end with a clean area. Well with my health I started cooking things I could toss in a pot or oven let cook n we have became very use to using paper plates, cups & plastic silverware. But still who does the clean up. Around the same time I got remarried to someone who has no kids so just taking on a wife n 4 kids was already a big adjustment he had to learn to cook & well he knows how to do a few things to date now but still he is no chef! He is a truck driver works nights and with my doctors apts. Loses sleep to take me to my apts during the day. So we have learned to buy boxed prepackaged stuff and well he would run out for dinner 3-4 times a week. Last Xmas I cooked but was down for 18days from over doing the days leading up to Xmas n Xmas day. Well he went into “work” “lazy” mode where I was down so he went to work came home went to bed got up ate left etc.. He feed our last teen at home but the thing is no one cleaned up Xmas dinner and they left crock pots plugged in n on the 18th day one of them caught fire!
Well my health had been declining n I about 3 months ago just decided to start pushing myself to go see freinds do things I wouldn’t normally do. It was a Thursday n there it was a post on fb, come to a freezer meal workshop. I said I would go. A girl I went to HS with 20yrs ago maybe seen twice in that 20yrs. & I said yes. I had no idea it was a pampered chef workshop had no idea how much or what it was I just said yes! So I got the email explaining n immediately got excited because now I know y, I was meant for this!! If this worked out this could be our answer to our household! I had tried to do Sundays where I cooked a bunch of our favorite meals n then freeze them but they just didn’t taste the same. So this I was excited about. Now the thought my husband was just grumpy about the money. He wouldn’t even listen to what it was or anything. That morning I didn’t feel the greatest and the fact she was having it at 10am was very hard on me mornings are the worst on me. driving is slim for me on a normal day but morning’s n evening’s are very hard (something about where the sun is And my eyes!)
Any way I use a cane so if anyone is gonna complain about carrying the stuff it would be me, but I used a large cooler bag for my meats, a small cooler bag for my cheeses etc and all my dry ingreadints are in a reusable bag. The workshop I went to was at the consultants house and her husband came out and carried my large cooler bag and I carried the rest in one shot. She was great she gave me a chair so I could sit if I needed to. N I did, I had to alternate. We worked a hour did a break where we tried a recepie (that she showed us how to do it with when we started) then we worked until we were done. Which I was done early but wa there about 3 hours total. I stuck around because I didn’t leave without becoming a consultant! Here was my thinking! I would sign up for these over and over! And here is y I knew I would!
When I got home with my meals, my husband was hungry I was so excited for him to taste the one I tasted that’s the one we cooked! One of my adult kids n my half kids & grandbaby’s were all here we ate it they all went for 2nds & 3rds & we had left overs. We threw out our paper plates and had the one dish that we cooked it in to clean and the serving spoon and that’s it!
I actually sat down and started crying for the first time in 9years I made dinner (lunch) for my family that wasn’t from a box, that didn’t kill me and I got to eat with them. (Big thing is normally by the time I do make a meal, I’m so beat I have to go lay down and either family try’s to wait n that’s upsetting or they eat without me which I make them do because isn’t that y I cooked) this has made me feel like wife and mom again, it is also now letting me bring in a little income. Because I do this in my own home where I have my medical equipment and things I need, then also we do our meals after the workshop while the tools are out and being used. I never pre prep my meat and never ask my guest to do any of it at home, but help my guest by having a place to do that n gloves, n wipes handy. I think that’s what it’s about is doing it all at once getting it out of the way n making the mess at my house! Not all the meals are complete meals but out of 10 meals about 5-7 are depending on the menu.
N the biggest thing I say that helps is not to do your shopping right before & to show up on time which is 10min early, to be sure you get special instructions for each menu
I go help at my managers house now to see new things she does or new menus etc.. And the one mistake I see is people go buy big bags n bottles of stuff they say they had at home. That also cuts down your cost n u can put that in a sandwich bag n that’s a lot lighter then carrying a whole bottle of ketchup or bag of sugar for only 1 tablespoon.
