Freezable meals?

[disney_girl]

Not sure if this is the right place for this post...move if needed!

Any suggestions on meals that freeze well for later? I like the idea of once a month cooking, but not sure I can/ want to completely do it that way. But I am looking for ideas on meals that I can make in multiple batches and freeze for future (that are also on the healthier side). Things have been really busy around here with moving, trying to organize the house and having a 3 year old and baby on the way. I am just looking for some ways to simplify somewhat.

Right now, the only things I've tried are spaghetti sauce that I make in the crock pot and breakfast burritos that my husband takes to work. It's really nice to be able to pull something out of the freezer and throw together. I think it's both healthier and cheaper than take out, etc.

So, what kind of recipes are good for freezing?

Thanks!!
Carla

[nolacindy]

Lasangna, shepards pie, chicken and rice all freeze well. Also I like to cook a large amount of ground meat and place it in quart bags to use for spagetti, hamburger helper (not healthy but very quick). You can do this with chicken also so all you have to do is pull it out and add it to the sauce.

[disney_girl]

Good idea on the ground beef and chicken. I think cooking the meat takes the longest time so that would help a lot. I could do chicken for quick tacos or chicken quesadillas.

What is the best kind of container to freeze things like lasagna? I'm sure it depends partly on the type of freezer space you have also.

[nolacindy]

After cooking it I would let it set up in the fridge overnight cut it into large squares and then place it in freezer bags. Then when you wanted to use it all you have to do is cut the bag, take out and place in a dish to warm in the microwave or back in the oven to reheat. I usually bake them in the throw away aluminum baking pans, not sure if it is safe to freeze tomato based things in those.

[wilsonfamily4]

I try to do this a lot. I make a meal but double it to have one for the freezer and one for that night. I do lasanga, chicken enchiladas, chicken pot pie, etc. I make them in the foil containers or my pampered chef stoneware. The one I really really like is a Mexican soup. It makes a large batch and then I freeze the rest in individual containers, for this I use cottage cheese or sourcream containers. I pull one out the night before for lunches. It is so healthy, cheap and I love the taste. It also makes enough to freeze a dinner, So I get two dinners and like 4 lunches. Yummo.

I like having meals done on days I just cannot think of anything for dinner, we are out of food, or we are super busy. It also saves money by just doubling a recipe.

[disney_girl]

These are all good ideas!!
Ok... you gotta give up the Mexican soup recipe now- it sounds like something I would love!!

[wilsonfamily4]

These are all good ideas!!
Ok... you gotta give up the Mexican soup recipe now- it sounds like something I would love!!

Okay but as a disclaimer, I like to cook and I change recipes a lot. So this will be as close to it as I can remember. :)

4 large chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
2 cups water
1 tsp, or a little more, garlic
1 large onion chopped
4 cans mexican Chile beans (the kind I get is S&W Chili Beans --Pinto beans with chilli peppers, onion, garlic in a zesty tomato sauce)
2 cans whole kernel corn ( we have used creamed when that was all we had and it works just fine)
1 can tomato sauce
2 cans Mexican stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 can green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 envelope ranch dressing

Again, you can change the amounts of everything to fit your taste. This is a forgiving recipe.

Combine chicken, broth, water, garlic, and onion in pot and cook until chicken is done. Remove just chicken and add everything else. Stir until seasonings dissolve. Shred chicken and add. Let simmer stirring occassionaly for as long as you need, but at least 30 minutes. Serve with cheese, sourcream and tortilla chips. You can also add lettuce and avacoda.

I have also added olives to the soup. I like them but my husband does not. So I only do it once in a great while.

It does seem to get better over time. It freezes really good.

[m 'n c]

Tuna helper freezes really well for me. I do 2 cans of tuna per box as well as 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots.

Let me dig out a few others

[m 'n c]

Here's a few I've posted on other boards:

I made this last night from the food network - Everyday Italian. It was pretty good and super fast. Was a little twist on regular ravioli and the fresh basil really gave it a tangy taste. I just wished I could have found the spinach ravioli to use instead of cheese but none of the 3 stores I went to had it!!! Not sure on the NI or the WW Points.

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (you can definetly use less like 3 tbsp max)
1 1/2 pounds spinach ravioli or tortelloni (cheese will work)
1 cup purchased marinara sauce
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used part skim and it was fine)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (only do 1 tbsp because it is a strong taste)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add about 1/4 cup olive oil to the water to help prevent pasta from sticking. Add the ravioli and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain the ravioli, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Toss the ravioli with the remaining oil to coat (can skip this part if you want).

Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking often. Whisk in the ricotta and enough reserved cooking water to thin the sauce to desired consistency. For a thicker sauce, use less pasta water; for a thinner sauce, add more water. Return the sauce to a simmer. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of sauce over the bottom of each of 6 bowls. Arrange the ravioli over the sauce. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the ravioli. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and the basil, and serve.

Chicken Spagetti

Boil chicken (2-3 breasts) in water with a couple of bay leaves thrown in.

Once done with chicken saute 1 onion chopped in 1 stick of butter (you can cut this in half if you want). Once they are "cooked" add 1 can of tomato soup, 1 can diced rotel, 1 pound velveta cheese until melted. then shred the chicken into small pieces (use 2 forks) and put in the cheesy mix. Cook 1 package of spagetti (vermacelli works best) in the chicken broth. Drain when noodles are done. add noodles to the cheesy mix and bake in the oven on 350 until it bubbles. Then take out and enjoy.

Chicken Roll Ups

3 chicken breasts (if they are big just do 2) - cook and chop up into shreds/small chunks

combine chicken with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. I also add in brocolli (just microwave the frozen kind and then cut into small chunks) and carrots. Then you will need 2 cans of cresant rolls (I get the pillsbury kind) Roll out the dough and seal the seems of 2 of them to form one big square. then you put in the chicken mixture and then roll up and seal the sides and the one long seam. You should make 6-8 rolls.

Then place in a casserole dish. Next pour 1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of milk over them to make a sauce and then sprinkle 1/4 cup cheddar cheese on top. Cook on 375 for 20 minutes.

[LuvMyBoys]

I subscribe to the Taste of Home magazines and Light & Tasty so I always use the reiman website to find good freezer dishes. They have a whole section of "freezer pleasers" recipes.

Some recipes are subscriber's only, but the majority of them aren't. That might be a good place to look. :)

[m 'n c]

Do you have a crockpot? Most recipes are for 8-10 servings so you could make some and freeze half the recipe. Or you could put it on in the morning while the kids are napping and then it would be ready for dinner time later and you won't have to cook at all.

[linanglab]

I always double on these dinners and freeze 1/2 of it.

Meatloaf
Lasagna
Homemade Vegie Soup
Homemade Mac and Cheese
Taco Meat
Speghetti Sauce
Chili

Now, this makes me think....what will I have for dinner tonight???

Angela

[Lisaj68]

I subscribe to the Taste of Home magazines and Light & Tasty so I always use the reiman website to find good freezer dishes. They have a whole section of "freezer pleasers" recipes.

Some recipes are subscriber's only, but the majority of them aren't. That might be a good place to look. :)

That's a good idea! thanks!

How about eggs? Do they freeze well? I was thinking about those breakfast casserole dishes that you make the night before and bakethe next morning. Further, I was thinking about making them in muffin tins and then freezing them. Cook first then freeze??

Whatcha think????

[LuvMyBoys]

That's a good idea! thanks!

How about eggs? Do they freeze well? I was thinking about those breakfast casserole dishes that you make the night before and bakethe next morning. Further, I was thinking about making them in muffin tins and then freezing them. Cook first then freeze??

Whatcha think????

I would cook first and then freeze. I have no problems with freezing cooked quiches and then reheating. Here are the instructions for quiche would should be similar for other egg dishes:

Quiche can be frozen either before it is baked or after baking. To freeze, tightly wrap it in heavy-duty foil for up to 3 months. To use an unbaked frozen quiche, remove it from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Remove foil and bake the quiche according to the recipe’s directions, allowing 10 to 20 minutes of additional time.
To use a baked frozen quiche, remove foil (do not thaw) and bake it in a 350˚ oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.


I also make extra homemade waffles when I make a weekend batch and freeze those. The boys can just pop them in the toaster in the mornings. :sunshine:

[wilsonfamily4]

I also make extra homemade waffles when I make a weekend batch and freeze those. The boys can just pop them in the toaster in the mornings. :sunshine:

I also do this with pancakes. My son is always asking for them and I hate making them every morning so I just freeze them and then stick them in the toaster. :)

Yesterday I pulled out a recipe I had frozen in parts. I like chicken pockets so last time I put my cut up chicken in a baggie and the grated cheese in a baggie. It is the spicy cheese so we don't always have that around so I wanted to save it for this recipe. I then put the two baggies in one baggie. I pulled that out and had my ingredients already to go into the crescent roll pockets. It was so nice! I wasn't sure how cheese would freeze but I baked with it and it did not taste any different.

