Frozen meals for one

[MacDalt]

My mother is moving back to Indiana from Florida. My dad passed away about 18 months ago, so she feels its time. I'm wanting to fill her freezer with meals but I'm not sure about what foods freeze well and what doesn't. Who else would I ask besides DISers?! Haha!! So if you have experience with what freezes nicely or horribly, please let me know! Thanks!!

 

[minnie1012]

Sorry about your Dad. I make a large meal for my family and then give some to my father in law. He freezes them into individual portions for himself. I have made:

Chili
Chicken taco soup
Swedish meatballs
Meatballs & sauce for spaghetti
Spiral ham slices
Lasagna
Chicken cutlets cleaned & marinating in Italian dressing. He defrosts them & they continue to marinate & he puts it on the grill.

I also have a link to a website called freezer meals. I have to see if I can find it.

 

[clh2]

My mother is moving back to Indiana from Florida. My dad passed away about 18 months ago, so she feels its time. I'm wanting to fill her freezer with meals but I'm not sure about what foods freeze well and what doesn't. Who else would I ask besides DISers?! Haha!! So if you have experience with what freezes nicely or horribly, please let me know! Thanks!!

The things we freeze (there are just 2 of us) - are - Chili, Pot Pies, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce (then we use store-bought frozen meatballs), Baked Ziti, chicken noodle soup, cooked hamburgers (or raw for that matter), cooked bratwurst (from the grill - then just heat in the microwave), sloppy joes, taco meat (both chicken and beef) then we just get the stuff for tacos or taco salad.

Lasagna will also freeze well, we just prefer baked ziti instead (about the same ingredients, but less hassle baking it).

With the pot pies - we simply put the mixture in a custard cup, and freeze that. Instead of a crust, we bake some Pillsbury biscuits to eat with it.

We do a couple of other things (turkey tetrazzini and a cheesy chilada bake, but those are put in a 8x8 square baking pan, and is a lot for the two of us, so probably not a great idea for a single person.

I'm interested in what others are doing in this regards - I am feeling the need to expand my menu into some things that aren't so "wintery".

 

[usnuzuloose]

Shepard's pie is another one. You can make homemade soups and freeze them in single servings.

 

[MacDalt]

This is a great start! Any problems with pasta getting mushy? How do potatoes do? Like mashed or roasted?

 

[lady9]

I use elbow macaroni with my spaghetti sauce. They freeze really well with the sauce without becoming mushy. I don't know about potatoes except that I do freeze them when I make veggie soup and have not had a problem with them becoming mushy.

 

[MacDalt]

I use elbow macaroni with my spaghetti sauce. They freeze really well with the sauce without becoming mushy. I don't know about potatoes except that I do freeze them when I make veggie soup and have not had a problem with them becoming mushy.

Great! Thank you!

 

[MacDalt]

Also, what type of containers do you use to freeze? A co-worker said she puts food in a Rubbermaid type container, then puts a few containers in a gallon size freezer bag for extra protection against freezer burn. Any other ideas?

 

[ceecee]

I use Tupperware. My mom love those frozen Marie Calendar dinners, she likes the variety, plus they are fast and easy.

 

[MacDalt]

Thanks everyone!

 

[etoiles]

I like making individual portions using muffin cups so I can take out exactly how much I want and one is a nice individual size.

I made this mac and cheese and froze it in muffin cups and it worked great. AFter they froze I removed them from the tin and put it in a freezer bag.

I've also seen soup frozen in silicon muffin cups, removed to make easy soup servings.

Also have made burgers (well veggie burgers) and froze them, wrapped each one in plastic wrap in a ziploc bag and also froze buns to make easy meals.

For other meals such as breakfast you could make baked oatmeal muffin cups and breads freeze very nicely as well.

Burritos also make easy meals, after you wrap the burrito up in the tortilla put it in a ziploc bag and you can either microwave or bake individual ones. I have made both dinner type and breakfast burritos.

For these meals it makes it easy since you don't need a lot of individual containers, just store everything in a freezer bag and take out what you need.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I have a love affair with mason jars so I freeze leftovers in single serve portions in those. DH can take to work or I pull out for dinner when he is out if town. They work great to freeze homemade soup too.
I also like to make chicken enchiladas, freeze on a cookie sheet, and then put in a freezer bag. Pull out and microwave. Guess it's not really an enchilada since no sauce is in top. To make a big portion of filling, use your crockpot. Dump in chicken breasts, can of black beans, can rotel, and packet of taco seasoning. Cook til shreadable. Fill tortillas with filling and shredded cheddar. Roll, freeze.

 

[MacDalt]

Great ideas!

 

[diesel]

Besides making food to freeze for my mother I also place an order with Omaha Steaks. Everything comes frozen and most things are individually packaged so she can take out what she needs. I get her the variety of stuffed chicken breast, twice baked potatoes and stuffed sole.