(If you look at the shopping list at home you will probably find u have a stick of butter, or 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/2 c mustard etc)
So I ask you if it can change your life like it has mine wouldn’t you do it! If your in the Des Moines Iowa area and want to know more or come to one of mine find me on FB & private message me or find me on pamperedchef.com
I have been to one of these pampered chef freezer workshops and I feel your off your rocker. It was fun, I did meet 6 new ladies that I can name without a issue…the meals are way cheeper then me trying to throw together a meal at 6:30 PM or later when I roll into my house from work, PTL, 4H meetings, feeding animals, etc I never broke a sweat and I am not in shape at all (normally do the fast food thing) I think everyone should try something new.
I am actually a pampered chef consultant and did my first freezer meal workshop yesterday, and I just have to say that maybe some of you just did not have a great host (no offense to anyone). The workshop I was at was so much fun . We laughed and had a great time and none of us broke a sweat. If you are unorganized to begin with you will be overwhelmed. Is this for everyone, no. If you give up because you had one bad experience, then you must give up a lot in life. Don’t give up on it, you just need to find a host that works for you. I know some stuff is expensive but I actually substituted with some of the spices I already had at home that are simmlar. I have a family of 5 and love the fact that I can have dinner on the table between the kids activities and before bed and still have quality time. My daughter loves to help me so we prepair meals together and freeze them. A lot of them are an entire meal as well.
Thanks for the awesome post! I am a new consultant and I had a very similar experience as you did when I attended my first workshop about 2 months ago. I was very hesitant but I fell in love with the process, the products, and the meals and 3 parties later, I am now a consultant! If anyone has any questions or wants to talk about hosting, even a facebook party let me know! I will be happy to answer any questions!
I’m also a Wildtree girl, and I tend to prefer our workshops because of the preservative free and dietary restriction-friendly seasonings. But as someone who offers workshops, it was helpful to read your account! I try to keep them fun even though they are about productivity, we have a popcorn intermission, snacks and music.
For me, they’re totally cost effective, because I buy mostly organic and even Mac and cheese can hardly beat the price.
I’m also curious about menu differences. While some of our menus are more like entrees, we do have several menus that are one pot meals.
Thanks for the post!
Love my Wildtree freezer workshops and all the unique, family friendly recipes we have. Such huge time savers and we do save money because we are not eating out during the week anymore. Thank you for sharing. Although I prefer Wildtree (organic & GMO free culinary blends) to PC the experience is similar.
Have you ever tried Dream Dinners? I would love to hear how this compares.
I haven’t – is that a franchise? Off to google again…
It is a franchise. Part of what I don’t like about cooking is doing the grocery store shopping. I happen to own a Dream Dinners in California. But I love that PC is doing something like this and want to try it.
Hi,
I just did my first Pampered Chef freezer meal party this past weekend. The first dinner was really salty almost to the point of inedible. We threw away a good amount. I’m worried about the other 9 meals. Can anybody give any feedback about their experience after the food was cooked? Should I plan to add a potato to the crock pot to soak up some of the salt when I do the others?
Oh no! See I found the opposite with ours. I wished I had loaded in more spices as we are a very garlic-friendly family. Maybe there was a mistake with the recipe? Hope the rest turn out!
Probably was prepared by someone who doesn’t know the difference between TBS and tsp measurements!
If you liked the PC freezer meal workshops, you may want to consider trying a Widltree FMW too. I love my Wildtree FMWs, they both provide the push to get meals pre prepped & into your freezer, our Wildtree recipes are freely shared, they’re on the website. Consider the quality of the products you’re feeding your family.