[disney_girl]

Thanks for all the great ideas! Now I need to find time to sit down and plan some meals out and get busy!

I'm glad to read the tip on freezing the cheese- I had wondered how that would be. As for eggs, the only way I have frozen them is when they are scrambled in breakfast burritos and they turn out fine.

Another idea I came across was to make pizza crust. Make the dough and roll out into 10 or 12 inch rounds. Then flash freeze it and once frozen put in ziploc bags. I was thinking that I could make some pizza sauce and divide it into bags as well. Then stick a baggie of sauce, one of cheese and the crust in a bigger bag and throw in the freezer. We typically have veggie pizza so I'm sure I could throw in some chopped veggies or you could have meat. At least it sounds like a good plan! :) I'm going to try it out this weekend and see how it goes!

[Lisaj68]

Thanks for the info on the eggs! I am going to try it this weekend! Will let you know how it turns out.

I also like to make spaghetti pies and throw them in the freezer:

6 oz. spaghetti
2T butter
1 well beaten egg
1/3 C. Parm. cheese

1 C. cottage cheese
1 C. Motzarella cheese

1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey)
1/2 C. chopped onions
1/2 diced green pepper
1 15 oz. jar spagetti sauce, or your own sauce

cook pasta and put in a bowl. Add other ing. stir and make a "crust". Mix the 3 cheeses and spread over crust. Cook the 3rd set of ing. and put over cheese. Bake for 30 min. add more motz. and let melt in oven.

I usually make 4 and freeze 3.

[Lisaj68]

okay, I've seen 2 posts now about freezing breakfast burritos. I usually just make them in the morning but.....!

flour tortillas, scrambled eggs, cheese, breakfast meat, if desired, salsa, roll and wrap in foil and just freeze like that????

[disney_girl]

That's how we do the burritos. I put scrambled eggs, diced cooked potatoes, breakfast meat (in some), salsa and cheese in the tortillas and roll them up. I usually wrap them individually in saran and then place in ziploc bags and toss in the freezer. You could probably also flash freeze them and put in ziploc but since DH takes them to work for breakfast I think the saran is a little easier. I know that "fresh made" probably tastes somewhat better, but there just isn't always enough time to make them in the mornings and this helps out a lot! And it's healthier and cheaper than him buying breakfast every morning!!

[m 'n c]

What is flash freezing?

[disney_girl]

Sorry... I've been reading way too many cookbooks. lol Flash freezing is used a lot in the "Everything Meals for a Month Cookbook".

Flash freezing is basically freezing something right away to keep the shape of the food and keep them from sticking together. For example, you could make biscuits up to the point where you cut out the circles, then lay them on a cookie sheet not touching. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer until they are frozen solid. Then you can put all of the biscuits into a ziploc bags and they will retain their shape and not stick together. Gee...hope that made sense- one of those things that is hard to type out lol!
You can do it with things like waffles rather than having to put waxed paper or something between each waffle. Another thing I have done this with is cookie dough. I make up a batch of cookie dough and use a small scoop and space out the cookie dough on a sheet. Freeze until solid then put them all into a ziploc bags. They stay in the ball shape and do not stick together (for the most part). Then you can just cook a few at a time rather than a big batch.

[linanglab]

I think now that the kids are in school, I am going to take a couple days and make some dishes to freeze. The boys are in football and we have been eating pretty poorly - lots of processed foods and lunch meat. One kids has to be at practice at 4:00, the other at 5:00. We do not get home until 7ish. Too early to eat, and it is too late to eat when we get home (at least for a fancy meal.) But if I freeze them, it will be easier. I might be able to do some individual type dishes too. Like the quiches, except placing them in muffin tins and the kids can pull them out and heat them as needed.

Angela

[ligrumpygirl]

We are off from school next Thursday and Friday due to Jewish holidays. I may go shopping and get all the ingredients to try these recipes. Cook, freeze, cook, freeze! Let's see how much I can do!

[disney_girl]

Another breakfast item we tried with success was Egg Muffin Sandwiches.

Basically toast English muffins. Cook meat (bacon, sausage, ham) if desired and drain. Make scrambled eggs just until set and add crumbled meat. Put one slice of cheese on half of English muffin, top with egg mixture, another slice of cheese and remaining half of English muffin. You can individually wrap them and then put in a bigger Ziploc bag. Reheat in microwave 1-3 minutes.

