Favorite freezer friendly recipes?

[monkeybug]

So I am determined to stock up my freezer this summer with meals that can just be re-heated and eaten. Last time I had a baby I was a member of a moms club, and a very active church, and got food delivered to my house every night for almost a month!!! (I know! I was insanely lucky!!) This time I am a member of neither, and have no family (a.k.a. cooks) nearby (I know...I should call the waaaambulance....God forbid I have to actually cook like most mamas to newborns do). I've decided I would rather spend a few extra hours a week in the kitchen this summer and have it easy in the kitchen again after baby. I discovered that I rather liked not having to cook after getting 2 minutes of
sleep the night before!
Anyways, does anyone have any tasty freezer friendly recipes to share? Any tips on freezing veggies with out them turning to mush?
Thanks!!!

 

[bas71873]

Off the top of my head.......

Lasagna
Chicken enchiladas
Beef enchiladas
Sloppy Joes
BBQ
Taco meat (then just pull it out and have taco night)

 

[Piglet843]

Off the top of my head.......

Lasagna
Chicken enchiladas
Beef enchiladas
Sloppy Joes
BBQ
Taco meat (then just pull it out and have taco night)

Along these lines - I would freeze cooked Meat to easily and quickly throw together a meal of choice at the time - instead of having to choose a pre-thought-out meal.

For example... Freeze Grilled Chicken or Steak or Pork Chops, or BBQ pulled pork, ground beef/turkey/pork, or even raw Shrimp on Skewers in a marinade (it will marinate as it thaws!)
Then set out to thaw that morning, that night you can throw together an easy supper - Sammies, Wraps, Stir Fry, Burritos/Tacos/Fajitas, Dinner Salad, Chicken Salad, Pasta dishes, even a breakfast dish - like a frittata, the shrimp cooks in no time...

Hope this helps...

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

Three meals I typically freeze extras from are Tortilla soup, chopped barbque, and chili. I can tell no difference when they're thawed as opposed to fresh. I also freeze grilled chicken and then reuse it in chicken meals such as fajitas, chicken pot pies, chicken salad, etc. I love having ready made meals for nights I don't have time to cook. So much healthier than eating out.

 

[monkeybug]

So do frozen grilled or cooked meats stay moist once they are thawed? I've only ever frozen stuff like enchiladas, soups, spaghetti sauce...things that are kind of saucy when thawed. I love all of those things, but would love some other types of foods too. I would love to be able to freeze just individual ingredients like cooked meats and veggies, and then just add a few pantry items the day of to make a meal, but I've never frozen things like that. Can you freeze cooked rice?
I really like the shrimp idea!

 

[lovesmurfs]

So I am determined to stock up my freezer this summer with meals that can just be re-heated and eaten. Last time I had a baby I was a member of a moms club, and a very active church, and got food delivered to my house every night for almost a month!!! (I know! I was insanely lucky!!) This time I am a member of neither, and have no family (a.k.a. cooks) nearby (I know...I should call the waaaambulance....God forbid I have to actually cook like most mamas to newborns do). I've decided I would rather spend a few extra hours a week in the kitchen this summer and have it easy in the kitchen again after baby. I discovered that I rather liked not having to cook after getting 2 minutes of
sleep the night before!
Anyways, does anyone have any tasty freezer friendly recipes to share? Any tips on freezing veggies with out them turning to mush?
Thanks!!!

I'll buy chicken breasts fresh and then freeze in zipper bags with marinade -- thaw and grill.

Agree with PP -- It's wonderful having pre-cooked chicken, turkey, and ground beef pre-measured in the freezer.

 

[bas71873]

Agree with PP -- It's wonderful having pre-cooked chicken, turkey, and ground beef pre-measured in the freezer.

How do you cook your chicken before you freeze it? do you just bake it plain? boil it?

 

[lovesmurfs]

How do you cook your chicken before you freeze it? do you just bake it plain? boil it?

Me, however I'm cooking for another recipe -- I'll just add extra breasts and freeze the leftovers.

I prefer roasting (with poultry seasoning), but grilling and boiling works, too.

 

[disykat]

How do you cook your chicken before you freeze it? do you just bake it plain? boil it?

What I do is just cook extra when I'm making a meal. I do whole chickens sometimes and just cut up the leftovers, stick them in a freezer bag, and take out later for a casserole. I do the same thing if I roast a turkey. Even if I grill chicken breasts, I do a few extra to slice up and toss in the freezer in meal size baggies to put on salads at lunchtime. When I brown hamburger I usually brown an extra pound to freeze.

