Freezing Meals

[MrsPete]

I have never boiled meat. How long do you boil it for? Does it reduce the flavor?

I just cook it 'til it's done -- kind of like I do everything else. I don't pay much attention to recipes.

No, the flavor isn't reduced. You don't have browned edges, but this is meat that goes into casseroles, into sauces, etc. Add the onions, garlic, whatever else AFTER it's drained.

If you're a little suspicious, just give it a try with one-pound of meat. It's a small investment, and if you disgree with me you won't have lost much of anything.

 

[MrsPete]

Has anyone frozen a rotisserie chicken that you purchased like from Costco? How do you do this? Thanks for all the valuable info. I am a working mom with 3 busy girls. I feel like we eat out too much because we are on the go to after school activities. Any help is appreciated...

I make homemade five-hour chicken (four at a time 'cause that's what'll fit into my oven) and freeze three. Usually I cut them up and store them as boneless chicken to save space in the freezer. The kind I make is VERY good either cold, rewarmed, or popped into a casserole -- but only the quick-cooking kind because the meat is already fully cooked, and it isn't good to over-do it.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Another good site to check is www.recipezaar.com. If you go to the Community or Forums section, there is an OAMC group, and one of the "stickies" is a set of cooking plans. For each of those, there are complete directions: what to buy, the order to prepare the ingredients, etc. These are pretty much foolproof! The forum is also a great place to ask questions, and people share recipes that have worked well for them.

One tip from me (as a mother of four and grandmother of three with another on the way!): think about other meals, too. I found I was starving in the morning (after breastfeeding all night long!) but the baby was wide awake so it was hard to make breakfast. Fortunately, some friends had made me whole-grain waffles and French toast and then froze them. (I wasn't vegan at the time, as I am now!). I could just pop the waffles or French toast in the toaster and they'd thaw and heat up and I could eat them with some fruit or maple syrup and have a quick but nutritious meal. Muffins also freeze really well and you can make a nice variety for quick breakfasts or snacks throughout the day. I've seen somewhere a recipe for frozen "Egg McMuffins" if you eat that kind of thing.

Teresa

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Another easy way to brown meat (I don't eat meat any more, but I did this a lot when I wasn't vegan) is to put it in a plastic colander or strainer, put that in a micro-wave safe bowl, and then heat it in the microwave. All the fat will drain off into the bowl, and you'll just have the cooked meat left in the microwave. It's quick and easy and gives you almost fat-free meat.

Teresa

 

[pezheadmeg]

Has anyone frozen a rotisserie chicken that you purchased like from Costco? How do you do this? Thanks for all the valuable info. I am a working mom with 3 busy girls. I feel like we eat out too much because we are on the go to after school activities. Any help is appreciated...

I'm a devotee of the precooked frozen bags of Purdue and Tysons chicken. Granted when I'm cooking for one the bags last a while. I can make a meal out of most of the kinds in minutes.

Another thing I've learned is to make a box of pasta early in the week. When it's still warm, I toss it with oil. Then it's just a matter of heating it up with an easy topping.

 

[YoTony2]

Another good site to check is www.recipezaar.com. If you go to the Community or Forums section, there is an OAMC group, and one of the "stickies" is a set of cooking plans. For each of those, there are complete directions: what to buy, the order to prepare the ingredients, etc. These are pretty much foolproof! The forum is also a great place to ask questions, and people share recipes that have worked well for them.

One tip from me (as a mother of four and grandmother of three with another on the way!): think about other meals, too. I found I was starving in the morning (after breastfeeding all night long!) but the baby was wide awake so it was hard to make breakfast. Fortunately, some friends had made me whole-grain waffles and French toast and then froze them. (I wasn't vegan at the time, as I am now!). I could just pop the waffles or French toast in the toaster and they'd thaw and heat up and I could eat them with some fruit or maple syrup and have a quick but nutritious meal. Muffins also freeze really well and you can make a nice variety for quick breakfasts or snacks throughout the day. I've seen somewhere a recipe for frozen "Egg McMuffins" if you eat that kind of thing.

Teresa

Teresa, thank you for the link! I can't wait to try out their OAMC recipes!

Many thanks!

Tony