[Lisaj68]

We are off from school next Thursday and Friday due to Jewish holidays. I may go shopping and get all the ingredients to try these recipes. Cook, freeze, cook, freeze! Let's see how much I can do!

I love this time of year. Seasonal nesting!!! Cook, freeze! Cook, freeze!

[Lisaj68]

Okay! I made an egg casserole Saturday night, baked it, cut it into serving pieces, wrapped it in Saran wrap and put most of it in the freezer. Served some this morning for breakfast and it was really yummy.

Will definately be doing that again!!

[disney_girl]

Sounds yummy! And I'm sure it saved you some time this morning too!
It's raining like crazy here today so I made some Mexican cornbread for dinner- I made a double batch and will freeze half for later.

I was planning to get some other things cooked today to freeze/ have ready for later in the week, but I needed to run to the grocery store first. With all this rain, I doubt it will be today!

[m 'n c]

I know this is a tad late but I have been wondering what is mexican cornbread? Did you make anything else to freeze?

[wilsonfamily4]

I froze a dinner tonight and decided this month I will double/freeze 80-90 percent of whatever I am making for dinner that night for the next month. That way next month will be so much cheaper (more money then for Christmas shopping) and I will not be stressed about making dinners!

[coastalgirl]

I froze a dinner tonight and decided this month I will double/freeze 80-90 percent of whatever I am making for dinner that night for the next month. That way next month will be so much cheaper (more money then for Christmas shopping) and I will not be stressed about making dinners!

That is a really great idea! I may have to try that!

[m 'n c]

I think I'm going to start freezing stuff too because as it gets colder outside I"m going to want something warm and fast. I'm not going to want to cook and wait for something warm to eat.

[disney_girl]

I need to work on this also! I want to get some meals in the freezer before the baby comes so that between the freezer and crockpot, meals will be easy. I think we're actually going to look at freezers this weekend so we can stockpile some stuff.

I haven't done as much as I had planned so far. I have mostly frozen crockpot spaghetti sauce, lasagna, crockpot chili, cornbread and homemade breads. But I have to say it was nice after a week in WDW to come home and open the freezer and have something to toss in the oven without much effort! I'm planning to crack open the cookbooks this weekend and get started trying some recipes.

m 'n c... the mexican cornbread (at least how we do it) is your basic cornbread recipe with drained corn, shredded cheese, diced jalapenos and diced onions. Some people also put cooked ground beef but I never have.

[m 'n c]

Do you like red beans and rice disney girl? I think I posted my dad's recipe on the chatty women blog but I can dig it out for you if you can't find it. Its really easy and freezes very well.

[Lisaj68]

Does anyone know how mashed potatoes freeze? I made some red potato - garlic smashed the other day and have enough left for another side. I'd love to be able to pull it out of the freezer one busy night.

[wilsonfamily4]

I would try it. I don't think they are known for freezing well BUT you can always try. You could always add some sourcream or heavy cream and try reheating it to fix the consistency that may get ruined in freezing.

[Lisaj68]

not an issue anymore!

We ate them for lunch with scrambled eggs! :p

[disney_girl]

Well, I think we're going freezer shopping this weekend :) . We've been needing to replace the one we had in the garage but just haven't done it yet. With all this cooking I've been doing, there is now a real need!

This week I've done quite a bit of cooking for later- whew! It confuses DH when he comes home and smells so many different foods- he doesn't know what we're actually having for dinner! Then when I say sandwiches he's really :confused: . I'm finding that having food ready in the freezer has really helped me the past few weeks so I'm going to continue doing it for now! I'm still working on broadening the menu variety right now, but I think I have a good start.

So far, I've made and frozen the following (not all this week lol):

Spaghetti sauce (both with ground turkey and plain)
Turkey chili
Turkey meatloaf
Cornbread
Pizza dough (rolled out into 12 inch rounds)
Pizza sauce
Breakfast burritos
Bean and cheese burritos

It seems for the most part, the main dish is the most time consuming, so I thought cooking up some chicken (we don't eat red meat) would save some time. I got a good deal on chicken breasts, so I cooked it up a few different ways:
Fajita marinated chicken with onions and peppers
A few batches of shredded/ diced chicken (for chicken salad etc)
A few batches of bite sized seasoned chicken (for pasta, fried rice, salads, quesadillas)
A batch of diced chicken in taco seasoning (for quesadillas, tacos)

Then I also chopped up onions, peppers, and potatoes and froze those. If nothing else, that will make the breakfast burritos go faster. DH takes those to work every morning- he prefers the homemade ones and it sure beats $1.85 a day to buy one at work!