In other words, if I knew I wanted to freeze meat to use for a casserole later, I'd plan a meal of roast meat with plans to freeze the leftovers, rather than cooking it just for this purpose.

 

[Piglet843]

We love to get max usage from our grill.
Since its just the two of us - when we fire up our grill for our dinner - we make sure to use the grill for a few extra things for the week or freezing.
Season your meat with a simple salt & pepper (then you can season it how you want in your dish later)
Let it cool a little bit before freezing (to prevent excess moisture) - I usually cool to room temp.
Seal it in a Freezer ziploc bag (dont skimp and use a Storage ziploc bag - you'll regret it)
Get ALL the air out of it (use a straw to help if needed) - and Freeze.
Thaw in the fridge during the day - or in a sink of Cold water for a couple hours if you need it quicker.

 

[Imzadi]

If you have a Foodsaver or some type of vacuum sealer for food bags, you can make boil-in-bag items that you can freeze then just toss in boiling water to defrost & heat up. It has to be the vacuum sealer type bags though, NOT Ziplock bags. Those are not boilable. Ziplocks melt and the plastic can migrate into the foods.

From what little research I've done, whether for boil-in-bags or just freezing to bake in a regular casserole dish in the oven, any types of meals covered with sauce or liquids work best. The foods need the liquids to keep the foods moist or juicy while boiling/baking. Crunchy or dry things won't freeze and reheat well. Leave foods a little under-cooked before freezing, so they can finish cooking a little while boiling or baking.

Many people who do the "Once a month" freezer cooking simply make more of what they are cooking each night anyways, then simply vacuum seal the extra in individual portions.

Some meals are:
Spaghetti with meat sauce
Mac & cheese (extra sauce)
Individual slices of meatloaf with sauce
Chinese stir-fry
Saucy cooked casseroles, scooped in individual portions into bags and sealed.
Beef stroganoff
Chili

 

[monkeybug]

If you have a Foodsaver or some type of vacuum sealer for food bags, you can make boil-in-bag items that you can freeze then just toss in boiling water to defrost & heat up. It has to be the vacuum sealer type bags though, NOT Ziplock bags. Those are not boilable. Ziplocks melt and the plastic can migrate into the foods.

From what little research I've done, whether for boil-in-bags or just freezing to bake in a regular casserole dish in the oven, any types of meals covered with sauce or liquids work best. The foods need the liquids to keep the foods moist or juicy while boiling/baking. Crunchy or dry things won't freeze and reheat well. Leave foods a little under-cooked before freezing, so they can finish cooking a little while boiling or baking.

Many people who do the "Once a month" freezer cooking simply make more of what they are cooking each night anyways, then simply vacuum seal the extra in individual portions.

Some meals are:
Spaghetti with meat sauce
Mac & cheese (extra sauce)
Individual slices of meatloaf with sauce
Chinese stir-fry
Saucy cooked casseroles, scooped in individual portions into bags and sealed.
Beef stroganoff
Chili

I do have a food saver, so I'll have to try some boil in a bag recipes, I had never heard of that!
I was hoping there was a way to make less of those saucy type foods as typically we don't eat a ton of those, but if it saves me time my family can deal with a few casseroles and some ground meat for a month!
I also like the idea a few pp have mentioned about marinating the meat and then freezing it. Sometimes we just have meat, cut up cucumber, and maybe some strawberries or grilled zucchini. If I marinated the meat ahead of time, that kind of meal really wouldn't take much longer than reheating something frozen, and it would give us a break from the saucy!
Thanks so much everyone for all your suggestions!!

 

[monkeybug]

We love to get max usage from our grill.
Since its just the two of us - when we fire up our grill for our dinner - we make sure to use the grill for a few extra things for the week or freezing.
Season your meat with a simple salt & pepper (then you can season it how you want in your dish later)
Let it cool a little bit before freezing (to prevent excess moisture) - I usually cool to room temp.
Seal it in a Freezer ziploc bag (dont skimp and use a Storage ziploc bag - you'll regret it)
Get ALL the air out of it (use a straw to help if needed) - and Freeze.
Thaw in the fridge during the day - or in a sink of Cold water for a couple hours if you need it quicker.

And it doesn't dry out when it defrosts? We grill almost every night in the summer and I would love to freeze some of the meat to use later in things like tacos, salads, or just by itself with a side dish, but for some reason I always thought meat would dry out if frozen by itself. If it doesn't that's great!