I am not in the Wildtree loop, obvs. Off to google…
I am so happy to read all of the positive comments concerning freezer meals with PC as well as Wild Tree I just signed up last week as a Wild Tree Rep. I have been doing some research today to learn how to best serve all of my customers. I plan to do all of my classes on line. Thanks for your wonderful post
Hey can you share your recipes with us. I would love to see what they are cooking
Carolyn,
I know you posted this over a month ago, but you didn’t get a response. As a PC rep I can tell you we have all worked together to create & improve upon TONS of recipes. From where these all started to all the plans we have now (including vegetarian & paleo workshops) the options are incredible. If you reach out to your local PC consultant they can help you decide on a menu that works for you. If you don’t have a consultant you can go to Pampered Chef website & they will put you in contact with someone in your area. I’m in IL. Good luck!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I have been invited to one and hadn’t decided yet whether to accept or decline. I think I will accept but will have a better idea of what to expect.
Roxanne, definitely go. My freezer is about empty and school’s starting soon. I need to go too!
I really appreciate your blog and so glad you shared your experience. I am a Pampered Chef Consultant and have now hosted 3 at my house. I have leaned from the very FIRST one I hosted the things I needed to change and you hit the main one. Have your meet cut up and ready to go. I tell all my guest how much meet should be in each bag and to have their meet ready to do for assembling! Cooler on wheels YES! AND most of you all you should be having fun!
My Freezer meal workshops- Music is playing, people are dancing, wine and margaritas are being served and my guest are really having a good time!
*meat 😉
Hahaha, Sabrina, I can only imagine what my recipes would taste like if I had all that going on too! 😉
As a Pampered Chef consultant in the beginning stages of offering the Dinners Done workshops. I really appreciate your feedback! Thank you for sharing your insight!
Awesome Tirsa! I know your clients will love them.
that sound like a great idea! could I get the recipes? or how can I get the recipes?
You get the recipes when you attend a Pampered Chef’s Dinners Done workshop.
Hi Jessica! The secret to the recipes is really the spice mixes that you buy from the PC rep, but they do provide you with the assembly list. Apparently there’s a whole underground network of recipes that they test and share amongst themselves. Tap into a rep who does a lot of these things and I’ll bet you’ll get some gooooooood stuff.
Jessica what area do you live in.
Wildtree has been doing these for a while now, Here’s the Wildtree recipes, they cost even less than Pampered Chef and they’re organic/non GMO too! I imagine you could use similar spice blends from the grocery store too … http://organize365.com/10-wildtree-freezer-meals/
Thanks Lora! I’ll have to check that out.
One big difference between PC and wild tree is that PC consultants provide all the quality “gadgets” needed to piece the meals together.
As a Wildtree rep, when I do a Freezer Meal Workshop, I have the tools for assembly as well. I support all of my Direct Sale Sisters and as far as Pampered Chef, I am a huge fan. You can tell by my kitchen 😉
Trista –
Thank you for clarifying some questions I was too wondering as I don’t want to keep bugging the Pampered Chef lady with all my questions on how this works. The good new is my workshop is in 2 days at my sister’s house so all in all I have 2 teenage nephews to help carry to my car. They say this will be 2 hours obviously they haven’t met the ladies who will be attending my sisters workshop this will be a 4-5 hour process guaranteed. We find ways to talk and be silly. 🙂
Thanks again and I plan to pre-cut my chicken before I go.
Tricia H
You were smart to bring the muscle. Wish I had thought of that!
Tricia – how did it go?
I’ve gone to one too it was definitely more then two hours (was reps first one doing – Jamie Craven.) Tiring/fun/real nice when I pull one out of freezer. Would do again
Oh and our rep made brownie dessert in her oven roaster for us to take a break lol
Trista-
Ditto! I too went to my first Pampered Chef freezer meal workshop on June 16th; I had a towel just to keep sweat from rolling down my face! Gross!! But, I look at those meals ready for me at the moment I feel a drive-thru meal coming on and Ba-zing, it was all worthwhile! I am glad you mentioned they were entree’s; I was a little bummed I had a bit more planning to do. But hey- minute rice and frozen vegies complete almost any meal. I will attend another next month, and “host” (at my P.C. Consultants house) the following! I too am sold!
LOL! I totally needed a towel! What a great add to the suggestions. I think I’ll wear my 80’s sweatbands next time.