We also like homemade cookies, but never finish them while they are still fresh so they go to waste- so I made up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and cooked a dozen and scooped the rest into balls and froze those. I'll probably try some other cookie varieties next week.

Last thing I'm going to do this week is soup. I really like soup and can eat that for lunch during the week. Wow- sounds like I've done a ton of cooking lol! But I'm trying to figure out new recipes as well as get a little prepared for when the baby comes (and the holidays). The baby is due December 15th, but my gut tells me it will be sooner and DS was 2 months early, so just trying to be a little prepared! Also have so much other stuff I'm working on and need to get done in the next few weeks so this should help a lot!



m 'n c... I would love the recipe for red beans and rice whenever you have the time! Thanks!


Carla

[DisneyMa]

Wow! You have been busy!

I just bought a freezer last weekend and have been working hard to fill it up!:D What a great thread. I'll have to try some meals from here.

[m 'n c]

Here you go.
Red Beans and Rice

This recipe makes 6-8 servings depending on how much water you choose to add and how much rice you want to eat with it. Typically I do a 1/2 c red beans to 1/2 c rice serving. Over the years we have discovered that Green Giant makes cans of red beans and they taste much better than kidney beans which you may use as a substitute.

Ingredients:
3 cans of Red Beans, drained
1 package of Smoked sausage (the oval shaped package), sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices and then cut into halves
Onion (diced - any proportion that you enjoy) or onion powder
Celery (diced - any proportion that you enjoy) or celery powder/flakes
Garlic (minced - any proportion that you enjoy) or garlic powder
Mahatma Rice - white or brown will work
And the secret ingredient - Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (use to taste) This ingredient is usually found beneath the spice racks.

Directions to cook:
1. Begin by sautéing the onion, celery, and garlic in about a teaspoon of oil (I typically use Extra Virgin Olive Oil) in a soup pot on medium heat.
2. Remove once they become tender and then brown sausage in pot. Remove sausage and drain on a paper towel.
3. Place beans into pot and stir the bottom of the pot to loosen up the flavours. Add 1-2 cans of water to the pot depending on how thick you like your red beans.
4. Add veggies and sausage to the red beans and cook for 30-40 minutes until the mixture has thickened then remove from heat. The mixture will remain to thicken once removed.
5. While the mixture is cooking make your rice following the directions on the bag. The rice will take about 20 minutes to cook on a stove top.
6. Add your Creole seasoning when serving.

A nice addition to this recipe is cornbread. I typically buy the Jiffy brand which runs a nice $0.33 a box. The only warning I have is that cornbread mixture can attract weevils so either purchase the day you are cooking or store in a zip lock.

I made a southwestern chicken crockpot meal. I'll post it if its any good :)

[m 'n c]

Ok I had some of the Southwestern Chicken last night. It was ok - definetly not a favorite but since it wasn't bad I'll share it.

Southwestern Chicken

2 cans corn, drained and rinsed - normal sized can
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed - normal sized can
6 chicken breast halves (I used 3 and cut them in half)
1 jar salsa - 16 oz
shredded cheddar cheese

Dump the veggie cans into the crockpot with 1/2 cup salsa. Mix up. Put chicken on top and then pour remaining salsa on top of chicken.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Once done top with cheddar cheese (amount you like) and heat till cheese melts. Makes 6 servings.

[wedgeL]

To make them healthier I put my meat frozen into a pan, about 2 lbs good ground beef, add a little water (an inch) dice up some onion and add and turn on fairly low heat. This will cook pretty quickly for you, I break the meat up a little at a time as it thaws.
When done I drain and rinse and put back in pot and let cook a little longer, I add a little onion salt and garlic salt. Then I add a couple of cups or more of catsup and about 1/2-3/4 cup of brown sugar and cook on low for a few min.
You can make more or less and just adjust your amounts to taste. It freezes nicely. When I reheat from freezer I add just a little water and little catsup to it so it will not be dry tasting. My dh loves this and it is a cheap, easy, good meal....and kids really gobble this down...:)

[stacyzim]

A supereasy recipie is Chicken Soft Tacos.

1 pound of frozen chicken breasts
taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilis

Put it all in the crockpot, shred and serve with tortillas and fixings.